Features
As the storm approached its climax in a crescendo of highpitched shrieks, Jackie, Fergus the spaniel and I dug ourselves
deeper into the little hole beneath the spiral staircase in the Al
Faro resort, Busuanga Bay. The tower above us shuddered, glass
shattered, and pieces of concrete tumbled heavily down the stairs
above us. Anxiously, I looked out the little window straight down
to Brigadoon below, who we’d cruelly abandoned some hours
previously, and saw her holding on tenaciously to her mooring lines.
An hour later, when gusts hurled themselves with equal or even
greater force from the opposite (SW) direction, I looked out and
cried, “Where’s Resolute, Jack? She’s gone!” Jackie exclaimed,
“And the catamaran, too!” I added, “Oh God, look at Rory and
Shelly!” Once more I looked down beseechingly at Brigadoon. I
whispered, “Hold on girl, hold on!”
Dave Peers completing the arduous process of clearing
Brigadoon’s decks prior to the storm. Sails, biminies, covers
and gear all had to be removed and stowed piece by piece.
In early November we got ourselves into a spot of bother. Not
secretly or surreptitiously, but in a full blaze of publicity, because
Typhoon Haiyan—dubbed Yolanda in the Philippines—was wellforecast and attracted huge media attention, particularly when it
was predicted to become the strongest storm on record. And we
were sitting directly in its projected path, like possums caught in
the headlights of a 3.8 lt Pajero. We caused our family and friends,
both in Enzed and Honkers, a great deal of anxiety. We were a
little nervous ourselves too, if truth be told.
Main picture: the Al Faro resort before Typhoon Haiyan hit.
Inset right: Jimmy, owner of the resort clears up after the typhoon.
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a visit too, aboard Shelly D, a tall steel launch belonging to exDBers Rory and Shelly Larkan, their friends and neighbours from
Busuanga Island.
How did we get ourselves into this predicament
—the one that above all others we wanted to
avoid?
It was a touch unfortunate really,
considering the caution we’d shown previously.
We had left Hebe Haven at the end of February
and were always conscious of the need to get
ourselves a decent way south before the onset of
the typhoon season. We were down in Palawan
by June, and reached Borneo―‘the land beneath
the wind’―by early July, where we spent three
enjoyable months with similarly tight-fisted
cruisers―Kudat Marina has many attractive
features, not least the fact that it is free. Crib and Heather May
from HHYC were there, and Mark and Sara Houghton paid us
Anyway, the latter half of October seemed a good time to be
heading north again, before the NE monsoon, or ‘Amihan’, set in
again. True, late-season typhoons are a possibility, but the danger
was mitigated—we fondly thought—by the accuracy of modern
forecasting. Philip Boothroyd joined us for the first leg from Kudat
to Puerto Princesa, which proved an idyll of palm-fringed islands
in a mirror-calm sea. Apart from a roly day out of Puerto Princesa,
we enjoyed the same pleasant conditions on the next leg up to the
Calamian Islands, and were welcomed by two delightfully friendly
little communities on the way. But as soon as we got back to
the Internet, at Port Culion on Culion Island, we checked out
PassageWeather, as always. Days one and two—fine. Days three
and four—some cyclonic activity, but not strong until further west of
the Philippines. Days five and six—fine. Day seven—OH MY GOD!
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