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Post by fireball on Jul 22, 2011 7:54:24 GMT 8
My first attempt produced some great pics of the outside but unfortunately despite pretty calm conditions (chop but no swell) the boat refused to land me - the problem was that the boat was from Ternate and so the driver/owner was unfamiliar with access. The trip was not wasted as I managed a very good tour of Fort Frank - but again the boat driver had no idea where to land and it was only because of the pics of the 'wall' on this site that I knew where to go.
However I finally got there on a boat from Bataan which was more familiar with the needs of the foreigner. Landing was a problem due to quite a large swell and involved a jump and scramble (along with damage to the banca as it was swept sideways). Getting off was equally precarious and involved leaping onto the outrigger.
The actual Fort is as seen in the pics with the real experience knowing you are in one of the most unique structures in the world. It is really really dangerous inside due to the many holes/drops/bits of metal.
Conclusion: try and go at a better time of year - my trip was an opportunist one on the way to visit the Navy Tunnels at Mariveles but if you are planning a trip avoid this time of year as its a long and expensive trip if landing is impossible.
As an aside, while Fort Drum is a 'must to visit' I found Fort Frank to be a far more interesting.
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Post by fots2 on Jul 22, 2011 13:15:21 GMT 8
fireball,
I fully agree with your comments. Fort Drum is certainly worth the trip but Fort Frank is the only one I would like to visit a couple more times. It has its share of deep dark holes too so be careful both places.
Good info, thanks.
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Post by fireball on Jul 22, 2011 23:06:55 GMT 8
Intriguing but worrying (and suggestive of ongoing scrapping). It looks like that a large chunk of the ceiling of the magazine is depending on a piece of wood perched on a pile of debris. Attachments:
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Post by fireball on Jul 22, 2011 23:25:02 GMT 8
also in the magazine was this spar which I thought was wood (by sight but did not touch/tap). At the time I wondered if it might have been part of the old top structure brought down for possible use. But, now wondering if (a) it was a wood beam used in the magazine (b) not wood (c) wood brought in at a later date. So this, along with a number of other intrigues, means I think that another visit is essential Attachments:
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jul 23, 2011 21:00:26 GMT 8
Notchtherhino, nice sharp photos, thanks. Looks like you had a brave young companion along. Sorry about your boat prices. I think the highest we have paid for a 10 passenger size boat was 3500 peso. But lately the subject ‘boats’ has become confusing as you may have read in this forum.
Fireball, I guess you made it onto Ft. Drum after all. Will look for your supporting post under the falling deck next time. What was your experience getting a boat from Bataan?
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Post by fireball on Jul 23, 2011 21:57:59 GMT 8
Hi Karl,
I had just stopped at Villa Carmen to check on boat situation for possible future occasions, but when offered a trip to Fraile Island with the guarantee conditions were fine and I would be able to land I decided on the spur of the moment to take it. They wanted 6000 and I settled at 5000 - a lot but the reality was that if I had to return another time it was going to cost me more (in total). From there everything was fast and within about 10 minutes I was on my way.
When we arrived and the swell was making a landing difficult the fact that I was paying a fair bit for the trip made it very easy for me to insist that I had not come all the way out there just to look from the outside. While as it happened their protests that the boat would get damaged turned out to be true (both on embarkation and disembarkation) the boat hire was on the basis of landing me on the Fort and so that was their risk. On return to Bataan I gave an extra PHP300 tip (in recognition of the difficulty landing / damage) and everyone was happy.
I do plan to return fairly soon and will probably take the same route due to the speed of the boat hire process and their understanding of tourist needs. While a boat from Ternate would be in the vicinity of 2000 there is a risk that no boat will be available / they are not willing to land you.
Fireball
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jul 25, 2011 5:39:16 GMT 8
Your experience shows again that visiting Ft. Drum with an outrigger boat is risky less it is really 100% calm. Visiting Ft. Frank is equally risky. Thanks for sharing your boat experience.
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Post by fots2 on May 17, 2012 17:50:18 GMT 8
Update: Please go to post #1 of this thread to see photos of Fort Drum. I recently made some changes plus added some new photos as well.
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