Coron

Coron, Busuanga
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

It doesn't look like much, but Coron is a delightful little town, and we love it. There is great diving here, and our friend Chris (from Seattle) and his wife Mary Bell and Father Jim own and run Sea Dive, with a great bar and restuarant.

It is a favorite stop.

Coron Passage

Coron Arrival
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Sailing in through the Coron Passage past high cliffs provides great visual satisfaction: we know we are cruising in a beautiful place, this is why we are out here.

Busuanga Island

Busuanga Island
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

One of the most stunning islands in the Philippines, Busuanga stands high and rugged. We love this approach from the east into Coron Passage

House on the Beach

Ambulog House
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold


We saw these houses on the beach, doors open, no people around, and a rust streaked sign with the words faded. We started to swim ashore for a look but it was farther than it looked, too far.

The next morning before dawn we headed west, towards Coron

Ambulog

Ambulog Sandy Patch
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Not much shelter to be found at Ambulog Island, just lots of wind ripping over the land and lots of reefs. We spotted a sandy patch surrounded by reef off a beach in a little bay. We crept in wondering if we could get that far, the water was getting shallow quickly, and there was coral under us.

Then the water got slightly deeper, and all of a sudden we were over a large patch of pure white sand.

We dropped the hook and got good holding.

It was shleterd from the wind, and most impotantly, the waves.

We decided we could stay the night here.

B&G Tells the story

Instruments
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

With 32 knots of true wind, 7+ boat speed, we were flying. The heading, NW, is on the left.

Semirara

Semirara Fishermen
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Green Water

Sailing to Semerara
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

This patch of green water gave us a start. We were sailing over the top of Semirara, between the shore of the island off to leeward, and some large areas of reefs to weather. It was windy and rough, and the seas got really big as we entered this area. Then we saw spots of lighter color water, spotty, (not solid like it is here) and it looked just like shallow water ahead. The chart said it is plenty deep, no reefs, but it put us on full alert as we headed directly towards it. I didn't really think it was shallow water, but it looked like it. I had my hand on the helm and my eye on the depth sounder. If I saw any reduction in depth as we passed into the green water I would have spun Wings right around in a flash. But it was not to be, the color was just that, colored water, probably from a mining operation on the island. The water deep. The chart was correct. We sailed on.

Monitor Steering

Monitor Steers
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

We roared across from Borocay to Semerara at 7+ knots under main alone, in rough seas and windy conditions, but the monitor windvane steered us well, right along the rhumb line.

Awards Party on the Beach

Awards Party On the Beach at Borocay
wingssail-Judy Jensen

We knew we were 4th on corrected time, so it was a surprise, a shock you could say, to be called up on stage to receive the 1st place trophy (in cruising class).


We felt we were a proper racing boat, and some of our crew fumed at the insult while our competitors sniggered, but then, Sam did say it was his cruising boat now, didn't he?

Below Decks

Freefire Below Decks
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

David negotiates the mess of sails, seabags, and people crashed about, belowdecks on Freefire. It was nice outside, but it was hot down here. On such a short race (only 205 miles) I don't bother going below; I just slept on the rail.

Rollin' down to Borocay

Rollin'
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

We're making time reaching down the Tablas Straits towards Borocay, the "monster" pulling strongly.

Freefire Sailing in the Morning

Morning
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

In the morning bodies litter the deck, and the yellow "Monster" kite is up.

Riding The Rail on Freefire

Riding the Rail
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

A nice ride heading south.

Chris Trims the Kite

Chris
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

We left Manila in a freshing breeze, close reaching. When the wind freed a little we set the red kite, and Chris "Hutch" trimmed.

Racing to Borocay

Dave Sailing Freefire

wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Dave steers Freefire towards Borocay. This is great sailing, warm, nice wind, flat water. During the night we had a full moon to light the way.

How often do you go on a ocean race where half the crew shows up barefooted and in shorts, and they never change?

FreeFire

FreeFire- A Mean Machine
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Sam Chan's Freefire, (He spells it Ffreeffire). The Hong Kong based sled has long been a fixture at Asian regattas.

Freefire started life a Pyewacket, owned by Roy Disney. A Nelson Merek design, Chan has modified it greatly: New bow, new stern, new, taller, rig. Now he has installed a gen set and airconditioning, and it is going to be his "cruising" boat. As a racer, Freefire is about to be retired. This is the last race. Captain Russ Parker is flying to LA next week to take delivery of Sam's new acquisition, Flash, a TP52.

In fact, maybe Sam has already changed his focus; he didn't sail this race, but he let the crew take Freefire anyhow.

Little did we know that it would win the "Cruising Class" in the Borocay Race.

Borocay, At the end of the Day

Sunset at Borocay
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Borocay, On the Rocks

Borocay On The Rocks
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Windsurfing at Borocay

Windsurfing at Borocay
wingssail-Judy Jensen

I putt along with my 4.7m sail while a real sailor screams past on his kite board.

Borocay Scene

Boracay Scene
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Sailing Banca

Sailing Banca
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Castle in the Sand

Sandcastle
wingssail-Judy Jensen

Borocay Girls

Borocay Girls Play in Sand
wingssail-Judy Jensen

Sailing Bancas at Borocay

Sailing Bancas at Borocay
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

These slender hulled sailing bancas are known as "parews" and they constantly in view speeding silently around Borocay Island. It is a favorite passtime of tourists to go for a ride on one.

Borocay Anchorage

Borocay Anchorage
wingssail-Judy Jensen

A race boat sails in the distance, outside the reef at Borocay, and the anchorage awaits.

Borocay

Five miles of white sand, beach side resorts, restaurants and bars, the sailing bancas, and happy sun lovers. Borocay is famous for all of these, for good reason.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Windsurfing at Puerto Galera

Windsurfing at Puerto Galera, Give me a wide board, no waves and a small enough sail, and I can do quite nicely. We'll see how I do when I get to Borocay
wingssail-Judy Jensen

Giant Water Bugs

Water bugs. Bancas come in all shapes and sizes, and each locale has its own style. These smaller fishing boats are from Northern Luzon. The are actually built on a hollowed out log.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Boguette and Mindoro Mountains

Puerto Galera sunset. Mindoro in the background, behind Boguette anchorage
wingssail-Judy Jensen

Woman and Baby

Woman and Baby
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Passengers Disembark

Like an aircraft on a dirt strip, the banca carries its own gangplank and passengers disembark onto the beach.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Bamboo contruction

The outriggers on the bancas are made of bamboo and lashed together with fishing line.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Bow Lookout

Talk about flying blind, the banca driver, way aft, cannot see ahead, so the lookout stands forward and provides handsignals for the captain to steer by.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Banca Interior

This banca is licensed for 100 passengers, and it is often full, and the empty space is filled with cargo and luggage. It cruises at twenty knots
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

The Last Banca From Batangas

The last banca of the day races into Puerto Galera just at nightfall.
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Sometimes It is hard to stay dry
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Late arrival in Puerto Galera
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Mindoro's Rugged Shore
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

Beating up the Verde Island Channel

Verde Island Channel, as usual!
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold