By Chito A. Funtes
WELCOME aboard Butal Ship Hauz, the boat sticking out of dry land in Talibon town.
Located in Sitio Capawan, Poblacion, this ship house is fast becoming a must-see ride in the birthplace of President Carlos P. Garcia. In the age of digital creators, a visit to Butal Ship Hauz not only provides visuals for content in social media platforms. It gives the rare opportunity to board a virtual ship and simulate a voyage without leaving dry land.
“We wanted to replicate an actual seafaring vessel as much as we can,” said Capt. Marcelo Butal, the owner of the latest attraction in the northern Bohol town.
A native of barangay Zamora, Talibon, Butal spent 20 years as a seaman, slowly working his way to the top. It was a long journey before he became a ship captain. Like any seafarer who has experienced the sea in its wild fury, Butal longed for the day when he would no longer need to brave the sea just to make a living. But unlike many who yearned to get off the ship for good, he wants to be on board even when he is on dry land.
It was then that the dream of the Butal Ship Hauz (BSH) was born.
Actual work started last March 2024. In between his overseas seafaring contracts, Butal rushed home to Talibon to supervise the construction. His wife, Fely, was on hand to oversee the progress of the work during his absence. By January 2025, even while construction was going on, BSH opened its doors for the first curious visitors.
Although this is not the first ship house in Bohol, it is the first in Talibon. When he first broached the idea, there were many who expressed doubts on the project’s feasibility. For one who overcame many challenges in life, however, Butal was unfazed.
It did not take long before the ship started to rise above the landscape on dry land. Even in a town with eight official island barangays aside from the Talibon Group of Islands where boats of different sizes, shapes and colors are a common sight, the BSH is an eye catcher.
“Land was created to provide for boats to visit,” Brooks Atkinson once said. The 18th-century American theater critic probably never imagined the day would come when boats would be created on land for people to visit. Indeed, people not just from Bohol but even foreigners who set foot in Talibon now visit the boat that a seafarer built on dry land.
So far, the investment is paying off. The BSH has become an attractive proposition as an events place not only for Talibon residents but even from neighboring towns. The novelty that the ship house offers obviously gives it an advantage over other establishments. Someone once said, “your perfect getaway is just a boat ride away.” With its boat ride ambience, BSH holds a competitive edge that sets it apart.
Still, there are those who find it hard to come to terms with the thought that a ship captain would go to great lengths because of his love for this sea. Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu’s popular fish anecdote: give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day is a good philosophy to live by. Picking it up from there, Butal sailed the seas to feed himself for a lifetime. He didn’t stop there though.
Now, he is spending a good deal of money because he has learned to love boats he decided to own one so he can still be on board even after his last contract.
Those who spend a great deal of their lives aboard ships know how it feels out on the open sea. Sailing is no longer just a profession or a way of life. A sailor is on board even when he is off duty. Eventually, a ship becomes more than just a ride. It becomes a principle to live by.
“That’s what a ship is, you know – it’s not just keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that’s what a ship needs. But what a ship is, really is, is freedom,” said the popular but fictional Capt. Jack Sparrow of “Pirates Of The Caribbean” fame. He is right: a ship is freedom.
Butal knows his sailing days will one day be over. Even the biggest paycheck will no longer be as attractive when the body starts to be uncooperative. And yet, because the sea has given him so much, Butal just cannot say goodbye to it. The sea, and more accurately, the boat has become a part of him.
This is where the BSH fits right in. It may not be the context of freedom that Jack Sparrow had in mind, but this ship house gives Butal the freedom to continue living both his fantasy and his reality sans the stormy seas and the uncertainty that retirement brings.
BSH is as much the story of a unique business venture as the man whose love story with the sea made it possible. Butal’s heart will always beat for the sea, but his sight is now set on dry land. You can take the man out of the sea, but in Butal’s case, you can’t take the sea out of the man.
