WEEK 11 –Puerto del Sol Resort to Halsey Harbour

Saturday 17 March – Happy Birthday Chris - Braveheart
We started the week by celebrating Chris’ birthday.

Sunday 18 March – Puerto del Sol – Coron Town
11°59.739N / 120°11.614E
At Tangatt Island we snorkelled over a Japanese gun boat which was really great. The bow of the boat was in about 3m and the stern in plus 10m with all coral and bits growing on it.. The coral on the drop off was good too. It was the first time it made us feel that we would like to dive. There were a couple of divers there obviously learners and it looked kind of good. We had to anchor in 24m of water to be able to get to the wreck so it was a day stop only. There is another wreck that is fairly shallow but we haven’t been able to get in there. Then headed back to Coron Town

Monday 19 March – Coron Town to Culion Town
11°53.163N 120°01.454E
We motored to Culion Town. This was the biggest leper colony in the world which opened in 1906 started by the Americans. For the next fifty plus years, until a cure was found and administered to all, lepers from all over the Philippines were rounded up and placed on the island. There, research and treatment were carried out by dedicated doctors and staff. One of the American doctors refused to leave and died on the island at the age of 82. But until a cure was found being sent to Culion Island meant being taken from their families and living a life in exile. Of the first 860 sent there, 265 died within a few months. Today the large hospital is still in use as a general hospital and they have an interesting leprosy museum which still even has the microscope slide samples of the lepers and equipment. It seems that when people were eventually allowed to leave the island most people stayed and were joined by their families and loved ones so most of the people there today are ex-lepers and descendents of the lepers. We spent an interesting afternoon exploring the place. It has lots of old timber houses and big trees and a hill right in the middle with little lanes winding up it. There is a big renovated Spanish Church on top of the hill and a great big medical sign carved into the side of another hill with a big statue of the American (Wade) who started the whole thing.
Miles: 13 TTT: 1156

Tuesday 20 March – Culion Town – Bulalacao Island
11°45.618N / 120°10.887E
Left at 10 and motored to Bulalacao Island on the west side which was gorgeous – lovely white sand beach, good looking coral but it was too deep to anchor for the night so we had to go around the other side and anchored in 15m on coral rubble in an uninspiring anchorage with mangroves. Still night though.
Miles: 21 TTT: 1177

Wednesday 21 March – Bulalacao Island – Halsey Harbour
11°47.436N 119°57.910E
Departed at 8.30 and headed for Ditaytayan Island but it was a bit deep and because the depths were all over the place we presumed we were over coral so decided not to risk anchoring. On shore was a private property sign. We followed Braveheart through a channel between two islands which was very pretty but it started to rain as we went through so headed to the shelter of Halsey Harbour – it bucketed down. We saw Cilantro lose a bit of foam from their boat so we went to retrieve it – took four goes – our man overboard skills could do with some work! Came into the harbour and it was very deep but managed to find 16m in the NW arm. The fishermen sold Braveheart some prawns but we missed out. We had heard such a lot about the Halsey Harbour prawns!!
Miles: 32 `TTT: 1188

Thursday 22 March – Halsey Harbour
Happy Birthday Jean (WDTW)
Cilantro had to work on their engine so we stayed put. The skipper cleaned the stainless and the crew made a birthday cake for Judy off Braveheart – It was a rather flat chocolate cake as we only have all purpose flour!!

Friday 23 March – Halsey Harbour- Happy 60th Birthday Judy
And we finished the week by celeb rating Judy’s (Braveheart) birthday.
The wind was still blowing pretty hard so we decided to stay put. The crew decorated the birthday cake and made a damper (also flat with the all purpose flour) but delicious! The skipper watched The Last Samurai and then Cilantro collected us in their dinghy at 3pm and we went to Braveheart to celebrate Judy’s 60th birthday. There was plenty of good food – Cilantro even brought out the good cheese they had been harbouring since KK!! Judy made a lasagne and we all managed to keep ourselves fully amused till way after dark! Good food, good company, good music and a good time was had by all!!!

We are thrilled to hear the election results and just have to say good on you Queensland!!!! We are floating around up here – slowly heading up and around the islands to the north of the big Palawan island and will slowly make our way back down towards Puerto Princessa. Hope all are well. Take care. Miss you all. Hope Rosie is not aging too quickly.
Love
Dell and Peter