Puerto Galera

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Puerto Galera (Mindoro)

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	13°30′N, 120°57.25′E
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The bay in front of Sabang

Puerto Galera is the northwesternmost municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. It is a popular resort area frequented by holiday tourists from Manila. The port is well protected from all weather and is a popular typhoon refuge for yachts and ships. Many ex-pats live here on land and on yachts. The yacht club is popular and busy with activities.

Charts

UKHO BA

4490, Verde Island Passage Approaches

3559 Anchorages in Luzon Mindoro and Marinduque Harbor

Communication

Unknown.

Also see World Cruiser's Nets.

Islands

Yacht Repairs and Services

Navigation

The North Channel into Puerto Galera has uncharted overhead power lines across it. The clearance is unknown but reported to be less than 12 meters (40 feet). Use the Northwest Channel (Manila Channel). The range marker for the Northwest Channel is a small white tower in a small clearing on the bluff. Note that the range line is not entirely in deep water. Note the shoal reef extending west across the entrance to the PGYC mooring and Muelle area. Electronic and paper charts of the area are reported to be accurate in depiction however the coordinates may be displaced by up to 0.15nm.

Entrance

There is a Immigration office in Puerto Galera. The office is on the second floor of the Public Market building, in the rear, behind some used clothing vendors. Office hours are Monday and Tuesday 0830 to 1600, Wednesday 0830 to 1230, Thursday and Friday the staff is at the Calapan office. Philippine arrival visa and processing has been easily obtained here. The seemingly unofficial fee was 2000PHP. Availability of extentions here is unknown.

The Puerto Galera Yacht Club may help with port clearance, which is apparently simple.

Berthing None

Marinas & Yacht Clubs

• Puerto Galera Yacht Club is a proper and very active club. Regular regattas, full bar, restaurant, moorings, shore boat service, youth sailing, lessons, etc. The club is accessed by either taking the free shore boat from the W end of the Muelle, or your own dinghy. Access by land is discouraged. The yacht club is located in the most SW arm of the harbor directly W of the Muelle. Dinghies should use the channel marked with white stakes when approaching the PGYC dinghy dock as the area is shoal with rocks.

Anchorages

• The yacht club rents moorings, see above, near the muelle. Free shore boat service is included. The mooring area is safe and clean however it is very noisy days and evenings with continuous unmufflered bangka traffic.
• Varadero Bay: anchorage can be had in the very NE corner between the fisherman's beach and the resort. Direct access to downtown is inconvenient.
• Along the beach area on the W side of Puerto Galera harbor. A refuge from the bangka noise. The N end of the beach is more popular. Note the shoal area in the middle section of the beach. Access to town via the beach is difficult due to the very poor road. Dinghies may be left in many places along the Muelle if one can politely cooperate with the ferry operators.
• The inner harbor near the moorings and Muelle is not suitable for anchoring due to the great amount of ferry traffic.

Marine Stores

None

Repairs/Yards

• Refrigeration service: Arman Reyes, ENR Enterprises, Calapan, 0928 466 7564 has given excellent service. Speaks english. Comes to the boat. Low rates.
  
• Day labor of good quality is reportedly available for many tasks.

Fuel, Water, & Electricity

Fuel

Diesel and Gasoline are easily obtained by jug and tricycle from a service station nearby

Water

PGYC has a water tap at the dinghy dock. Non-members should ask before using

At the east end of the Muelle is a bulk purified water vendor

Electricity

220V 60Hz, Intermittent

Things to do Ashore

Tourism

Good tourism informations at Wikitravel.

Grocery & Supply Stores

• Excellent public market for meats, produce, eggs
• Many bakeries. Some ex-pat delicatessens
• Groceries are of the smaller Philippine type. There is no modern supermarket in Puerto Galera
• There is a large modern supermarket at the mall in Batangas

Eateries

• There are many restaurants. Most are tourist oriented. Some of the best are on the Muelle. A cruiser favorite is to get a table at the Rock & Roll Bar on the Muelle. They have menus from nearby restaurants which then deliver
• Several ex-pats operate restaurants downtown with menus from their old countries

Internet/WiFi

• Cellular 3G service is available
• Free wireless available at many bars, restaurants and PGYC.

Laundry

• An employee at PGYC offers an unaffiliated laundry service. Ask at PGYC.
• A commercial laundry service is across the highway that runs behind the Muelle. In the middle of the block. Good service but slow.

Motorbike & Car Rentals

• Motorbikes can be rented.
• Vans are available for hire.

Garbage Disposal

• For PGYC members and guests the Service Boat will take garbage.
• There are trash and recycling receptacles on the Muelle.

Transportation

• Manila is easily reached by ferry to Batangas (1h15m, approx. 300PHP) and then intercity bus to Manila (2-3h, approx. 150PHP). Ferries run hourly or better during daylight. Busses leave from the Betangas ferry terminal to various Manila-area destinations
• Inland travel by bus is typically via Calapan about an hour away by bus or jeepney

Routes/Passages To/From

Cruiser's Friends

Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.

Forum Discussions

List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)

External Links

• Puerto Galera (Wikipedia)
• Puerto Galera (Wikitravel)

References & Publications

Books, Guides, etc. Use the Reference template or not at your discretion. For example:

{{Reference|Rod Heikel|Greek Waters Pilot|Imray Laurie and Wilson, Cambridgeshire|9780852889718}}, expands to

Rod Heikell, Greek Waters Pilot Imray, Laurie and Wilson, Cambridgeshire, ISBN 9780852889718

• Author, Title, Publisher, ISBN ISBN number
• Author, Title, Publisher, ISBN ISBN number

You may want to remove the above entries and use instead a link to the Country or Region that lists the relevant references. If so enter, after removing {{MagentaText|xx}}, the following:

See [[Country or Region#References_&_Publications|Coutry or Region]].

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Contributors to this page
Names: Lighthouse, Daddle