Manila

[hatteras53]

Okay, here we go again. Our Nauticat 44 is almost finished and of course we will spend at least 6 to 9 months on many shakedown cruises here in the Chesapeake Bay. In the event of a many months journey with many stops along the way to Manila with help from other very seasoned sailors onboard to help us, the same basic question keeps occuring. For sure, this would be the trip of a lifetime no doubt. And we are well aware of all the costs and dangers involved too. My wife's entire family lives near Manila. And she is a Filipinas. The question is this......'there seems little to see and do in the Luzon area. There is Manila Bay but it is so dirty and filled with ship traffic. We visited the Manila Yacht Club and they were very self important and the list of requirements to join was unreal. Of course, there is Subic Bay, but it is 6 hours from where our relatives live in Cavite. Also, other than Subic Bay, there seems to be no other marinas in northern Luzon or even places to cruise along either the east/noth/west coasts or a place to even anchor. We did speak to the owners at Papaya Yacht repairs in Nasugbu but they only do boat work. They are thinking of putting a few mooring balls in the cove but that's about it. Next, somehow we talked our way into the Punta Fuego Yacht Club but they have only a very small floating pier setup, a long waiting list, and they are even more self important than the people at the Manila Yacht Club. In other words, snobs in my opinion. Finally, we visited the Maya Maya Yacht Club but the marina is falling apart. And at low tide, the entrance is only 6' of water. We draw 6' so that is probably a no go. So we are back to square one. There seems to be very little to see or do in Luzon. And we can only get insurance to cover others, so in the event of a storm, we would have a total loss. Anyone with real local knowledge or insight would be appreciated. I love the Philippians and have been there 12 times now but it seems that the Luzon cruising area has little to offer ? Maybe it is best for us to just stay in the Chesapeake Bay and perhaps someday try the Bahamas. Any useful thoughts are appreciated. Michael.

[OzePete]

Originally Posted by hatteras53

Okay, here we go again. Our Nauticat 44 is almost finished and of course we will spend at least 6 to 9 months on many shakedown cruises here in the Chesapeake Bay. In the event of a many months journey with many stops along the way to Manila with help from other very seasoned sailors onboard to help us, the same basic question keeps occuring. For sure, this would be the trip of a lifetime no doubt. And we are well aware of all the costs and dangers involved too. My wife's entire family lives near Manila. And she is a Filipinas. The question is this......'there seems little to see and do in the Luzon area. There is Manila Bay but it is so dirty and filled with ship traffic. We visited the Manila Yacht Club and they were very self important and the list of requirements to join was unreal. Of course, there is Subic Bay, but it is 6 hours from where our relatives live in Cavite. Also, other than Subic Bay, there seems to be no other marinas in northern Luzon or even places to cruise along either the east/noth/west coasts or a place to even anchor. We did speak to the owners at Papaya Yacht repairs in Nasugbu but they only do boat work. They are thinking of putting a few mooring balls in the cove but that's about it. Next, somehow we talked our way into the Punta Fuego Yacht Club but they have only a very small floating pier setup, a long waiting list, and they are even more self important than the people at the Manila Yacht Club. In other words, snobs in my opinion. Finally, we visited the Maya Maya Yacht Club but the marina is falling apart. And at low tide, the entrance is only 6' of water. We draw 6' so that is probably a no go. So we are back to square one. There seems to be very little to see or do in Luzon. And we can only get insurance to cover others, so in the event of a storm, we would have a total loss. Anyone with real local knowledge or insight would be appreciated. I love the Philippians and have been there 12 times now but it seems that the Luzon cruising area has little to offer ? Maybe it is best for us to just stay in the Chesapeake Bay and perhaps someday try the Bahamas. Any useful thoughts are appreciated. Michael.

Hi Michael,
My wife is also a Filipina (not Filipinas!) originally from Cebu in The Philippines (not Philippians!) With rural and beach properties there to attend to, we spend a lot of time in Cebu and it was originally very different for me in many ways, particularly the people interaction.

To enjoy The Philippines, and there is so much to enjoy, I needed a very different mind set and that can be difficult. The first big mistake us westerners often make is to come across with a demeanour of superiority albeit perhaps not intended. Filipinos will react to this in a manner that appears like they are trying to be 'self important' Often this is their way of dealing with any perceived arrogance they are confronted with.

Only after I developed a more open minded attitude and above all accepted that these people got along just fine before I arrived, did I start to really enjoy the Philippines and her friendly peoples.
Get away from the cities is my advice. For example there are a lot of yachts at Carmen which is about an hour north of Cebu City. And Carmen has reasonable stores etc., and from there you can explore the north and west and south using the Nautical highway that loops the island, or sail off to the hundreds of fabulous islands of the Visayas. The further from the cities the more spectacular it gets.

Cheers, OzePete

[DocBrauer]

My wife is also from Cebu. I spent six years in the Philippines and we are currently in Madagascar heading to USA with my sailboat. after three years we will cross Pacific (again) to live out rest my life in Puerto Gallera which is a easy trip via ferry and bus to Manila. Great community with many filipina married to foreign men. Can see your boat from the apartments at a mooring above the yacht Club. Very much social interaction amongst the population there. Suggest you check it out.

[Lepke]

I can't speak to marinas, but there's many places to anchor, some rivers you can pull into with local knowledge. I've been completely around Luzon in a power boat. There are fuel sellers if that's the issue. If you have a sleeping dictionary, ask some fishermen.

[MatthLE]

Hello,

The commercial traffic in the strait E of Mindoro off Batangas especially looks tough. Would you transit the W coast of Mindoro instead?

Lem

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by MatthLE

Hello,

The commercial traffic in the strait E of Mindoro off Batangas especially looks tough. Would you transit the W coast of Mindoro instead?

Lem

I sailed 9 months in philippines. It is a great country but I did not even consider visiting luzon. Cebu is also not a great island, really population density along with environmental destruction has spoiled these areas. The smaller the island the better and the ones with intact forest are best but this is < 5% of the country.

There are not a lot of marinas there, so I just anchored everywhere. I would rather be there than the chesapeake. I also sailed several months in.

[MatthLE]

Agreed, Manila and Luzon are septic at best.

I am only leaving Manila since it was the port that I could arrange to have the boat transported to. Then sailing the beautiful Visayas and such. Just hoping also to connect with other sailors here.

Lem