Puerto Galera Photos # 1

Hi Everyone,

Happy New Year.

Randal and I are back in Subic Bay. We left Puerto Galera about 5:30 am New Year’s Day and arrived back at the SBYC Jan 2nd about 3:20 pm. We anchored overnight at Hamilo Cove which offers a good but tricky anchorage and a wonderful evening star show. I saw a “falling star” or comet or something shoot across the sky. With no city lights and a quarter moon, the stars were very vivid. I looked at them several times during the night as I checked to see if the anchor was dragging. Randal had set the radar alarm and he was sleeping in the cockpit to keep watch. But I did evening checks also; taking the opportunity to see the stars. The waters of Hamilo Cove were calm enough for me to finish the beef stew I had started cooking in Puerto Galera and that was our dinner with a few cookies. An old grandma and her grandson came by banca to ask if we wanted to buy some fish. I thanked them, but said we didn’t need any.

The seas for both days were listed as moderate to rough on the Philippines weather page. I don’t have the experience to judge, but they seemed pretty more than moderate to me. We were sprayed over the flybridge several times; not the bow, but way up on the flybridge. The cruise from PG to Hamilo Cove rolled us side to side which really scares me. The cruise from Hamilo Cove across Manila Bay was more bow to stern with some swells rolling us both bow to stern and side to side. But with the mainsail up the 2nd day, the side to side roll wasn’t so bad and I thought driving was fun! Ride’m cowboy! I was really sort of scared at first, but then when I saw the side roll was reduced, I trusted us to stay up right and relaxed. A seasoned sailor probably would have thought neither day rough, but my experience is too limited. Between the sound of the wind and the rolling seas and swells, I felt like a scene from Captains Courageous or something.

I did take hundreds of photos while we were in PG and will just pick the ones form each day’s walk to share. Still probably way too many, but there you are. They’re in the order that I took them during the day.

This is an island ferry!

We thought about taking one to the nearby port city of Batangas 40 minutes by ferry, but didn’t this trip. Maybe next time.

The image of Puerto Galera! Guys sitting in one of the bars along the pier drinking bear…for breakfast! Lots of beer and lots of cigarettes. Germans, Aussies, Brits, Asians. Few Americans. It was always a surprise to see a western face speaking a language other than English.

Leaving the pier and walking up to the main road into town. Left at the intersection took you around the curve into town or to the road to Sabang. Right at the corner took you to White Beach. I walked the 6 kilometers back from Sabang one day. Randal and I took a tricycle cab to White Beach.

Laundry shop in town. I did 2 loads on the boat while we were in PG and now have about 5 since we are home! Some folks on older sail boat we met here have just buckets for laundry, so I feel really lucky to have the machine.