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Old 14-10-2024, 08:21   #1
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Future Plans for Philippines Cruising

Hello, all! I am looking for any advice, guidance, or resources on the viability of cruising SE Asia / Oceania with the Philippines as a "home base."


I am in my early 40's, landlocked in the US at the moment. My Filipina wife and I have plans to either fully retire or significantly scale back our careers in the next 5-10 years and relocate to the Philippines...exact location undecided but likely either around Cebu or Legazpi City. I have a dream of having a 36' - 44' boat that we could cruise around SE Asia or as far down as New Zealand in. It would not be a full-time liveaboard.



Some initial concerns/questions I have:

- Are there good marinas & infrastructure around Cebu or Legazpi, or should we look elsewhere?

- What's the sailing 'season' like? How often would the boat have to be sheltered in some cyclone-safe anchorage?
- Should the boat be US-flagged, Philippines-flagged, or some other country?
- Should I look to buy a boat in the Philippines or other nearby country, or buy one in the US and sail it across the Pacific (not seriously considering that at my current experience level, but the temptation is there...)
- What questions should I be asking that I don't have the experience to know to ask yet?




A little about my sailing background:
Like many, my sailing enthusiasm really kicked off as a reaction to being cooped up in the house during COVID lockdowns. I have tried to wean myself off most of the unrealistic sailing lifestyle Youtubers and scaled back my initial daydreams of doing a solo circumnavigation or rounding Cape Horn. In 2020 we bought a San Juan 21 that we sail (and take last place in races) at a nearby lake. I've got my ASA 101 cert and we are booked for a 12-day sail training vacation around St. Lucia and the Grenadines to make sure we actually enjoy it as a couple before committing more time, effort, and money. Assuming that goes well my plan over the next several years is to keep sailing/racing at the club level, get the next level of ASA certs, do one or two real offshore passages with an instructor and try to sign on as crew for someone for the ARC or something similar in order to get some experience and mileage before I'm in a position to buy my own "real" boat.



Any constructive advice and assistance is welcome! Thanks!
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Old 14-10-2024, 15:43   #2
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Re: Future Plans for Philippines Cruising

I would check to see if there are any of the friendly ex pats at the yacht club at Subic Bay by contacting the yacht club directly. Most of the sailors there transit to Cebu and other spots regularly and have the 411.

As far as boat buying, a good spot is Langkawi in Malaysia or other marina areas throughout the country. It's known as the "end of the line" for Pacific sailing. When sailors who aren't committed to a full circumnavigation have crossed the Pacific and enjoyed their southern island hopping, Malaysia is usually where the yachts up for sale that aren't returning to N. America. Quite often a good place to negotiate a deal.
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Old 15-10-2024, 05:40   #3
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Re: Future Plans for Philippines Cruising

Thanks, nightowle. I have seen a fair number of boat ads out of Langkawi but wasn't sure of the reason why. And from the research I've done so far, it does seem like Subic Bay is the one sailing hotspot in PH so I will definitely follow up with them directly.
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Old 15-10-2024, 10:24   #4
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Re: Future Plans for Philippines Cruising

Also, just purchased this cruising guide to the South China Sea, but if anyone can recommend other books or resources to learn up on I am all ears.
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Old 15-10-2024, 12:34   #5
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Re: Future Plans for Philippines Cruising

There is an online guide for SEAsia and a printed guide.

https://www.southeastasiapilot.com/
The Imray "South East Asia Cruising Guide" is also excellent and gives a month by month summary of typhoon tracks that are always present.


The Chinese hydrographic office (previously the Hong Kong HO) produces free ENC charts for the South China Sea.



The Philippines and surrounding countries are great places to cruise. Oceana (N. Pacific) is real slog if starting in the Philippines.
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Old 16-10-2024, 03:46   #6
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Re: Future Plans for Philippines Cruising

Foreign flagged is better. There is no pressure on foreign registered yachts to leave/return.

In Cebu latitudes, the dangerous season is October to December, and you need to be alert, either to sail away from the cyclone track (usually heading south) or finding secure shelter before there is a queue to enter unoccupied marina space.

There are plenty of slightly neglected yachts for sail in Cebu area, and there are good facilities/skills for MANAGED restoration/improvement work. That means you would need to spend more time here! For sure, there would be a greater choice of well-maintained yachts for sale in Langkawi but for someone in your situation, it's not so easy to sail from Langkawi to Cebu without prior passaging experience. On the other hand, that passage would be a much easier introduction to cruising than crossing the Pacific!

Assuming you sometimes visit the Philippines to keep in touch with your wife's family, I suggest you reserve some time to visit Cebu and research the options. Infrastructure is a bit limited but if you really don't want to liveaboard then you will need marina shelter. For the size of yacht you have in mind, you should budget US$1,000 per month for marina space. This is more than you would pay in Malaysia, for comparison, but that's because there is too little competition.

Please PM me for more advice!
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Old 22-10-2024, 12:08   #7
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Re: Future Plans for Philippines Cruising

Chris, thank you for those insights. We're planning our next visit to the Philippines sometime in 2026 and do plan to scout out some of the marinas at that time.



Reading more of the South China Sea pilot guide, I think I see why the Philippines has a less robust sailing infrastructure than Malaysia or Thailand...enough so that I've started looking into Malaysia's MM2H visa for expats. Do you find the the positives of sailing out of the Philippines outweighs the negatives?




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Old 22-10-2024, 12:49   #8
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Re: Future Plans for Philippines Cruising

You can avoid typhoons in some months by hanging out at Peurto Pincesa yacht club in Palawan Island.
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Old 22-10-2024, 18:02   #9
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Re: Future Plans for Philippines Cruising

S Philippines get hardly any, if any, Typhoons. And there are mangroves there.


I would give it a shot.


The problem could be the climate - it is (very very) hot and humid, and malaria is endemic.


I think it is a beautiful place. But for along term base I would look for a dry and warm place.



ymmv



b.
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Old 22-10-2024, 19:47   #10
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Re: Future Plans for Philippines Cruising

Quote:
Originally Posted by Reading more of the South China Sea pilot guide, I think I see why the Philippines has a less robust sailing infrastructure than Malaysia or Thailand...enough so that I've started looking into Malaysia's MM2H visa for expats. Do you find the positives of sailing out of the Philippines outweighs the negatives?

[IMG
https://i.postimg.cc/3xMbJxXw/scs-typhoon.png[/IMG]
Davao is the only 'base' that is typhoon free and there is a good marina there. Unfortunately, the marina's reputation was knocked by a raid by Abu Sayaf terrorists and the taking of hostages in 2015. In the last 5 years, Abu Sayaf has been on the back foot and the Govt claims to have 'dismantled' the organization. Further, security at the marina has been substantially improved. This is a good choice for leaving yachts long term when not actively sailing, but cruising in the SW Philippines should still be avoided (I think most sailors would agree).

As for the climate, temp and humidity are similar, on average, to all countries in SE Asia. And malaria risk is similarly low throughout the region. Dengue has become a bigger issue than malaria. Even Singapore has cases of dengue.

As for Malaysia, imho Sabah State is where I would choose to be based. This might suit the OP, being closer to PH based family. Unfortunately, Sabah is linked geographically to the SW islands of the Philippines, which should still be considered a no-go area. Peninsular Malaysia (further west) has good infrastructure but seems to suffer from increasing restriction on anchoring permission and state-by-state entry and exit paperwork, something that I personally hate.

Since the OP plans to settle onshore and enjoy sailing as a part-time sport, I would think that the choice of country should be weighted towards onshore preferences.
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