Bumper chasing on the beach at Great Harbour Cay is not for the faint of heart. The competition is fierce!
Elections, Filipino Style
on the campaign trail
Taking a detour from the daily online bantering about the US elections, i spent some time learning about the Filipino elections. Election day is May 9, campaigning is now in full swing, and oh what fun they have.
The big one, the presidential election, has five candidates. The one with the most votes wins, so it is likely the president will not have a majority of the voters, possibly as low as 21%. The multitude of parties and the fast switching of party added to the large amount of independents take away the importance of political parties. The Filipinos clearly have more choices than we do.
Of the five candidates two are women, one of which has cancer and one holds dual US and Filipino citizenship. Grace Poe was disqualified over her US passport but the courts reinstated her. Donna’s papa is supporting her, in a large extended family that is significant. She is running high in the polls.
Papa like this one
The most interesting, and my favorite, is Rodrigo Duterte, the mayor of Davao. In a country that is 97% Catholic, he is a Muslim. He is famed for cleaning up Davao with guns a blazing old west style. He brags about the numbers of people he had killed, and the positive effect. He actually said that his presidency would be a boon to the funeral business, gotta love him. Duterte is leading in the polls. Donna’s four year old son and i are his supporters in this family.
as complicated as a campaign gets
More fascinating than the national elections are the antics of the local candidates. I have campaigned many times in the states, doing humiliating things like standing on a street corner holding a sign like a mattress sales stooge to the drudgery of door belling. Here all this takes on a much more festive mode.
Door belling is done but the candidate brings gifts and bags of candy for the kids so he is welcome into each home, not the door slam-in-the-face you get in the US. They enter neighborhoods with a parade of vehicles and a large entourage, campaigning here is a roving party and loud!
The real twist i just love, is the candidates hand out money, lots of it. Go to a rally and you will get 500p, (more than a day’s wage). Donna tells of hitting multiple rallies in a day and bagging lots of loot. As one who has donated heavily to many races i found this enlightening. Money usually spent on TV ads and mailings is just handed out, probably with better return.
As we are deep into the campaign season the party is going on everywhere. Reminiscent of days of old, here the loud sound of speaker vehicles is everywhere, old beater cars, jeeps, trucks all with huge speakers strapped to the roof, parade around the neighborhoods, songs a blaring.
singing his song for miles
Each candidate has a theme song, usually a pop song with rewritten lyrics which plays over and over, loudly! we followed one such makeshift rig for miles on the motorbike, no idea who Jo Jo Perez is or what he is running for but i am still singing his song.
candidate fixing his own jeep, my kinda guy
i met one candidate who’s jeep had motor troubles. He was working on it right in town, rolled up his sleeves and got the old gal running again. Loved his jingle too, a Bob Marley song with new words that never stopped playing.
Like most things in the Philippines, the people take these elections very seriously, up to 75% voter turnout. Unlike the US, the younger people vote in huge numbers and education, wealth or gender play little role in who votes. i have yet to find a Filipino who is not excited about voting. Of the 58 million eligible voters, 50 million voted in the last election.
Also like most things in the Philippines they take it all with a smile, not too seriously. No one will lose a friend over who they support, no family feuds, albeit Mama is rumored to support Duterte, no hatred at all. Papa will vote for Poe because he likes her smile, i would definitely head to the polls singing Jo Jo Perez, Jo Jo Perez.
Make Your Dream Your Story
Capt. Brian Calvert
MV Furthur
www.furthuradventures.com
Elections, Filipino Style
on the campaign trail Taking a detour from the daily online bantering about the US elections, i spent some time learning about the Filipino elections. Election day is May 9, campaigning is now in full swing, and oh what fun they have. The big one, the presidential election, has five candidates. The one with the most votes wins, so it is likely the president will not have a majority of the voters, possibly as low as 21%. The multitude of parties and the fast switching of party added to the la…
Istaboa’s Waypoints 2016-04-08 08:10:00
Nordhavn Exumas Abacos Bahamas trawler Caribbean Pickwick Boat dogs
Memphis Downtown
April 7 – Fernandina Beach, FL
Fernandina Harbor Marina Mooring Field
“Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl
We spent the day playing in Fernandina Beach. It’s one of our all time favorite places to visit. It’s full historic buildings, beautiful old oak trees draped in Spanish moss, cute bouquets, a great beach, fun places to eat and fresh seafood, but the thing I like the best are the people who live here. They have that southern charm and graciousness that you only find in the south. I really enjoy that.
CONTINUE READING HERE…»
Return Through Dangerous Pacific Ocean from Honolulu to Seattle
We are ready to depart Honolulu this Friday, April 8th, for the 2400nm passage back to Seattle.
The Weather Outlook
We are well aware that the weather is still a little dicey. There are some large low-pressure systems still coming out of the NW. The reason for our leaving this is early is to be in Seattle for Seattle Yacht Clubs Opening Day on May 7. Sailors from Summa Yacht Club in Kobe, Japan (Seattle’s “Sister City”) will be in Seattle for a sailing regatta with SYC. In 2010-11, when we were in Ashiya, Japan on Starr they rolled out the red carpet for us and made us feel very welcome. We would like to host them on Starr for Opening Day.
Suma Yacht Club Welcomes Starr – February 2011
We are using every resource available to us to analyze the weather. We download reports from Predictwind on a daily basis, but more importantly we have a weather routing friend who will be helping us stay on top of things. We also look at the weather picture using Windyty
Our CCA friend Joe Golberg just flew in from Lopez Island to join us for the trip; Donna Lee, our Paddling buddy from the Waikiki Yacht Club, is also joining us. We thought you might want to know a little about them so we asked them to write a bio for us:
Don, Sharry, Donna & Joe
Joseph W. Golberg BIO
I was born in Seattle Washington, a leap year baby on February 29, 1948, the son of a mother of a sailor. My first 18 years I lived on Lake Washington in Bellevue close to Enatai Beach. From the time I could walk I spent my summers cruising with my grandparents on our Owen’s Cutter in northwest waters. My grandfather had a Flattie (Geary 18) and he drilled me on righting the boat by myself and practice, practice, practicing landings. He used to say any idiot can sail this boat across the lake and back. Early on he bet me a 2hp Elgin outboard that I couldn’t swim from our dock to his, a couple of days later I jumped in at our house and swam to his dock, walked up to his house and made him take me to Sears to claim my won bet. My summers were spent leaving with my Grandparents in the spring and returning in the fall cruising Pacific Northwest waters from Olympia to the Broughton Archipelago in British Columbia. I started racing at Corinthian Yacht Club as a junior and crewed on many larger boats, Gary Philbrick from Mercer Island had a Geary 18 and I was his crew, our parents would to trailer the boat to regattas and drop us o for a week of sailing (and other mischief) as we weren’t old enough to drive.
After graduating high school I went to Alaska on a King Crab processing boat the “Deep Sea” and spent the summer northeast of Kodiak Island before returning to Bellingham for college. There I joined the Western Washington University sailing team. The next summer I returned to Alaska on the “Akutan” another processor and spent the summer out on the Aleutian Island Chain so early on had Seattle/ Alaska/Seattle trips by sea.
In 1969 I was lucky enough to join the crew of the 6metre “Goose” and we were chosen to race against an Australian 6metre in San Francisco (representing the St. Francis Yacht Club as they had on 6metres) winning the first Australian- American Challenge Cup. I was inspired to “run away to sea” and left school for a sailmaking career first at Northwyn Sails in Seattle, then with Buchan Sails
where I was fortunate to sail with Bill Buchan and crew with him on his Soling in an Olympic campaign. We won the World Championships in 1975 and fell just short of winning the trials in 1976.
After my tenure with Buchan Sails I was recruited to manage and own North Sails Seattle sail loft where I spent the next 10 years. This opened up many racing opportunities, multiple SORC’s in Florida, Italian Admiral’s Cup Trials on the Mediterranean, Canadian Admiral’s Cup Team with John Newton on Pachena and many other wonderful adventures both locally and out of the area racing o shore and one design. Most of my o shore experience has been racing but in recent years I have done coastal deliveries on the west coast from Seattle to San Diego.
After my sailmaking career I was a manufacturer’s representative for Avon, Simpson-Lawrence, Whale, Marlow and other quality marine products. I have lived aboard and cruised a Herresmho Rocinante, Alberg 35 and a Cal 2-46, which I lived aboard for 12 years, moving from Seattle to Lopez Island where I have lived for 24 years. I sold the Cal and purchased an Express 37 (Carl Schumacher design) and fast cruised that (fast, fun and simple) for10 years locally, sold that and now have a Beneteau 42CC which I continue to cruise extensively in the Pacific Northwest.
I am a lifetime member of the Seattle Yacht Club and am honored to be a member of the CCA-PNW station. Currently standing by in Honolulu with Don and Sharry Stabbert on “Starr” preparing to depart for Seattle.
“The Sea’s in my veins, my tradition remains, I’m just glad I don’t live in a Trailer”
(Jimmy Buffet)
Donna’s BIO
Hi I’m Donna and I’m very much looking to doing this passage to Seattle with Don and Sharry.
I had a career in Florida teaching and doing research at UF as a professor of agricultural and natural resource economics. After 13 years in Florida I decided I really wanted to be to Hawaii so I put my Florida house up for sale and moved to Honolulu near Diamond Head and Kaimana Beach. Right away I got back to all my favorite activities snorkeling, canoe paddling, and sailing. In 2009, I was joining friends for a fun sail trip to Maui but when two sailboats were consolidated to one, crew quarters started to look very cramped. That’s when I met Don and Sharry. They were headed to Maui the same evening and were kind enough to ferry me across. I enjoyed a smooth comfortable ride and I got a good night’s sleep. In the morning they drove into Lahaina Harbor, pulled up to the stern of Dusty Cash. I climbed off, waved goodbye, and Starr took off like a shot. Ever since then we’ve remained friends. Recently we started paddling our 1-man canoes together. Our friend Brantly organizes an early Tuesday morning pup sup where she brings Poi and her SUP and we all paddle out together enjoying a fresh start on the morning. It’s always fun. We come across rainbows, turtles, dolphins, whales, Hawaii 5-0 actors, mysterious floating luggage, and even an occasional shark. We never know what we are going to get but for sure we always get to see the sunrise. The regular pup sup paddlers include Brantly, Donna, Dave, Don, Sharry, Pat, Nicole. Guest paddlers include Nic, Rebecca, Joey, Rob, Robin, Katy and several more.
For employment, I have positions with the UH and Maui college analyzing the economics of local food and innovative local food products in Hawaii, and assessing the benefits to producers, consumers, farmers, and workers.
In my spare time I enjoy playing ukulele with my friends in our Park Rats band. This past January 2016, I joined a local choir group, Voice of Aloha, and am having an amazing time rehearsing and learning about chorale singing.
In Seattle, I’ll visit with my cousin Terry. From there I’ll fly to the Bay Area to spend time with Mom, family, and friends in Fremont, CA, then I’ll fly back to Honolulu where I’m looking forward to paddling with my Ikaika friends, Nicole, Brantly, Dave, Katy, Karen, Rudy, John, Dan, Lorraine, Coach Shelley and Coach Phil.
Donna and the Park Rats ukulele band
Donna, Brantly and Poi at Tuesday morning Pup SUP paddle
Donna and the Ikaika paddling group in our new Stellar surfskis!
Stay tuned for more news . . . . .
Don & Sharry Stabbert
Joe & Donna
Return Through Dangerous Pacific Ocean from Honolulu to Seattle
We are ready to depart Honolulu this Friday, April 8th, for the 2400nm passage back to Seattle. The Weather Outlook We are well aware that the weather is still a little dicey. There are some large low-pressure systems still coming out of the NW. The reason for our leaving this is early is to be in Seattle for Seattle Yacht Clubs Opening Day on May 7. Sailors from Summa Yacht Club in Kobe, Japan (Seattle’s “Sister City”) will be in Seattle for a sailing regatta with SYC. In 2010-11, when …
So Beautiful!
Most every day Dylan and Dee Dee take the 3/4 mile walk to the beach. It is one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere. I have never seen one nicer. The path goes up over a sand dune depositing the kids in the approximate middle of the miles long cresc…
April 6 – Leaving Jacksonville, FL
Fernandina Harbor Marina Mooring Field
“Life is a journey, and if you fall in love with the journey, you will be in love forever.” — Peter Hagerty
We’re finally moving north…although it’ll be a very slow pace. We’re not in a hurry to get anywhere. In fact we really don’t have any particular plans…keep moving north just fast enough to stay in the 75º temperature range. We’ve enjoyed Jacksonville and I think I appreciate it a little more each time we’ve stayed here. The marinas in the Ortega area are full of nice people, the views are pretty, everything you need is close and there is always something going on in Jacksonville.
The only thing we’ve had troubles with in Jacksonville is the railroad bridge that separates the Ortega marinas and downtown. When it’s broken or being worked on there is now way out! They had a lot of issues with in 2014…it was closed for weeks and when it did operate it was on a limited schedule. We didn’t think to check on it this morning until we were underway. The bridge was closed until 11:00; we got there at 8:30. We tied up to the dock in Riverside Park and enjoyed the pretty morning having a second cup of coffee, watching a little TV and organizing the dock box. The delay actually meant we were closer to the out going tide that gave us a push and we were only an hour behind our intended arrival in Fernandina Beach.
We spent the evening visiting with friends. We only had a short visit with Jim and Betsy on Smiles, but we’ll see them again hopefully in Isle of Palms later in the month. We had dinner with Charlotte and Magnus from Swede Dreams…catching up with all their adventures in the Bahamas this winter. All there pictures made us wish we could have gotten there this season, but there’s always another year.
Leaving Ortega
The Ortega River Bridge
Looking towards downtown Jacksonville and the railroad bridge that can hold a boater hostage when it doesn’t work.
Riverside Park…this is were we’ve spent a lot of Saturdays enjoying the farmers market and listening to great music.
We won’t miss this bridge
Good-bye Jacksonville
On of the large ships we saw today on our way past the Jacksonville port.
This little cruise ship got a little close the pilings on it’s way through. This is the bridge at Sister’s Creek. By the time we come south again…not sure when, it will be replaced by a taller one.
This part of Florida looks more like the low country of Georgia and South Carolina.
A great dinner with our friends Charlotte and Magnus
April 6, 2016 Delcambre to Morgan City / Berwick
We got up at 6 am with no fog. Kay took the rent car back at 7:15 am and at the same time we headed to out to get fuel. Kay returned just as we were finished fueling up so it worked out well. Cambria proceeded to the fuel dock and S/V …
