A lot of you already know this : I was born from a Jewish father and a Catholic mom , which makes me a atheist kid ;) , and what some of you also already know is that my Catholic mom is probably the most "jewish mother" of all Jesus loving persons out there . Why the hell am i telling you that after being silent for almost 2 months ? Have i gone crazy , or have i seen god you may ask yourself . No , the reason is simple : because of this heritage , i've been trying to find a way to write about what's been happening here for the past weeks without creating a chain reaction which would involve my Dad contacting the local mossad people , have me kidnapped , drugged and flown back to France to make sure his little jewel of a kid was fine . Or even worst , having my Mom read the account of the previous month events and , since she knows she'd do better than a mossad agent , fly herself down here and escort me back to France to make sure i'll be once again eating properly and sleeping in 100% pure cotton clean sheets .

How not to frighten such sensible parental units when the past weeks have been spent (this list is non exhaustive and in no chronological order) :
- drinking a lot of Rum , Beer and vodka
- Drinking a lot of Rum , Beer and Vodka in Girlie Bars around town
- Going for a "quiet game of darts" with my Friend and Surveyor Ray Wolfe , ordering quite a few tequila shots for his "birthday" and ending the night at the Local police station (he was the one driving when we crashed into the back of that police car)
- Getting totally drunk on Rum and Vodka at 2 o'clock in the Afternoon on the Marina's dock for one of the filipino Boat boy 's birthday
- Getting totally drunk on Rum and Vodka (again) at 2 o'clock in the Afternoon on the Marina's dock for one of the filipino captain 's Farewell party
- Stealing a friend's "girlfriend" , which is probably too brown and not blonde enough for my Mom , while he was away racing a boat down in Borneo
- and finally Making that "girlfriend" an almost permanently crew onboard my boat

You can understand reading this that it could frighten even the most depraved parent out there ... You people could believe that i lost it , became an alcoholic and spend my time bar hopping in search of a nice brown skinned lady for the night . But you see , it's all part of the game : there's times when you enjoy the good life anchored in front of a postcard perfect sandy beach , and other times going mad in smelly places waiting for parts to arrive and repairs to be done .
I've been forced to experience this unfortunate side of the cruising life lately , and even if I'm sometimes bored to death , on the verge of loosing my mind or having criminal thoughts because some guy's three weeks late in delivering a stupid part , I'm still happy to be here and living my dream . Understand this , I'm on a mission . i won't leave until the improvements to my ship are done ! So I'm trying to make the best out of this situation . And regardless of the previous accounts of my filipino fiestas , i really work hard on trying to keep my liver in a good shape for the future :)
I'm putting the finishing touch to a really fine boat here , and it's all worth it .
Big Kisses to All
Ben Ben , Lost in Subic

"Smurf and Bryson , aka Santa Claus"

There's a south american feeling to this place . It doesn't feel like Asia at all . I constantly have to remind myself that I'm not in some mexican border town . The place is full of U.S Navy retirees , expats with a dodgy past and like Mexico , the local law enforcement gentlemen have a deeply american-influenced sense of fashion . I could also be lost in some Caribbean ex-Spanish colony . The Filipino's genes are deeply mixed by centuries of colonization . And the local alcoholic delicacy is called Tanduy : Not another one of those lethal Rice based fire-starter beverage but a really nice brand of locally distilled Rum !!! I recently stopped buying the really cheap one as i learned from an acquaintance that making a 75 pesos (about 2 dollars) full-size bottle of Rum is quite impossible unless it's ethanol based :) I'm now spending a little bit more for the really really nice one , and the morning headaches have magically disappeared . At night , driving through Barreto , the Tijuana-flavored part of town , really reminds me of times spent south of the border . David , aka Smurf , calls that place the Dark Side , and he's quite fond of it .
The Skipper was born in New Zealand and he's now enjoying life aboard Lady Emma , his beautiful 55ft sailing yacht . Smurf , an australian passport holder , replied to his ad on the internet asking for a crew and joined him aboard his ship . Both of the are making a great couple , and perfect partners in crime . I truly believe they'll never leave this place , life for them is just too good here .
The cruising life is a good life .

The List is like an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie : It'll be back !!! and once again i've started a new list :) It's already growing out of control , and trying to burn it won't be enough , i'll probably have to use nuclear power this time to get rid of it "permanently" this time . So apart from fixing the things that got damaged in the storm , i'm planning on doing a few important modifications to the boat . I've split "The List" in two categories : "cosmetic" and Design issues ... Don't get me wrong , it's already a good boat . Hell , it survived a typhoon so it can't be that bad but there's a few things that i'm going to fix now before i get in trouble again !!! Guess i'll be staying here in Subic Bay until all is finally done right !!!
So i'm slowly getting used to my new home . Subic used to be the biggest american navy base outside of the U.S.A . They've left and it's now a Tax-Free port with restaurants , shops , supermarkets and light industries . The Marina is "On Base" too , and if you want to get out to the city , you need to go through guarded gates . It's a big change once you're out . Tons of crowd , traffic , small shops and hundreds of "Bars" where you can find a "girlfriend" for a night or a wife for life . The Philippino people are really poor , most leave in shacks without running water or any other comfort us westerners are used to . So for the girls , finding a husband to get out of this is quite understandable and i don't blame them for trying their best . But i still have a problem getting used to the view of those old , ugly , fat and sweaty retired guys drunkenly walking down the street dragging a tiny cute girl behind them ... Quite disturbing !
Anyway , the marina is a really nice place and there's a few restaurants on the beach quite close to it so i think i won't be leaving the base that often :) Too much to do on the boat !
C U SOON
Ben Ben

Subic Bay Yacht Club , Philippines ... Here i am , sitting down in the pilot house , thinking about those months spent in China . All the people i met , all the things i've been through ... and suddenly I'm in another country , It's like starting all over again . I'm going to have to understand how it works out here , make new friends ... It's a bit overwhelming . I feel quite lost ! On top of that , my friends "from China" left this morning , going back to their own adventures . I've been feeling very melancholic the whole day , i will miss those guys . I've been so lucky to meet such great people . I feel blessed that our paths crossed . I was looking to meet new faces and up to now this lifestyle has been great for that . So this is for the guys i've met during this part of the trip , priceless encounters with amazingly nice and helpful people . I have had Family members or long time friends in Paris who never did even one percent of what those guys did for me . But these people have all been so helpful and so supportive of my trip that I'm still wondering if all this was not a dream !!! I'll remember this for the rest of my life . It finally seems to me that true relationships are possible !!!
Thanks to you guys , i'll always remember you .



"Dave"

Dave is a retired Police officer from California . He's been working on many different jobs during his career : undercover agent , coast guard diver and more . After spending all his life witnessing all kind of crazy things , he finally decided he had enough and now lives on his boat with his wife Dorothy . I met him a month ago when he returned to Hong Kong after spending a year here in the Philippines . Great guy , great stories and now a great friend ! I had tears in my eyes when he finally left this morning , but i know i'll see him again one day , it cannot end like this .




"Andrew"

Andrew Chan was building his boat , Lady Dragon , at the same time as mine . He's from Singapore and is a lawyer in Hong Kong . I'm still not sure if this guy really exists . I got so much help and support from him that it's hard to believe he's real . He's got it all : Great Job , Good Looks , Great family and he managed to stay a really accessible person , always ready to help . And a great sense of humor on top of that . We'll surely meet again sometime , maybe i'll go with him to Malaysia next fall .



"Don and ICE"

Don and Margie McIntyre (sorry Margie , i couldn't take a picture of you , weather was really bad during the time our paths crossed) are professional "adventurers" . They've been leaving a dream life , always doing crazy stuff ranging from treasure hunting to racing rally cars to spending a year in Antarctica on their own in a 3m by 3m shack , Polar Bears and Penguins being their only neighbors . They've become an inspiration for me as it seems they've managed to never stop dreaming . And on top of that they're the nicest people out there , always ready to help . The cutest thing about those guys is that they call each other "Ted" , as in Teddy Bear . I hope i'll be able to live my life the way they live theirs . Thanks to both of you for all the stuff you gave me and for helping me survive the typhoon by planning the weather for me . I will always be here for you if you need me .

Love to all of you guys , i miss all of you so much right now ...
Big Kisses
Ben Ben

"The Lifesaver"

First crossing , first Typhoon !!! After three days of pure bliss , I started feeling a bit worried when i realized that this typhoon was not going to stay on the east coast of the Philippines . A quick look at the weather map confirmed that there wasn't enough time to reach land before everything got out of control . The only option was to start heading west to get away as much as possible from the center of the storm . Night fell and rain started pouring down . 50 knots of wind and no way to see were the waves were coming from . Scary ! The boat got knocked down a few times : it's a strange feeling to be standing on the wall of your boat !!!
I was glad i had met Glenn in Hong Kong and asked him to come with me on that trip , I probably wouldn't have made it without his support . We had to endure 30 hours of madness before finally managing to get to the coast . ICE , Don McIntyre 's boat (more on him later , he's a legend !!! ) who had left Hong Kong with us had managed to get in before the Storm . He was waiting for us at the pass and guided us through a maze of Philippino fish farms to a good anchorage spot . First time in my life i was happy to see flat water :) Surfing a 20 tons steel boat had not been the most pleasant experience . I finally shut down the engine and we went to bed exhausted . After a day of rest we got back on the water this morning , heading for Subic to repair a few things and make a some modifications to the boat .
I'm really peacefull now , fear has been replaced by a feeling of ecstasy . I don't know if i've ever felt like this ...
I guess that's what happens when you really start to enjoy being alive .

Ben , transmitting Alive from Kalakuta , 15° 28 North - 119° 45 East

"Around The World"

The List is Dead , Long Live The List !!! I finally left Hong Kong yesterday and i'm on my way to the Philippines right now ;)
I was on watch this morning and i enjoyed my first sunrise onboard ! 130 miles away from Hong Kong and 420 miles to go !!! What a great feeling , watching the world go by at 6 knots . It's so much more than what i was expecting , i don't know how to write about it ! I just can't get rid of that big smile on my face :)
James Brown blasting from the speakers in the Pilot House , Kalakuta gently rolling with the South china sea swell , I'm like a turtle , slowly moving my house to a new country .
Big Kisses to all who believed in what i was doing, and supported me and my crazy dreams . And a big FUCK YOU to all the others who tried to make me doubt :)
Free Your Mind , And Your Ass Will Follow !

Ben , Transmitting live from the South China Sea : 20° 32' 054 North , 116° 18' 067 East