Videoke, 'Sinampalukan' in the Pacific: Interesting tales from the BRP Alcaraz journey

MANILA, Philippines - The BRP Ramon Alcaraz, the newest acquisition of the Philippine Navy, is finally home. The country's newest warship had a nearly two-month journey as it crossed the Panama Canal and the Pacific Ocean while visiting iconic places such as Guam and Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

As the country formally welcomes the Alcaraz, Philstar.com listed some of the most interesting stories from the voyage of the highly-publicized warship. These tales are based on the accounts and blogs of Navy Lt. Jg. Errol Dela Cruz and Navy Lt. Marineth Domingo, two public affairs officers tasked to document the ship's journey.

1. Wrath of the Pacific Ocean

During its voyage, the Alcaraz was not spared from the wrath of the world's largest ocean. Dela Cruz said the ship was greeted by a huge swell and was in constant broadside swings, which made almost a third of the crew seasick and the entire cabin a big mess.

"Whatever message the Pacific Ocean wants to convey, it sure was clear enough for us that this great water isn’t joking, but dead serious about it," Dela Cruz wrote in the ship’s official blog posted on the Philippine Navy website.

"The swells of the Pacific Ocean are huge enough to make us roll from side to side which was made even worse by the suspected developing hurricane not far from our track."

2. Crossing the International Dateline: 24 hours gone missing

The Alcaraz crossed the International Dateline, the border of the Eastern and Western Hemisphere that demarcates one calendar day to the next. That means the crew skipped 24 hours after drastically jumping from past Friday midnight to Sunday morning when the ship did the crossing.

"From being 20 hours behind Manila time when we reach the last time zone border, we will jump on the next day (+12GMT) and be four hours ahead instead upon crossing the International Dateline. That ladies and gentlemen, is a literal 'back to the future,'" Dela Cruz said.

"I literally saw it with my own eyes that the Longitudes went on 180 degrees flat, shifting it from East to West. It was a fleeting moment for all of us at the bridge," said Dela Cruz upon crossing the Dateline.

3. Birthday for only 45 minutes

The Alcaraz crossed the International Dateline on July 20, which is coincidentally the birthday of a ship officer, Lt. Douglas Defeles. His usual birthday celebration was substituted by the activities on board the ship, according to Domingo.

"When we crossed (the International Dateline), we had 20 July 2013 for only 45 minutes then the dates changed to 21 July 2013 afterwards. It goes to say that we lost one day in essence. Actually, there is nothing so crucial for us on the change of dates, but what about the birthday celebrator of 20 July 2013?" Domingo asked.

"Though short-lived, he (Defeles) treasures this birthday as much as any birthdays that he once had. He describes it as a memorable one, having to spend it in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and in the middle of the International Date Line, it’s like breaking a record and a nice story to tell to people," she added.

4. Sailors told: Jump to the ocean!

Dela Cruz noted that crossing the International Dateline was an achievement for the crew, particularly to young mariners like himself. But in accomplishing such feat, the first-timers went through some initiation rites while blindfolded.

"They want me to jump overboard! While the ship is underway, with all her engines standard, indicating a speed of at least 14 knots? Are you kidding me!?" Dela Cruz wrote.

He continued: "Then, like all the others, I jumped. It was indeed a leap of faith! I was expecting for a huge splash into the Pacific Ocean but instead of the water, I landed into a rubber mat placed few feet from the diving platform. Luckily, it was just a test."

5. James Bond, Paquito Diaz, Rudy Fernandez on board

Dela Cruz said they needed recreational activities on board to balance life at sea and to keep themselves sane in the long voyage. One of the favorite past-times on Alcaraz is watching films, particularly James Bond flicks.

"James Bond takes over Monday night here at the wardroom. Even though the ship is rolling and pitching non-stop, which caused James Bond to sway from side to side, movie night Monday still happened," Dela Cruz said.

"The rolling and pitching of the ship made our movie night more exciting. The lazy boy couch rocks with every pitch and every roll, which gives us a unique viewing experience. Imagine Mall of Asia’s Director’s Club cinema meets Enchanted Kingdom’s 4D theater."

Classic Tagalog movies were also shown - from Paquito Diaz to Rudy Fernandez action flicks.

6. Videoke, Salu-salo in the Pacific

Speaking of recreation, the Alcaraz crew also did some of the things that Pinoys love: singing and eating. Dela Cruz said there was a "life-sized television" on board programmed with a thousand songs while Filipino food, including "Pinapaitan" and "laing," was shared during meal times.

"What is the Filipino’s past time during a typical gathering or salu-salo? Name it, we also have it on board BRP Ramon Alcaraz. Well, the usual is the Fiesta-like food serving. There’s a lot of it in here," wrote Dela Cruz.

"We may be in the middle of a great ocean, hundreds of miles away from the nearest land, but this is not a hindrance for all of us to have fun and relax sometimes. 'Sinampalukang kambing' for lunch, and then 'Karaoke'- seriously, it seems we really never left home."

7. Limited water: Walang ligu-ligo

The BRP Alcaraz may have been into the world's largest body of water, but ironically, it had limited water supplies during its voyage. Domingo said they had to practice their custom of water discipline to conserve supplies even if it means foregoing of baths.

"But as for water, it is only based on how much our compartment can take. With more than eight dozen people on board the BRP Ramon Alcaraz and almost two weeks of voyage, and of course a lot of other necessities and equipment operations that need water, we can say that all we have are a few drops of water to spare,” she wrote.

"So the question pose to all of us now is – what do you do when your basic commodities, such as water, is so limited? As the saying goes, 'you save for the rainy days.' ...if they (crew members) do have to sacrifice not taking bath, then they’ll do so in order to have some spare water for them to just brush their teeth and wash their face," Domingo added.

8. Doplhins welcome Alcaraz

The BRP Alcaraz has finally arrived in the Philippines, reaching first Aurora and then making a "sail past" tradition off the waters of Bolinao, Pangasinan where the ship received a surprising "welcome."

"The 'sail past' is almost completed when a huge amazement surprised us all! A group of dolphins suddenly emerged from the surface and swam towards our ship. It was indeed a good addition to our already amazing day. They too seemed to be celebrating with us in our arrival to the Philippines," said Dela Cruz.

He said everyone on board was amazed that most jumped out of excitement. They had expected to see the dolphins in the Pacific Ocean, but were disappointed as the dolphins showed up only once.

"We did not really expect that the friendly mammals would show up here on our very own waters! It is really more fun in the Philippines!" said Dela Cruz.

Route of the BRP Ramon Alcaraz to the Philippines. Image from the Official Gazette