Leg 3 Surigao-Palau

Finally, into the Pacific!

A last run ashore...

After a couple of days with the new team, exploring the islands, caves & maelstrom between Surigao & Siargao, we jumped off from Dapa, picking our way out through the coral. Not totally successfully, with a slight, slow-speed scrape on the rudder. A quick check (OK), then we were off, helped by a 2 kt ebb tide through the Hinatuan Passage.

Prop-polishing

Seas were a bit lumpy to start with, as expected, until we got away from the coast and over the Philippines Trench. The patches worked their magic again, though, and no problems amongst the new team. With lines out, we were kept busy with 2 Spanish Mackeral and a Yellow-finned Tuna - all within half an hour of sunset. The novice fishermen well and truly blooded, getting quite slick at the routine of landing, dispatching, gutting, head-and-tailing, then into a ziplock & the fridge. Food for 2 days!

Spanish Mac

The charts showed amazing depths: we passed a spot of almost 35,000 ft at one stage! Very briefly (I'll flesh this out later from the Log), we then enjoyed a fair breeze for the next 3 days. Showers brought short squals: peaking below 35 kts, more usually 25 kts. Easily manageable on the beam, with a quick reef on main & Genoa, and allowing a shampoo & rinse all round!

Unfortunately the Tapedrive Genoa couldn't take the punishment, though, the luff having been repaired once already on Leg 1. It was dropped and replaced with the spare, which then proceded to shed its UV-strip as well! Fully reefed, it looked like we were decorated with bunting (must have looked strange on arrival Palau) but didn't weaken the sail at all, so we lived with it.


Day 5

Although being headed south of the rhumb line, we were content, hoping to duck south of the Equatorial Curren and into the Countercurrent. Not to be! The current against us built slowly but steadily, finally reaching 1.3 kts as we approach Palau from the SW in about Latitude 6N.

The approaches to Koror, Palau cannot be made at night - too tricky, and now officially dis-allowed. With this current, it was now obvious we would not be able to make it by sunset on Day 4. Having originally planned on the Eastern Approach, we now switched to Plan B: a slow sail up the west side of Palau (sheltered from the Pacific swell) to hold for a few hours, before using the Western Approach. A day and a night of showers kept us busier than we had hoped, but we cleaned ship, prep'ed for arrival and enjoyed a spot of wine to celebrate the bulk of the crossing behind us.

Waiting for dawn

Arrival was interesting, using GPS waypoint-waypoint routes from The Palau Guide (a valuable aquisition) to guide us through the reef & coral channels. The chartplotter was next to useless, due a huge offset, and the channel markers all neutered: just white posts everywhere, impossible to tell which was which.


Port Control answered on #16 and directed us the the Customs wharf in Malakal Harbour. After visits from the 5 departments (Immigration, Customs, Health, Transport & Hygene - all happy and smiling, charmed by Karas banter) and US$120 lighter we lowered the Q and motored round to pick up Dennis' temporary mooring off Sam's Tours / RBYC.

Malakal Harbour, Koror, Palau

A 5-day crossing, almost to the minute.
Distance covered: 520 nm straight line. However, our log showed 685 nm - the difference due both to our 'banana' south of the rhumbline, and that inexorable current against us.

Cathedral Cave

Now to relax, and explore Palau!

Crew on Leg 3: Jim, Colin & Anne (A-watch), John & Andrew (B-watch) and Dave K & Stefano (C-watch).

More pics and description of our antics amongst the amazing Rock Islands to follow...