Puerto Galera, Philippines

March 2, 2020

Yacht Club?

When we arrived in Puerto Galera back in February, the virus had already started diminishing tourism.  Many of the dive shops were empty and few foreigners could still be seen around town.  The day we got there, we anchored in a bay among other boats, and headed into the yacht club to talk to them about possibly getting a mooring.  The young gal behind the counter was less than helpful, telling us that there was a very long waiting list and basically sending us on our way with no more information.  Mark and I looked at each other, puzzled.  Okay?  Guess we’re on our own and there’s nothing more we need to know!  All the questions we wanted to ask would have to be saved to ask other sailors we happened to meet.

Above the office, we ordered lunch and sat down to make a game plan.  At a nearby table, a group of expats were enjoying their monthly wine tasting luncheon.  Each of them brought a bottle of wine and then blindly rated them in a variety of categories.  We couldn’t help but eavesdrop, as they unknowingly offered up restaurant recommendations and insider information of the area within their casual conversation.  They’d all obviously lived in Puerto Galera for some time, so in eavesdropping in on that winetasting conversation, we gained much more local knowledge than the yacht club receptionist had given us!  As they talked, I quietly opened my notes app and began taking down all the details I could!  Eventually, when they had finished their tasting and rating, we struck up a conversation and asked them all the questions that were still left unanswered - laundry facility? best grocery store?  trash disposal?  local hangouts?  They were a fire hose of information, and I was desperately trying to jot it all down!

Later, when looking for a place to grab dinner, we actually found a place on TripAdvisor serving Mexican food!  What?!  Badladz Dive Resort had a chill vibe AND homemade salsa.  It quickly became one of our favorite hangouts.  It also became the place we earned our Nitrox dive certification, enjoyed a diving trip out to Verde Island, and indulged in a few pampering spa treatments.  Our new favorite place.

Anchoring Eviction

At least four days after our not-so-helpful yacht club visit, we were approached by a harbor boat, telling us we were anchored in a marine reserve and would have to move.  I explained to the messenger that Michael and I were alone on board, and the others were on a day trip to Verde Island.  They wouldn’t be back until at least five o’clock, and I didn’t feel comfortable moving the boat by ourselves.  He quickly dialed up the port captain and handed me the phone.  The port captain was understanding, but firm, as he explained the situation again.  I told him that this information was new to us, and we certainly would not have anchored here had we known.  (This area was not designated as a marine reserve on our charts, so I’m guessing this was part of the information that we should have received from that ‘yacht club’.)  We agreed to move as soon as Mark got back.

We also received a very curt email from the yacht club insinuating that we had not checked in with them and were not given permission to anchor there.  It was quite a mess.  When we had first arrived and gone straight to the yacht club, the gal at the desk had not taken down any of our information or questioned us when we said we were anchored in the bay.  Again, no information was provided.  We had told her that we were proprietary members due to our membership in the Palau Yacht Club and she had sent us on our way.  Eventually, things got smoothed out.  First, they put us stay on a vacant mooring, just until Kerry and I caught our rides to the early morning ferry the following morning.  Then, Mark and the kids moved the boat to a mooring in a bay around the corner.  It felt like we were being accused of breaking rules that we didn't even know existed!  Kindly, we asked them to post the information on their website so that future visiting yachts would know what to do.

So...quick note to cruisers planning to visit Puerto Galera:  They do not want yachts anchoring anywhere in the bays around town.  You will need to call plenty of time in advance to reserve a mooring ball through the Puerto Gallera Yacht Club.  The port authorities were assigning fines to all anchored boats who refused to move. 

Traveling Amid the Frenzy

Our friend, Kerry, a fellow sailing sister of mine from Australia, had been aboard for two weeks, and she was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to get home due to the increasing travel restrictions.  There were fewer ferries running and flights were being cancelled left and right.  In the end, though, she was able to get to Manila and fly back to Oz.  Phew!

No masks available anywhere... should have been my first clue!

Since we were at a place that was easier to fly in and out of, I decided to go to Penang and visit the school we would enroll the kids in this fall.  I had heard about some teaching positions that were available, and thought this might be the last chance I’d have for a while to go for an interview.  At this time, I really didn’t have a clue how serious the Corona virus situation was.  If I would have realized what it would become, I would have never opted to fly alone to Penang.  Only when I started my trip, did I see the severe effects of the spreading virus.  Everyone was wearing a mask, temperature scans were commonplace, and very few people were traveling anymore.  It was eerie.

The school visit went very well, but among the staff there was an underlying tension.  Little did I know that they would be closing the school just a week or so later due to quarantine measures.  Yikes.  I’d barely made it back to Puerto Gallera before the Philippines was officially put under a strict  quarantine lockdown!  As a matter of fact, when I returned before everything was shut down, we set off for some remote island, not knowing we’d find a whole new world four days later when we anchored in Coron!  I can’t imagine what would have happened if I’d have gotten stranded in Malaysia while the family was in the Philippines!  Certainly the timing was divinely orchestrated.  Kerry was able to get home, I was able to get to the school before it closed, then I got back from Penang just in time, and we had just done a big provisioning haul.  There’s no way we could have anticipated the unprecedented events that were to come, but I'm so grateful that we were together and as prepared as we could be.