Cebu to Palau

We left Cebu on Tuesday, Apr 19 enroute to Palau.  We were leaving via the Surigao Straits.

Maasin, Leyte Island

The first night out we anchored at Maasin on Leyte Island.  There were 2 other yachts anchored and the couple from Free Spirit came over to say hi.

the village kids

We left on Wednesday and arrived at Melger Bay, midway up Dinagat Island.  Dinagat Island is the last island before we entered the Philippine Sea on our way to Palau.  We anchored in a little inlet by this bay and it was so peaceful and protected.  We had a visit the next morning from some of the village kids and they came onboard.  We stayed at Dinagat Island for 2 nights and on Friday, we made our way out and said goodbye to the Philippines.

We were heading east, southeast towards Palau.  Anyone wants to guess which direction the wind was coming from?  No kidding, east, southeast.  Directly from where we are heading.  We tried sailing but to no avail.  The wind was not strong but just on the nose.  So we motored with the main and stay sails all the way.  We arrived in Palau early Thursday morning, Apr 28, 2011.

This FAD is the size of a 20-foot container

During our trip over, we came across a FAD (fish attraction device).  The one we saw was the size of a huge 20-foot steel container.  The fishermen anchored these FADs everywhere over the ocean.  They attract small fish, which in turn attracts the large pelagic fish, which the fishermen hope to catch.  They do not have any lights or flags and they don’t show up on radar.  If you hit them in the dark, well, you hit them and pray you don’t sustain much damage.  We were fortunate that we didn’t encounter any at night and we only saw that one during that one day.

We also had lots of dolphins playing alongside.  We also had a pod of pilot whales alongside up close for several hours one day.

Palau is surrounded by a barrier reef.  To enter the port, we have to go through a passage in the reef.  It is daunting because you can’t see the reef and the wreck sitting high and dry by the passage did nothing to allay the fear of hitting the reef.

a wreck, sitting high and dry

The Friendship Bridge, joining the islands

One of the islands of Palau

Palau at sunrise, from the ocean

In any case, we got in, Pauline got us alongside the wharf (her first), and we had visits from officials from the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Transportation and Sanitation departments.  By noon, we were cleared, motored over to the yacht anchorage and anchored.

Now, we play!!

Safety Gear

We wrote a Nautique Article on the Safety Gear we carry on board.  The only thing that let us down was the Pactor.  But we hope to get that resolved soon.  I hope you read and enjoy the article it is under the articles section on the right.

We made it to Palau

Hey to all of you guys following our blog, we made it to Palau.  Very sorry the trip updates didn't show up as they were supposed to.  The Pactor seemed to crash the computer during connection confirmation.  I am not sure if it is an airmail issue or a Pactor issue but it was on two computers different issues of airmail.  The Pactor is brand new and has been acting up all along but was really frustrating during this trip.  I hope to get it fixed before we leave for Guam but depends on what the issue is.

We will write more soon.  We need to veg out for a day for now.

Cebu

We left the repair yard and Port Carmen on Apr 1 (no joke) and arrived at the Cebu Yacht Club located on Mactan Island.  We have been here since and will be leaving on Tuesday, Apr 19 for Palau.

Mactan Island is connected to Cebu by two bridges.  A taxi ride from Cebu City to the Yacht Club is about 15 minutes away and costs about 160 pesos (about US$4).

close up of the bridge we used to ride over to Cebu City

the 2 bridges connecting Mactan n Cebu Islands

Mactan Island was a Muslim settlement before it was colonized by Spain in the 16^th century.  When Magellen first arrived he befriended the Cebu Rajah.  The people of Cebu and Mactan were at war when Magellan arrived and unfortunately the Mactan people killed him and they never returned his body.

The Mactan-Cebu International Airport, located on Mactan Island, is the second busiest airport in the Philippines.

Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 smaller islands, including Mactan Island where the yacht club is located.

Cebu City is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines and known as the first and oldest city established by the Spaniards in the country.

The city’s most famous landmark is Magellan’s Cross.  This cross is reputed to have been planted by Ferdinand Magellan when he arrived in the Philippines in 1521. We did not visit the chapel where the cross is.  A few steps away from the Magellan’s Cross is the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino (Church of the Holy Child).  We did attend mass there.  The image of Santo Nino de Cebu (Holy Child Jesus of Cebu), the oldest Christian image in the Philippines, is enshrined and venerated in the Basilica.  According to history, Magellan gave the statue of the Santo Nino to the wife of the Rajah of Cebu, who converted to Catholism, as a symbol of peace and friendship.  We also attended mass at another beautiful church, the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

Cebu City was the capital of the Spanish East Indies.  It was ceded to the United States in 1898 after the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War.

While we were at the yacht club, we did some boat work, hang out with our friends, John and Sal from Jaraman.  Although for a week, they and Mark took ill and we mostly stayed on our boats.  We spent the last couple of nights with them before we took off to our respective destinations.

We would definitely recommend a visit to Cebu City and Mactan Island.

inside the Basilica Santo Nino (the venerated Santo Nino on the extreme left)

the painting on the ceiling inside the Basilica Santo Nino

outside the Basilica Santo Nino

the history

the altar of the Cebu Cathedral

the bell tower of the Cebu Cathedral

the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral

the altar inside the Cebu Cathedral (during Palm Sunday, they covered the crucifix)