50 Shades of Gray

Subic Bay Yacht Club to San Teodoro, Mabini, Batangas, Philippines

10 October 2012

The whole world is a monotonous gray pallete around me. The sky is overcast, a somber grayish white canvas, the water a darker shade of steel of gentle swells. Even the wind feels gray, a mild 5-knot downwind breeze. The horizon is a thin line within the overlapping shades of bleeeaahh. There are no other colors in this leaden background. Even Paraluman which is white and other boats in the distance seem to disappear into the landscape.

I’m bringing Paraluman home to Pugad, San Teodoro, Mabini, Batangas after keeping it in Subic Bay Yacht Club for almost two months during the habagat (southwest monsoon) season. It is a very easy trip- 78 nautical miles downwind estimated at 14-16 hours at one straight line with only 2 important turns. In other words, it will be boring. In fact, I’m falling asleep while writing this…

And right now, we have all the ingredients for dozing off. 50… No! More! … shades of gray around us. Repetitive lazy swells and a gentle breeze behind that lull me to sleep. Nothing to see around us as the mainland is hidden by the clouds. Nothing to do either. The boat’s on auto pilot. No navigation skills required- no reefs or rocks to watch out for or islands to go around. No music as the stereo is not working. I left my phone charger so I can’t surf the net to save my phone battery. The sails are down because we don’t have enough wind and the only sound is the mind-numbing hypnotic drone of the engine and the soothing lapping of the waves on the boat. I had very little sleep last night- slept at midnight and up at 4am.  My 2 sailing companions don’t talk. I miss my husband, my regular sailing companion. I look at my watch and realize only 5 minutes have passed. I can’t keep my eyes open but I shouldn't go to sleep. I’m the captain of this boat and I have to watch over the safety of my passengers and my vessel!

The only thing we really need to do is make sure there are no boats in front of us or that we’re not in anybody’s way. But the few boats I’ve seen are too far away for concern, just another shade of gray in the distance….. zzzzzzz….

I’m bored to death. But I’m not complaining. I’ll take 50 shades of gray anytime vs strong winds, big waves and the cold. I’ll take boredom over the stress, the monotony over anxiety. Thankfully, tropical storm Nina is too far away to affect the country. More importantly, I’d rather be doing this than being stuck in traffic in the city or working in a freezing office.

In the meantime, I can’t keep my eyes open. But hey! I’m the captain! I’m the boss, right? You two! Watch over the boat while I sleep. Laters, baby.

Freshman Jitters in Bulabog

Bulabog Beach, Boracay Island, Philippines

Bulabog Beach during amihan (northeast monsoon from November to March) is like a high school campus for kiteboarders and windsurfers. The seniors are riding at top speed, strutting their stuff. The freshmen, students in their mandatory helmets, are nervously launching their kites and clumsily getting on their boards for the first time. The jocks are somersaulting, twisting and turning up to 10 meters in the air- shirtless men showing off their rippling muscles and bikini-clad women flaunting their sexy toned bodies. The nerds avoid the crowds and go out early in the morning while the world is still asleep and dealing with hangovers or late in the afternoon during happy hour. Rowdy parties, loud music and alcoholic revelries from sunset till dawn complete the campus scene.

Windy days are happy days!

Bullies abound- kiters and windsurfers who zip past inches away from you spraying salt water on your face. Beginners like me can’t do anything except swallow your pride, close your eyes and cover your nose as the salt water engulfs you. Bullies act as if they own the water, shooing you away and shouting at you to get out of their way when clearly you have no control of your kite and board.

Windless days bring out the laziness or creativity in you.

I lived in Boracay for a month in January 2012 with a single objective in mind- to learn how to kiteboard. Learning how to kite is like being a freshman in school with Bulabog Beach being the big wide scary world. You are equally inspired and intimidated by the older kids and are certain that everyone’s watching and laughing at you fall repetitively on your face. You are scared to venture past the beginners’ area and take comfort in being with fellow anxious neophytes. You spend most of your time in the water- not with actual riding- but falling and relaunching your kite or recovering your board. And just when you’ve- oh at last launched your kite and gotten on your board yey!- you fall on your face again. Your kite has a mind of its own. You are aware of horror stories of kiters getting blown high up in the air and crashing onto trees and buildings, and at the worst, dying. You panic when your kite dives into the water with a sickening thud and realize you almost spliced off the ears of the kiter nearby who quickly pumps his fist at you shouting god knows what and I am glad I can’t hear you because you’re too far away. Why are they such assholes? They were beginners once, too, and went through the same awkward stage I was experiencing then.

For lessons, I recommend Green Yard Funboard Center with very competent and friendly instructors.

On a good day during the amihan season, Bulabog Beach has at least a thousand kiters in the water. Ok, I exaggerate but that’s how it feels like when you're a newbie. It’s like being in EDSA at rush hour with everyone going at 100 km/hour. Bulabog Beach, often called the other side of paradise because it is on the other side of the world famous White Beach, is one of the world’s top kiteboarding and windsurfing destinations owing to its ideal conditions- steady onshore amihan, flat shallow water, sandy bottom, affordable food and alcohol, beautiful people from around the world and fantastic nightlife. But it can be overwhelming for a novice who doesn't have full command of your kite and are a potential danger to yourself and others around you. It reminded me of my first week in the giant intimidating world of the University of the Philippines, the country’s leading state university, center of student rebellion and activism. I am a middle aged woman with a not so bad career behind me and and yet I felt like a wimp in Bulabog. I never felt that insecure in ages.

My beach front home and "car" for my month in Boracay.

But I despair not. For I realized that for every bully in the water, there’s an angel. On a particularly frustrating day of high wind and repetitive catapults, a stranger went out of his way to pick up my board which I got separated from and handcarried it to me. Thank you, dear stranger, whoever you are. My smile and thank you wave came from the bottom of my heart. That definitely made my day. Campus life as a freshman isn't so bad after all. One good deed erases away the horrors of the day. 

Aren't You Afraid of Pirates?

This is one of the most common questions we’re asked about sailing. I think this fear is borne from memories of the horrifying Abu Sayyaf abductions several years ago in Palawan (although the victims were abducted from a resort then taken by boat to Basilan) and the frequent piracy incidents in Somalia. I must admit though that the story of the American couple living their dream of sailing around the world who were taken hostage and killed in Somalia 2 years ago freaked me out.

A fisherman offering his newly caught 15+ kilo tuna on our way to Dumaguete

Today’s pirates are not the Blackbeard-type but range from petty thieves eyeing your fraying board shorts to modern boaters equipped with mobile phones, GPS and fast boats, out to hassle you for cash, fuel, electronic equipment or maybe even your entire vessel.

My Panty Line

4 November 2012 
Maricaban Bay, Busuanga, Palawan, Philippines 

I've always been turned off by the sight of flapping clotheslines in otherwise elegant boats and I try not to hang anything in Paraluman.

I packed enough clothes to last me for my one month trip without washing. Not just to avoid peppering Paraluman with hanging laundry but also to save my precious fresh water supply. I love it that I need very few pieces of clothing here. A bikini and sarong for the day, a rash guard and board shorts for swimming and snorkeling, a well-loved pair of denim cut-offs and a top or a dress for drinks at the bar at night, a tank top and Raul's boxers for sleeping. So far, I've used about 1/10th of my supply of fresh clothes.

Except for underwear which I've just run out of. Today I washed my used underwear and had no choice but to hang them to dry in Paraluman for the world to see. Sexy and lacy panties for when Raul is around, big loose ones for when Raul is not around, happy ones, regular ones. I apologize to the unfortunate observer for ruining the view.

Hanging laundry- I've accepted it as a reality in boating life.