Download PDF - Oyster News 66 - Oyster Yachts

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Philippines - Our gate to South Asia continued
“It was clearly a wonderful
place but a good weather
window opened and
allowed us the opportunity
to sail most of the way
to Borneo.
”
El Nido
El Nido in north Palawan is a small tranquil fishing village with some 23,000 inhabitants.
The name El Nido is Spanish for ‘the nest’ referring to the swallows’ nests which are also found
on this island. We did not spend a lot of time in El Nido. It was clearly a wonderful place but a
good weather window opened and allowed us the opportunity to sail most of the way to
Borneo, our next destination. We had not expected a favourable wind! This area normally has
poor winds in the beginning of March so we hoisted sail and went for the 360 nm trip to Borneo.
Passage to Borneo
The weather forecast was correct and we sailed the whole way. Indeed, with light winds
we did not reach record-breaking speeds, but we sailed in calm waters and made steady
progress. We entered the South China Sea without even noticing it. Close to oil fields,
which are plentiful in this area, we began to spot countless vessels including supply ships,
numerous freighters and some tankers and fishing vessels. In the Balabac Strait the lonesome
times at sea were definitely over. We shared the waters with other ships whose courses
built a virtual thick net of routes over the sea.
The highlight on this trip was Rolf’s birthday. We received many greetings from members
of the family and friends by email. I spoilt and surprised him with culinary lusciousness the
whole day. Our Champagne and red wine remained unopened and had to wait until we
reached land – the Captain himself had prescribed our ship policy, "no alcohol while en
route". Still, Rolf enjoyed eggs (without garnish) for breakfast, an ice cream at midday,
cinnamon rolls for afternoon tea and an Indonesian curry for dinner. Rolf’s present was a
Scrabble – English issue! Now we fight for words… my next article will contain new words,
thanks to Scrabble!!
At 2am we arrived in Sutera Harbour Marina in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, from where I complete
this article. From now on we know anchorages will become rare. Yachts sailing from here up
to Thailand hop from marina to marina so the same will apply for Moana, we will spend the
next 12 months mostly visiting luxury marinas with all amenities. Half of this time we will
dock Moana in Singapore to enable land-trips and visits back to Switzerland to meet with
friends and family.
Cruising will become somewhat different in this area of South East Asia. Marinas are used
as bases for excursions and trips on land. Kota Kinabalu is our base to explore Borneo.
Our program is the ascent of Mt. Kinabalu, an excursion into the jungle to meet with
Orang-utans, a diving safari in Sipadan (a world first class diving place) and a visit to the
world’s largest cave systems near Miri, Malaysia.