Holiday bliss in the Philippines – David Walder

Yacht: Beneteau Oceanis 45
Where & when: Palawan, Philippines 2017

Rather than doing the RHKYC San Fernando Race in 2017, two owners with yachts in Hong Kong and a group of friends decided to spend the Easter Holidays exploring Palawan, in particular in and around Busuanga. We were extremely lucky that the boat boy and his brothers sailed the boat to Coron and we flew from Hong Kong to Manila, then Manila to Busuanga where we were collected from the airport and taken to the yacht which by that time was glistening in the evening sunshine in a sheltered anchorage by Busuanga Bay Lodge Resort. Busuanga Bay Lodge turned out to be a great launch pad for our weeks cruising with a couple of restaurants to choose from and a quay where we could take on fuel and water. On the other side of the bay was the Al Faro Cosmio Hotel which has a super
restaurant on the top of the hill, great ambience and stunning views.

Having had a couple of tips from other yacht owners in Hong Kong who have previously visited the area we set off and explored the West side of Busuanga. Some of the high points of the week were the lake at Kayangan on Coron Island, stopping at Sangat Island for a couple of days diving and anchoring overnight at the idyllic, picture postcard, desert style Pass island where a whale shark visited us and hung around for the afternoon.

Top tip for cruising this area:
A week here just doesn’t do the area justice, and I feel we only scratched the surface. Be prepared not to be able to provision exactly what you want as the shops only sell what they have that day, however water and fuel is easily accessible once you ask a few questions. Just go, it is truly amazing!