Cruising Ports in the Philippines

Created by webmaster. Last modified on 2002-08-19 00:50:46
Contributors: Dorothy Walker, S/Y Mariposa
Countries: Philippines

Davo, Mindanao

This is a large town and nearly anything can be found here. We obtained some canvas here to make a water catcher etc.

The anchorage we used was offshore from the Coastguard and we were safe with no trouble from the locals. We held well in a couple of bad storms. It is safer to take your dinghy to the beach near the old jetty - we left ours out from the rocks and a squall came through whilst we were away and if it had not been for the local kids the boat and motor would have been smashed to pieces. As it was the local kids looked after it for us and thought the few pesos we gave them a good reward.

We then travelled up the east coast of Mindanao and stopped off at several anchorages with no trouble, friendly people and some small shops ashore.

Surigao

At the top of Mindanao, this was our next stop and we anchored south of the main jetty as directed by harbour control. We were able to take the dinghy to the steps at the market place where the owner of the nearby cafe kept an eye on it for us.

A fairly large town with good facilities including internet cafes etc.

Cebu

Our first anchorage was just south of the city and was a little rolly at times due to the wake of the ferries. However whilst we were there a lot of reclamation was being undertaken so we are not sure if this anchorage is still available. The only place we found to leave the dinghy was at the steps of the fish market. This place was filthy and was the main reason we decided to seek another anchorage.

We travelled up the straits but did not go into the Cebu Yacht Club which is on the right hand side as you travel up the straits just after passing under the first bridge.We had looked at this Club from land and did not feel comfortable with the state of the piles etc. Also it is very small and we did not really want to go into a marina.

We carried on to Liloan Bay where we were greeted by Capt. Jean-Paul who befriended us and we stayed here 10 days making several trips into Cebu.

Just north of here is Port Carman where a Mr. Mike Allen has haulout facilities and we know of several boats who have had work done here. You can live on the boat whilst you are working on it but we heard that the conditions are not very good for this.

Bonbonon, Negros Island

This is a very sheltered (nearly landlocked) bay were several yachts moor year round and some expats live ashore.

Nicky and Arlene run a cafe, yacht service, bike transport to the nearest town etc. They even have accommodation if work on your boat means you cannot stay aboard. See their web page http://members.spree.com/travel/valhalla/bonbonon/bonbonon.html http://members.spree.com/travel/valhalla/bonbonon/bonbonon.html

From here you can take a bike trip to the nearest town of Siaton and then a jeepney to Dumagete.

Dumagete

You can anchor off here but it is an open roadstead and you have to watch the weather. A large town with an airport and again most goods you will require can be obtained here.

Bais Bay

This very sheltered (although shallow) bay was a welcome respite when we were trying to out run a cyclone and was fantastic in the welcome we got from the people here.

They would love to have more yachts visit!

There is a whale watching tourist attraction here and there are big plans for a marina to be built. Several of the locals greeted the three yachts there were there (us (NZ), and Australian boat and a Japanese boat) - they invited us for meals, guided us to the right places to get work done etc. The Mayor even had us to dinner at the town hall as they were celebrating the sistership of their town with one in Cebu. Whilst we were being wined and dine by the Mayor unbeknown to us they had set a guard to keep an eye on the yachts whilst we were away!

Gigentus

This was a hard place to leave but we carried on up Tanon Strait and stopped at the islands of Gigentus - these islands do not have much here and you cannot even buy fresh vegetables. They obtain theirs from the mainland but they are beautiful islands and we were sorry not to be able to stay longer.

Cadiz

This is a small fishing port and ferry terminal. The harbour is so small and the anchorage so tight that every time the ferry came in we had to move to the over side of the channel and then back again when it had left. However the people and particularly the Coastguard here are great. The town is within easy reach and has excellent provisioning.

Borocay

Borocay is very touristy. You can get in behind the reef with care and the holding is fine. The cost of things here reflect that it is a resort island but it made a change to be able to get western food.

We then travelled via Coron - where there are quite few dive shops, Malampaya Sounds (in Palawan Islands) where again we would have liked to have spent longer.

El Nido

This is the main town in Bacuit Bay but the holding here can be questionable due to the winds coming down off the mountains and the bay around the corner at 11.09°N 119.12°E is better. Provisions can be obtained here.

From here we travelled to Oyster Bay in Imugan Bay where the Navy has a base but there is usually no trouble in anchoring here - again very protected. This enables you to travel into Porta Princessa to clear out. This entails getting a banka local boat to take you to Bahit at the bottom of the Bay or taking your dinghy in. We did the latter as the local man did not turn up. We are glad we did and a local man looked after it for us whilst we were away and was very happy with his bottle of rum and few pesos at the end of the day.

The bus ride in is interesting and you have time to do the formalities and look at the shops before returning. We found a Swiss Deli and stocked up on luxury items for our trip to Malaysia.

We throughly enjoyed our stay in the Philippines and there are just so many places to see and stay. It is a pity at present that the political situation is unstable and thus one has to be extra careful in some areas.