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Look who we saw on the road

For the past 5 years I have dodged the rainy seasons which hits all of SE Asia. The first few years we simply went topsey turvey and headed across the equator to Indonesia where the seasons are polar opposites. This kept us in the dry cool climate year around. It did require a couple thousand-mile commute as we racked up a half a dozen equator crossings, becoming serial shellbacks.

Last year we hung out half the season in Davao which is typhoon safe, but full of manmade dangers. The Philippines only offer a few options to avoid the typhoons and storms, one is to be in the safest most protected place in the country, Subic Bay. So this year we decided to hold up in Subic Bay for 5 months, July to December.  This will be the longest Furthur as stayed in one place since we left Seattle.

Subic Bay is the old and now again starting up US Navy base. Closed in 1992 ending hundreds of years of foreign occupation and the subsequent 20,000 jobs it provided, the base is being used again on a limited basis. The government has always maintained the distinction of being “on the base” of “off the base”. The driving rules are much stricter on the base, ok there are actual rules. I have already been stopped for: wrong shoes, must wear closed toe shoes, Donna sitting side saddle in a short dress, and for forgetting to turn my headlight on. The cops are getting to know us hahaha but so far talked them out of all three tickets.

We are staying in the Subic Bay Yacht Club, a once noble establishment that is very run down now but promising to be rebuilt.  We do have a pool and small gym which I enjoy.  There is a modern mall, five screen movie theater, multiple restaurants and shops all within walking distance. There is even a Costco type store with Kirkland brand products priced in dollars. One can bask in the modern world or Just a hop away you go off base and bim bam boom you are back in the Philippines, where the traditional Jeepneys and tricycles zip about and girly bars, street venders and street food is everywhere.

One of the main attractions and deciding points for Subic Bay is the supply of talented capable boat workers. We have befriended one guy who is a top notch electrical genius. He has already unraveled a few long term mysteries and gremlins.  Furthur is in excellent shape and there are no big projects at hand, just a long list of minor ones and a full bow to stern inspection.  My quest for minimizing generator time is now taking us in the direction of a wind gen to add to the solar panels. After sitting at Puerto Galera in good wind for a month I decided to harness some of the cosmic juice.  We are doing a month to month project list to spread the work and expense out, another benefit of five months at the dock.

Modern as it may be we still enjoy Philipino type prices, that movie theater with first run flicks, three bucks a head. Donna thoroughly enjoys the beauty treatments; hair cut/color, all her nails, make up and one-hour massage birthday gift was under forty bucks. There are top notch medical facilities, I am going in next week for a long overdue physical. Get this, they have a menu with pricing, I am getting the full meal deal, chest x-ray, bull blood work-up and exam for sixty bucks, try that at home kids! So Furthur and I will be in fine form. Speaking of form, a few months of lazy cruising, Donna mastering her cooking skills and me not getting any younger, have piled on a few extra pounds around the ol girth.. So my time in Subic will be spent getting back in shape, daily running and gym work outs already tightening things up a bit.. Oh and I am only eating a tiny bit of ice cream each night now, oh the sacrifices hahaha.

Donna on our new bike

So not to be tied down too much we will be taking some land trips. We just got a nice used motorcycle and set it up for some travel. Not the mammoth bikes I am used to, this is a 220cc Kawasaki, a zippy little guy and comfortable. Here one will not exceed 50mph (80 kph) very often.

the Welcome sign

[pic 3 ]

The maiden voyage was last week up to the mountain town of Bugaio. The trip took us thru some horrid traffic to some mangiest mountain roads. Being a spur of the moment trip we had no reservations but pulled up to a tourist tent in the rain and a guy got us a room in a five star hotel for thirty bucks, same hotel Manny Pasqual stays at!  We took a longer yet more scenic road home. I learned fast that one has to cover up when riding in 90f sunshine, I got royally burned hands. Also the exhaust from the murid of smoke belching trucks is lethal. I soon acquired a face mask and gloves.

So the next few months will see a Furthur that is standing tall, a slimmer captain, and provide some great adventures on two wheels. Then we are off to the next boating adventure

Make Your Dream Your Story

Capt. Brian Calvert

M/Y Furthur

www.furthuradventures.com

GOING FURTHUR DOCUMENTARY

Review by Brian Calvert, “The Captain”

The task; Bring fifty-year-old legends to life, reincarnate tales that formed our lives and our culture. Then bring it to the present; with two and a half months, 15,000 miles and countless unique and interesting personal encounters. All while describing what was indescribable, defining that which had no definition and bringing forth emotions only those who were there could have had, all in one movie.  Given the pace today, do it all in less time than the four hour Woodstock documentary keeping that documentary as the gold standard.  That is the challenge that Lotus Eaters took on the day I met them, the first day of the epic fifty-year anniversary Furthur voyage.  I am happy to say they exceeded my already very high expectations, they nailed it!

The story starts at the beginning, the genesis of our culture. The cosmic gathering of characters that rose out of the primal ooze to take the first psychedelic flowered powered steps to the future.

For those of us who know the story, like a minister knows the story of Adam and Eve, it is a trip back to heavenly times. For those younger or not familiar with the history, those with no idea why they go to festivals, wear Tie Dye or drive a VW bus, the documentary reads like Hippy 101. This story has to be told from the beginning and they do. The cast of hippy icons is complete; from Ken Keesey to the original Merry Pranksters to Wavy Gravy. Each one an apostille ladling us challises of wisdom from the eternal psychedelic fountain. 

Flash forward fifty years and the story flows unbroken. The players are new Merry Pranksters and the bus rebuilt but the bus is still “the bus”.  As in days of old, “the bus came by and I got on and that is where it all began”.  The movie covers the new Pranksters as they come and go, an intrinsically unique and bizarre group crossing all ages and walks of life. The movie captures this array of idiosyncratic souls completely. Watching it, I was back on the bus.

For the young, this movie is not a beginning and an end, it is a beginning and a beginning. Take it in, learn, free yourself and go on your own Furthur ride.

For us “old hippies” the movie will cast you back in time. Going Furthur is a portal to happy days when life was uncomplicated and we thrived on raw idealism and unbridled adventure. Somewhere in the fields of Hula Hoop twirling scantily clad glittered festival goers you will see your fist hippy love, the one whose memory gives your heart a glow to this day. That alone is worth the price of admission.  More significantly it will show you all was not in vain, the spirit lives on in the young. Watching this movie will inspire you to go forth and connect with the young, dance with them, rap with them, even learn to Hula Hoop with them again. So watch Going Furthur, let it lift your heart and drink from the fountain!

REUNIONS, Friends, Places and Trawlers

We left our new  yacht club and friends for one last voyage of the season back to Coron.  We made the passage north to Punta Fuego to fuel with our Selene compadres and parted as they headed north. It had been fun cruising with another Selene, this one a 38 Archer, the boat I promoted and helped design, my pet project so I take some pride in seeing one.

Waving adios to the Selene and with full fuel tanks we backtracked to one of the greatest dive sites on earth, Apo Reef.

cruising with another Selene

On our flat water calm day at sea we encountered massive pods of dolphins. The rule on Furthur is it is ok to wake up every one when dolphins appear, the call “dolphins” get the crew scurrying for cameras and even sometimes clothes! I never tire of seeing these magnificent creatures in the wild and each time I do my heart aches for all those in captivity. This encounter was a banner one, over 100 dolphins came from every direction to play with Furthur. What really made this encounter special was the crystal clear flat water. We could see dolphins at different depths probably down to 70 feet at least. One group would be jumping at the bow, another a few meters below and way down deep another just flashes in the depth, truly stunning.

Donna ready to pick up the mooring at Apo Reef

Anchored in the reef we met up with our Canadian friends on another trawler, a Diesel Duck. Sandra and Chris, had not dove Apo so I showed them around. We anchored deep inside the reef on a clear calm night. This is an amazing phenomenon as there is no land to see yet flat calm protection from the massive reef. Apo Reef is second only to the Great Barrier Reef in size. In daylight on can see the green glow of the reef but at night is disappears. No land in sight, no lights to dim the star filled sky, and yet dead calm at the anchor.

We have made this trip many times before so this time changing course to do some exploring of Busanga Island. This is a very sparkly populated island and very dry and arid with rugged peaks shooting straight out of the sea. We found a new anchorage in a well-protected inlet and dropped the hook. Again little sign of life, just a few pearl farmers pass by close out of curiosity.

We all wind up at Coron Town, the epicenter of this area and we head for the hot springs the first night. i love these springs even on a day that hit mid 90’s. The next day we found our great friends David and Suzie after some internet misses we just passed right by the boat they were on and heard them call on the VHF, so much for technology.  David and Suzie had been on their boat on the Raja Amput Rally last year. Their trip had been plagued with engine troubles and Suzie had suffered a big fall in rough weather.  This all prompted them to change their cruising plans and send their boat home to California with a young eager delivery crew. Not having seen any of the Philippines they set off on more conventional modes of transportation.

With our friends aboard we headed back to one of those places I call home now, Pearl Bay and Puerto Del Sol. I took David on several wreck dives; an experience he had not had before. We had all played music together in Davao and had a grand time playing at Al Faro resort. It was a blast jamming with them again, Suzie on drum and David on blues harp and both adding to the vocals. At Davao I had dug up the lyrics to the old Sonny and Cher tune, I Got You Babe, and we did a somewhat comical rendition that night. instead of “don’t let them say your hair is too long— we sang, don’t let them say your hair is all gone! Haha

After a whirlwind tour of Coron including diving at the famous Barracuda Lake, where the temps hit over 100F, we ended our reunion with a birthday celebration for Suzie. They will meet their boat in the Pacific Northwest, my old stomping grounds. I enjoyed prepping them for the experience, we wish them well and hope we cross paths again someday.

As I have written about many times, the cruising life brings forth a cornucopia of new friends, both locals and fellow cruisers. Sometimes we depart knowing we will not see them again and sometimes that we will.  This is the bitter sweet pill of the cruising life style. If I had not left the dock that September night in 2009 the list of friends whom I would have missed is staggering. There is no measurement for the enrichment and lessons these comrads have brought me.  So when we leave a friend, one we have shared great times with and go our separate ways, I always recall the wisdom i gained from the back of a T-shirt that made it all ok; “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”

(photo credits; Sandra Tretick}

Make Your Dream Your Story

Capt. Brian Calvert

M/Y Furthur

www.furthuradventures.com

Back at “the Club”

I was a member of a yacht club the day i was born. My Dad was a well-known racer at our local club, there is still a Ross Calvert Perpetual Trophy in the trophy case. A few years ago i visited the old club, Bremerton Yacht Club, then led by an old classmate of mine. i got the ball rolling and they now offer the trophy again at a youth sailboat race, Dad would be proud.

Later in my life as i moved to the San Juans and plunged head first into the boating business and life i joined the San Juan Island Yacht Club to which i was an active member until i moved away. I saw my beloved club rise to excellence, fall to despair with internal battles that split the club, and heal itself and become an excellent club once again. 

When i moved to Seattle, i found a club tailor made for me, the Seattle Singles Yacht Club.  Here was a club of single folks about my age who shared a love of fun and boating. I enjoyed a year of activities with this club and kept long-time friends. i still get visitors from the club and once the fifteen members chartered boats and joined me for a week of cruising in Phucket, what a blast we had.

As i am a man without a home the last few years, joining a club has not been practical. i have participated in different club events but as a visitor only.  Now that i am centering more in the central Philippines, a club membership makes more sense. We love Puerto Galera, the town, the anchorage and particularly the PGYC moorings and club house. So when i was invited to join i did not hesitate.

Two Selenes at PGYC

What i found was a “cruisers” club, most members are xpats, many from Australia and the UK, a few Yanks as well with a good Filipino mix. Both Donna and I were made to feel right at home.  The club has a restaurant, WiFi, and bar. There are many scheduled events and weekly dinners. When they found out i play music i was invited to play, i set up an “open mic night” for other folks to join in.

every young sailor tips over

One of my criteria for a successful yacht club is a good junior sailing program, it is a must. i cut my teeth sailing small boats in a club associated with the Bremerton Yacht Club, The Peninsula Sailing Club, we even produced an America’s Cup sailor! It was apparent from the start that this was a priority of the PGYC as one can regularly see the small boats zipping around cans in the anchorage.

i was the auctioneer at a recent fund raiser for the Small Boat Program, as i was getting bids of 4000p for a 500p bottle of Champagne i badgered the bidders by saying, “someday the Olympic gold will go to one of these kids and you will be part of it, do i hear 5000p”

We sat in the anchorage for several weeks and daily enjoyed the kids using Furthur as a mark. On Wet Wednesdays members can take a boat out so i took Donna for her first sailboat ride. a darting, heeling tiny boat was not to her pleasure, i think she is a confirmed power boater now haha.

Recently we joined the PGYC for a yearly cruise to a small town, Romblin Romblin (like New York, New York) as guests of the Romblin Yacht Club. We are joined by two other yacht clubs as well. Eleven PGYC boats are signed up for the 100-mile trip making two stops along the way.

The other big news is we have a new crew member, Donna’s five-year-old son, Priam, is visiting. He loves the boat and having a blast, there are other “kid boats” on this rally and they seem to all get along famously. This, of course, gives my “inner child” a big excuse to come out, we are planning a water gun attack the other kid boats as we speak… and yup he loves to pull my finger hahaha

So we enjoyed a week with the club in Romblon, the host club was extremely accommodating. We basked in the comradery of other cruisers, new friends both foreigners and Filipinos. Then we headed back to “our club” for a few weeks, tied to one of the convenient club moorings.

This will be our knitch for next year or so, cruising central Philippines in the season and hanging out at the marina in the off season– Then who knows what course we will set?? I do know it will be an adventure!  

Make Your Dream Your Story

Capt. Brian Calvert

M/Y Furthur

www.furthuradventures.com

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.

[pic 6: 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.

[pic 5: 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.

Presidential

Year

Voter Turn­out

Total vote

Regi­stration

VAP Turn­out

Voting age popu­lation

Popu­lation

Invalid votes

Compulsory voting

2010

74.?98%

38,162,985

50,896,164

64.?70%

58,986,204

99,900,177

 No

2004

76.?97%

33,510,092

43,536,028

68.?77%

48,727,136

87,857,473

11.?90%

 No

1998

81.?32%

27,782,735

34,163,465

68.?96%

40,287,296

73,052,254

 No

1992

22,654,194

65.?29%

34,699,860

64,259,000

 No

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