Feb 24-March 3,
Hi All,
Yes!!!! We are done, done, done!!!!! Ready to start Leg 2…..Subic Bay Philippines to Okinawa Japan…just 950nm away!!!!
We have pretty much been working dogs since we arrived here in Subic on Feb 7…..but, after 25 days we and MYSTIC are feeling much better and ready to begin again…..finally!!!!
After Steve (NZ tech) left and we completed the marathon Japan closed permit filing (which we finally received the other day…yea!!) we collapsed for a few days. Then starting last Monday we provisioned for 3 days straight. One whole day was spent going to an S&R warehouse store, about 1 hour away…..Philippines version of Costco….ODG….it was like going home to USA…..lots of familiar paper and other products…..have I mentioned how we have NOT bonded with the napkins, paper towels, TP in SE Asia…..so it seemed half the basket was big Costco like bags of paper towels…..like Bounty, and real, large napkins, not the tissues you get here…..yes, I know, it is the little things in life that make one happy:))))
So the refer and freezers are full, wine & spirits replenished, canned goods replenished…..the Admiral says we are good to go until Dutch Harbor Alaska, which fingers crossed and Mr Weather allows, will be in about 3 months…..whole boat is cleaned inside and out, all annual maintenance chores are completed, and fuel tanks full!!!
The only glitch is Mr Weather….but, we knew we were going to be 4-6 weeks too early for the NE trades to subside so we must be patient. It is going to be blowing stink north of Philippines, especially in the Luzon Strait (between Philippines and Taiwan, where we cross the Kushiro current, 2nd largest current to the Gulf Stream)) from March 6-13-14…..ugh…..right when we wanted to go…..so instead we will day hop our way to the northern tip of Philippines and wait for a decent window. It’s about 275nm to N. Philippines, and then another 675nm to Okinawa….about 3.5 days.
We leave ~0700 tomorrow, Sunday, March 4, and each day will be ~60-70nm. We might take a few days to go to the 100 Island NP…it is supposed to be pretty nice. The one thing we will miss during the day is Air-Con…..ODG is it HOT, HOT, HOT…..back to upper 90’sF…that’s 36-38*C…..humidity in the 70-80’s….>100 heat index…..even the Locals are whining….yikes!!!! We think/hope by the time we get to N. Philippines it will be back to the mid-hi 80’s and maybe mid-70’s at night. Okinawa is now high in the low 70’s and low mid 50’s….oh, does that sound wonderful right now!!!!
Hope all is well!!
John
Mystic Moon
Subic Bay Philippines
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