|
Home Port Our Logs The Crew Calendar Favorite Links The Boat Photo Album Route and Charts Miscellaneous Stuff |
Larry's LogSaturday was pretty slow. My morning was occupied with getting the web site ready to update and then going on the Internet for a little while to do it and then calling my brother. I hadn't talked to him in quite a while and using an Internet phone the cost was pretty reasonable. Diane wasn't feeling well so she just relaxed most of the day. In the afternoon though, we did go over to CMO, the next marina down the canal, to pick up the laundry that Diane had dropped off a couple of days ago. We were also going to visit with Tom and Steph for a bit and have a taste of some lamb that they were going to barbeque. Unfortunately, it started to rain very heavily a little while after we got there and picked up the laundry. The laundry was in a large garbage bag and Diane had just put it in the dinghy as we went to see Tom and Steph near the restaurant's barbeque, where they were going to be. As soon as we got under the awning, it started to pour. It rained really hard for about an hour or so but they eventually got some chicken on the grill - the lamb would have to wait. We waited until the rain let up (mostly) and then went back to Destiny. The dinghy was so full of water we had to go slowly. We thought that our nice clean, dry laundry would be soaked but amazingly, once we got it on the boat and below, only some jeans (mine, of course) were wet. Diane went back to bed and I went back in the dinghy to scrape the waterline along the port side. Because of the wind, the dinghy being suspended on that side and the port water tank being full, the boat was listing to port and there was some pretty bad barnacle growth along and above the waterline. Unfortunately, once I started to scrape it off, the blue tape that I had just put on in Trinidad came off with the barnacles - oh well. It took about 40 minutes to scrape the one side; the other side, since the waterline was elevated, was perfect. After bailing out the dinghy from the rain, I hoisted it and relaxed the rest of the day. Sunday, and again, a pretty relaxing day. In the morning, we went to the Maremares breakfast buffet with Tom and Steph. We picked them up around 9 and went over by dinghy. It was very good with most of the things you would expect on a nice breakfast buffet but including, of course, some typical Venezuelan items, like arepas and black beans. After finishing, we drove them back to Mima and stayed a while for a drink. Diane and I went back to Destiny around 2:30 and just did some small things around the boat. I took some pictures of Plenum, Janice and Weedie's boat, since they were leaving soon and I wanted to record some of the clever ideas Weedie had incorporated on board. Diane made a very nice Baked Ziti and then went for a swim and Steph walked over to go in the pool also. Around 6, I drove her back to CMO and came back for dinner. A nice slow day. Tomorrow would be busier, I think. Diane wasn't feeling well most of the next day so I did some things myself. In the morning, I went over to the metal working place that Weedie recommended. I wanted him to do some things like fixing the boom bail that broke in Margarita and asked him to make a spare. I also wanted a small stainless plate to hold the filter for the outboard - he could weld the bolts to it so they wouldn't turn when I tighten the nuts to hold the filter on the dinghy transom. I also asked him about modifying the bow roller. I drove him back to the boat and he made some measurements and said he would have a price for me soon. I stopped at Mima to pick up some cheese that Steph had bought for us and stayed to have lunch at the CMO restaurant. Janice and Weedie were there also since they brought the boat to CMO early that morning to get a spot repainted on their deck. They were leaving for Trinidad that afternoon and were still trying to get everything ready. They got up to leave and we all wished then a safe trip. After lunch, I went back to the boat and did some little things and then went to Vemasca, a local chandlery, in the afternoon. I called Tom and he went with me. I picked up some things but because of the shortage of US dollars, marine items (all imported goods) were hard to come by. They said they were getting a large shipment in on July 15, so maybe I can get some more things then. Tom and I went back to CMO and we had a quick drink at the restaurant and then I walked back to Bahia Redonda. During the day it was a safe enough walk, but I wouldn't do it after dark. Around 5:30 we went to the weekly potluck barbeque at the marina and enjoyed it, as usual. We slept later than usual the next day but got rolling about 8:30. We did some minor things but Diane made some phone calls and made sure that we were set to go to Caracas later in the week and also called our broker (very important). I did some small projects. The afternoon was busier with me going to see about the metal projects and Diane finally finishing the waxing of the stainless steel on the boat. Elias came by to talk about the varnishing he would do while we were away and I made sure he understood what I wanted and also that he had the supplies he would need. He said that he could probably do some small things in addition to the floor so after he left I took off some of the small wood working projects that had been made but never varnished, like the spice racks, the nav station shelves and the magazine rack. The next morning wasn't very busy - we slept a little late but then started doing some stuff. Diane cleaned the floor again prior to Elias doing the final sanding and varnish and since I had to stay out of the boat, I put line around the remaining rungs of the side-boarding ladder. This time I used line that I had since leaving Bermuda, the Dacron cover of what was I think some 7/16 high modulus line. It worked pretty well since it conformed to the flat part of the rung well. The afternoon was rainy (naturally) so I couldn't get much done. After Diane finished washing the cabin sole (with Chlorox and some detergent), I test sanded it some more and could see that it wouldn't be perfect but would look pretty good. After all, the wood was almost 20 years old and had never been varnished (at least not since it was laid). We had intended to do something but only managed maintain its current level since we had the boat. Elias was coming tomorrow, since he had most of the day free (the boat he was working on, Pipe Dream, was almost done) to start sanding so he could put as many coats of varnish on as possible while we were gone. Hopefully, he can get about 5-6 coats on the floor before we come back. Then, if we come back to PLC later in the year, he can do another 3-4, and the floor will be very well protected. I was going to go to the metal working shop and get the stuff he said would be done but never got there because of the rain. I can do that tomorrow though as well as get some other things done and be off the boat while Elias sands. In the evening, we went to the Maremares Marina manager's cocktail party. We had heard that cruisers from other marinas were invited but they didn't want to announce it over the morning net anymore because other people were also coming. We went and had a nice time but they certainly weren't serving the amount of snacks they used to. We had some soup and cheese once we got back to the boat. Thursday was a busy day getting ready to leave. Elias came over at 9 and I started helping him get started on the cabin sole. He started hand sanding the holly strips first to get them cleaner since I had tried it yesterday and saw that it helped tremendously. After he was started, I started on the dinghy and took off the fuel filter so I could see exactly what size bolt was holding the filter on the transom. I wanted Armando, the welder, to weld 2 bolts onto a plate he was making so the bolts wouldn't turn when I tightened the nuts to hold the filter. I just put tape over the holes and went over to the workshop, gave him the proper size bolts and went to Mima to wait so he could do the last of the work. Diane was making some brownies to bring to Caracas for Giulio and his family. Tom, Steph and I visited for a while and then I went back to get the stuff Armando had finished. The material was pretty good and so was the workmanship, the price was reasonable so I was pleased. These weren't visible pieces so the small nicks in the metal plates weren't important. I had seen things he made though that were perfect. Back at the boat, Diane helped me get the engine off the dinghy and then put the dinghy on deck. The work on the transom required it to be out of the water and since it needed to be out of the water anyway, we put it on deck so I could start when we got back. After lunch, I did some small jobs but could do much since Elias was now machine sanding the sole. I had put plastic over all the electronics so the dust wouldn't get in but even so, the dust was all over. The floor looked very good though and when he cleaned the dust off with mineral spirits, I could see the full color and it was really nice. It wasn't perfect, as there were still some nicks, scratches and a few stains that wouldn't come out, but it looked much better. Elias left and we got ready to go. Tom and Steph were coming over and we were going to order pizza (from Domino's) and they would deliver! They came over around 5:30 and we all went to the pool. Diane ordered the pizza a bit later and they really did deliver about 30 minutes later. It was a very nice time and the pizza was pretty good, but next time we won't get the thin crust. Happy Fourth of July. The morning was very busy getting ready to leave for Caracas. Elias was at the boat by 8:30 and we got him onto the dock cleaning and sanding the small pieces I had removed so we could get ready to leave. I took off the door to the aft cabin and the small doors near the v-berth to make it easier and faster for him to sand and varnish those areas. I took some pictures of the cabin sole to have a 'before and after' set of pictures. I should have done it before he started sanding to get a real feel for it. Tom and Steph called on the radio to wish me good luck with the Lasik surgery. Thanks guys. After flushing the watermaker again, I filled the water tank, finished packing and took a shower. Diane made lunch, packed, took a shower and we left by 10:30 for the bus station. The trip was easy (our fourth time) and we got to Caracas at about 5:30 and Giulio was there to meet us. He dropped us off at the apartment and made sure we were OK. His friends Chicho and Tati were staying there for a while until they moved to the Canary Islands. They were leaving the next day though to visit Tati's family and wouldn't be back in Caracas until Wednesday. We had met them before during our last visit to see Giulio and although they didn't speak much English, we got along fine. Tati spoke some English and she would sometimes translate for Chicho (real name, Jesus). Anyway, we got settled and then went to MacDonalds' to eat and when we came back there were some other friends there, very nice people, and we had a little party. One of the friends was Carolina was going to be able to change some money for us so we could pay the doctor and clinic next week for my Lasik procedure. Chicho went over some things about the apartment; there was a water shortage throughout Caracas and there was water available only on a schedule. He also showed us about the gas water heater and some other things. Finally, we went to bed - they would be leaving early in the morning but would leave the electric key for the building's front door and elevator (made it much easier to get in). Saturday was very pleasant and sunny and in the afternoon, we took advantage of it with Giulio. In the morning though, we just we walked to the little shopping center near the apartment, got some breakfast and bought some groceries in the supermarket there. Then we just relaxed and read some of the magazines that Steph had brought back from the States for us. Giulio picked us up at 2:30 and we went to Simon Bolivar University where he used to teach and where Giancarla still taught. It was a beautiful campus and very large with a small lake and lovely trees. We walked around and saw most of it and then we went to the science museum in Caracas. In retrospect, we should have gone to the "Bellas Artes" museum near it because to get a full appreciation of the place, we needed to read the signs and explanations, which of course were in Spanish. Still, there was a fantastic photography exhibit with wildlife from around the world. Some shots were just amazing. After the museum, we walked around a bit more and then went to a Chinese restaurant to get some food to bring back. Giancarla had just gotten back from flying to Margarita the day before and had been very busy that day, so it was much easier to bring food in. We got the food, went back and had a very nice dinner with Giulio and his family. Sunday was a very lazy day. We got up late, read, did some stuff on the computer and walked to El Hatillo to sightsee and have lunch. We found the restaurant that Giulio brought us to last year and had lunch there. Then we walked around a bit in the town and browsed through some of the shops. After a snack of strawberries and cream we walked back to the apartment, luckily now mostly downhill. Giulio called in the evening and said he would pick us up at 7:30 the next morning to bring us to the Centro Medico eye clinic so they could test and evaluate me for the Lasik procedure scheduled for Tuesday. Hopefully, I was a good candidate and it would work well. |