S/V Delos: I Love Puerto Galera!- By Karin

It’s Wednesday night and we’re laying outside watching a doco. about insects. I’m half sleeping when Brian suddenly looks over at me with a big grin on his face, eyes filled with thrill and excitement. –“it’s my Birthday this weekend, lets sail to Manila!!”
One of the things I just love about Brian - his spontaneousness!!

We worked our butts of the following day to get Delos “sail ready”. Our repaired Jib had to be hoisted and the mini ecosystem that’s been growing on Delos’s hull over the past 6 weeks had to be removed. With everything completed as the sun was setting we set sail for the big city!

I sat in the cockpit that night on my watch, feeling a bit eerie, thinking about what a fantastic time we had during the last 6 weeks. My absolute favourite must be the circumstances that brought us here in the first place. We received this email from Aidan, our number one internet friend, 10 months ago while we were still in Australia.

“Hey guys,
I'm a big fan, been following you guys on and off over the last few months as I pine on my own dream to take off in a Super Maramu around the world (which of course is how I found your site to begin with). I gathered you're ready to make the jump to Asia this season and thought I'd give you a heads up if you're heading this way (Philippines). If it works into your schedule make sure you stop by Puerto Galera for the Malasimbo music and arts festival. It's pretty unreal, on the top of a mountain in a natural amphitheatre.Cheers, -Aidan”

We decided that this was not to be missed! So after 10 months of island hopping we were ready to “settle down” for a few weeks. Puerto Galera seemed to have the perfect mix of an awesome anchorage and fun social scene. We quickly got to know this buzzing little bay with its awesome shops, ex-pat hangout bars, diving, strip clubs and private beaches. We even found a few shops that sold imported deli meats and cheeses. We’ll never take a good salami for granted again….. This of course was right next to the fresh veggie market. We were in heaven!

We partied, relaxed, sailed, dove, explored, partied some more, and even found time to sort out a few boat projects. Thanks so much Puerto Galera! Now we know why some sailors arrive but never leave!

Malasimbo, what an amazing experience!! Just thinking about it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. We were straight away part of the family as Aidan and Rhiannon had 17 friends staying with them over the festival weekend.