Philippines - Within Reach
Day: 18 — Position: N11 22.1’ E133 36.5’
Odometer since Guam: about 761M
Distance to Legazpi in the Philippines: 530M
Sea surface temperature: 84.0F - 28.9C
OCEAN ROWING RECORDS AS RUNNING TOTALS
Solo career total in days: 1,071 (New World Record)
Overall career total in days: 1,155 (New World Record)
Solo career total in miles: about 26,206M (New World Record)
**Note: Circumference of the Earth along the equator is 21,600M long
———oOo———
I covered 61M over the last 24 hours and on course for Legazpi on the east coast of Luzon Island of The Philippines. I should be able to get there without too many unforeseen challenges
The boat is on track now that the northerly swells attenuated. My spot forecast app powered by OCENS suggests that the swell will be from NNE the rest of the day and NE tomorrow. The wind will also veer some over the next few days. I should have no trouble establishing myself at around 12N-12.5N for the final approach toward Legazpi. I was worried that I would get little sleep during this final approach but it seems that I am getting my break.
In 10 days time, my wind forecast app PredictWind shows 10 knot winds around Legazpi. I am very keen on going through the San Bernardino Strait, then up the west coast of Luzon Island toward Manila or Subic Bay. The conditions will dictate whether I will. There is a marina on the waterfront in Manila surrounded by the Chinese Embassy, Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine International Convention Center.
I can anchor in the bay before making my final approach into that marina, timed for maximum exposure and celebratory activities with special guests. The Philippine people love and celebrate accomplished athletes. That arrival could be a hoot with media and interested parties present.
Somehow if I could also interest the Chinese Ambassador and their Embassy staff to come see my rowboat at some point, maybe I can gain their empathy to facilitate a visa to China. It would be magnanimous of the Chinese Ambassador to Manila to secure me a visa and just as magnificent to relaunch later in April from Manila for the SE coast of China. This would give my mainland to mainland Pacific crossing the continuity that I so much desire and also give China the opportunity to welcome a historic achievement to their shores. I would also hope that the public relations value of my journey reaching Chinese mainland would be immeasurable. We will have a wonderful story to tell the world.
Else I must store my rowboat in Manila then relaunch after the monsoon season, probably in November toward Vietnam or Malay Peninsula, details TBD. This latter option would avoid China altogether.
I am really looking forward to seeing again my friends at the Frabelle Fishing Company in Manila. They offered me the critical help during my 2007-2012 circumnavigation when we had to lift my rowboat off the water in May 2008 north of Papua New Guinea. After I launched from Bodega Bay in July 2007, La Nina conditions denied me passage into the Southern Hemisphere to reach Australia; instead I was pushed west. I came within 10M of Ninigo Group just north of Wewak in PNG — I could see the tree lined atolls. However another low passing to my north brought SW winds pulling me back north across the Equator. I did not have charts for those waters as I was not at all planning to be there so I kept my distance from the atolls. I had missed Australia by over 1500M; I was in the wrong hemisphere in the wrong season.
After Frabelle vessels picked up my rowboat, the company stored it in General Santos City in southern Mindanao then returned me to the same spot after the typhoon season on 15 Jan 2009. I would step off my rowboat on the tiny wharf at Finsch Harbor in PNG 21 days later to resume my circumnavigation by human power which brought 15 Guinness World Records. Grateful forever.
Erden