Early start at 6.30am because we were going to round Tinaca Point, the most southern tip of Mindanao. That place is well-known for rough sea.

The sea was as calm as mirror at the start with long gentle rolling waves. It was cloudy and drizzing. We could see Sarangani Island & Balut Island just as we approached Tinaca Point. Suddenly, a storm hit us without any warning. Arnel’s kayak took in water again and he wanted to land on the windward side. But I quickly paddled towards him and shouted at the top of my voice asking him to go around to the leeward side. He could barely hear me in the deafening wind. I got to him and he quickly bailed water so we could get going. It was an epic situation. The support boat was anchored nearby but we could barely see it due to poor visibility.

There was a little cove on the leeward side and we took shelter. But there were huge corals and it was low tide. My hull scratched the bottom a few times. I used my hands to maneuver the kayak and cut my finger. The coral was sharp as scissors.

Buzzy radioed the support boat to inform them we were ok. The lighthouse was less than 200m to the east from where we landed. After clearing water from the kayaks, we launched precariously into the shallow water, trying our best to avoid the corals.

After going around the lighthouse, the water was calm again. It was an extremely contrasting weather. We kept paddling and when we looked back at our support boat in the distance, we saw another banca approaching it. Buzzy and me had the same thought – Is our support boat in trouble again?

By 3pm, there was no sign of the support boat. We arrived at the entrance of a cove and there was a village nestled there. It was getting late. We decided to land.

The barangay (village) is called Nuing. The beach is volcanic black sand. Pigs roam freely everywhere and digging sand on the beach for food. This is a Catholic village. The villagers welcomed us warmly. We had a simple lunch. Again, I had no clothes to change. They gave me towel, soap and clothes.

There was limited cell phone signal. Buzzy and Arnel had to walk 500m to the entrance of the cove to get a connection. They managed to contact Alan in Cebu and our suspicion came true. When our support boat was caught in the storm at Tinaca Point, the anchor line started to twist around the boat and the boatman had to cut the anchor loose. They drifted and hit the coral. It punched a gaping hole at the bow and began going down quickly. Panic set in and they had to find ways to stop water gushing in. Randy used a piece of wood to cover the hole and used his foot to keep it in place while the others bailed water frantically. They caught attention of a nearby banca which went to their rescue. They were towed to the village nearby and they spent the night on the boat in the soaking rain. Their ordeal was more serious than ours.

Luckily, Alan was able to see my SPOTME signal on our website to identify our location. That system is surely being put to good use.

While Buzzy and Arnel were making phone calls, two villagers tried paddling Arnel’s kayak. They capsized but managed to move around. They had a fun time entertaining the crowd.

We resigned to the fact that we had to spend the night in this village. We bathed at an open-air water point. There was a young teenager girl doing her laundry while we were bathing. Suddenly, she stood up and ran away. Before we could figure out what was going on, a heavily armed man showed up. His body language was hostile. A crowd gathered from nowhere. I sensed trouble. He spoke in English and asked where we came from and the purpose of our visit. Buzzy and Arnel communicated to the man. He asked for my document. I had none. My passport was on the support boat. He asked us to follow him to meet the Vice Mayor. We were escorted on a long walk across muddy lanes and waded thru a shallow river.

We met the Vice Mayor, Mario Guillermo and his wife, Thelma. They also asked for my ID. We told them our predicament. But after some probing, they finally determined we are harmless. They realized we were stranded visitors needing some help. They immediately invited us for dinner with them. We had to walk back to the other side of the river, said goodbye to the nice folks and paddled back to this side. Dinner was delicious deep fried fish and rice. I conclude people here take very little vegetable. They don’t cultivate the land. Their main or perhaps the only produce is coconut.

Nuing has no newspaper, internet and TV. Only radio. I felt like stepping back in time machine. It has a population of 6,000 with 600 families. It’s common for a family to have more than 10 children. Thelma told us locals have a lot of time to make babies.

Mario and Thelma have been to Singapore for holiday. Their daughter is a doctor in Davao. We would visit her when we get there.

We slept in a Barangay Hall on top of a hill with a sea view overlooking the village. That night, we had a bodyguard with a rifle. It was windy and cold. I took down the window curtain to use as blanket.

This is only Day Two and we already have so many unexpected events. I dare not think what’s installed for us ahead. But we will take it a day at a time.