ABW Dec 2020-1

Bong, Jason, Lito with Job, followed by Eli headed to the
island first, followed by Ari, then Joy with Junard, then the
core group of Thom, Paul and myself bringing up the rear.
It was an easy broad reach to a run to the start of “fish pen
alley” on the Laurel and Agoncillo side of the lake. Wind was
forecasted to be 5 to 18 knots on that day, upon departure
it was blowing between 7 to 10 knots, perfect cruising
weather for a Goose. It only took the fleet an hour to cover
the eight kilometers to get to fish pen alley on the western
side of the lake.
Eli on hiis kayak
catching up to
Lito and Job
The sea state around the fish cages is usually flat, shielded
from the weather by volcano island and the mainland,
that is the main reason why there are so many fish cages
there. It’s usually an obstacle course going through there
but a relatively easy one because it’s mostly a downwind to
reaching course during Amihan. The first group chose to go
through the channel through the middle but closer to the
volcano, while Bong went on a sightseeing trip, and took a
route closer to volcano island. The second half of the fleet
chose a course a little closer to the mainland, where there
was a little more wind.
Geese navigating the fish cages
while egrets watch
Cruising through the cages the fleet couldn’t help but
notice the devastation brought about by the volcano’s
recent eruption. Vegetation was starting to grow on some
parts but most of the western side of volcano island had
a thick layer of volcanic ash, most of the island was an
eerie gray. The fish cages however were a hive of activity,
some men were feeding the fish or just hanging out in the
small huts and some were even taking videos of us on their
smartphones as we passed through. There was also constant
boat traffic from boats of different sizes, I even thought I’d
collide with one as he was approaching me, then my boat
stopped, he was only going to come to tell me that there
was a rope underwater where I was going to pass. I raised
the daggerboard to clear the obstruction, thanked the man
and was off again.
Half way through the cages Peter caught up to the fleet
and took photos of the Geese, the birds, the island, and life
among the fish cages. Everyone enjoyed the cruise through
fish pen alley’s flat water, videos taken of the scene made
it seem that the sailboats were moving effortlessly through
the water as if with electric motors. The fleet exited the
channel at more or less the same time at around 11:00, Eli
on his kayak hugged the island shore where the water was
paddler friendly, stopping for a break on the island for rest
and nourishment. From here on for the sailors it was the
long upwind slog to Bubuin island on the eastern side of
Pulo volcano island.
The return trip on the other side was upwind in light to
moderate conditions, some boats cruised closer to shore,
some stayed in the middle, while Paulo chose a path with
the least number of tacks and headed for Cuenca on the
southern side of the lake. I chose a relatively efficient
Job and Lito wearing masks to be
consistent with health protocols
Mr. Storer coaching from the
the Safety Boat
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