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!