From the warm, dry shelter of this internet cafe in Dumagete, Negros, the last 38hrs don't seem so bad... But it wasn't always that way.
6am yesterday we kissed our loved ones goodbye at Manga pier, Bohol. The morning was picturesque as the sun rose into clear skies and a gentle breeze brushed our sails into life.
After a gentle start we passed the last of Bohol (Panglao Island) and the wind and waves picked up. Before long we were carving through troughs and peaks and a beautiful tailwind pushed us to new speed records. The boat performed beautifully in these conditons and we made great time across to the south of Cebu. Unfortunately this luk ran out, the wind ceased and we sat idle for about 4 hrs off the coast of Negros. Both feeling a little sea sick and exhausted from the frenzied past few days we rested on the deck.
A few hours later we were woken to find Tambaskan had pick up wind and was taking off on her own. We grabbed the opportunity and steered her on a rapid (wavey) course to Dumagete with the GPS guiding us in the dark.
At 10.45pm we performed an almost faultless docking procedure in Dumagete in what we thought was a sheltered bay. A few hours of sleepless broken rest proved us wrong..
A nasty storm had wipped up the seas over night so we spent the next 2hrs moving anchors and trying to get a smoother position. After this we headed into town and foudn a hotel with blissful hot water!
Our plans for rapid repairs and departure have been hampered by a very nasty on-shore wind and breaking waves (rarely seen here). We again repositioned her this afternoon but will attempt to sail in the morning to the southern tip of Negros where we will attempt to get more shelter, make repairs and final preparations for the big leg across the Sulu.
God, Allah, Vishnu and Buddha go with us please!
