Cruising- Bohol Is to Palawan Is -The Philippines-2009

Peaceful Port Bonbonon

24 March 2009

From beautiful little Bohol Island we sailed and motored 71 nm to Port Bonbonon on Negros Is. This is where we did our rudder damage the first time we visited. 

(Remember to click on the photos to enlarge them)

This time, however, we entered the peaceful anchorage without any problems. While there we met up with a few other yachties and watched the weather as we needed 2-3 good sailing days to cross the Sulu Sea to Puerta Princesa (PP) on Palawan Is 254 nm away.

Sunset in the Sulu Sea

Once we had our weather window we set sail on 26 March for Puerta Princesa .The sailing was variable as sometimes we rocked and rolled along in the confused seas or we wallowed for a while, then ghosted along but we also had a lot of great sailing and motor sailing There was some shipping and we saw some fishermen in small banacas in the middle of the Sulu Sea! The stars were brilliant and we enjoyed some glorious sunsets and sunrises and as usual hundreds of flying fish performed for us .

In the middle of the our last night we had a fuel problem so Tom had to change tall the fuel filters and bleed the motor. It took well over 2 hours. This was "not a grand thing to do in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of the night when it is pitch dark!" (Hamamas Log)

We found the entrance to PP a bit tricky as the charts were not correct but the people from the Abanico Yacht Cub were very helpful and came out to show us the way in. Later we learned we had to pay for this service!

We were anchored by 11.45am on 28 March and were surprised to see Jack and Norma from EgressII, fellow RQYS members who had left Manly 3 years earlier. It was great to see a familiar face and it almost felt like seeing family!

After 3 days at sea we were anxious to get ashore to meet knew friends and to see the sights so we very quickly launched the dinghy and headed to shore. The Abanico Yacht Club is such a friendly little place with pleasant staff who immediately started to educate us about the in and outs of PP. That is, how to get to town and back, how much to pay, where to get groceries, the best place to buy bread, how to get fuel etc etc. They also serve drinks and make snacks and have a Sunday night buffet.

There were about 12 yachts in the well protected area and naturally all the yachties came in to the Club for Sundowners and to share cruising knowledge. In addition to offering good protection in the Cyclone season the anchorage is a meeting place for those who are leaving the Philippines for Sabah in Malaysia and for those arriving from Sabah to cruise the Philippines. So the chances of meeting someone you know are high!

Egress II Puerta Princesa