With the wind up a bit we stayed two nights at the Cabugan Islands enjoying the protection they allowed. We kept busy with boat jobs and had serious weather discussions with our cruising friends each morning and afternoon to compare our thoughts on the subject. Our only access to weather information is via the HF radio to download grib files. Sometimes these are spot on and other times you wonder where they come from. Generally reliable though.
So, Thursday we made our way back through the reefs surrounding the islands and into the open waters to journey the fourteen or so miles to Rio Tuba. We still had the benefit of the offshore reefs and islands to calm the waters somewhat so a nice three-hour passage.
Several ships were anchored off with one unloading goods and the other loading. Nickel is mined in the area and exported from here. Barges are filled with ore and towed out to the anchored ships where the ore is then offloaded into them. Doesn't seem efficient but with no other infrastructure the costs must be low and it keeps people employed.
We anchored inside the river off the village which is a conglomeration of wooden ramshackle buildings along and out over the water. Position: 08* 30.284N, 117* 25.744E.
We took the dinghy over and tied up at one of the commercial jetties which was lined with 'sari-sari' stores which sell most of the things you may need. We needed a mobile SIM card and a top up for our internet SIM. We found both of these and wandered through the main street, and found the centre of town, littered with trikes, jeepneys and a bus. The new town is about 3 km away so we had drivers offering to take us there in their trikes but we decided to stay in the old section. The market wasn't far away and soon we had bought more fresh fruit and vegetables to keep us going for another week or more.
1 March 2013. We left Rio Tuba once it was light enough to see our way, with 35 miles to go to Brooke's Point. It was dead calm in the anchorage and the winds were predicted to be up to 10 knots, easy enough to motor sail into. Once out of the river though the wind had already kicked in at this early hour and it was a boisterous ride all the way. With the wind coming right from the direction we were headed we had to tack four times, avoiding the shallow patches and shoals along the way. We did an extra 10 miles with the tacks and finally dropped the anchor just after 3:00 p.m. The anchorage is in the lee of the point and behind a long jetty but it was still uncomfortable with the swell side on to the boat.
Position: 08* 46.241N, 117* 25.744 E
Tomorrow's passage would again be about 35 miles to Arrecife Island in similar conditions, with the option of continuing on to Rasa Island, another 13 or so miles. Weather downloads, however, showed winds strengthening by Monday. Jon's shoulder had been playing up and after today's busy sail we were having second thoughts about bashing into it again and aggravating it even more. We would think about our options overnight.
2 March 2013. We made a big decision not to continue on today with our cruising mates. We did not want to sit and wait at rolly Brooke's Point for the weather to lighten off again so would return to Rio Tuba and enjoy a day of downwind sailing! It was a good sail, although we did have the engine helping us along as we wanted to fill the water tanks. We arrived at the river at 1:00 and anchored slightly further upstream. Tomorrow is market day so will source some fresh chicken and pork and maybe top up the fresh produce as well.
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So, Thursday we made our way back through the reefs surrounding the islands and into the open waters to journey the fourteen or so miles to Rio Tuba. We still had the benefit of the offshore reefs and islands to calm the waters somewhat so a nice three-hour passage.
Several ships were anchored off with one unloading goods and the other loading. Nickel is mined in the area and exported from here. Barges are filled with ore and towed out to the anchored ships where the ore is then offloaded into them. Doesn't seem efficient but with no other infrastructure the costs must be low and it keeps people employed.
We anchored inside the river off the village which is a conglomeration of wooden ramshackle buildings along and out over the water. Position: 08* 30.284N, 117* 25.744E.
We took the dinghy over and tied up at one of the commercial jetties which was lined with 'sari-sari' stores which sell most of the things you may need. We needed a mobile SIM card and a top up for our internet SIM. We found both of these and wandered through the main street, and found the centre of town, littered with trikes, jeepneys and a bus. The new town is about 3 km away so we had drivers offering to take us there in their trikes but we decided to stay in the old section. The market wasn't far away and soon we had bought more fresh fruit and vegetables to keep us going for another week or more.
1 March 2013. We left Rio Tuba once it was light enough to see our way, with 35 miles to go to Brooke's Point. It was dead calm in the anchorage and the winds were predicted to be up to 10 knots, easy enough to motor sail into. Once out of the river though the wind had already kicked in at this early hour and it was a boisterous ride all the way. With the wind coming right from the direction we were headed we had to tack four times, avoiding the shallow patches and shoals along the way. We did an extra 10 miles with the tacks and finally dropped the anchor just after 3:00 p.m. The anchorage is in the lee of the point and behind a long jetty but it was still uncomfortable with the swell side on to the boat.
Position: 08* 46.241N, 117* 25.744 E
Tomorrow's passage would again be about 35 miles to Arrecife Island in similar conditions, with the option of continuing on to Rasa Island, another 13 or so miles. Weather downloads, however, showed winds strengthening by Monday. Jon's shoulder had been playing up and after today's busy sail we were having second thoughts about bashing into it again and aggravating it even more. We would think about our options overnight.
2 March 2013. We made a big decision not to continue on today with our cruising mates. We did not want to sit and wait at rolly Brooke's Point for the weather to lighten off again so would return to Rio Tuba and enjoy a day of downwind sailing! It was a good sail, although we did have the engine helping us along as we wanted to fill the water tanks. We arrived at the river at 1:00 and anchored slightly further upstream. Tomorrow is market day so will source some fresh chicken and pork and maybe top up the fresh produce as well.
----------
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