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30 www.oystermarine.com 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. <strong>Yachts</strong> 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.
PHILIPPINES FACTS: Weather Resources: Moana is equipped with an Inmarsat Fleet33 system and receives weather charts and GRIB files via MPDS as well as Met Area reports with SatC. The Philippines have a high risk of typhoons, which are most frequent between June and October. The rainy, SW monsoon season is from June to September, the dry season October to May. The best season for cruising in the Philippines is from early January to mid-May when the weather is pleasant and the danger of typhoons is minimal. Met Area 11 weather report: http://weather.gmdss.org/navimail/GMDS S_METAREA11_INMARSAT The Joint Typhoon Warning Centre: https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc/ab/ab pwweb.txt Synopsis Analysis and Prognosis and other weather chart products by radio-facsimile are broadcasted by T’ai-pei, Tokyo and Australia. Travel Guide Books: • Cruising Guide to Southeast Asia Volume I, South China Sea, Philippines, Gulf of Thailand to Singapore from Stephen Davies & Elaine Morgan, Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson • Lonely Planet Philippines • Lonely Planet Diving & Snorkeling Philippines An excellent addition to the above guide with places to see, background information and listings of dive spots Money: Philippine peso (PHP). Exchange rate £1 = 84 PHP (Aug 2008). US Dollar is widely accepted. Abundant ATMs and credit cards widely accepted. Clearance: Immigration: No visa is required for stays of up to 21 days. 60-days visa can be obtained in advance. Visas or extensions of an existing 60-day visa can be obtained from immigration in either Cebu or Manila only, although some people have managed to renew their visa elsewhere. Fees vary but should be displayed in the immigration office. Customs: Firearms must be declared to customs on arrival. Prohibited items include pornographic material, narcotics and internationally prohibited drugs, unless accompanied by a medical prescription. <strong>Yachts</strong> with animals on board must contact the Animal Quarantine office in Manila. Tel (2) 992-836, for clearance and permit. The yacht will be inspected and a fee charged. Officially yachts gain free entry for one year and the only charges are for immigration visa extensions. Although the government is trying to stamp out corruption and also to standardise the entry and exit charges applied to yachts, in practice, many local officials charge for what they call ‘special services’. ABOVE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: The beautiful ‘white beach’ of Boracay Local freight transportation Moana anchored off Coron Island Our guide in Coron Moana in Malaysia OWNER REPORT www.oystermarine.com 31
Page 1 and 2: NEWS O YSTER® NEWS FROM THE WORLD
Page 3 and 4: 46 FIJI, LAND OF FRIENDLY PEOPLE Do
Page 5 and 6: SUPERSHOAL 82 ON TRIALS The supersh
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Page 21 and 22: RACE 5 SPONSORED BY PANTAENIUS CLAS
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