Rough to very rough
As if the announcement was not ominous enough, the voice on the PA had to repeat it over and over: "To all passengers of Supercat 1:45 p.m. bound for Cebu. Please be informed that sea conditions at this time will be rough to very rough. Anybody who may wish not to proceed with the trip may rebook their tickets at the counter. Please approach any personnel for assistance."
The tone was courteous, friendly even. But the words "rough to very rough" was a cold finger jabbed straight up your gut. Nothing can reassure you that "rough to very rough" will be anything else but "rough to very rough." Not even if the Pope himself said otherwise. Jesus, why did they have to say it? If it was going to be one hell of a ride, then so be it. But killing you with dread drives people nuts.
As my wife and youngest daughter sat there silently at the Ormoc terminal awaiting the appointed time of our "rough to very rough" trip back to Cebu after a Christmas break in Carigara, Leyte, I tried to catch brief glimpses of other passengers rendered sullen by the announcement. Most tried to bury their attention in whatever the heck they were doing with their cellphones, but I can almost swear their ears were ash white where the soft bones pressed against the skin.
They were scared just as I had become. Some would stand up from time to time and look out toward the sea, which was deceptively calm, since the bay where the Ormoc port was located shielded it from the wind that induced the waves. It did not help that it had just stopped raining and the sky was gloomy and overcast. If only it had not been necessary to make the trip back to Cebu on the date on our round-trip ticket.
But with a weather disturbance knocking on the doors of PAR and threatening to disrupt the new year, and with classes for the Grade 12 daughter to start right away on January 3, postponing the trip because of "rough to very rough" seas was not an option. We cannot afford to be stranded in Leyte if the weather disturbance struck as forecast.
And so it was a go for us. And quite incredibly, for everybody in the terminal, their ashen white ears notwithstanding. Everybody it seems was prepared to bite the bullet. "Rough to very rough seas" here we come. That seemed to be the mood as the boarding call came. There was no dragging of feet. In fact everyone seemed in a hurry to get things over with. We departed only slightly behind the ETD.
The usual fastcraft Cebu-Ormoc-Cebu route took it up over the Camotes islands. But the crossing between Cebu and Camotes is where the mettle of seafarers is tested. Going down under the Camotes islands makes the route shorter. I don't know why this is not made the usual route. But in my frequent travels between Cebu and Leyte, this is the route often resorted to when the going gets really tough.
So when the captain decided to take us down under Camotes, I knew then and there that when it was announced that the sea condition would be "rough to very rough," I knew it would be as announced. I just wished they hadn't announced it. I will not describe anymore what actually happened during the trip because no words can describe it. If you want to experience what I did, take a trip that is announced as "rough to very rough." And do not back out.
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