Cruising Guide to the Philippines For Yachtsmen By Conant M. Webb Draft of 06/16/09 Webb - Cruising Guide to the Phillippines Page 2 INTRODUCTION The Philippines is the second largest archipelago in the world after Indonesia, with around 7,000 islands. Relatively few yachts cruise here, but there seem to be more every year. In most areas it is still rare to run across another yacht. There are pristine coral reefs, turquoise bays and snug anchorages, as well as more metropolitan delights. The Filipino people are very friendly and sometimes embarrassingly hospitable. Their culture is a unique mixture of indigenous, Spanish, Asian and American. Philippine charts are inexpensive and reasonably good. English is widely (although not universally) spoken. The cost of living is very reasonable. This book is intended to meet the particular needs of the cruising yachtsman with a boat in the 10-20 meter range. It supplements (but is not intended to replace) conventional navigational materials, a discussion of which can be found below on page 16. I have tried to make this book accurate, but responsibility for the safety of your vessel and its crew must remain yours alone. CONVENTIONS IN THIS BOOK Coordinates are given for various features to help you find them on a chart, not for uncritical use with GPS. In most cases the position is approximate, and is only given to the nearest whole minute. Where coordinates are expressed more exactly, in decimal minutes or minutes and seconds, the relevant chart is mentioned or WGS 84 is the datum used. See the References section (page 157) for specific details of the chart edition used. Be very wary of applying coordinates from one chart to another, as charted features may not be at the same coordinates on different charts. If possible, positions are usually best transferred by range and bearing from a well-defined landmark. Bearings are true and, where precision is intended, are expressed in degrees from 000° (North) to 359°, measured clockwise. Less exact bearings are expressed by the names or initials of points of the compass. Depths, heights and distances are given in nautical miles (nm), feet (ft), meters (m), or fathoms (fm), generally intending to be consistent with the current Philippine chart of the area. A conversion chart appears in Appendix A (page 141). Buoys, lights and other aids to navigation in the Philippines are not as reliably maintained as those in wealthier nations. Never assume that they will be as charted. Geographical points appear in the Gazetteer (page 127). The Index (page 140) contains references to other subjects. A RANT ABOUT GPS, ELECTRONIC CHARTS AND THE LIKE Modern navigation tools can create dangerous overconfidence, especially in the inexperienced and unwary. The devices can and do fail, usually at a very inconvenient time. Expect it. Even more dangerous is failing to understand the limitations of your navigation. GPS may give you an incredibly accurate fix, but that's only half of the problem. There can be uncertainties in the location of charted features, either in relation to the datum set on your GPS or because of older charting methods. Some modern charts of the Philippines are based on surveys as old as the 19th century, and most are based on pre-GPS surveys. A few areas remain unsurveyed. Most Philippine charts do not indicate the datum used and correction factors for use with GPS are only given on some of the most recent new editions. Given the possibility of divergence between GPS positions and charted positions because of datum shift, and the age of some of the Draft of 16 June, 2009 16:14 Filcru16.doc Revision 9 © 2002-09 Conant M. Webb. All rights reserved. Please send comments and corrections to [email protected]. Webb - Cruising Guide to the Phillippines Page 3 surveys, it is at least as foolish to rely solely on GPS in the Philippines as anywhere else in the world. If you don't understand what a datum is, this is particularly true. It is essential to navigate using several independent means of fixing your position as much as practicable. Keep a reasonable dead reckoning plot, and don't get careless. Keeping ahead of the boat and taking reasonable precautions while still able to have been the basis of good seamanship for thousands of years and fundamentally nothing has changed. No matter what the salesmen would like you to think, having a chandler's dream inventory on board (preferably orange, electronic or both) doesn't make you safe. If it creates overconfidence, it has the opposite effect. AUTHOR'S NOTE This is very much a work in progress. Only some portions are complete. There are undoubtedly errors and things missed in the rest. Things change, or I got it wrong in the first place. My apologies in advance. Be careful about trusting any single source of information, including this. I would be very grateful for any corrections or comments. It can take a little time to catch up with me, but any of the following will eventually get there: in care of the Puerto Galera Yacht Club, (Puerto Galera Yacht Club, Sto. Niño, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, PO Box 30450), or via Email at [email protected] Please email me if the date on this draft seems old – I intend to keep updating it, and if you are willing to give me comments, I am willing to give you a new draft at the cost of reproduction. One cruiser I asked for help violently objected. He seemed to think it was immoral to 'exploit' the Filipinos by disseminating this sort of information, and that it would inevitably lead to the debauchery of its people, overdevelopment, and destruction. Aside from it being fairly obvious that Filipinos are perfectly capable of debauchery, overdevelopment and destruction without assistance, I doubt this modest effort will have much effect on the number of yachts visiting the Philippines. It will be many, many years before the Philippines has the sort of crowded sailing like Phuket, the Caribbean or the Med. Like most sailing directions, this is full of warnings and descriptions of hazards. My first priority has been to help you avoid trouble, so there has been a tendency to focus on the negative. The good points of the Philippines will be obvious to the yachtsman at his first visit. A surprising number wind up staying more or less permanently. Draft of 16 June, 2009 16:14 Filcru16.doc Revision 9 © 2002-09 Conant M. Webb. All rights reserved. Please send comments and corrections to [email protected]. Webb - Cruising Guide to the Phillippines Page 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Philippines are too large for any individual to write a complete cruising guide exclusively from his own experience. Leslie Pickard and other members of the Manila Yacht Club prepared a photocopied cruising guide to the Philippines in 1986-7 covering W Luzon as far North as San Fernando, the Calamains and NW Palawan, Mindoro and parts of the Sibuyan Sea. It includes photocopied sections of the charts for the anchorages described. It was a valuable pioneering work, and a useful reference in beginning this effort. Most important have been interviews with fellow yachties who let me pick their brains: Name Boat(s) Gordon Chica Amo Shane Scott Akila, Blidö Carl Broquvist Chom II Olaf Tomforde Fitz & Trish Columbus Mary & Terry Iverson Valkyrie Mike Bjornback Taranui II Mike Tucker Tayana Lady Russ Hughes Karis R. John Skinner Naiche Dan Green Kalia, Mahi Mahi Many thanks for their willingness to be interrogated about their movements, sometimes at length. Thanks also to those who preferred not to be identified. While the aforementioned must share in the credit for accurate information, the blame for errors must remain the Author's. Thanks also to Beth of the Harbor Point Bistro on Muelle Pier, Puerto Galera for allowing me to camp out for days at a time writing. Thanks also to Sven. Draft of 16 June, 2009 16:14 Filcru16.doc Revision 9 © 2002-09 Conant M. Webb. All rights reserved. Please send comments and corrections to [email protected]. Webb - Cruising Guide to the Phillippines Page 5 CONTENTS Introduction 2 Conventions in this Book 2 A Rant 2 Author’s Note 3 Acknowledgements 4 Cruising High Points 8 Certain Considerations About the Philippines 8 The People of the Philippines 10 History 10 The Current Situation 11 Language 11 Filipino English 13 Gestures 13 Cultural Issues 14 Cruising Considerations 15 The Boat and Her Gear 15 Navigation Publications 16 Weather 19 Typhoons 20 Definitions 20 Structure 21 Development and Movement 23 Frequency 24 Signs of an Approaching Typhoon 24 Tactics 25 Typhoon Refuges 28 Weather Forecasts 29 El Ninõ and la Nina 31 Tides and Currents 31 Coral Waters 32 Biology 32 Navigation In Coral 33 Fishing Methods 35 Passages To and From the Philippines 35 Regulations 37 Ports of Entry 37 Immigration and Visas 39 Corruption 39 Crime 39 Hustles 39 Insurgencies 40 Piracy 44 Health 45 Medical Kit 45 Hazardous Marine Life 45 Emergencies 47 Self Reliance 48 SAR 48 Mayday Procedures 48 Hyperbaric Chambers 48 Overhaul and Repair Facilities 48 Yacht Charter 49 The Regions 50 Northwest Region 51 Manila Bay 51 Marivales to Lingayen Gulf 52 Lingayen Gulf to Cape Bojeador 58 Northeast Region 63 Luzon North Coast 63 Luzon Strait 64 Luzon East Coast 65 West Central -Southwest Luzon; Mindoro; Sibuyan Sea; N 69 and W Panay, Burias, Ticao and Masbate; Luzon - Manila To Cape Santiago 69 Verde Island Passage Area East Central Region 88 Draft of 16 June, 2009 16:14 Filcru16.doc Revision 9 © 2002-09 Conant M.