the flabbergasting antics of Tequila Mike©

LAST LIFE CHANGE???? MAYBE NOT....

2010-09-19T14:38:00.011+08:00

IT'S COLD, CIVILISED AND ORGANISED,

something neither of us is very used to after so long on warm beaches wearing a pair of shorts every day for nigh on 30 years...

BEFORE

SOON

We now live in Sweden, expensive beer, meatballs, friendly people and so well organised, all you need is your own 'personnummer' and anything is possible.

Michelle and I are both registered residents with all the benefits of living here - doctors, dentists, car ownership, bank accounts and WORK....something I have been doing quietly for many years even though few people have noticed, but the main thing now is THAT I AM GETTING PAID FOR IT, and so is Michelle who is working just as hard as I am and in fact, is earning more than me right now!!!

We're both working in friends' Staffan and Tommy's styrofoam production facility in South West Sweden, not far from the crossing to Denmark. We work all the hours we can and hope that both of us will continue to work through the long dark winter which is rapidly approaching (12 degrees as I write this!) You never know though, things slow down a lot in the winter and we may have to hibernate for a few months if we're not needed. There is a cunning plan...........

We bought three run down houses with a good bit of land in Bulgaria, two near the Black Sea resort of Varna and one near the lovely old historical city of Veliko Tarnovo in the middle of the country.

The first one is perfectly liveable and needs mostly cosmetic work done and that is where we will spend the months if we cannot work here over the winter, working on the house. Winter is just as bad, if not worse, over there but there are two log burning stoves there and plenty of insulation in the roof, I hope.......

ROSITSA

The other two are basically ruins which need to be completely re-done, but they have a fair bit of land and are well out in the country in peaceful villages, both in good locations for future re-sale or re-furb if we ever get the cash to do these things...

We had a good working week in Bulgaria in July, very hot and with a rented 'black' VW Polo without air-con and with a side window which kept falling out, so not the best transport but we did visit all three houses and had a good night out in Veliko Tarnovo with Damiano and Anna who we dealt with regarding the purchase of that house, very professional people and I will pass on the details of the Company to anyone who wishes to explore new avenues of life in an emerging European Union country. Their ebay shop is called 'bulgariadirect' have a look, they are serious people providing a serious service and are so helpful. The countryside is lovely and is very similar to Portugal in the late 70's early 80's before it was ruined for me by mass tourism and breathalysers/Police stops. It's also very cheap, we ate our last meal in Sofia in one of the best restaurants there, stuffed full of good food and wine and only paid 25 euros, probably the price of chicken and chips at Julia's on the coast of Algarve by now, it's half that price outside the capital.....Here's a piccy of me ole mate Damiano and I proving that real men wear pink and can drink Rakia at the same time....

This is the property we bought near VT, it's also going to be very close to the new International airport servicing the centre of Bulgaria and close to the new motorway going from Sofia to the Black Sea resorts...

There's a couple of thousand metres of land behind that wall and some lovely plum trees but there's a fair bit of work needed masonry/plastering wise to be able to call it liveable.

All in all it's a good country to be thinking of moving to in a few years when my old legs will not be able to support the work that I'm doing now. All three houses have lovely countryside views and are in remote villages where people still move around in horse and cart and cars are few and far between, wonderful...just wait till they hear the roar of my Cherokee Jeep barreling down the country roads...I'm thinking of setting up an asparagus farm on some of the land, can't find much of it in Bulgaria, takes too long to get the first harvest I guess and people can't wait that long for an income, we'll see.

We are also hoping to buy a cottage here in a local village, the bank has agreed to a mortgage and we have found the house, a lovely 100 year old (that's old in Sweden!) wood cottage with a HUGE Bruno wood burner and in excellent condition, ready to move into in a week or ten days depending on contract signing and final payment.

HALLAND

Needs a lick of paint in the Spring on the outside, but the whole house was completely rebuilt 30 years ago and all the wood and internals are great, there's even triple glazing on all the windows and doors! It's so peaceful and quiet inside despite being on the old village road, now seldom used.

Would you believe there's six bedrooms in there right now...finally I'll have my own office to sort out all the rubbish I've amassed over the years, hopefully most of it will go for Bruno fire starting! What's in the past is in the past, no regrets, in fact I'm so happy to be able to earn a decent crust after the years of poverty living on a tropical beach, we'll see the seasons passing again and look forward to the Spring and Summer every year, throw snowballs and build a snowman in our own garden for once.

Weird time of year to be moving into a new house but maybe we can spend the working week in the village where we work and live now and go to the new house at the weekends. We're hoping the owner will leave most of the furniture in the house as he is German and will have to hire a truck to remove everything to Germany, maybe he'll do a deal, who knows ????????

So there you go, a pretty serious life change, we've gone from tropical beaches to down jackets and electric blankets and I've gone from a 'never buy a house' guy to owning 4 within a period of 6 months, liveable or not...I swore I would never buy anything that tied me to any one place, but these houses are cheap enough that I don't really feel tied since I'm sure we will not lose our shirts if we decide on a new 'LIFE CHANGE'

LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES............___ _____ ____ ____ ___ _____ ___ fill in the blanks if you've watched the film.

Love to all and FTW

LIVING IN SWEDEN IS FUN - VIDEO BLOG

2009-08-23T21:23:00.008+08:00

Ow's about that then....it's now the 23rd of August and a really lovely day, not much wind and plenty of sunshine for the last two days. It's the wind that kills you here, it turns everything so bloody cold instantly, looking forward to doing the bbq this evening without a ski jacket on for a change, forecast is calm??????????

As you can see from the above, I just had a haircut by Michelle of Laholm, wonderful and didn't cost 200 euros, cost a tube of Smarties actually, 17.90 SEK from Maxi supermarket, good deal.
The grass also had a haircut but I had to raise the mower level coz of the bloody apples - how can a tree continue to drop 3500 apples every day for a month?? Every time I go out for a leak in the middle of the bloody night, an apple scares the crap out of me by falling earthwards with a thud. It's dark at night now and even at 0500, my usual start work time, it's pretty twilighty. It's also getting colder with 10 degrees forecast for tomorrow at 0600.

Back to the concrete section tomorrow after a couple of days over the weekend producing the stuff that insulation is made from, Michelle joining me alone in the factory to recycle styrofoam to add to my production blocks.

Have a look at this video for more info re styrofoam production

Now, the final video of the concrete prefab area where I work 5 days a week. we bond styrofoam to precast concrete foundations in all shapes and sizes, it's doing very well, but there's only 5 of us and sometimes it's a veeeery hectic 14 - 16 hour day, actually I'm revolting (tee hee) coz I only like to do a max of 12 hours a day now. Me bones you see, they're not what they used to be. In fact i can't remember a day in the last 4 months without pain, or have I said that before.....
Here's the vid-----------

That's all for now, just thought I'd put some film on the blog case anybody needs to know about what I'm up to.

It's beddy byes time now, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

TIME FLIES IN A CONCRETE FACTORY

2009-07-02T18:40:00.012+08:00

Back home again in Sweden, with a new car (a very sensible Nissan...), and a new house, that's the caravan behind, kindly donated by Tomas Iggstrom, along with two other very small but comfortable caravans.

Michelle was very happy to be back in the land of eternal power and big supermarkets where everything is available...here's a pic of ONE of the cheese/pate counters in our local sari sari store

For myself, once we had removed the ChuggaBugga from the grass, I had to cut it, so here I am, beer in hand, half way through the job on a lovely sunny day.

Chugga is in the background, now, unfortunately, with a cracked windscreen courtesy of my workmate Pavel the Pole who lowered his high lift platform 2 inches too far, never mind, we just have to find a second hand one and have it fitted. The plan is to Swedenise the Campervan and maybe sell it here with Swedish plates or keep it for old times sake. Anyone want a lovely comfy camper, everything works and she's very reliable since I attached the two spark plug leads that the garage forgot to attach. She runs much better with a 2000 cc 4 cylinder engine, instead of the 1000 cc 2 cyl that I drove from UK last year, Neptune alone knows how I did it. Fortunately there are no hills from UK to Sweden!!!!

We met up with Arne and, almost, Didi again, missing Didi who flew off to Bangkok when she heard I was coming for a night...love you Didi. Met Arne's oldest, Peter, who was with his workmates on big bikes, cruising around, as I did 3 years ago on the 'Beast'. Went to Naas again to see the pole being raised, loads of people and the weather wasn't too bad.

Next day, Michelle's 23rd birthday, we drove 100 kms to visit Mike Concepcion and Liz for a night, had a great BBQ and a good day with them in the sun. Stayed in the smallest cutest caravan I've seen and admired the lovely old house and garden that his recently deceased dad loved so much. Great place , I'm sure Papa's spirit is still there keeping an eye on things, and Mike.......

Here's our bitches looking for fish to eat, not many of the gold ones left now..

Here's the usual Barby picture--

Our new house is installed in the garden at the rear of the company house in sleepy Laholm, lovely place, and we BBQ just about EVERY night these days coz the barby is under cover, unlike last year. The barby is behind the roses and my lovely rose, Michelle with her new Harley. Actually Staffan WILL bring my Ducati back as soon as he returns from sailing around Croatian coastlines in thunderstorms, thank you in advance Staffan if you read this.

Have you ever seen an automatic opening rubbish bin????????? Well, I hadn't until we went to Bostad beach for a beer, amazing things available these days....Bostad is the Swedish equivalent of Wimbledon, the Swedish Open starts here in 2 days, so there'll be millions of people around the area for 2 weeks and I will stay, as usual, at work.

Here's a nice shot of our local river with a few little boats tied up, this is a really 'nice' small town with a lovely square and it's so quiet and peaceful where we live. If only the sun would shine more of the year........

Another one showing one of only two San Miguels I have had since leaving the Philippines, sell the stock and thanks to Jonas for the San Migs by the river....

Needless to say, I am working all hours and every day, I've had 2 days off in the last 5 weeks, and will probably not get another one for the next 5 weeks, my choice, but that's why we're here. My legs and arm joints have given me a lot of trouble this year, but I'm suffering through it with the help of my friend Voltaren, who I take 2 times a day for the joint pain. I'm sure the colder climate has something to do with it, but right now it's around 25 degrees and has been for a week, lovely sunny days and clear cool nights.

I don't have much time after work to do anything except shower, barby and then go to sleep, so I'm sorry if emails are few and far between, and if you're one of my Portuguese friends, sorry I haven't been more active on Facebook.......

That's all for now folks.......

Stay cool and have fun in the sun, while it's here!

BACK IN FRANKFURT

2009-04-30T14:05:00.008+08:00

Have a look a the gut and the right knee, welcome back to Europe....this is the before photo by the way, there'll be a similar photo but of a very white slim, fit younger me at the end of September I hope.............

The last seven months in the Philippines have passed without much excitement, no 'excellent adventures' and probably only 2000 beers under the belt...A larger stomach has appeared, but the cold of Northern Europe has already started working its' magic and I can feel the kilos falling away as I sit here with a cold beer to hand. My knee also started to expand into melon size as we left Manila airport and I had the most painful trip I've ever had, coming back here, tears in my eyes I must admit. It's been 4 days here now and I can just about walk up and down the stairs to the toilet, thus giving Seans' pot plants a chance to recover..........

The resort, El Rio y Mar, continues to do well with record numbers of guests in the last few months. Many visiting yachts have passed through and we've made many new friends Pity I don't have an income from the place, but that's what Sweden is for now, courtesy of my good friends Staffan, Artur and Tommy. They seem to have come out of the recession already and business looks good for the future, I'm happy for them, three young hard working guys with a vision....

The Chugga Bugga awaits us in the garden of the house in Laholm, next to the prolific apple tree. I hope she has survived the winter well and that I left enough antifreeze in the engine.

We also have a small caravan and a big caravan to sort out, courtesy of mate Thomas Iggstrom who hates living in a caravan. Michelle will be organising everything concerning the living areas and we should be able to use the house as well, so I sort of hope that we will have some friends taking advantage of Ryan air flights this summer to come and visit us now we can provide some comfortable place to stay..........any takers??????????? We're about 100 miles south of Gothenburg and 60 miles north of Malmo, right next to the coast (5kms).

Here's a picture of the 'small' caravan, it's actually bigger than the Chugga Bugga inside....

I've bought a car, haven't seen it yet, but it's the first real car I've had since 1988 in Algarve. I've driven a lot of miles since then but not in my own car, so it'll be really nice to drive around in Sweden whenever we want to in our 1998 Nissan Primera, not pretty or fast, but Japanese, reliable, economical and full of electric thingys'. I'm sure you'll all be impressed with how sensible I can be sometimes when I post a photo next blog

Sean came over to the Philippines for Christmas season and then again just recently for Easter so we did a few miles in the fast boats and drank a lot of beer, he caught no fish which I'm happy about and just goes to prove my point that he's killed most of the fish in the South China Sea already and there's nothing left......that's the way it is.

Can't think of much more to add and there aren't too many photos right now, so I'll leave you with a picture of us in warmer climes............

Bye for now, stay cool and have a look at a good mates' blog at www.blogatrip.com

TWO DUDES AND A DUDETTE IN FRANKFURT

2008-09-24T14:04:00.002+08:00

Here we are again, with Sean, in Frankfurt 18 weeks after we arrived in Europe. It's still bloody cold and drizzling, same as the weather we left in Laholm, Sweden, but there's only another few days to go before we head back to the land of warmth and smiles, shorts and cold beers, boats and friends.

Here's a photo with a bit of blue sky in it......

taken on the same bar boat as the ones 18 weeks ago.

The Chugga Bugga is at rest in Laholm in the garden of a company house, we miss the coziness and lifestyle, but the cold and darkness are coming so we hope she stays well over the winter, or until Chris comes for a visit to Sweden. The last day when we put her in the garden was warm and sunny, a good day for the goodbye's.

Here's a shot of me cooking one evening inside the cozy home, on a rare night when we didn't barbecue.

If it didn't rain we barbecued every night, even down to 15 degree temperatures - excellent food

So, I guess that's it for a week or so. Hopefully there won't be any fun and games with the immigration at the airport because of Michelle's Swedish residence visa, but after hours on the internet, it should be fine.............more news soon folks,

Bye for now

ps. this is also an amazing event......Tequila Mike was still in Sweden while Concepcion Mike was back in Busuanga!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NEVER SAY "NEVER"...

2008-08-11T14:10:00.012+08:00

A select group of local friends, including Arne who took this photo (sorry to miss you Didi, I know you were there in spirit), gathered in a sunny small town square to witness the previously unthinkable.......Tequila Mike got married, he found someone wonderful and cast many of his ideals to the wind to marry Michelle. Slightly younger than this ageing beach bum, she has brought a sense of order and calm to his hectic existence living from hand to mouth for the last 30 years.

A future is planned which involves WORK, and a possible business in the South West of France should the work be financially rewarding enough to get my idea up and running.

Yes, this Summer has changed many things for me, I'm fitter, healthier, slimmer, mentally refreshed, married and I have some money in the bank.........I have missed the Island life but not the rainy season and all that entails. So, I think that for the sake our sanity and finances, all rainy seasons will be spent working until I have enough saved to start a Summer only operation in France. This will involve fine wines and gourmet food, and that's all I'll say until I can get it off the ground.........

Here's a couple more photos.

Having only drunk 2.8% alcohol beer for the last three months, I ended up with a hangover for the first time in a long long time on Saturday morning. San Miguel paid me back for my deserting him for so long.....

However, 8/8/08 is supposed to be a very lucky day, Michelle chose the day since it's an Asian belief that numbers are lucky when involved in life. Lunch was in a small restaurant overlooking the river in Laholm and the day was fairly sunny. Sunny enough to jump on our bicycles later on and spend a drunken evening with Mike, Liz and Thomas and Danish Mike (that's 3 Mikes' out of 6 people..), down at their farm, watching potatoes grow and drinking strong beer. Apparently my bicycle was a demon on the road back to our car park, don't remember much about the ride home actually..

The staff at El Rio also enjoyed a couple of cases of San Miguel on me the night of our wedding at the same time we got married, hope there were a couple of hangovers there too....

Work goes on in the factory, another six full weeks I believe, to earn a small stake. I've opened a Swedish bank account and that is where the money will sit I hope, until we come back next year to bump it up a bit more.. I need a bit to finish the little bits and pieces necessary for getting my lovely yacht 'Blue Dolphin' back into good shape, then we'll do a little bit of sailing around our area I hope, with an engine working this time in case of zero wind.....

In the meantime, Staffan has lent me his Ducati for sunny days if we get any, and we hope to visit Arne and Didi again before we leave.

Barbecues are an evening event every night it's nice, this one is perfect for two, but saw a reaaally nice stainless steel one for sale today, it'll wait till next year.

Although Michelle still likes the odd small pizza now and then..........????!!!!!!!!!!!

Michelle has a Swedish residence permit now since her Schengen visa ran out at the end of July. This is, I hope, accepted for our return journey through Denmark and Germany to our Frankfurt departure point for the Philippines. I've checked in as many locations as possible and even the German Foreign Office says a Schengen country residence permit is acceptable for other Schengen countries, but it's still a worry for me. At least we know we're welcome here in Sweden if it goes wrong, we'll just come back and fly from here.......

Hopefully there'll be another blog up before we leave, thanks to everyone who sent their best to us via mails and phone calls, looking forward to returning to Island life soon, but this was the
best thing I've done for a long time, work and marriage, that is......

Take care all my friends, and wish us well.

Tequila and Michelle

IT'S BLOODY COLD!!!!!

2008-06-30T15:04:00.009+08:00

I'M ALSO STILL WORKING......

We've been here for 6 weeks now, and it's the coldest I've been since I used to do motorbike courier work during the Winters in the early Eighties in England................since the first great couple of weeks of sun, it's been cloudy, some rain and bloody freezing.

The above photo was taken on the first day, I have since lost around 4 kilos in weight......

My work hours come and go, for instance I just did two days over this weekend totalling 31 hours out of the 48, so i'm a little tired. Very sore also coz I fell through a roller rack system which broke under me, and was lucky not to break my jaw and leg, both of which took a hell of a knock. Weekends are good because the hours are plus 58%, so I really did about 48 hours of the normal weekday crap which is boring since there's a lot of people around to distract me from my mission....

Unfortunately, most of the workers take their annual holidays in the first two weeks of July, and so this means that the factory is probably going to close for two weeks and I'll be sitting on my arse again, just like over Midsummer (more later). Hopefully, since we live in the carpark, I can find some sort of job inside over the next two weeks, even if it's only cleaning the factory.

Midsummer at Naas Slott

This yearly festivity is the high point of the calendar in Sweden, more so than our Christmas celebrations. I was staying with good friends Arne and Didi two years ago and we went to Naas then as they do every year. It's an old stately home and in the grounds is where the ceremony is held. This involves erecting a huge pole with phallic symbols and then dancing around it in old style dress, imitating various animals and basically enjoying the fact that the sun is up for around 21 hours a day.

It's a very good day to find a partner for a while as well, and 9 months from this day, there is a huge boom in baby births !!!!!! Sort of a fertility fiesta, celebrating life and love and all things good and warm. Several thousand people turned out this year at Naas, despite a pretty cold day, cloudy and hinting at rain, although the sun did peek through every now and then. Good thing I bought a 6 pack cooler bag recently, since there was no beer for sale...

The above photo shows Michelle, my mahal, at the event, the building you see is only an outhouse for the old stately home, which is a mile away across lawns and rivers, very nice.

Staying with Arne and Didi was wonderful, back in a newly extended house, Arne constantly tinkering and applying finishing touches, Didi, impossible to remove from the kitchen, creating kilo gaining meals three times a day.. all the weight I'd lost probably went back on in the week we spent with the Dimblads.....!!!!!

We made new curtains for the extension, mowed the lawn, had a sundowner on their pier by the lake, went to the hospital ( Michelle caught her wrist in a door slammed shut by wind) to put a precautionary cast on Michelle's wrist, bought lots of wood for Arne's finishings at Perssons store, had lunch at the golf club, had lots of hot comfortable showers, I drank 32 litres of beer in 6 days (low alcohol) and let the campervan have a holiday.

Here's a photo of the girls picking the daisies before I cut them all down....

And here's a photo of sundowners on the pier by the lake.......

We also got a couple of bikes from the local Swedish equivalent to eBay, called www.blocket.se

500 Crowns or around 50 Euros got us these two trusty steeds, just a shame Michelle's wrist prevented us from using them up around the Lake district where Arne lives. Here's myself doing a bit of initial maintenance........

Having mentioned piers and drinking, I'll show you a couple of photos of the completed Pier Bar at the El Rio y Mar resort, where I normally live in quiet warm retirement next to the bay in northern Busuanga. They're a bit high res so sorry if they don't download tooooo fast!!

I guess that's it for now, talk to you again when we know about Michelle's visa extension, which should be on the cards.

Many thanks to Sean for pointing out that I have no excuse for not keeping the blog up to date, since I'm in fast internet land.....................

See y'all

Europe, we're here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-29T19:22:00.013+08:00

24 hours later, and here we are by the river in Frankfurt, waiting for the leaves to grow on the trees..We brought some sunshine with us to help them along. It's cold and Michelle is shivering, but she soon found a good market and put on a thermo pile jacket, which has been great for the last few weeks - only 5 euros!

Sean was there to meet us at the airport, but the photo was a little blurry, due to the fact that he didn't have any beer in his hands, not even for me, good payback for the empty beer I sent along with his furniture from the Philippines!!

He's got a place perfect for him, a walking street area with non stop bars/restos, even a Filipino Karaoke lounge 20 mtrs away for those lonely cold nights. We stayed 2 nights with him, and it was good to be back on some fast internet, even though my new IBM crashed again for the second time in 6 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!Got it going again, but lost a pile of files as usual.
We caught up with the last few episodes of 'Lost' and downloaded a couple of films.

We caught the ICE train to Bremen the next afternoon and Ellen picked us up at Bremen station, back to their house, some beers and bed. Here's Michelle looking really worried at 250kph on the ICE train to Bremen

Next two days were involved with seeing as much of Bremen as possible, a city I really enjoy because it's small, compact and full of bars. The main square is lovely and sunny, when it's sunny.........

I had to fly to UK and see my mate Bodders to find out which particular mode of transport he was going to lend me for the Summer, so I left Michelle with Ellen and Ralf and jumped on Ryanair to Stansted. Bods was there to meet me, again, no beer in his hand, what's happened to Europe????????Damn Pigs and breathalysers, infringement of personal freedom, I call it. What's wrong with having a few beers and cruising around so long as you don't have an accident!!!!! I've been doing it for 35 years..........Here's the chuggabugga captured by Kodak (Sony, actually).

Unfortunately, I only had 2-3 cylinders and a very poor battery condition and an overheating engine due to low power, and I had my foot on the floor for the next 800kms which took me 19 hours in total!!

However, here's Bodders pointing out the invading Vikings approaching his castle on the shores of the North Sea.........

And here's his castle, another fine fellow who insists on living right next door to a pub, in fact, he claims it is only 12 paces from back door to pub, what a guy!!!!!!!!

The beautiful tulips dominating the photo are courtesy of the lovely Lizzie, who was, sadly, absent during my overnighter with the Boddo. Maybe she heard I was coming and managed to escape.......We actually crashed out around 8.30 PM, totally sober and tired out after repelling Vikings.

Next day was the start of my worst driving experience EVER. Luckily the land is flat for the 800 kms to Bremen or I would have returned to UK from Dunkerque or Oostend, both of which I passed at the top speed of 45 mph, guzzling gas and pouring water into the radiator next to me as I'm driving along, being followed by 2 million honking trucks who are not allowed to overtake cars most of the time..... Stopping constantly at fuel stations to fill up the fast emptying tank, was a juggling match - I couldn't stop the engine coz it wouldn't start again, so had to decide whether to fill up the radiator with water before or after fuelling, before it overheated too much. In the end I filled it up first, got fuel, got more water from the garage, filled the radiator again, and then drove off quickly (ha ha) to get air moving through the radiator. The engine wasn't turned off till midnight and a half, when I arrived at Ellens' house in Bremen.

The garage which charged my mate 600 pounds for a full service had replaced, as normal, the contact points, HT leads and spark plugs, but had neglected to connect TWO of the HT leads to the distributor.........duuuuuuuuuuuuuuh! One was completely disconnected and the other was giving a short jump every now and again...Three and a half tons of campervan, driving along on only 1000 cc instead of 2 litres.

I should have checked everything as I normally do but, didn't stop and look due to the battery situation and overheating, I'm a silly boy!

Imagine how it felt like when I fixed everything in Hamburg - I was in a Porsche at last. Even the battery cables hadn't been tightened on the terminals, what a bunch of ...kers, get your money back if you can Boddo....

Stayed for a night outside Hamburg with Tim and Younggi (spelt right????). Had a wonderful dinner of huge asparagus, it's the season right now and I love it. It was good to be back out in the countryside with fields, woods, horses and the smell of muck spreading in the nearby fields.

Here is a picture of a HORSE.

This is right next to Tim's place, lovely area for walking and being peaceful, in fact it's so peaceful it's hard to sleep in total silence.

Next day was a great hassle free trip up to the ferry at Puttgarden, over to Denmark, up past Copenhagen to the 10 minute crossing between Helsingor and Helsingborg in Sweden. Only hiccup was almost running out of fuel 20 kms away from our 'final destination'. A lot of fuel stations in Sweden are badly sign posted and many only take the gas station credit cards, it's a pain in the ass, even for Swedes.

So, we arrived at Staffan's factory on a Saturday afternoon, and immediately opened a beer and went inside to watch Concepcion Mike working with Liz..They do the weekend day shift, it pays more and there's not many people around. In the end I had to help out a little with a fork lift coz they were a bit short handed....

Here's the final (temporary) resting place of the Chuggabugga, next to Mike and Thomas. we all have to move from here soon, but for now it's ok as a gypsiy camp inside a factory fence.....

So, I'm working night shifts at the weekend on the computerised machines which process the raw material and then press out big blocks of styrofoam, which are then cut into smaller shapes on the production line floor during the day shifts. It's really cool coz I'm on my own in the factory at night, no-one to bother me, and only the machines to bugger me up sometimes. I've proved to myself that I have a brain, coz these machines are difficult to understand, and I was running them after two days.....respect Ali G aaaaiiiiahhhh. Anyway, means I earn as much in one night shift as the other guys do on five days shifts, and I'm happy with it, I get the whole week off to do what I like, that's normally drinking beer and looking out of the fence right now, but trips are planned very soon for overnighters away, exploring.

Michelle handles the boredom well, and is taking good care of the house and me, our kitchen is well stocked, the fridge works great, we've got non stick pots and pans, warm bedding, a shower and loo nearby, satellite tv, internet, and two roses to take care of.

Life is good, and the sun is still shining, with temperatures of 30 degrees cent forecast for this coming weekend.

Next update soon.......LOL

ANOTHER EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

2008-04-29T11:21:00.006+08:00

WOW

We've said goodbye to sunsets like this for a while, coz in Sweden the sun never sets during the Summer. Well not much anyway...we're off to Germany to visit Sean for a few days and then to Bremen to visit Ellen, Ralf and the family.

Then......I'm going to work for the first time in centuries.
A good friend, Staffan, owns a high tech styrofoam factory about 50 miles from Gothenburg, and he's kindly giving me a job to help me out of my brokedness (is there such a word?).

Another good friend, Bodders, has come through for me again by lending us a Volkswagen campervan for the Summer so we have somewhere to sleep and have a bit of mobility for the odd days off. You may remember he was the guy who lent me 'THE BEAST' (the Tiger in earlier adventures, i.e. the Northern Europe Tour, two years ago - see archives).

Michelle is really looking forward to escaping from here for the first time, and I'm going to be happy showing her another side of life, albeit a little bit more expensive than the Philippines!!!!!

All we have to do is get through the immigration guys tomorrow at 0500 hours and I'll breathe a massive sigh of relief.

Meanwhile..............my boat, the 'Goutmaster 1' is in Manila and for sale if anybody wants a super tough Australian offshore boat which does 45 knots with a 200hp engine stuck on the back. Engine is not included in the sale. Here's a photo.

Second meanwhile........ our new pier in the resort at El Rio has been completed, just waiting for the final finishes to the bar.. After watching 3 floating bars be destroyed by typhoons, this new concrete structure will be typhoon proof, and is set out right on the edge of the reef with steps down into the sea. Perfect for snorkelling, diving or tying up a 44 foot yacht. Yes, Jim Fernie was the first with his new Bavaria 44 Vision.

And thus, we end another chapter, off to seek new worlds and fill up the bank account as much as possible. Next blog will be from Sunny Sweden (I hope), hurdy gurdy, where's da chicky, here chicky chicky..........slash. The only good chicken is a dead one on my plate!!

I'll leave you with a great photo of Lerna and Michelle jumping for joy, (although Joy was in Club Paradise at the time...)

Trapped in Paradise

2008-03-08T09:24:00.002+08:00

No not the film I just watched, but a veeery long stay down in the islands off Northern Palawan.

No pictures thie time, just an update, due to my old computer (one year old) crashing and then my new Thinkpad crashing after 3 months, I don't have much luck with these things.

We said bye bye to Sean at the end of August and flew back to Busuanga in the first week of September, goodbye to 'sanctuary' and wireless, fast internet. The internet in the resorts is so slow, it's like going back ten years in time, it took me one and a half hours to sign in to Yahoo the other day!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm here in Manila with wireless again till tomorrow when we return to Busuanga.

Sean just arrived and is setting up another new boat from Technautique.com, a copy of my Australian offshore sport fishing boat, which does 45 knots with a 200 hp outboard stuck on the back. He's bringing it back to El Rio with my old dinosaur 200, and then we'll exchange engines for a new one we have down there.

My old red sport boat has been re-done and re painted and looks great, with a 250 litre underfloor fuel tank now, it's capable of doing a Busuanga to Puerto Galera trip in 4 hours and without re-fuelling...... It's for sale for 9000 usd with the old dinosaur 200 Mariner on it if anyone needs a fast big wave capable boat. No guarantee on the engine, but a new one is 13,000 usd.

Michelle is still with me, don't know why, but she's a most excellent companion, and she's coming with me to Germany and Sweden at the beginning of May (visa permitting).

The plan is to visit Sean in Frankfurt, Otto/Suzanne in Hamburg, Ellen/Ralf in Bremen, Andre/Annette in Berlin and then go up through Denmark to a small town in Sweden called Laholm, South of Gothenburg.

There we have friends where I'm going to WORK..........

Staffan owns a high tech styrofoam factory where Swedish Mike from Concepcion Pier house fame goes with Elizabeth every Summer to earn his cash. Thomas also works there, and so will I this year. I visited the place two years ago on the 'TIGER' and will be quite happy doing some hard grafting this Summer, the first time in 15 years I will earn some money. I don't know how I've survived so long.

So, I think I'll leave it here, and put up some photos when I get back to my place tomorrow. There should be a few and I'll edit this and add more soon as......................

MOST EXCELLENT ADVENTURE.........NOOOOOT

2007-04-24T19:43:00.000+08:00

Here's a photo of how it all started on Monday lunchtime, with a great trip in Mike O'Farrells Subic Seaplane from El Rio y Mar to Puerto Galera in one and a half hours.. We flew over Sean speeding towards Nanga, he was headed for Pandan and Mamburao, but was going to Subic and couldn't drop me in PG.

We had to rush to Puerto to meet up with two other yachts which were leaving Wednesday morning to come to the resort via Mamburao and Pandan, so I only had a day really to load up Blue Dolphin with beer and ice, check the sails were still there and see if the engine started. I haven't used her for two years and wanted to bring her back home to do all the work necessary due to a serious maintenance neglect on my part.

As I was checking the stiff steering, one of the quadrant eye bolts snapped, and I couldn't be bothered to fix it, even if I could have found a bolt. This meant using the large wooden emergency tiller, which actually works very well, but it meant we didn't have an autopilot for the trip, and this was to become a problem later as it meant one of us always had to be on the helm...

All seemed to be okay, so, after spending two nights at the lovely 'Moorings' complex above the yacht Club in PG, thanks Daisy, we sped off into the dawn in between 'Antuka' with Ned and Karen, and Colin Smith and group on 'Sea Feather', previously owned by an old mate, Dave, whose time has come to move ashore after many years at sea.

A great run of continous 7 knots was enjoyed until Del Monte, when the wind dropped, unusually, and we spent a while getting around Calavite, but we did it around 2.00pm so decided to make Igsoso Bay, just North of Mamburao, our overnight stop. Arriving at sunset, we had made a good daylight run of 60 plus miles and were hopeful the next day would see us back in El Rio, unfortunately by-passing Pandan Island, which I love. This is 'Sea Feather' coming in behind us at sunset..

The night was fairly restful and the wind came and went, so all was well with the World. Colin got up and left for Rio at 4.00am as he had to make it that day due to flight commitments, Ned left at 5.30 and I left soon after, taking a more Southerly course in case there was bad wind and I decided to go to Pandan. In the end, I headed slowly towards Apo Island reef with the intention of staying there the night if I was too late to make Rio in the daytime.

Here's Apo Reef from the air, it's one of the best dive spots in this country and is between Club Paradise and Pandan Island, both of whom have regular trips there for divers and snorkellers.

Just as we got past the strong currents near Apo, about 3 miles South, the engine went and died with a clack. No water in the header so we just drift, pointing in the right direction for a couple of hours watching a beautiful sunset, while the engine cools down.

No pipes broken, engine turns over, don't know what has happened so I pour 3 gallons of water into the tank and try again. This time it fires and then makes a bigger clack and that's it, I'm afraid, we're adrift close to a very dangerous reef area, and the sun has gone down and the main shipping channel is a mile away!!!

Somehow, we manage to spend the night keeping her pointed to exactly 184 degrees, home, checking the compass every now and then but using the stars as a guide, Michelle is very good at this!

Dawn breaks after a small moon has been with us for two hours, and I have high hopes there will be some wind for the last 30 miles. We are in the same position as sunset last night but have moved backwards by one mile, with the current. How is it possible to keep a yacht pointing in the same direction for 10 hours with zero wind and current against, you tell me, coz I don't know??

Again, zero wind, and for the first stiflingly hot 8 hours, we only recover the mile we lost last night, with flapping sails, and a dreadful rolling sloppy sea, which has been with us all night. It's hot as a snakes' ass in a wagon rut, and I'm not even drinking beer!!! We're sunburnt, dehydrated and pissed off, but Michelle doesn't get sick and doesn't complain, how did I get so lucky. We have no shade on the boat, so sit there sweating buckets, watching the water supply dwindle, hoping an afternoon wind will come. We see absolutely no local fishing boats, so I try mirror signalling the small planes which constantly fly over, no luck. I try calling on Channel 16 as often as I think the battery can handle it, nothing....

Here's Michelle with the only sun shade we could find, and that tiller she's holding is a very heavy steering device for someone her size!!

At 2.30pm we have about 2-3 knots coming out of the West and manage 1 knot forward, at that rate, another day and more to home, but we handle it.

Another beautiful sunset and the wind dies completely again, we're still about 10 miles from getting a telephone signal so I can call for a tow from the resort.

Just as light fades, Michelle spots a wind line off to the East and I pull up the sails again in hope. Wonderful 8-10 knot breeze actually fills the sails, and off we zoom at 4 knots Southwards, with Michelle again steering by the stars. Two hours later my phone gets a signal and I call the resort and ask Marlon to prepare fuel for the dinghy to come and tow us in if the wind fails again, how happy we are!!!

The wind lasts till we're 8 miles off our bay, and here comes Marlon, guided by my 500 million candle spotlight... It's taken him 10 minutes to get to us, but it takes an hour and a half to tow us back to safety, we arrive on the mooring at 11.00pm, exhausted, starving, sunburnt and dehydrated, but very glad we didn't have to spend another night out THERE!!

A bite to eat, a very painful sunburnt shower and a good sleep, and here's a shot of Dolphin sitting on her mooring in front of our infinty pool at El Rio.

The final sum up, is really that I didn't expect the engine to blow up, we only rebuilt it 30 hours ago, what had happened was internal corrosion in the aluminium cooling channels, which had corroded through and so I was actually filling the whole engine up with water. No damage except for one snapped con rod bolt and the corrosion needing welding, rebuild is going on as I write. All the other cosmetic stuff is being fixed, and this should all be done in 2 or 3 months, when I'll take her to Subic for a haul out and antifouling before the PG regatta at the end of October.

We didn't see ONE local boat for 36 hours to signal for help, I would have paid anything to get us home. When you don't need help these guys have their bloody fishing nets all over the place, and we didn't even see a FAD to tie up to for the night...unbelievable!

Michelle is the star of the story, she'd never been on a yacht and knew nothing about sailing, yet she was steering within an hour doing 7 1/2 knots down Calavite passage, she could hold a perfect course with the stars, even changing stars as they moved through the sky at night. We both have favourite remembered stars now. She didn't once complain, and took my ranting at the Gods' in her stride. What a gal!!

Here she is on Seans' boat on an earlier trip..

NOT QUITE FINISHED!

2007-04-17T04:59:00.000+08:00

Just before the off on the Most Excellent Adventure, we once again, 3rd time, played host to that wonderful event, the International Philippine Hobie Challenge, which finished at Club Paradise, where a large party of participants and friends partied for a few days on the pristine white beach of this jewel of an island.

We had a pretty rough time getting away from Boracay, helicopters, vendors and urine smelling side streets, but staying at Villa Sunset with Adam and Gina and the team was great, very peaceful and very comfortable, thanks again to them.

The seas were huge on departure, in fact, I cancelled the first day of departure because I couldn't get more than 2 miles awa from the island the waves were so obnoxious. Sean flew in to Roxas to find out I wasn't there so he hopped into a car and returned to Boracay for the night. I wasn't prepared to risk his boat without him on board, so we left the next day and he immediately understood my hesitation of the day before. A lot of water was coming over the bows and I put on a life jacket for the first time in around 30 years I believe.

Maybe because of the rough stuff, but we had terrible engine problems all the way to Malapascua, where we limped in at 14 knots instead of 34 knots. Johnnie Walker met us and we stayed at Geoff Halls quaint resort called Kuan Ba or Wobbly Boot. Not much time to look around, but it's a very undeveloped place, so as far as I'm concerned, it is a good place to be.

Another limpy trip the next day to Cebu where we holed up at the Kiwi Lodge for 5 days and I spent the daytime at the wonderful Cebu Yacht Club watching Fin the Norwegian get his team working on the engines and fuel systems.

Next weekend saw us at Alona Beach on Panglao Island, Bohol, where we had a great meal at the Alona Palm Resort, one of my favourite places, here we are working hard at their huge pool!!

Next day, off to Siquijor where we decided to stay at another favourite, the Coco Grove Resort, so beautiful, and the new phase with the Coco Villa rooms is world class, thanks for your hospitality Joy, and thanks to Mike Butler for his vision in creating some of the most harmonious resorts in this area. A quick stop at another of his places, the Apo Island Resort, for lunch and beers, and we were on our way to spend a week with Nigel long hair at his lovely resort on the Southern tp of Negros.

Here's a pic of Michelle and I working at Coco Grove.....

This is the beach in front of the Apo Island Resort, it's a marine sanctuary and very famous for divers from the Dumaguete area, since it's only a few miles offshore.

Nigel helped with the refuelling and the fixing of the hydraulic steering, while I drank beer and supervised the changing of all four propellers, which got banged up on coral overnight at Panglao Island, due to bad info re the depth under a certian mooring at low tide!!!

I love his place and it's so much fun annoying him by asking for something as soon as he sits down...

Next weekend was off round the corner to Sipalay, an unspoilt area on the West coast of Negros, with white sandy beaches and the home of Arthur and Evalyn at Artistic Diving, who put us up in their resort for the night.

We were supposed to go to Cuyo Island the next day, but, of course, the wind and waves decided to come from there, so I thought we may as well head for Peter Harper-Bill's place, the Baras Beach Resort, tucked away in a pretty cove on the SW side of Guimaras, where we spent the night.

On the way we passed the smallest island I've ever stepped on, and a couple of hours later I don't think it was an island anymore. A good place for a couple of beers.....

Next day was calm all the way to the Cuyo group so we made good speed on this long leg of 140 miles or so all the way to Concepcion for a night with Mike and Liz at the Pier House Lodge, before they left for Sweden and 6 months work in the cold parts of the World.

We slowed down at the most expensive resort in the Philippines, Amanpulo, to take some photos from a kilometre away, and then saw a fast boat heading for us, obviously to chase us away. Off we went at 24 knots and he kept with us until we pushed Shakara to 32 knots and he gave up and went home again, ha ha ha.

Power was on at Mike's so we had a pretty good sleep and the next day was a glassy sea all the way, 40 miles, to El Rio y Mar and home for a break in the trip at around 1000 miles completed.

So many problems overcome with a bit of imagination, but the boat needs doctors and so is now in Manila, out of the water, having the structural damage and mechanical/electronic problems sorted in time for Sean's side trip up to San Vincente in the North for some serious fishing/

Kota Kinabalu is still on the cards, but the boat's condition was not good enough for that long run down, and back up, Palawan, where there are absolutely no facilities in case of further problems like the ones we had already encountered many times......

BORACAY AFTER FIVE YEARS

2007-03-07T09:01:00.000+08:00

I haven't been here for a long time, and nothing much has changed except more and more construction, and more rubbish, smellier pathways, thousands of vendors etc etc. The same thing happens all over the World, but most other countries at least try to put some money back into the basic infrastructure, here it all dissapears into pockets....billions and billions of pesos, and not one rubbish bin along the whole 6 km stretch of beach!???

At least they've taken the bloody bangkas off the beach now, but the green slime still remains in places, courtesy of non existent sewage treatment, there was a time they blamed visiting yachts for this, but now they've thought of something really stupid to say about it - 'the green algae is there to keep the sand white', how about that for imagination?

However, my friend Adam has a lovely little resort up one of the pathways, called Villa Sunset.
More like a Spanish Villa, with only 8 apartment style rooms overlooking a small but very clean swimming pool with a little waterfall.

No restaurant here but they have the menu from my favourite dive shop/bar - Calypso Divers, and so the food is delivered from them to the resort. It's also very well built to a high standard and inside the rooms, it's very quiet, no chickens or tricycles around....

Adam, Michelle, (holding a Broadwater Marine beer cooler), and myself had a great 20 minute tour of Boracay, taking loads of photos, in the helicopter seen below with the ground crew, there'll be a photo gallery soon on our website, link to the right, so have a look and follow our 2000 mile trip more closely on the same site.

Here'a typical sunset from the Cocmangas bar area, they all seem to be pretty good, and the skies are clear and the sailing is great to watch from the beach during the day. The Presidents Cup Regatta is on at the moment, unfortunately I'll miss the final party as I'm leaving very early on Friday to pick up Sean 60 miles East of here, to continue our trip to Bantayan Island, Malapascua and then on to Cebu and Bohol, over the next three days.

That's it for now as I'm having trouble uploading more photos, next update from Alona beach, Bohol

MOST EXCELLENT ADVENTURE PREPARATIONS

2007-02-20T16:16:00.000+08:00

It's all go here in Sanctuary and down at the Manila Yacht Club, where the "Beast" is having a fair bit of work done to make sure nothing serious can go wrong on the 2000 mile trip planned to start on March 3rd, coinciding with the annual Manila-Boracay sailing regatta.

I'm spending a lot of time in 'sanctuary' updating the new website which is called:-

www.mostexcellentadventures.com

I still can't believe that this name was still available, didn't anyone watch that great film years ago with a young Keanu Reeves???

Trying to get sponsorship over the last few days has been difficult, no replies as yet, but we're really hoping to get San Miguel, Coca cola, a few resorts and a fuel company to chip in a bit, we'll be using around 5000 ltrs of diesel so any help we can get would be wonderful.

We've also had no takers yet as passengers to help with costs and travel in style, at speed and with two serious adventurers!!!

We will be visiting around fifty islands, even more beaches and will meet new friends and old as we whizz around sampling the beers of the day in search of deserted beaches and tranquility. Sean will also be searching for big fish to catch, but I hope he dumps me on a beach while he does this, slimy, smelly things!! I don't even eat fish - well, smoked salmon and caviar don't count as far as I'm concerned.

Here's a couple of recent photos showing some dead fish at El Rio y Mar and my girlfriend, Michelle, and myself.

There's also a good shot of me with 'The Bills' and Mark on the trip down last year to Club Paradise.

Gotta go and prepare some dead chicken for din dins!

Blogs should be more regular for a while!!???...............

THE LOST WINTER MONTHS

2007-02-14T18:30:00.000+08:00

I haven't written anything for three and a half months, so I guess I've lost anyone who actually read my blog, but I'll try starting again.

I also have a new serious Travel Blog and the link is to the right hand side of this article. It will detail serious trips such as the 'most excellent adventure' planned with a fast launch (Sean's boat) around the Visayas and across to Palawan and down to Borneo and back, this next month!!!!!!!???

It will also have the preparation problems and exciting moments for the 'Trans Siberian Rolls Royce' trip planned for the summer of 2008 with Rosemarie Jeffrey, a fit older lady who is much taken with the idea of gallivanting off around the Gobi desert with a young buck such as myself!!!

The book to follow will be titled "My travels with the Spirit of Ecstasy" or some such guff.

So......

Try to remember what has being happening for 10 weeks??

Sean came back and picked me up from the resort AGAIN, despite my having just bought a plane ticket for the return. It just happened to coincide with Juergen Warnke's 25th 'ín the Philippines' party with Albert Robert, another old Manila hand celebrating the same thing. A good party on the beach as usual, next to the pristine waters of the lovely island of Club Paradise.

Back to Manila, more fun, met my new girlfriend Michelle, who is wonderful, smart and very pretty, and we then flew back to Busuanga the next week, and spent the next 2 months getting things fixed, cleaning the house and doing all the jobs which had been neglected by others for a long time!!!

Christmas was ok and New Year ok, I don't like this period of the year, I like to get pissed whenever I want and not have to have a reason to do it!....

Sean brought his boat over from Boracay around the first week in January with Russians and then Germans and lots of beer, just as well because the whole area was very short of San Miguel for a long time after New Year due to the breakdown of the newly renovated Superferry. Of course, Michelles cousin and several other friends were on board at the time, and they all spent the next 2 days drifting around Calavite point before being towed back to Manila.(It's just broken down again, ha ha!!!)

We had the international "Hobie Challenge"race finish at Club Paradise again for the third time in the 8 year history of the event, which was cool.

Then we got in the boat and went back to Manila via Pandan Island for a chat with Dominic and Radek, who I haven't seen for a while. Calavite, as usual was a bloody nightmare, and it wasn't much better until we got inside the Manila Yacht Club defences after dark..A 10 hour trip. Very tiring.

Now I'm sitting in Sanctuary and don't want to leave the apartment for a few weeks, but we are soon to leave on the 'Most Excellent Adventure', got to keep up the suntan Dudes.

Check out Seans site link on the right for much more info on the last few months and more photos. I'll try to put some shots on now, but it doesn't always work, bummer dude.

A SERIOUSLY EXTENDED HOLIDAY

2006-10-25T12:46:00.000+08:00

This was the lovely sight greeting me at the front desk of Club Paradise recently, as I returned to the crystal clear waters and fine white sand of the Calamian Group of islands of Northern Palawan.
The lady on the left is called Happy, and the lady on the right is called Joy - how wonderful!

Here's a self portrait on the beach after my yearly haircut, which I hate coz it doesn't grow very fast now!!

I'm ahead of myself, in the end I stayed nearly two months in Seans' penthouse flat overlooking Manila Baywalk and the Yacht Club, where I met many new friends and renewed ties with people I hadn't seen for a long time.
Many have promised to come down and visit the islands this season, and I look forward to that.
We were in manila for the typhoon Xangsane which howled through just south of us and caused a heck of a lot of damage. At the height of the storm we negotiated downed trees and powerlines on the way to the Yacht Club to see if there was a party going on. No such luck, so after a couple of beers we headed for Amazonia where there was plenty of air-con and cold beers.

Check Seans'site at www.manley.de for more info and photos!

We were out of power for three days in the end, so Amazonia became a refuge from the heat and lack of internet in the apartment.

Finally, the 32 foot fast launch was ready

First trip was a great run up to Subic for one night with The Bills' and Jean from Park Oasis Hotel, with Rod Hegerty throwing an opening party that day for his chandlery, as a good excuse for a trip.

We all piled into one Bills' new Hummer jeep, after anchoring The Beast off Blue Rock Hotel on Baloy Beach, and drove onto base for a great afternoon, meeting up with a whole pile more old friends and having a great barby, ice cold beers and free beer coolers!!

Everyone was pissed by then so we buggered off back to Blue Rock, somehow, I can't remember! Sean was the worst off I reckon, but he deserved it as he took us all up there and should have realised what would happen to him!!

Early start the next morning back to Manila, passing by Corregidor, lovely day, and then we realised that the Oktoberfest run by The German Club, was fast approaching! OOHHH Noooo!!

They made a fantastic job of the huge tents that they managed to put up in one week after the typhoon had destroyed the main roof covering of The Pavilion, down on Roxas Blvd.

What they did, in conjunction with the Mandarin Hotel, was incredible. I couldn't believe the professionalism here. Huge air-cons and tons of good food and cold beer, with over 1000 people the first night and just under the second night. I went both nights and take my hat off (if I had one) to all who set this event up!

Hangovers followed us as we continued on through life, blissfully unaware that another trip was looming....

I had to go back and check on things in Palawan, so I booked a ticket and waited for the day.

Sean, meanwhile, was secretly plotting to upset my controlled life scheduling! Two nights before the off, he decided to give me a lift in The Beast back to the Resort. This is more serious than you would think - it costs 70 usd to fly down, and it costs 800 usd to give me a lift!!!!!!!!!

Big difference, but I was happy, so off we went to round up some other like minded souls at Amazonia.

We met the Bills' and Canadian Mark and they were keen, so Mark decided to come with us the next day and I booked the Bills on a plane for 3 days hence.

Another 5.00 am start and a great 4 1/2 hour drive to Pandan Island where we got suitably merry and thought about what the peasants were doing. Next day, and , guess what?

Another 5.00 am start, and a great 1 3/4 ride to El Rio y Mar Resort. A good nights' sleep in air-con, and a hot shower were wonderful, and then........ The Bills' arrived.

So all of us went and checked into Club Paradise for the night so they had a 4 mile head start for the trip back to Manila the next morning at - 0500 hrs-. It didn't go like that though, because the Bills' decided they wanted to circumnavigate Busuanga Island the next day, stopping at favoured watering holes, and, of course, Bruno's Bistro for the world famous 5 usd perfect pepper steak! Picked up Mike and Liz Concepcion in Coron and dropped them off their resort into a little paddle bangka, the tide there was right out so we couldn't get in to the pier.

Visited Andy and Lyra at Sangat Island Reserve (reserved for what I don't know!). Had some Camparis, stole some beer coolers and legged it!

Back in Club P by 3.00 pm and then to El Rio for the night and re-fuelling.

Then they left me alone for a while...

Until, they buggered up another flight which I had booked. They turned up again, Bill and Jean and Sean, to give me a lift back to Manila....This is getting silly I thought to myself, whilst grinning from ear to ear with the happiness one only finds when encountering like minded souls.

One night turned into two again as they decided to go round to Concepcion and visit Mike and Liz and drink beer. They returned, suitably imbibed and with Mike and Liz in tow, so all spent the night as yours truly, Bill, Jean and Sean were invited to Juergens 25th anniversary of being in the Philippines, along with another old Manila hand, Albert Robert.

A good night and another 0500 hrs start back to Manila, so we missed the Frueschoppen (German Brunch), and, instead, encountered rough seas all the way from Calavite point to Manila Yacht club. This trip took 8 hrs, and wasn't very pleasant, but it was still a safe trip.

That's it for now, I'm taking the Beast down to Puerto Galera on Friday to help them with the All Souls regatta.

Seans out of town in Bangladesh for the moment but plans to come to PG on the second to bring the Beast back to Manila, if I haven't sunk her, (touch wood). The Bills' will be accompanying me since they seem to get a real buzz out of taking the piss out of an impoverished old beach bum!

Keep 'em laughing as you go!

MOST EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, DUDE

2006-09-19T09:39:00.000+08:00

2007

THAT'S THE PLAN, MAN. Sometime between Chinese New Year and Easter, the intrepid duo will set off on another trip of discovery, enlightenment and serious beer drinking!

The 32 foot fast open fishing boat is back in the water today, waahaaayy!!!!

It looks like new, and with hard anti-fouling on, she may even do 38 knots now.....

The idea is to do different ' legs' with occasional periods when the boat will be left for sometime due to work commitments. People are welcome to join for any or all legs of this trip, with a maximum of 4 guests on board at any time

The trip is planned so that the maximum number of islands will be seen and visited, and the end and beginning of each 'leg' has easy access back to Manila. Hotel nights will be utilized in order to take advantage of the area or because of distance covered on the leg:- Boracay, Cebu, Kota Kinabalu, Puerto Princesa and El Nido will all have at least three nights, and these are also possible temporary stay places for the boat while we have to do some WORK!!!!!!!!

The contribution to the boat for joining anywhere is a very simple 50 us cents per mile and the odd case of beer every 100 nautical miles or so, split between guests. This is not a money-making venture, we're looking for like minded souls who enjoy wind in the face, warm seas, tropical islands, and loads of cold beer.

To put this in perspective, the trip from Puerto Galera to Boracay, via Marinduque, Banton and Romblon town(1 night), would be 158 miles or 79 usd plus food plus one night hotel/lodge.

Here's the route, tentative, but not much will change. Dates are not set.

LEGS AVAILABLE

LEG ONE P.G. – CLUB MARINDUQUE, GASAN ` 56
CLUB – TRES REYES – BANTON ISLAND 25
BANTON – SIMARA – ROMBLON TOWN 28
ROMBLON – BORACAY 47

LEG TWO BORACAY – BILIRAN IS – GIGANTE ISLAND 86
GIGANTE – MALAPASCUA (KUAN BA) 53
MALAPASCUA – CEBU (KIWI LODGE) 77

LEG THREE CEBU – PANGLAO ISLAND (ATLANTIS) 50
PANGLAO – SIQUIJOR (BIKE RIDE) 29
SIQUIJOR – DUMAGUETE (COCO GRANDE) 13
DUMAGUETE – APO IS – BONBONON (NIGEL) 25

LEG FOUR BONBONON – SANDOKAN BORNEO 396
SANDOKAN – KUDAT – KOTA KINABALU 215

LEG FIVE KOTA KINABALU – BALABAC 124
BALABAC – BROOKE’S POINT – PUERTO PRINCESA 161

LEG SIX PUERTO P – TAYTAY – EL NIDO (DOLAROG) 166
EL NIDO – CONCEPCION (MIKES) 81
CONCEPCION – EL RIO Y MAR 33

LEG SEVEN EL RIO Y MAR – APO IS – PANDAN ISLAND 59
PANDAN – PUERTO GALERA 89

TOTAL 1824

figures are distances in nautical miles

anyone interested can contact me at lordberesford@yahoo.co.uk or sean at boat@manley.de

BEATEN BY AN INJURED SCOTSMAN

2006-09-10T08:12:00.000+08:00

Bruce Curran, a.k.a.Brucie, financial whizz, author, bangka safari operator and erstwhile motorcycle rider, spotted recently at our favourite pool venue, -------, by myself, the day he was due to go to hospital to have plates and pins put into his shoulder.

I was trounced fair and square, he obviously plays too much pool, with not enough practice on his motorcycle, since he decided to try and hold back all the traffic recently on Makati avenue by riding straight across 2000 tons of fast moving vehicles. Alas.

However his next break after beating me didn't go quite so well.....

I've been in Manila for a couple of weeks now, catching up with friends and mates coming back from Europe for the next tourist season. It's pretty quiet down in Bussuanga right now, so I'm staying with my good mate, Sean, the fishing guru, who shares a similar lifestyle and writing style as me, although his blog is much more professional. Have a look at www.manley.de for some good stories, and a great photo of the beautiful Grace.

Here's a pic of Sean in the Dominican Republic, wearing El Rio y Mar shorts from our resort, having a joke with a fish!

There've been a lot of parties and late nights and today will be no exception, since Burrell is having one of his afternoon barbies, which tend to go on for a few days!!! I don't know how lovely Susie puts up with all these shenanigans...

Another good time was had recently when the glitterati descended en masse to inspect the facilities at James Simpson's new PALAWAN CENTRE (not centER, you're English Simpson, not a yank!!!!!!). Have a look at www.palawancenter.com for the site which will be completed soon I hope. Better yet, visit them, for a great showcase for Palawan, at the second level of the building at the corner of Paseo de Roxas and Pasay Road. The beer is cold, snacks are available and it's air conditioned with an internet area, and , I believe, 14 companies represented already with their stands. James also publishes the Palawan Community News, a glossy newspaper with stories from Palawan alone.

Here's a few glitterati pics:-

Lastly, for this edition, spotted recently at a local gas station, returning from David Stone's peaceful hieaway, Maya Maya Yacht club, see www.mmyc.com , was a stand selling these revolting looking sandwiches. Has anyone ever tried such combinations??????

What could they possibly taste like at a cost of 30 us cents........

BACK IN PARADISE

2006-08-19T11:38:00.000+08:00

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET OVER THE INFINITY POOL AT 'EL RIO Y MAR' RESORT

It's good to be back in the land of smiles, clean air and cleaner water!

Of course, the last week in England had to be accompanied by an attack of gout, and a near death experience within the first two hours of being back in UK from the continent.

It was a 550 mile trip in the end, from Bremen to the middle of Kent in Uk. The reason for this is my penchant for getting lost whilst trying to ride the old A roads of Europe instead of the boring motorways. Never mind, it's all great fun, and I am a serious fan, these days, of getting lost!!

Poor old Mumsy had stuck herself in a nursing home for a few weeks, due to the problem she has of falling over and breaking various things inside, she's a little old, so, never mind.

I passed by her home after arrival in UK, and having overcome my initial obstacle of the Dover roundabout, felt that I had returned completely to left hand road driving.... Unfortunately, I left the home, which is on a small village road, driving on the right--fortunately I was still, of course, obeying speed limits--scaring the shit out of a poor lady coming the other way on the same side as me. We missed each other and I hope my waves as she passed by were interpreted as an apology for being a complete dickhead, and not as a gesture of defiance or worse. I was so worried about what I had done, that I almost turned around to give chase and offer a dinner for two or something, to make up for my idiocy. I made a split second decision that she might have felt I was trying to overtake her with an idea of finishing off what I had tried to do on the corner a few seconds ago.

Moral of the story--don't ride 550 miles in 10 hours, drink 2 beers on a ferry and think that you can immediately return to left hand driving after 5000 miles of driving on the right!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shaken, but more worried about the lady's mental health, I continued, without incident, another 50 miles to my lodgings, thank you so much Paul Langley, for what turned out to be 8 days.

Thanks also to Graham Winter who put me up for the last few days of my gout-ridden stay in UK. Graham runs the only Philippine dedicated travel agency in the UK, and if anyone feels like coming this way, he has personally stayed at every resort/hotel on his books, so can give first hand info. The new website is coming soon, but his agency number is 00 44 2071830378 , and I will hopefully have a link to his new site when it's up.

So, the flight back to Manila with Gulf Air, for a change. As usual, a pretty ok plane to Bahrain, a pretty average meal and a pretty poor scratched tv screen. Then, of course, the middle east airports, crowded with filipinos going home, and a really old plane with no tv's, no music in my seat and nice staff. Back to Emirates I think, next year. However I got the one way ticket for 340 quid and had an exit seat on both legs, which makes up for a lot, being able to stretch out and not having someone's dandruff falling in your food as you eat off a miniscule table with arms tucked in like a stuffed chicken!!!

Here's a couple of my mates who I saw when I descended on Puerto Galera after being rescued, lost, wandering around the Manila airport car park, by another mate we all know, Sean the Fishing Guru. Thanks for saving my life again Sean. Hope you make it back from the Dominican Republic with all appendages......

These two drunken bums are what ZZ TOP will look like in about 10 years, each competing to become Puerto Galera's Father Christmas, with all the kudos that involves. Actually, neither want to do it anymore due to the small minded pathetic bastards who believe that these guys make money doing something they love, which is helping the kids of the town to have a bit more fun on Christmas Day. Up yours, or worse, all of you that prevent good men from helping others!!!!!

Carl Broqvist on the left, co-owner of Rock n Roll Bar on the pier, and Alan Anderson, boatbuilder from Delaruan, otherwise known by me as Delaralan. Two of the best!!!

That's all for now, folks.

So many thanks to all who put me up, and who put up with me, during a fantastic trip.

More soon................

ANIMALS AND OLD TOWNS

2006-07-19T16:12:00.000+08:00

This is a very scary pig, reminds me of the ones in the film ´Red Dragon´with Anthony Hopkins.

On the other hand, these cute little things are not very scary.

Here is a photo from the top of the spire in Bremen church showing numerous beer drinking places in the sun

Two photos of a very beautiful old town called Hunn.Mundheim, about 30 kms south west of Gottingen. Here, two small rivers meet and become the Weser River which exits through Bremen way to the north. This is the area for 100 miles around where you can find fantastic biking roads, and also go up into the Harz 'mountains' for some real pine forest-lake scenery

Here's a shot of one of the lakes north east of Gottingen in the Harz.

Spot the Tiger 900 in Poland on the way to the stunning girls on the coast.

In Germany, things are very efficient, for example, most of the light switches work. Here is a photo of something even better, free food and water for your dog at some motorway servivce stations, isn't that really a kind thought. It brought tears to my eyes thinking of all the happy doggies who must have refreshed themselves at these troughs.

That seems to be all the photos I can put on a blog at one time so the next will have some more.

Quick recap, I went to Cologne after Gottingen and managed to contract the dreaded gout again and so did not see anything of the city until I was on the way out, where I managed to grab a photo of the immense cathedral there.

Thanks for putting me up for a few nights Carsten and next time we'll do the town as you had planned!!

Passed by Osnabrück on my way from Cologne back to Ellen and Ralf's house in Bremen, and had lunch with Juergen and Annette's older son, Tim. The town is not too big and I saw most of it getting lost trying to drive 500 mtrs to meet up with Tim at a German brewery restaurant. The food was good but I'm not really into the micro brewery beer as it never seems to be cold enough so you can't actually drink enough of it!!?

So here I am again in Bremen till Tuesday when I have a 500 mile stretch from here to a mate near Gatwick in UK. Visited Oldenburg this morning, again a great town, they're all so great if they're not too big, and I love the old parts of them.

So, more photos next time and maybe an update of the written word if I make the last long push. Back to the Philippines on Gulf Air on the 5th August, I wish the weather and the road would never end, this is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TRIUMPH TIGER 900 ALTERNATIVE

2006-07-13T19:51:00.002+08:00

When twisting the throttle becomes tiring and you only want to hold something cold, what better way than to take one of ´Ralfs chauffered cycle tours´based close to the beautiful park in the north of the city.

Many years of experience cycling around the tea plantations of the world has enabled Ralf to whisk well to do guests around the park in the comfort which they so deserve. Cold beer is available en route and for the greater distance between beer stops there is a small fly whisk attached to the rear seat with which to urge Ralf on faster before the beer is finished.

In all seriousness, Ralfs main business is tea and if you see ´Puretea´tea anywhere, please buy some. I don´t know anything about tea, but if it´s sold in Club Paradise it must be fantastic!!!!

Back to the road, here´s something that got in the way of a Tiger 900, case of beer to whoever guesses its weight correctly.......

Hamburg was the next stop with Juergen, Tim was having a birthday party for a select group of intelligentsia, so we were invited (why me, actually????) to spend a few days. Hamburg is another good stopover, not too big, easy to get around and living in the countryside only a few miles from the centre is great fun, surrounded by forests, fields and horses. I had a lovely early morning walk whilst all the late nighters were slumbered asunder, Ouma was the only early riser, eyebrows raised at my first beer at 7.30 am, chuckling a little as I explained my 4.00am rise, thus 3-4 hours into the day.
Thanks Tim and family for the hospitality and ICE cold beers.

A good surprise was to meet up with an old friend and regular guest of Club Paradise, Otto, down from his other island of Sylt to show us his home on the banks of the river Elbe, and to take us to one of the best restaurant views of that river for a lovely dinner. We stole someones table but Otto has a very slick way of doing this,(get the manager-Otto lives on Oevelgönne strasse!!!!!), and he promised we´d leave by 8.oopm. Perfect timing as yours truly was watching the rain coming closer and at exactly 7.55 the first drops hit, Otto paid the bill and we buggered off, leaving all to seek shelter somewhere inside the already crowded interior. Excellent departure....................

Having not broken speed limits up until now, except by the usual 10%, I had a hell of a job following Tim the day I left for Berlin! He was to show me a new section of the motorway which would help me on my way to the old ´A´ roads I much prefer. Trouble was, his new Audi is much faster than the Tiger, hence me flying along at 100 mph with my legs streaming out the back, sorry Chris, but I had to keep up!!!

Andre and Annette welcomed me to their country estate, after they´d found me at the bar of the local riding school sinking a couple of cold ones, and checking out the jodphurs, it was a long ride. Tennis court, olympic swimming pool and loads of lovely horses, plus cold half litre beers in the fridge, made me feel right at home. Not to forget Emma the wild pig (scary) and a gaggle of gangly goslings. For the Tiger, there was a brand new Range Rover and Discovery to talk to, and reminisce about the old country. Fortunately the Mercedes knew well enough to stay out of the way in the garage!!

Two days of looking around Berlin with 1,000,000 football fans cruising was enough, fortunately the beautiful older areas were quiet and free of noise. I watched the presentation of the German team at the Brandenburg Gate from a local bar and was really impressed - not being ínto´football, I have watched with my friends, during this trip, most of the matches, and enjoyed the experience.
I remember the days when football hooligans ruled the football publicity machine, but to see all these people having good clean fun was amazing. As teams dropped out, different nationalities even assumed the nationality of their next favourites, guaranteeing a lively audience every match. No violence,but singing, laughter and dancing - what a wonderful co-mingling of like minded souls!

POLAND

Why not go to the north coast of Poland while I´m in the area?
Swinoujscie and Miedzyzdroje ( get that around your tongue???) were my destinations and I booked on internet a renovated cruise ship near the latter on Wicko lake. Room was okay but it was so bloody quiet, no restaurant, so got on Tiger and went to Swin, which involves a free ferry crossing. Got totally lost in this place and couldn´t even find the beach, so got back on the ferry and went to Mied for dinner at an Italian place. Found a roadside bar next to the ship and had a few cheap coldies before bed.
Polish girls are stunning!!!
Got up early with the intention of crossing the border at Swin and going to the submarine pens at Peenemünde and then country roads back to Andre s house. Got the ferry, went past all the bloody roadworks for the 4th time, got to the border and was told only pedestrians and bicycles could cross......... The border guard took great interest in my bemused look as he told me I had to ride back to Stettin, 120km back, to cross the border which I had crossed the day before, ha ha!! However, I got wonderfully lost on the small back roads north of Berlin and found some lovely villages along the way. Germany really is a beautiful place to be, with the sun shining and a 1995 Tiger 900 between your legs!

A highlight of my stay with Andre was again an alternative form of transport to the Tiger, when we took one of his small single horse carriages through the forest/field tracks around his village.
The dust rising off the well ready corn fields as we passed, the cool of the forest paths and the smiling locals, used to this wonderfully eccentric country squire, made for an unforgettable experience. Of course, it was a little unpleasant for a couple of minutes as ´Dobbins´lunch came out at a full trot not 3 feet in front of our nostrils!!

A kiss on the muzzle to each of my favourite horses, and off I went, onwards, ever onwards towards a new horizon - Gottingen - south of Hannover and North-east of Frankfurt.
Staying with Juergens sister Annette (another Annette) and Juergen (another Juergen) and son and night club connoisseur Bennie ´the man´

A very see-able large town, which I will discover in the next few days, since I just arrived. Today I spent getting wonderfully lost through the unpronounceable tiny villages around this area. Ending up at an ancient town where the Fulda and the Werra rivers meet and form the Weser, which exits at Bremerhaven in the north of the country.
This town is called Hann.Münden and is a must see, it´s sooooo old and small enough to spend time looking at each of the old houses in detail, beautiful.

Photos will be forthcoming soon I hope, all the way from the beginning, not sure how many I can get on a blog but all the good ones will be on soon.

Before I end, if there are any bikers out there reading this, the country roads in this hillier area of Germany are STUNNING biker roads, even at the speed limit. Perfect surfaces and swoopy woopy upsy downsy roads, bring the noise of insane giggling into the helmet - bloody things (infringement of personal choice!!!!) - and what a great handling bike is the 1995 Tiger 900.

FIVE COUNTRIES IN SIX HOURS

2006-07-02T13:03:00.000+08:00

It was time to go and check out the supplies of beer in a few European countries, due to the imminent arrival of the so-called ´low season´ in the Philippines. In actual fact, the weather in that country can be great during the summer months and there aren´t nearly as many tourists around to clutter the place up.

Chris Bodders, who seems to have motorbikes available for me wherever I go, told me to go to England and use his big black Triumph 900 to inspect the bier kellars of northern Europe.

The above photo shows the departure from Dover on the way to Dunkerque, which is a great little town very close to the Belgian border. Norfolkline Ferries do an amazing deal for bikes at a flat rate of 18 GBP including 2 people for the almost 2 hour crossing, sailings every 2 hours!

A beer on the ferry and a close encounter with a container ship, prepared me mentally for the trip ahead.

Unfortunately, due to the distance, I had to scoot through France, Belgium and Holland on the motorways, although I can say that fuel got a little cheaper across the Channel.

Versen is a pretty little village in Emsland, Geramany, a few kilometres from the Dutch border. Huge wind generators abound in this region, and it´s famous for the many old windmills dotted around the area. I was to stay in the Millers house adjoining the old windmill and await the arrival of a good friend, Juergen, who also owns the lovely resort of Club Paradise. In the meantime, I had a few days alone to get over the stress of being in England!

Unfortunately there was no beer in the fridge, and I only just caught the village Spar shop before it closed, and so, emptied their chiller of its´beer contents.

The next few days were spent enjoying the weather, which had been great for a week or so, and the countryside of Emsland, the towns of Meppen and Lingen and the coastline of the North Sea.

Midsummer was approaching and I was expected for the celebrations. I got the idea that it was only 4-500 kms from Versen to Laholm in south west Sweden-it was over 700! However, Concepcion Mike and Liz were waiting for me with a fridge full of beer when I arrived a 4.30 pm to stay a few days in a caravan lent by friend Tomas.

The highlight of the next few days was going to a nice hotel on the coast at Tylosand and having a buffet dinner in a nearby bar while watching the England-Sweden football match. Stefan - Cellplast Direkt - kindly picked up the bill for about 24 of us for the whole operation, thank-you! We were all given Swedish football shirts, and I became Canadian for the night in case UK won the match. I think I was the only Englishman amongst 400 Swedes......

Beer is VERY expensive in Sweden, at about 3-4 GBP each in a decent bar! Needless to say, most people drink at home and they try to get the beer from people who seem to bring in tons of it from Germany at a much lower cost. A really good deal is on the ferry from Germany to Denmark or Sweden, where you can buy a case of 24 for 10 Euros. If you´re in a car then stock up with as much as you can, if you can´t drink it all, then everyone else will.

Next stop was the house of Arne and Didi about 150 kms north to the East of Gothenburg, outside a very pretty town called Alingsas. This is a lovely area, with lakes and small villages out in the countryside, with cows and loads of horses in the fields.

Somehow, Arne and Didi entertained up to 22 people for the next few days, friends and family from UK, Maldives,Norway, Switzerland, Germany and the Philippines! Arne has a catamaran in the same anchorage as my boat in the P.I. so we caught up on what happened during the typhoon when his boat went walkabout, but survived with no damage.

Midsummer was celebrated in lovely sunshine at an old country estate called Naas Slott a little distance away, where a large pole is erected and everyone dances around it, the girls with flowers in their hair, and the guys with beers in their hands, actually, I think I was the only one, thanks Anders and Torbjorn for bringing them!!

Next few days the weather turned cold and cloudy but we could still use the cars for outings and dinners and trips to the local pub. The islands north of Gothenburg are wonderful places to discover, as I did on my last day with the sun coming back to warm us up again. The roads are great and small ferries transport you from one islnd to the next, free of charge, and around each bend a new vista of water, bays, small marinas and little villages opens up. It is really a beautiful area. Maybe it´s a little different in mid winter?? You could easily spend a week touring this area and I was sorry I had to head south the next day.

Next stop was an overnight with Soren and Gitte in Copenhagen, people who I´d met in El Rio y Mar Resort in the P.I. I was very happy to break my journey back to Bremen and catch up with them. They have a lovely apartment, but unfortunately I couldn´t see much of Copenhagen since I was there for only 12 hours, next year maybe, I can take a picture of the Mermaid...

600kms in 7 hours, and here I am in Bremen, a lovely small city surrounding beautiful parks, with cobbled streets and a long history. Staying with Juergens´family, Ellen and Ralph and the kids and swapping the big Tiger 900 for a bicycle today to explore the town with the family. Beautiful weather and beautiful friends. This trip is just what I need, and it will go on for a few more weeks I´m sure, birthday party in Hamburg in 3 days time!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photos on next blog!!

TYPHOON CHANCHU PHOTOS

2006-06-04T15:55:00.000+08:00

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CREWS GO ASHORE TO GET DRUNK WITH A TYPHOON APPROACHING!!!!!!!!!
ANCHORS TOO SMALL, BITS OF STRING INSTEAD OF CHAIN.....
ONE OF MY FRIENDS LOST HIS PIER, BUT OF COURSE IT WASN'T THE FAULT OF THE CREW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????
STILL A FASCINATING PLACE TO LIVE.............................IT'S NEVER BORING!

TRAPPED IN CORON

2006-05-15T17:05:00.000+08:00

The above photo is a picture of my boat when the sea was calm!!! Not like the last few days with super typhoon Chanchu zipping around all over the place and narrowly missing my favourite residence in Northern Palawan.

I only wanted to show the lovely Sophie a good French restaurant ( Bruno's) and a good place to stay for a while in Coron (Seadive), but got stuck due to everything getting delayed/cancelled/effed up.

Ended up spending two nights myself at Seadive, with the lovely Sophie staying at Divelink 500 mtrs away across a storm tossed bay!!! Never mind, because who should stumble past the bar I was in, but the irrepressible senhor Lonnigan, looking pale and skinny after a sojourn in a place far away where people become pale and skinny, ( No it wasn't the local jail!!!). I think it was New York.

Several boats sank in the bay but of course us grotty yachties know how to anchor, so we're fine with a bit of wind. Only one yacht in Puerto Galera broke its' mooring and was rescued by Russ, Peter et al. However, Andy says 10 ferries/freighters slid slowly past him on his mooring and they all cended up on the lovely Sandbar beach. What a mess, at least they didn't scrape his nice motoryacht on the way ashore.

Latest news is that Chanchu is now a super typhoon and heading straight for Hong Kong, as is my mate Chris Boddington, arriving at the same time from the UK!! When worlds collide, or something like that. Never mind Chris, there's always Wanchai??!

Lovely superyacht Snooks will be riding the swells north to HK as soon as the storm has passed, wish Ross and Susan a safe trip home, enjoy your birthday trip Ross.

Hope to have some storm pictures sometime soon,

Ciao and FTW

LET'S FIND SOME BIG YACHTS WITH BEER ON BOARD!

2006-05-02T16:35:00.000+08:00

Once again, the resort looked like being really busy this last weekend, with lots of kids running around so I hopped into a boat and went to Club Paradise where I met the skipper of the 25 metre racing yacht 'Intrigue'.

He was staying in the area for a couple of days before heading down to El Nido and then on to Kota Kinabalu, before ending up in Koh Samui for some more serious racing. Unfortunately the owner was still asleep so I had to drink some beers in the resort bar, before heading back home. I thought about leaving the next day as I knew some other friends were sailing around here....

So I did, and what a surprise 25 miles down the track, to come up behind another lovely yacht, 'Hocux Pocux 2' which was also heading for KK aqnd KS skippered by Bruno, with lady Cath and Ross the Scot ( lower photo). they had loads of beer so i showed them the way through the reefs and dropped off in Concepcion AGAIN, after suggesting they stay on the mooring at Andy's Sangat Island 10 miles further on. They wanted to dive and Andy's place is perfect for all the WW2 wrecks in that area.

Hopped into the boat the next day and went to visit them, got towed halfway by another Mike's huge safari boat, which had lots of cold beer on board, but had to get back into mine as the waves were becoming too big for the tow. Called Chris and Mylene on their yacht 'September Song', and they said they'd join us all at Sangat and head for Concepcion that night. More beer...

Anyway, everyone is on the way to El Nido now and I had a great trip, flat calm, back from Concepcion this morning, Calauit River was most excellent as usual, I love that passage.

Guess what????? Two yachts just turned up on my moorings this afternoon, so we'll have to get to know each other tonight over dinner and lots of cold beer!!

I must say goodbye to a couple of friends who will be leaving Boracay soon to return to Hong Kong until they return with their superfast motor yacht next year (top photo), loaded with wine gums I hope.
Have a safe trip Ross and Susan and say HI to Richard and Una for me, I don't really miss the wine gums tooooo much???

ABDUCTED FROM PARADISE

2006-04-26T05:56:00.000+08:00

Before and after photos shown below are the result of being taken away from a really good bar at beer point a few days ago, here in Northern Palawan.
My mate Sean turned up at the island unexpectedly and swam ashore with three lady friends for a spot of lunch.
Nelson, the boatman was left aboard Sean's fast fishing boat to count the beers left on board and to sort out the tequila, rum and gin bottles which had fallen all over the place as a result of the boat's top speed of 37 knots. needless to say, the only food on board was several tubes of broken Pringles!
After a few beers and a spot of lunch, I was persuaded, (or was it my idea), that I should go with them to Concepcion to visit Concepcion Mike for the night. I know the channels and reefs around here so I took them through the Calauit river which separates the Safari park from mainland Busuanga.
This river trip is a real buzz, very shallow entry and exit channels but plenty of depth through the main 2 mile channel, narrow and twisty at times, but there are sections to open up the boat and play Apocalypse Now. It's a stunning mangrove river and if anybody ever gets offered a trip through on a shallow draft boat, then grab it!!!!
Outside the bay the boat was a dream to drive, 400hp, smooth hydraulic steering, and thanks to a refill of supplies at El Rio y Mar resort, plenty more ice cold beer.
Concepcion Mike was on hand with a freezer full of beer, ( the thermostat is set so the beers come out frosty but not frozen) and so the rest of the day progressed, until we all fell over.
Next day was a walk up to the waterfall for the girls, with young Ivan the Dutchman, while the rest of us drank hair of the dogs before the return to the resort via Andy at Sangat Island, and a quick pass through some of the other beautiful islands out to the west. In the afternoon we had tide enough to get back through the river. It's much more fun than going outside Calauit Island. We also abducted Ivan so he could do the trip.
After a good sleep back in my room at the resort, I remembered that Sean needed fuel, good thing he remembered too. During the process of pouring 550 litres of fuel into his boat, I thought it was probably a good idea to go with them to Coron the other way around Busuanga, i.e. the east side.
Very rough and at times only 10 knots progress, it's a funny side with NW swells meeting SE wind and waves. However the stunning scenery of limestone Coron Island made up for all the bouncing around. Most of us had a quick swim in one of the little inlets before the natives could get us for a contribution, and then across the bay to Coron town for the night, after a few beers at Sea Dive hotel. Sean and party stayed at Divelink and I stopped at Sea Dive. All of us had a great meal at Bruno's Bistro in the evening.
We all left on a jeep the next morning, Sean and party back to Manila by plane, myself back to the resort and Ivan back to Concepcion. Only one left is Nelson, sleeping on the boat for the next 10 days till Sean gets back, and we continue the high jinks with 10 of his friends coming down for some fun!!??
I think I looked and felt worse than Sean, but he is 14 years younger than me after all..............

Back to Paradise

2006-04-18T06:37:00.000+08:00

It's good to be back in sunny Busuanga at El Rio y Mar Resort, Northern Palawan. Hangovers are a thing of the past here with clean air and transparent waters surrounding picture postcard islands. Weather is great and the food wonderful. (look at the sunset over the infinity pool!!)
I did get a little antsy the other day though when there seemed to be a disco going on in my favourite peaceful restaurant. It's easy, though, to jump in a speedboat and go to the mainland where my trusty 250 motocross bike is always ready to whisk me off.
What a great bike ride around the north side of this island, the road is dirt but smooth, with wonderful views across to Club Paradise and then into Calauit Bay, where the African Safari trip can be taken. They have Giraffe, Zebra, antelope and a whole host of indigenous Philippine wildlife to view from a large safari truck. Many people like to hand feed the Giraffe, they're so used to visitors.
From there it's only a few miles to Concepcion Mike's 'Pier House Lodge', where the coldest beers anywhere are always available, even though Mike drinks most of them!!? There's a good waterfall to visit here, only 15 minutes walk down the road, and it's a great place to watch the sun go down since the house is on the water and faces west.
Rooms are available here and it's not expensive, mike's wife Liz makes good food and is much better looking than Mike!! Check out the lovely waitresses in the top photo in front of the lodge, all related to Liz!
Trouble is i've had gout for a week now and the old Voltaren 50mg don't seem to help too much, maybe i am getting old after all. Anyway it's not easy starting a motocross bike with gout in your right foot!!
Managed to make it to Brunos bistro in Coron though and then sink a few cold pain killers before the trip back to the resort .

back in puerto galera

2006-04-01T09:42:00.000+08:00

Back down in Puerto Galera for a few days to check my boat and get pissed with a bunch of old friends, friday night barbecue at the yacht club was great as usual with several new yacht's on the moorings.
good to see chris and mylene again, and chris in good health too, he must be the hardiest sailor i know, 74 years old and still sailing backwards and forwards from Australia to the Philippines, regularly.
saturday and sunday are sailing days, the weather is great and the wind is blowing, have a look at a picture of this lovely bay, which has just gained an award as one of the most beautiful bays in the world.
check out my yacht club link for more info
tequila.

Safe anchorages around Busuanga

2006-03-30T10:47:00.001+08:00

by Tequila Mike©

There are many safe and lovely anchorages around this beautiful cruising area, however if it is your first cruise, I thought it might be useful to list the ones I consider easy to navigate in bad weather. There are in fact, many more for those who love to tuck into tiny coves and tie off ashore, so many, that you're never more than ten miles from one, with the exception of the north side of Busuanga, where I'll begin:
Maricaban Bay Marina (the resort is now called 'El Rio Y Mar') is not a true typhoon mooring, I would go by the formula of 35 knots of steady wind for a 40 foot yacht to be the maximum. However, opposite the village of Maricaban, one mile away, there is a western style house on the beach and a safe anchorage there in mud at about 10-12 mtrs. Basic supplies and transport to Coron as well. The rest of the large protected area behind Cabilauan island has numerous pearl and seaweed farms. (Not easy to navigate in a blow).
Going anti-clockwise from here, to visit the westerly islands, there is no shelter until you have rounded the point of Calauit island (stay outside Pinnacle rocks for safety). South a few miles is the entry to Illuktuk Bay, a long narrow bay open to wind, but not waves. Stay to the south of the entry channel as the reef comes further south than it seems! Anchor just outside the little bay on the north side. The bar across is 2 mtrs at mid tide so you should be shallow draft to get in here.
This bay is also the home of the rangers who provide the truck to do the African animal safari tour. I suggest you arrange this in the evening and do it in the early morning - it's much cooler then - a good trip if you haven't been to Africa.
Next safety stop would be Gutob Bay. The channel begins opposite Talampulan Island and is very pretty with safe anchoring just off the first island you come to one mile up. Be careful of the reefs and head over to the west side beach of the Busuanga river where you'll find the Swiss owned Las Perlas resort with a lovely swimming pool and the Filipino Rio Playa resort with more rooms but not as peaceful. A trip up this river is a good idea, and basic supplies can be had at the little village store. Sand flies can sometimes be a problem on the beach.
South is Concepcion village, home of Swedish Mike and his lovely wife Liz, who have the large lodge house at the beginning of the pier. The anchorage is not good in a blow though, too many reefs to worry about, so head south 1 mile and go through a dogleg to the inside of a small bay where you will find peace and quiet in a lovely anchorage out of wind and waves. 500 mtrs off this bay is the Japanese wreck of the Taei Maru, buoyed fore and aft, and a good dive.
All the islands fanning out from here are beautiful and have East facing sandy sloping beaches so anchoring on them in the North East Amihan wind is easy. I can even set back and jump off my yacht onto the beach at South Cay! The bay on the southeast side of Popototan Island is a good anchorage but is a little deep in between the two piers belonging to the Coral Bay resort and the large private houses on the hillside. The Resort may be able to give you a basic meal and drinks but they normally need advance warning.
Going east now, the area behind Sangat is too deep and too full of reefs and pearl farms to be any good in a blow so you should head for Coron or Culion. In between Sangat and Coron, going North through the Uson Island entry, there is an anchorage inside 'Port Luyucan' Bay on the port side, (be careful of the reef over on the port side at 2.2 mtr). Just west of the main yacht anchorage in Coron is Gunther's island (Canitauan on the chart), where on the west side, beside 2-3 permanently anchored boats, you can find safe anchorage. (Good bar, restaurant and rooms available).
Don't stay in a storm in front of Sea Dive, as the fetch is too long. The safe anchorage in Culion is around the corner from the town going east, deep but safe if you can get a good hold. If you're heading around Culion Island there is a well-known typhoon hole on the west side called "Halsey Harbour”. Head into the South arm almost to the end and you'll be very safe and have a great water source and huge cheap prawns available, it's like being in a mini Norway in there!
Please note: many have found anomalies on the yellow/blue 'Coron Bay' chart, up to 200 mtrs off on the GPS! The two other B/W charts covering Busuanga are good.
Over to the east side of Busuanga, there are two good spots, namely the estuary leading up to Borac village, although there are pearl farms to navigate here and then further up the coast behind Napuscud and Depagal islands in a small inlet. Do not try to cross the reef going north from here, as it's too shallow!! From there no safe havens to be found until Club Paradise is again on the horizon.
Please visit with all the Busuanga guys who have advertised in “Cruiser News” They are a wealth of knowledge and will be happy help you. Try also to pass by beautiful 'Pandan Island' on your way south, it's only 55 miles to Club Paradise. They have a mooring available and can help with supplies of fuel, beer and ice as well!!

Editor: Previous article by Mike regarding this area can be found in the back issue section of our website.

Approximate GPS positions named locations:
Maricaban Bay 12° 11.00’ 120° 06.50’
Calauit Bay Entry 12° 15.85’ 119° 51.30’
Gutob Bay Entry 12° 08.50’ 119° 51.50’
South Bay Conception 12° 01.20’ 119° 58.20’
Popototan Bay 11° 59.60’ 119° 51.30’
Port Luyucan 11° 59.30’ 120° 07.00’
Gunthers Island 11° 59.80’ 120° 11.30’
Culion Bay Entry 11° 53.50’ 120° 01.50’
Halsey Harbour Entry 11° 45.20’ 119° 55.00’
Borac Entry 12° 02.55’ 120° 20.00’
Napuscud Entry 12° 09.00’ 120° 16.00’
Pandan Island Anchorage 12° 51.00’ 120° 45.00’

Philippine Sailing Guide

2006-03-30T10:19:00.000+08:00

Maricaban Bay Cruising Club

A two week cruise to Busuanga

Busuanga to Puerto Galera via Boracay in the Southwest monsoon

Sage achorages around Busuanga

Useful sailing links

Busuanga to Puerto Galera via Boracay

2006-03-30T10:05:00.000+08:00

In the Soutwest monsoon

By Tequila Mike ©

First, a word of warning! Watch your weatherfax or the TV weather twice a day as this is typhoon season and they can come very quickly, although normally you have several days warning. They normally go north for the first few months and slowly become more westerly, but this year they’re all over the place.

This trip includes four good typhoon holes evenly spread over the trip: - Masin/Tambaron area – SE Mindoro. Looc Bay (south end) – Tablas Island. Santa Cruz – NE Marinduque. Port Balanacan – NW Marinduque. Waypoints below.

This is a fast one week trip but relaxing when taken over two weeks or more. Leaving from Coron or Club Paradise the first and last few days would be remote anchorages with some civilisation thrown in the middle, a good recipe since Puerto is waiting at the end where everything can be enjoyed by gourmands such as we are!

From Coron I would suggest a stop at Tara Island for the night or you’ll have a 65 mile first day. The next stop is in the western part of the channel between Ilin and Ambulong islands off the southern tip of Mindoro. Anchor in 14 meters of sand in front of the large solitary wooden house on Ambulong Island at the north end of the village. There are many small fishing or seaweed floats close in so don’t get to close to the steep to reef. On the opposite side of the channel there is a good anchorage for the NE monsoon in 7 meters sand in front of the mangroves, which show as a small bay on the chart. There is nothing available in this village.Next stop, about 55 miles away is Boracay.

In the SW monsoon you will anchor on the east side of the island off the reef fringing the windsurf beach. I go around the north of Boracay to get here but the currents can be strong so check your charts for the direction of currents. This beach is easy to find, as it is the lowest middle part of the island. At the north end of the beach you will see a hole in the reef with a sandy area in 14 meters of water to anchor in outside the reef. Do not try to go through this entry with anything but your dinghy, very shallow. Ashore you will see a long low wall on the beach, this is the bar restaurant of American Ray and his wife Dolly called Bayview Hills. A good place to hang out and listen to Rays’ classic music collection, hundreds of records. Time your dinghy trips in and out as inside the reef becomes very shallow.

From Bayview hills it’s a short walk across the island to White Beach where most of the action is. This time of year the beach path is shielded from the wind and sand by huge screens so the view isn’t as good as high season but most places are open and I find the place more enjoyable when everybody is more relaxed with far fewer tourists around. Calypso divers is a great place with a lovely clean swimming pool to hang out in the daytime. They also do a great buffet every night for reasonable price. Talk to Richard or Gabby about the dives around the island, everyone here is friendly and will help with info. Next door there is a huge tourist info and bank/post office complex with good e-mail café. 100 meters north is Chalhs Bar, the only one actually on the sand, where happy hour sunsets can be enjoyed with good music.200 meters south of Calypso is the best Portuguese restaurant outside Macau or Portugal. Run by Helena and Antonio, who I’ve known for 20 years, they are a bit more expensive but everything is Portuguese imported. You’ll love it, say hi from me. Another long time favourite is the Indian restaurant True Food found further north on the path, sit on cushions and have an authentic meal. Someone has opened a copy of this restaurant, which I can’t comment on so maybe it’s also good. Nigi Nigi Noo Noos is a good place with great breakfasts as is the English Bakery. For a good cheap buffet dinner try Alice in Wonderland.

If any storms are on the horizon, head up north about 20 miles to Looc Bay on Tablas Is and being careful of the reefs head to the south arm of the bay between the small reef right at the bottom and the mangrove area. The currents are very strong between the islands of Boracay, Carabao and Tablas so watch your track.

If the weather is fine then head straight up between Tablas and Romblon for Romblon town on the NW corner of the island. It’s about 45 miles normally calm water between the two islands. Famous for its marble and a tall Englishman, it’s a good place to stop for a few days exploring. Very friendly people here and loads of cheap marble shops and quarries. Anchor in the north arm of the bay in front of the town next to a marble chip factory but don’t anchor shallower than 15 meters in sand or you’ll be on the reef. It’s deep but safe. The Governor normally keeps his powerboat here so you’re safe and in good company. Dave Kershaw is the tall Englishman and can be found at his Internet café or across the road at his restaurant Jaks. He’s been here many years since he left Puerto Galera and if you ask him for anything he’ll probably help out, (tell him beers should be allowed in his internet café!). Walk up to the old fort with its Pagasa weather station and great view or head south with a tricycle to some of the lovely beaches on the coast road. You can even anchor off some of these on the way up from Boracay if you like. Better to be safe in town and ask Dave to fill up a cooler and send you off in a trike.

A short hop north of here is a good anchorage in calm weather or in the NE monsoon on the SW side of Banton Island. Otherwise head up to the NE side of Marinduque and work your way behind the islands to Santa Cruz harbour for a safe anchorage in the channel this is a big town and supplies are available. An alternative is the NW corner where you’ll find Port Balanacan harbour which also safe and you’re about 20 miles from Boac, the capital town. Not much available in Balanacan.

From here it’s a bit of a slog back to PG so I would stop in the little bay just north of Bantigui point but be careful of all the seaweed floats here. It’s calm here and you’re already two thirds the way back to PG which can be a nasty trip if the wind comes out of the west as it normally does if it’s blowing hard. That’s all for now, waypoints follow, but not for navigation, rough guide only!Tequila Mike
Ilin/Ambulong
12° 14' 00N
121° 02' 00E
Tambaron/Masin
12° 16' 00N
121° 22' 00E
Boracay
11° 57' 00N
121° 56' 50E
Looc Bay Tablas
12° 13' 00N
121° 59' 50E
Romblon
12° 35' 00N
122° 16' 00E
Banton Is.
12° 56' 00N
122° 03' 00E
Santa Cruz
13° 30' 00N
122° 04' 00E
Port Balanacan
13° 32' 00N
121° 52' 00E
Bantigui Bay
13° 42' 50N
121° 27' 00E

A Two Week Cruise To Busuanga

2006-03-30T09:42:00.000+08:00

By Tequila Mike

Many people don’t have too much time to spend on their holiday cruise so I’ll give you an idea which could take one week but would be great on a two week cruise.

The destination cruise area is Busuanga Island, which is the most northern of the Calamian group of islands in the very north of Palawan. The area is really still unspoilt except for the immediate vicinity of Coron town, which should be avoided except for the good provisioning available here.

The itinerary I describe here, I have completed maybe 20 times and combines beaches, islands and resorts all in one cruise. The waypoints I include are basic and not to be used for navigation, merely to show the approx locations of the places described. I’m also assuming this cruise will be undertaken during the Amihan or north-easterly wind season, i.e. November to May.

An early morning start from PG and a due west heading takes you towards Calavite point, passing Del Monte point which is due south of Golo Island light house (useful for the return as you will see!) this is sometimes a wild area with currents and strong winds confusing the sea, either that or no wind at all and flat calm for the 40 miles to Calavite lighthouse. If the wind is strong NE then you will find smooth flat calm between the light and the south point of Calavite where the wind will kick in again very strong. There is a bay with a small village 3 miles south of Calavite light, which is a good anchorage in The NE but may be a little rocky if there has been a NW swell for a few days. Otherwise head over to the shelter of Mamburao, being careful to give Mamburao reef a wide berth!

30 miles or so south is the lovely private island of North Pandan, owned by two Swiss French guys who love to party. The island sometimes has a mooring available but better is to anchor in the sandy area off the NE point near the bar/restaurant in 8 metres of sand and sea grass. Don’t anchor in coral as this a protected island, any doubt, the listen in on Ch 68 and phone numbers are all in the list below this article. They will buy ice and beer etc for you from the mainland if you like and the island is very reasonable for food, drinks and accommodation if you would like to have a break ashore.

20 miles or so to the east is the vast marine park of Apo Reef. This is a fantastic reef covering about 27 sq kms and if the weather is not rough there is a safe anchorage inside the main reef to the east of Apo Is lighthouse. Please visit the ranger station and give them a bottle of something to ease their lonely existence. They will also ask for a small fee for snorkelling or diving. This money is put to good use conserving the reef, as you will see the first time you stick your head underwater!

33 miles south of here is the main island of Busuanga. The only safe anchorage on the north side of this island is the peaceful Maricaban Bay Marina Resort where there are seven moorings available for 150 Pesos per night. The good news here is that once that is covered, the beautiful swimming pool, bar restaurant, showers, towels etc are available to all the crew on the yacht free! It’s a lovely place to relax. The drinks and food are Manila prices because everything is shipped from there. This and the sister Island resort of Club Paradise are up market resorts but they will make you feel very welcome thanks to the influence of yours truly who set up the moorings. Let me know if you encounter any problems please, but do be aware that your first visit will be from our security guards who will be very courteous and help you to a mooring. They will carry Armalites but we are remote islands and our security is for everyone’s benefit and peace of mind!

There is a very strong mooring available off the SE tip of Club Paradise (Dimakya Island on the charts) for large boats to 100 tons or more but it’s normally free and it’s a good idea to motor the 3 miles from Maricaban Bay to the island for some snorkelling, diving or lunch during the daytime before returning to the tranquil mooring. Both resorts have an amazing amount of wildlife and bird population: giant monitor lizards, Calamian deer, mouse deer, huge fruit bats, night herons and thousands of birds, Maricaban has a troop of monkeys in addition and Bear cats. There is also the second largest WW2 Japanese shipwreck here at 2 miles from Maricaban. 500 feet long it is a good wreck for two dives. Talk to the dive shop in Club Paradise for help with directions, or better still, go with them!

From here I suggest a slow cruise along the coast going west and then south around the Pinnacle rocks heading for a night at anchor in Calauit Island bay (Illuktuk Bay on the chart). This is a very peaceful anchorage and a typhoon hole. It is also the base camp for the Calauit Safari tour. Hundreds of animals were brought by Tony Parkinson (SY Riva) from Kenya for the Marcos family to create a sanctuary. You will find Giraffe and Zebra among many other species on this island tour, which is very reasonable. They do the safari in the evening and early morning and need notice. I suggest you go ashore in the evening and arrange the early morning trip, its cooler!!

Heading south around the island there are some stunning, and for me the most beautiful, small islands where the sea is always calm, even in the westerlies. Stop at South Cay and Maltatayoc Islands on their east side where you can anchor and sit back onto stunning white sand beaches and enjoy some good snorkelling. These islands are mostly deserted but there are caretakers on some and they will ask you normally for 50 Pesos each for the privilege of having a private island. This goes for the islands’ upkeep and cleaning so please give without discussion, actually a lot of the islands are owned by an Englishman and he’s told me he has set phones on some of them for emergencies now.

A good anchorage in this area is Coral Bay Resort on the south side of Popototan Island in a sheltered bay. Head in and anchor no shallower than 13 mtrs at the head of the bay as the reef comes up fast. Just off the large second pier in is where I go. They may or may not have drinks or dinner available but it’s a very quiet spot.

Next day, head through the islands towards Conception town being careful of reefs and pearl farms (see note below). Safe anchorage in 14 mtrs water 500 mtrs SW of the pier, don’t get too close, reefs everywhere close in! I include this anchorage for two reasons: The Pierhouse lodge right on the pier is a very relaxing reasonable place to hang out and eat, drink and check out the waterfall, and is run by Swedish Mike and his lovely wife Liz who really does provide great food. The beer is also the coldest in Busuanga!

Lovely sunsets from the veranda, with the sun going down behind the anchorage. The other reason is that there is an ice plant on the NW tip of Kaniki Island in front of Conception, Mike will tell you where it is or will get ice for you. He can also arrange for stuff to be sent from Coron the following day via jeepney if you don’t want to head into Coron. Sat phone available.

From here we follow the coastline and the pearl farms around the island to another stunning resort called Sangat Island Reserve (Tangat Island on the chart). English Andy and his lovely girls have a 1,000ft limestone backdrop to their resort on a beautiful beach with a very good coral reef in front. Lots of monkeys and monitor lizards and again very peaceful. The generator is only run from 18:00-22:00 so nights are silent (no chickens, dogs, jeeps or karaoke!). Diving the Japanese wrecks from here is perfect because Andy is not more than 20 minutes from any of them. Sat phone available.

Coron would be the next stop on this trip although I will add another weeklong trip from here going around the island to the south in one of the following issues. It’s only about 15 miles to Coron and easy enough except for the two shoals to be wary of south of the Uson Island entrance going north. As you see the town from the passage in you will pass a resort painted yellow and blue on your starboard, called Divelink, from here head straight for the town and especially a large cream coloured hotel with three stories and double steps down to the water on either side. This is Sea Dive resort, owned by Jim, an American who is always happy to welcome yachties and is the best and easiest place to tie up your dinghy when ashore. Anchor in 10 mtrs near the large bankas in front of Sea Dive, but, again be careful of the reefs here. If in doubt, anchor out and change later after local advice as to how far to come in. Seriously smelly muddy anchorage, be prepared to wash a lot of chain on departure! Town is also very smelly but provisioning is very good here and transportation by ship and plane to Manila is very easy and cheap!
Recommended bars/restaurants: Sea Dive, L&M Pe bar, Bayside Divers lodge, Kalamayaan Inn, Kokosnuss restaurant resort (out of town but great food and quiet rooms!), Discovery Divers Island resort (also another good anchorage where they will help you, look for a Trader 40, a blue and yellow ketch and a 36 foot classic racing yacht and you’re in the right place. It’s the anchorage before you get to Sea Dive. Banaue Café and the Old House up and down are also good restaurants.

PEARL FARMS

The first time you are confronted by what looks like a solid sea of mines, do not fear, they are actually very easy to navigate. These floats are set out in “long lines“ and when closer it’s very easy to see from the float spacing. At the end of the long lines are large anchoring floats, sometimes small platforms, the actual pearl net floats are small, round and black and they are spaced much closer than the anchoring floats. All long lines are navigable along their length and every 100 mtrs or so you will find they end and leave a large space before the next one. These are channels and are navigable. So to get through these farms you can do a criss cross route or go around, and one thing which helps is you can always go to the landward side of the lines if you like as the nets are hung in 10-20 mtrs of water and they don’t like shallow. You will also find you will have an escort boat to help if needed; these are guards as this is big money. If in problems, just shrug and point to where you want to go and he will lead you through the best way, it’s his job. Do not stop ever in these farms, they’re armed and suspicious, but over the last few years they’ve become more used to yachties and sometimes I even get some smiles! They’re really not such a problem and because of them all sea life is protected by the farms from illegal fishing methods. You will also note that submerged reef points and rocks will have solitary buoys marking them for the safety of the public, very helpful, stay outside these buoys if you see them.

Departure from Coron anchorage is via a tricky passage through the reefs of Coron to the Eastern passage out, (take local knowledge before attempting the town reefs, it’s a tight channel!!) and wends your way out of the limestone crags of Coron Island to your starboard. You may also want to stop at lovely Cayangan Lake on the north side of Coron Island but this must be arranged in Coron as the local Tagbanua natives have control now of their ancestral domain and fees must be paid. Well worth a visit though. Talk to Seadive Lodge for a no hassles day trip to this lake and also the Coron town Hot springs, cheap and fun!

From here you can go inside or outside Dinaran Island and Mataya reef, heading NE for Tara Island. Anchor in sand on the West side at the south end next to the village or further north inside a large offshore rock inside the reefs, be careful, and when you leave here beware a submerged shelf way off from the last rock on NW tip of Tara. Stay at least 500 mtrs from everything.

During the NE I would suggest to return to Pandan and then Calavite. If the wind is howling, head for a bay on the south side of Golo Island about one mile west of the light. Coming from the south you will see a high ridge going west from the light, where it drops down to almost sea level is the anchorage. Sand and coral but out of the wind and waves and you are already well advanced into Calavite passage for the return the next day through the wind and waves, this can be brutal.

Later in the year I will do another extension trip ton return via S. Mindoro, Boracay, Romblon and Marinduque to take care of the SW winds.

Phone numbers:
PGYC 043-4420136
Club Paradise 0981-991797
Swedish Mike Conception 0985-409241
Seadive Coron 048-5509207
Tequila Mike 0919-5244978

Waypoints: East North
Del Monte point 120°05’ 13°33’
Calavite light 120°17’ 13°27’
Pandan Island 120°45’ 12°52’
Golo Island 120°22’ 13°39’
Club Paradise 120°05’ 12°13’
Maricaban Bay 120°06’ 12°17’
Pinnacle Rocks 119°50’ 12°20’
Calauit entrance 119°52’ 12°16’
South Cay 119°53’ 12°02’
Conception 119°58’ 12°03’
Sangat Resort 120°03’ 11°58’
Coron anchorage 120°12’ 11°59’

Here are two additional trips for people with more time to spend exploring this beautiful cruising area:-

The first extension starts from Coron town since provisioning is easiest to do here after the first part of the cruise. There are no stores or ice plants for the next week!

Head over to Culion town and anchor in about 13 mtrs of water 100 mtrs to the east of the main commercial pier. There is a small protected harbour for dinghies on the other side of the pier where your dinghy will be safe while you go ashore. This town is famous for its history as the leper colony of the Philippines dating back to the 1800’s. There is a very interesting museum if you can find the curator and key, and the old lookout by the large church on top of the hill provides a wonderful view. The hospital is the best in the area, and have no fear of leprosy, you would be hard pushed to find anyone with this. The town is clean and the mayor is a young man with a vision for his area, go and meet him and have a chat, he likes to receive people in his town.

The waters around Culion are also very clean and reefs easy to spot, unlike Coron town! From here I would suggest you cruise through the Inland Passage heading west and south towards Bulalacao Island for the night. The inland passage is really interesting, take it slow, do stop at tiny private Malcapuya Island, it’s lovely and you can come over the reef on the south side and anchor in crystal clear water in sand and snorkel around the perfect protected reef, it’s not far to travel on each day of this extension. Anchor in Bauan bay on the NE corner of Bulalacao island, it’s safe and protected. You could take your dinghy through the mangroves in the south of this bay to the multi coloured shoals on the south of the island to watch the sunset, look for the bangkas coming through to find the channel.

A few miles away is the southern tip of Coron Island which you should round and drop anchor just off a stunning bay surrounded by 1000 foot cliffs, only a dinghy can enter this spot, and try not to land as this is part of the Tagbanua tribal lands and you may be asked for cash, it’s really a good place to dinghy around taking photos before heading back for lunch on the yacht! The natives in this whole area will normally have some fish for sale if you’re interested.
A favourite place for me to stay from here is inside the horseshoe of Ditatayan Island to the SW of Bulalacao, although some people have complained about flies there recently. There is a stunning sandbar off the north tip of this island with a huge area of turquoise water, sandy bottom which would be a good place for a night if it’s very calm.

From here, head for the south of Culion Island and pass inside the little island of Calipipit and the large island just off the south tip of Culion. Again I repeat to be alert for reefs, the charts are good for this area but just take care, they’re easy to spot in this clear water. Turn the corner and head north for the entrance to Halsey harbour, there is no problem with the south passage into the entrance, the channel is 100 mtrs wide at minimum so no need to go around and approach from the west.

The best place to anchor here is at the end of the south fork (bay on the chart). This is very peaceful and the villagers will come out and offer you huge prawns for a very good price, suggest no more than 300-400 pesos a kilo. This whole bay is huge and worth a couple of days motoring around to check it out, it’s also a good typhoon hole, and at the village in South Bay you will find a large pipe which pumps out drinking water all day long from a spring ashore.

Head north from here and it’s a quick trip to Galoc island, and if you feel like being a little daring, take the passage to the south of Galoc and North of Culion to head back into Coron entrance just south of Coral Bay resort again. I have been right inside the shoals half way through this passage and the colours in the water are great if the sun is high. Take great care here.

For a no hassle passage go north of Galoc and pass by Coral Bay resort, stop here for the night or carry on for Concepcion or Sangat island resort, (see last issue). Another nice place to stop is just to the east of tiny Pass island in a bay on the west side of Lamud Island where German Jojo and his wife Margie will welcome you. There is a mooring here or anchor in front of the bar in about 15mtrs water. A good reef and good restaurant for lunch or an overnight stop. From this anchorage, do not head east as the reef between the islands is awash!!

That’s it for now folks! Next article will be an extension cruise via Boracay, Romblon and Marinduque back to PG which would be fine in NE and SW wind seasons.

Tequila Mike

WAYPOINTS
Bauan Bay 11 46 00 N 120 10 50 E
Calis Point 11 49 00 N 120 16 00 E
Cullion Town 11 54 00 N 120 01 00 E
Ditatayan Is. 11 44 00 N 120 06 00 E
Halsey Hbr. 11 45 00 N 119 56 00 E
Popototan Is. 11 59 00 N 119 52 00 E

Maricaban Bay Cruising Club

2006-03-30T08:43:00.000+08:00

Yacht Friendly Moorings

Extract from PGYC Cruiser News

This second in our series of yacht friendly moorings features Maricaban Bay Cruising Club, the home of El Rio y Mar Resort and Tequila Mike. It is located on the northern side of Busuanga and is a part of the Calamian group of northern Palawan.

El Rio is a small, friendly boutique resort with 14 high-end rooms available in a peaceful bay setting. Within a few hours of being here, guests and staff are usually on first name basis.

The location offers a very peaceful nights’ sleep with almost ne’er a wave in the bay, and is the best starting point after Pandan island (last issue) for exploring the more than 100 islands surrounding the main island of Busuanga.

Most of these islands are deserted, except for the odd caretaker, and the eastern side of all of them offers a good anchorage backing onto a sandy beach during the Amihan (Dec-May Nor’easterly) season.

These are ‘yer actual’ picture postcard islands. It is worth checking in back issues of this magazine and local internet sites for information on the other two main islands of this group, Coron and Culion islands, as they all have different attractions.

Maricaban/El Rio has seven moorings available for yachts to 50 feet/25 tons max. The moorings are 25 mtrs down and have 1” poly rope underwater and 2.5 tons of concrete on the bottom.

Tequila Mike’s yacht survived the last Nov 20th typhoon, which went through Maricaban with 100 knot plus winds, tied off long to two moorings. For more information but you should read ‘Safe anchorages around Busuanga’.in Issue 4 number 4 of this magazine.

The two photos in this article show an approach to the bay from the NNW towards the first waypoint and the second shows a view toward the moorings with the resort off the starboard side. Keep 100 meters off the resort and you should be fine to the waypoint on the moorings.The charts you will need for this area are:-- Northern part of Busuanga- Western entrance to Coron Bay- Coron Bay.

Another helpful chart is the chart for anchorages around Busuanga. On all charts the area is referred to as ‘Port Caltom’

The mooring charge is 150 pesos per day and this entitles each crew member to the following benefits:-

50% discount on all drinks except wine
30% discount on a la carte and buffet meal prices
Free transport to Coron and back (regular shuttles only)
Free transport to Club Paradise for the day, (500 peso consumable island fee)
Free use of facilities such as pools, showers, towels etc
Discounted supplies such as diesel, veggies, beer etc.

Both Club Paradise and El Rio are high end resorts, and sailors are the only group so far who have been given such discounts, so please respect this concession to us mariners and keep the peace. No fishing from yachts is allowed in either resort in an effort to try to protect the reefs and marine life.

In El Rio, there is a beautiful freshwater infinity pool, television / dvd in rooms, internet, lots of watersports with the exception jet skis and parasailing. El Rio is also the closest location to the Calauit Island African Safari, and escorted trips can eb arranged to visit the animals that Tony Parkinson brought over from Kenya in the 70’s, (actually the originals are probably all dead by now but the offspring are thriving!).

The diving from Club Paradise, run by Dirk and Rolfie and a team of experienced divemasters , is excellent. There is a WWII 500 foot wreck just two miles from El Rio and if you need tank fills or equipment, check out the advert in the Cruiser News for the Dugong Dive Centre at Club Paradise.

The house reef there has many large turtles, a giant clam garden, black tip reef sharks and huge cuttlefish as well as large schools of Jacks buzzing around.

Both resorts run on 24 hour generated power and have workshops equipped to help with many repairs. Beautiful rooms are available in both resorts at a reasonable price but bookings can be heavy in season. Well worth checking out if you need a night off the boat in aircon-hot water luxury.

If you blow your horn as you pass the resort on your way in, someone will come out and show you to a mooring suitable for the size of your yacht. First dinghy pick-up is free, but best to use your dinghy to the floating dock after that.

Motor yachts and very large sailboats should anchor 100 meters off the large white roofed building as you pass the resort. Anchor in 25 meters and you should be in sand. This is a honeycombed reef and if you anchor shallower you’ll be dropping your anchor on coral ridges. Certainly not appreciated!

ContactsTequila Mike +63920 9505944

Gm Sharmaine +63 920 6350298

El Rio Y Mar +63 920 9515009

Club Paradise +63 920 9119704

Waypoints:

Port Caltom Bay Entry N 12.11.02 E 120.06.53

Bearing To Moorings 306-307 Degrees Magnetic

Moorings Waypoint N 12.11.46 E 120.05.92

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Tequila Mike's Quick Guide to Puerto Galera

2006-03-30T08:21:00.000+08:00

FROM MANILA
Swagman hotel, 411 Flores street, Ermita.- minibus service at 0800 direct to Batangas – 6-700 pesos

Citystate Tower hotel, Mabini street, Ermita- luxury air con coach direct to Batangas – 700 pesos SIKAT COMPANY IN THE LOBBY

Taxi – maybe 2000 one way, also covers most minibuses as private transport

BATANGAS

Look for a boat going to Puerto Galera town (Muelle) for town accommodation

PUERTO GALERA ACCOMODATION
The Moorings serviced apartments, above the yacht club at the west side of the bay, are very nice and priced at 75usd as of now. Discounts available for yacht club members. Swimming pool, tennis court and pleasant peaceful bar area. (DAISY)

Badladz at the eastern edge of the pier has aircon/hot water/tv in basic rooms for 1000 pesos. One of the best bars for meeting the local expats.
Canadian/English owners (SEAN/CHRIS)

Hotel California in the town is fairly noisy with the chickens next door but reasonable at around 700 pesos, tv lounge and good food. Canadian owner (GINO)

Bahay Pilipino, right at the centre opposite Candava supermarket is noisy/basic but great value at around 300-500 pesos, with excellent food, german owned (DR.FRITZ)

Coco point, on the pier near Badladz, very noisy, rooms not too bad, but the karaoke/tricycles and staff watching local tv all day put me off-800pesos

BARS

ON THE PIER

All the following are good:- from east to west
Badladz – rock n’ roll – sharkeez pizza – harbour point(best food) –mr.flippy(fast food but good)

In town :- bahay Pilipino – hotel California – sugar shack

DIVING

Available at Badladz

INTERNET

Available at :- Badladz – bernd’s internet café – rock n’ roll – and wireless connection (free) at Sharkees - also in town

MOTORCYCLE RENTAL

Badladz – 100 pesos per hour or 1000 per 24 hrs

PUERTO GALERA YACHT CLUB

This is a great place to spend a few hours away from the noise and bustle of town. Look for the yellow dinghy at the west end of the pier in front of the Pier Pub Pizza restaurant. A 3 minute ride free of charge will take you to the YC pier, open to all and famous for the Friday night BBQ and the place where most expats and yachties hang out regularly. Check out the notice board downstairs for local info/boats for sale etc. food is good and the menu extensive, the beer is cold and there’s a happy hour aswell. In the Moorings apartments up behind the club are great rooms for rent and you could always ask Daisy if you could have a quick swim in the pool. If you’re staying in Sabang, there is a free jeepney service from there and back on Friday evenings for the BBQ.
Check out the notice board for the Classic Club if you are a gourmet and have nothing to do on Thursdays. The club meets at a different restaurant every week and it’s a bargain for great food and company.

THINGS TO DO

Rent a motorbike from Badladz and visit the following:-

Ponderosa golf club and bar/restaurant, 2000 feet up on a ridge with a stunning view of the whole isthmus of Puerto galera, nice and cool but don’t go if you see clouds up there too much, it rains a lot.

Luca’s Italian restaurant right at the farthest west point of the road past white beach, it ends at a dirt track behind the beach at Talipanan and is well worth the trip for great Italian food, cheap, and right on the sand, very popular with everyone from as far as sabang.

Coral Cove resort, on its’ own little beach with lovely views across the bay and great food and drinks. Go to sabang and turn right at the Tropicana restaurant(looks like a castle), through the market and up and down hills, just ask if you get lost, although it’s not possible. Check brakes before the final descent into the resort, it’s very steep! (DEBBIE-JIM)

The waterfall about 45 minutes out of Puerto galera on the Calapan road.

ON FOOT

The Hash House Harriers running club, every Sunday at Capt’n Greggs in Sabang, contact them for more details. (CHUCK)

Walk 15 minute out of town and have some Italian food with Giuseppe at Fisherman’s cove, going west out of town.

Take a jeep to Aninuan village and walk up the river for 45 minutes to find the waterfalls way up there, it’s a quick walk from there to the Ponderosa aswell.

Sail the Lawin dinghies out of the Sandbar beach resort near the yacht club, contact Donna at the club for details and days to go out.

HAVE FUN

Tequila Mike

proof of tequila

2006-03-29T18:22:00.000+08:00

there seem to be a lot of tequila mikes' out there!!!
hands up who regularly drank 8 beers, half a bottle of bacardi and a full bottle of cuervo gold during each and every day between May and October during the eighties. i reckon i earned the name, imagine how much all that shit cost me!
by the way i'm tequila mike in five countries:- Portugal, Hong Kong, Kenya, Vietnam, Philippines.
it's been a wonderful way of meeting people and having fun, however, due to the encroaching approaching fifties era of my life, i've cut back a lot and now stick to San Miguel, named after me! each shot of tequila gives one day of hangover, so i don't do it much anymore.
you should all visit my friend Tequila Billy coz he has definitely taken over from me. bye

now

2006-03-27T10:38:00.000+08:00

i'm hungover

2006-03-27T04:34:00.000+08:00

It was an amazing day, though. whilst emptying water from one of my fleet of speedboats, I noticed Mike o'Farrell landing his seaplane www.seaplane-philippines.com on the calm waters of our lovely bay at el rio y mar resort. he had to take 4 russians and 400 kg of luggage to Lagen resort off El Nido town in Palawan. Two trips later I joined him for his return flight to Subic Bay, north of Manila, where I met up with Russ and Aiko and Alan Burrell and Susie, along with Tequila Billy, Brian Homan, the owner of Magellans Landing bar, and Tony Bradley et al. Several more beers later we wafted back to manila in Alans' new Chevrolet, 'it drives itself', rv. Boddington met me at his house with a screwdriver to open my suitcase and then many more beers were drunk whilst playing with computers, probably a 25 beer day all in all, hence the last posting.
set up this blogspot today, and bought www.tequilamike.com