At anchor at Palau Tigabu

Started out with a squally evening, strong winds, and had to keep a close eye on our position for a few hours, the weather then settled right down ,and we had very calm evening. Motored in the calm morning for a few hours and then sailed for an hour, then as the breeze picked up to a constant 12 knots it also positioned itself directly on our nose. Easier to just motor then tack through the reefs that are everywhere here.

We came into anchor and chose the western sided and once anchored had a man in a small boat wishing to trade fish for fuel. We agreed on 10 RM instead and he handed over a large bowlful of sand crabs, which were really tasty and a nice change. Two small children came along next and left with a pencil each and writing pad. It's been many years since we've encountered visitors like this. A second canoe came from the same small motor boat anchored near us with two men aboard with two young babies. They asked for food and we gave them a few cups of rice and some packet noodles. Their eyes showed appreciation of the gift. They probably live aboard permanently and drift around the islands between Malaysia and the Philippines.

A nasty squall started brew just before dark and we followed the other boats to re anchor north of the island. As most of the squalls lately it was short lived but start with a burst of 20-30 knots. We've had very clear skies and impressive displays of cloud formations and night skies.