I was so ecstatic that weekend. I was so excited to look for a place in Ternate, Cavite to launch the speedboat from. This will reduce the fuel cost significantly if we can find a beach resort where we can use as our base and venture out to Puerto Azul, Caylabne Bay area, Patungan Cove, Lambones Island and the shipwreck of MV Catalyn B, which is an ideal spot for jigging and catching different species of fishes which made the ship wreck area their home. I learned this shipwreck tip from Edmund Esguerra, a fellow angler from CALABARZON ANGLERS CLUB Facebook Group. Edmund is a 20 year angling veteran. His last fishing trip, as of this writing, was near Patungan Bay and Taytayin area from Dorado Cove all the way to Subli Cove. When he went fishing Saturday, it was so windy and the waves were big which forced them to just find fishing spots along the coves of Taytayin area. He was able to catch two decent size Giant Trevally (GT).
With my house helper /speedboat caretaker Julius, we left Fort Bonifacio around 6AM... We were in NAIC around 7:30AM. We stopped by Petron NAIC to buy hotdog pandesal and Tuna pandesal and then went to NAIC WET MARKET which had a new access road from the main road just a few meters away from Petron. I got this tip from the pump boy.. "pagkalampas ng waiting shed na may furniture shop, turn right". It was perfect for me with a trailer in tow. Road wasn't wide enough to make a u-turn but it was easy for us to detach the trailer from my Pajero and swing it around.
Ok, the next stop was Ternate Beach Resort. Upon reaching the resort, I felt bad to see that the access to the beach is now being blocked by parked motorcycles and a barrier made out of kawayan full of flower pots. I was able to talk to Ate Nena, owner of the resort, but she seems not to see the bigger picture that if we do make the beach accessible again, many boat owners or jetski owners will start going there. Though she did say to come back on a weekday.. I'll give it another try one of these days and bring someone with me to redesign the flower pot holders to make it easy for removal whenever access to the beach is needed. What's interesting to note, I saw a pump boat being rented by two resort guests, who took a selfie before their boat went zipping southwards towards other coves in the area. So if you're thinking of a not so expensive place to make as your base camp, try Ternate Beach Resort where you can put up tents on the beach, rent cottages and air-conditioned rooms, do some grilling and have a picnic.
Next option was suppose to be Puerto Azul. Years back when we did an aerial shoot of the whole 18 holes for a client, I saw a boat ramp, a bit steep, but I knew back then it will do just fine. When we entered the main gate of Puerto Azul, I mentioned to the guard that I was headed to Caysubic Beach and that I am there to look for a way to launch the boat. Puerto Azul is popular among anglers and they usually pay Php200 per person at the main entrance to be allowed to go in. I was able to talk to Lou of Caysubic Beach the previous day and she told me to check out the place first if I will be able to launch the boat. Then I just pay an entrance fee at their resort when successful. Unfortunately, reaching the pier, we did not find any ramp. Or maybe I missed it? Since we could not proceed any further through the path due to a low lying very thick tree branch. Standing there amidst the now seemingly Jurassic Park like ruins, I decided to turn back and abort. And since the road was not wide enough for me to make a u-turn with trailer, we detached the trailer boat again and made a 180 turn and then re-attached it to my SUV.
After exiting Puerto Azul I decided to try and check with the Marine base near Caylabne... but that too was not doable... the Master Sergeant at the gate said there are no pathways wide enough to pass through and bring my speedboat to the beach. And as for Caylabne Bay? I know for sure they have no boat ramps and they are a "members only" beach resort so I did not bother anymore. Kailangan may kakilalang member.
Patungan Cove could be anothet option. But it is considered private property owned by the Viratas. There are informal settlers located along the beach where you can rent cottages and pump boats. So back to Ternate Beach area we went to check out the other beach resorts out there for any beach access and unfortunately, we found nothing, nada, wala talaga.
So now, after all these efforts to look for a place to launch my speedboat in Ternate, to be able to reach Puerto Azul and Caylabne Bay easily, and with no luck in finding one, I decided to completely abort the trip and head back home. If I continue to Nasugbu Tali Beach, it will defeat the objective of the entire trip and 11AM is too late in the day already. It's about 20Km from Tali Beach to Puerto Azul via speedboat and approximately 25 Km to Caylabne Bay. Wherein from Ternate Beach Club, it will just be around 11 to 14Km one way. Para wala nang hassle, travelling all the way from Tali Beach to Caylabne Bay will just do for now, -- Until I figure out a way to convince Ate Nena of Ternate Beach Resort to allow me to redo the kawayan barrier full of flower pots blocking access to the beach. My speedboat's range with a full tank of 80 liters is about 160 Km maximum. Even at 1 liter to 1 Km ratio I can still make it safely back to Tali Beach with still a few liters to spare.
We were back in Fort Bonifacio around 1PM.
Stay tuned for more stories about my quest for that very elusive first fish catch of 2019. My next blog will be a review of the Lucky Fish Finder FF718LiC and a few underwater shots of fishing spots using my ROV.