how much stock do you put into advisories ?

[Kolomaya]

Hey everyone, ok so it seems pretty evident that sailing around Philippines and the sulu sea in particular can be dangerous but should it be avoided completely?

I want to do a sail from Malaysia, through Indonesia stopping in Bali and end up in Puerto Galera Philippines. Up for anywhere in-between as well.

Any advice or suggestions? I have been trying to analyze weather windows on top of this and as a complete newbie I can't make a decision. I'd like to shove off around mid February. I have 2 of Jimmy Cornells passage planning books but his routes go East to West and don't address the piracy issues.

I'd love to hear any personal experiences.

Cheers

[SV DestinyAscen]

There's no reason for you to sail thru Sulu or Celebres Sea.

Shoving off in Feb you'll be at the tailend of the northeast monsoon, and the transition period can be light winds/squally - southwest monsoon won't really occur until May/June - so you'll have plenty of time in Indonesia before making your northeast passaging.

Just remember to study South China Sea weather closely and avoid the Dangerous Grounds - either follow the Palawan passage closely and get some cheap diesel in Brunei, or steer far north of the dangerous grounds.

Storms and even typhoons can develop really quickly and blow thru Philippines in a matter of days be over Vietnam... so good luck.

[Kolomaya]

Thanks for the awesome reply. I will keep researching places to go and things to do along the way.