A Taste of your Cruising Life

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Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2021
Messages
30
Vessel Name
StarGazer
Vessel Make
Van Helleman custom/62 ft
If you’ve happened to have read the 2 threads I started, we are making the transition from liveaboard in the tropical Philippines on our motor sailor, to liveaboard in the PNW, hopefully on a suitable Trawler.
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s53/liveaboard-changes-57555.html
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s30/liveaboard-motor-sailor-pnw-trawler-57571.html

Advice has been great and the search goes on, but now realizing that our timing to buy a used trawler is not good, we are at same time, looking at other options.

Pandemic pending our schedule is:
  • Fly and spend Summer 2022 in PNW surveying what's locally on the market.
  • If nothing found at reasonable value
  • Decide whether to sell SG or bring her to PNW in 2023

This got me thinking outside the box about introducing my Filipino partner to boating and trawler life in PNW next year.

Would someone with a trawler already in PNW, be interested in having us onboard as guests for 2 weeks next summer?

We would reciprocate beforehand, by inviting them to join us on board Stargazer in the Tropics as our guests.... beginning of 2022.
This is our best cruising season Jan to April with the cooler NE winds?

Details and logistics would be worked out privately via PM, emails and video calls to find compatible solutions, but now while we all are waiting out border issues and travel restrictions, Just an idea to help Zaida get a feel for our decision making.

Also, while waiting in lockdown, why not share a Photo reminder of the reasons we all spend that money and effort to cruise in our favorite local waters.

Here are a few of ours from the Philippines:

With over 7,600 Islands, there is no shortage of options, but our favorite direction Jan to April, which is dry and free of Typhoons, is towards Palawan.

The Calamian Group has everything!

At the top is Caluit Island, a 5-minute walk from a beautiful anchorage to this remote African reserve started by Marcos. Zebra’s, Giraffes, Bearcats but unfortunately all the deer and antelope were eaten by the locals

Further down between Busuanga and Culion Island, are small islets with undeveloped beaches.
This area is also a graveyard of Japanese shipwrecks in protected waters. A good friend who owns Sangat Dive Resort shows all here. https://sangat.com.ph/wreck-dives/

Further south is Halsey Harbor, very remote and friendly where you can buy wild tiger pawns for $5 a kilo.

Then it is a short downwind sail to the Linapacan Group, before reaching Palawan and El Nido.

Further south on the west coast of Palawan is the area of Port Barton and San Vincente.
Untouched beaches and friendly dogs from the caretakers of yet to be developed resorts are common and the fishing is great!

Hope you enjoy and would love to see where you drop the hook?
 

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Interesting idea. I did something somewhat similar years ago that worked well for all parties. I am in San Diego so cannot help you with your PNW needs but I did enjoy the posted photos. Thanks for sharing.
 
Interesting idea. I did something somewhat similar years ago that worked well for all parties. I am in San Diego so cannot help you with your PNW needs but I did enjoy the posted photos. Thanks for sharing.
I just think, in our situation
.... being a reciprocal guest/crew on a well found and knowlegeable Owner's boat
.... is a better way to get a feel for a new area, than charter.
 
Living the dream, dog only knows why you would consider leaving.

Has everything you say? Slipping facilities for your vessel are where and skilled labour for timber vessels?
 
Welcome to the trawler lifestyle! I was born in the Philippines so glad to see your post. We have enjoyed scuba diving with my husband usually every two years in the Philippines and cruising on our little trawler here on the East Coast but haven’t sailed around there. Maybe someday! MTOA, Marine Trawler Owners Association, has a wealth of info and an active group of folks in the PNW. MTOA.net.
 
A little bit of Trawler heaven where I am tied up in Subic, waiting for a vaccine20210517_113852.jpeg
 
This sounds very interesting to me. I will have a discussion with my wife. This will take many days of pondering. I think I am in the long shot category but all things start there and progress. Mostly I wanted to give you some feed back that your request has probably got a lot of us thinking. It’s just that many of us take along time thinking about such things before we respond. Wouldn’t be surprised if it takes over a month before you get any serious responses to this request.
 
Wifey B: Does she know the lifestyle she loves is being tossed away? I'm serious. She's going to freeze her :censored: off.

I love visiting and cruising in the PNW but there is no way I would consider moving from a tropical area as in South Florida or the Philippines to the PNW. :nonono:
 
This sounds very interesting to me. I will have a discussion with my wife. This will take many days of pondering. I think I am in the long shot category but all things start there and progress. Mostly I wanted to give you some feed back that your request has probably got a lot of us thinking. It’s just that many of us take along time thinking about such things before we respond. Wouldn’t be surprised if it takes over a month before you get any serious responses to this request.
Thanks for the feedback.....
As borders are closed in the Philippines , vaccines 9 months behind everyone else, it is impossible to make any travel commitments or.plans

Send me a PM if you would like to chat about it.
 
Wifey B: Does she know the lifestyle she loves is being tossed away? I'm serious. She's going to freeze her :censored: off.

I love visiting and cruising in the PNW but there is no way I would consider moving from a tropical area as in South Florida or the Philippines to the PNW. :nonono:
Hi Wifey B (Pelagic on CF)

Yes, that is the unkown, which is why we hope to spend about 5 months in Canada next year, assessing her comfort level.

There are a number of variables for her to consider as in Family, Canadian Citizenship and a more progressive lifestyle.

The Trawler change or bring Stargazer to PNW is the reason we would like to spend a couple of weeks testing the inside waters as reciprocal guests on someone's trawler.

As to cold, these were the waters I grew up on and were the genesis of my marine career.
I truly love them and I know she will to.
 
Hi Wifey B (Pelagic on CF)

Yes, that is the unkown, which is why we hope to spend about 5 months in Canada next year, assessing her comfort level.

There are a number of variables for her to consider as in Family, Canadian Citizenship and a more progressive lifestyle.

The Trawler change or bring Stargazer to PNW is the reason we would like to spend a couple of weeks testing the inside waters as reciprocal guests on someone's trawler.

As to cold, these were the waters I grew up on and were the genesis of my marine career.
I truly love them and I know she will to.

Wifey B: You are Pelagic? I'd have to go there to see sometime, haven't been on CF in years. :)

It's your last paragraph that is so blind. These are the waters you love and you know she will to. What? %$#&#&#$#^%@%#? How do you know that? I see the beach she's on and the summer clothing and the bikini. That's not a woman I see loving the PNW climate. You're thinking of the climate you grew up in but she's spent her entire life in tropical climates. I've only spent 9 years in them and no way I'd ever live full time in the PNW and I'd lived in cold when I was there. I hope she loves it there but saying you know she'll love them because you do is just such flawed logic. Now I can't say she'll dislike it because I would, but I can say it's a huge change she may not enjoy. :D
 
Wifey B.... You are right, I don't know and neither does she, which is why we will test the idea out next year. She is keen to try after speaking with Filipino friends in Victoria.

Bottom line, it is her decision as I am happy in either place as long as its in a boat [emoji4]
 

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