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Larry's LogAfter an uncomfortable night, with almost no wind and plenty of mosquitoes, we left for Islas Las Aves de Barlovento (the windward group of Las Aves) at 7am. I woke up before the alarm clock, made coffee and we got ready. Although the light wasn't great to leave, we had no problems since we had been in and out already. The wind had picked up a little by the time we left and eventually to about 15 knots. The 30-mile passage to Las Aves was rolly and somewhat uncomfortable since it was almost directly downwind (we were going west-northwest and the wind was east-southeast). We just used the jib although we motor sailed the first few hours to charge the batteries and run the watermaker. After the water tank was full, we sailed at about 4.5 to 5 knots in the 15 knot breeze, towing the dinghy. We had towed the dinghy and taken everything off (the engine, gas tank, oars, etc.) since it was downwind in pretty benign conditions but we decided we wouldn't do it again. We had no problems but the dinghy would surf down the waves (we had a fairly significant swell, unfortunately from 2 directions - southeast and east) and it almost hit the big boat several times. That wouldn't have been a concern except that when the little boat came to the end of the towing bridle, it would snap ahead as tension came on the line. It also did some 360-degree turns around the bridle as it came up on a wave and came sideways to it. The dinghy was OK when we arrived but it was nerve wracking at best and if the line had snapped, it would have been a real hassle to get another one on it. We used the painter as well as the bridle and that also caused a minor problem in that they would get tangled every so often. I know people who tow their dinghy all over but I don't think we will again unless it's a short distance in protected waters, like we had in Los Roques. We got to Isla Sur (South Island) of Las Aves de Barlovento and went around to the inside. We saw a boat coming after us but it was pretty far back. We had arrived at 1pm, a perfect time to read the water and we made our way into the large mangrove bay on the north side of the island. As we came in, 2 boats were leaving so we took the lead one's spot as it was in about 15 feet of water and just close enough to the island. As we motored along, we could certainly see why it was called Las Aves. There were birds on almost every branch of the trees lining the shore - mostly boobies. I could already see Brown Boobies but the white ones I would have to see closer to identify as Masked or Red-Footed. We anchored at 1:30 in about 18 feet of 'pretty clear' water (Los Roques was clearer, at least here) and had lunch. As we ate, we saw the boat that had been behind us - it was a small trimaran and was short tacking up the channel to the same bay we were in. He eventually came up on our starboard quarter and dropped his hook under sail and then set it by backing the jib. It was a nice bit of sailing but Diane felt he had come too close since there was so much room everywhere - oh well. The reefs were all around and looked pretty good and the main barrier reef was about ½ mile ahead of us, and a boat was anchored there, enjoying the blue water. We would have to try that as well. We got the dinghy engine and gear back onto the little boat and took it to look at the bird life in the mangroves on the shore. It was pretty amazing - there were adults and nestlings in almost every tree. The white ones were Red Footed Boobies while the brown ones with white tails were immature Red Footed Boobies. There were the more common Brown Boobies as well. The nestling Red Footed Boobies were white fuzzy things that made noise when they saw an adult; begging for food I suppose. We hadn't gone with a camera but will before we leave here. We went back to the boat after about 30 or 40 minutes of bird watching, relaxed the rest of the day and even watched a video that night - the wind was giving our electrical situation a real boost. The next morning was not fun at all - Diane had poured liquid candle wax down the galley sink drain thinking it would go down. Well, some had but enough hadn't so that now one side of the drain was completely clogged. She had tried some things, like the plunger and hot water but nothing worked so I needed to take it apart and remove the wax. I took the door off the cabinet under the sink so I had easy access and then we removed the various things she stored there. I closed the seacock and got the hose off that side of the sink. I caught the water in a plastic box so everything wouldn't get wet and proceeded to take off the other side of the hose and then the plastic fitting that attached to the bottom of the sink and the hose. So far so good. I cleaned out the wax from the plastic elbow fitting and started to reattach it. Unfortunately, the drain fitting attached to the sink itself started to turn and I knew if I left it that way, it would leak. So I tried removing that so I could seal it before finishing with the hose. I had a large filter wrench on the nut that held it to the sink but the nut broke before I could get it off. It had probably been on there for almost 20 years. Now I had no way to keep the drain attached to the sink on that side. I considered using polysulphide caulk or even 5200 to seal the drain but I wasn't sure it would hold and if it failed when nobody was on the boat, since it was below the waterline, the boat could sink. So I decided that until I could get a replacement for the drain, we would have to use just one side of the sink. To seal it off, I put the original hose back on the T fitting and plugged it with a wooden plug that I would use on a broken seacock. I jammed it into the hose and used a hose clamp to seal it completely. I checked it with some fresh water first and then opened the seacock - no problems. I put duct tape over the hole in the other sink where the drain had been, in case some water splashed into it. Then we ate lunch - I had worked on it for 2.5 hours, what fun!! The afternoon though, was very good. We went out in the dinghy to the next bay east and saw that it was indeed very beautiful; the watercolors were incredible. I had taken the camera and tried to capture the feeling of the place but the images were inadequate. We also took some pictures of the birds along the shore in the mangroves; the numbers were just incredible as there must have been at least a thousand boobies, Red Footed and Brown, in the trees between the first bay and the one we were in. Since the wind had dropped considerably, we got pretty hot sitting in the dinghy so we went to shore to a small landing through the mangroves. I tied the dinghy's painter to the tree and we walked inland. Although the island was very similar to the ones in Los Roques, I think there must be more ground water here since there were spots where there was much greenery, much more than any island in Los Roques. Of course, there were also the scrub and burr plants, but there didn't seem to be many burrs here. We also found a small spot setup by other cruisers where people could gather and have potlucks and drinks. It was nicely decorated with shells, pretty stones and even a turtle shell. They had also established a spot where we could burn garbage conveniently - something we might have to do before we leave. We walked around the island along a path that eventually just ended but we continued a little to find an opening in the mangroves where we could see the bay we had been in this morning. Diane then went back to shade where the dinghy was and I walked just a bit further, taking some nice pictures of the island. We would have to come back again and get to the far eastern end. Another hike would be to the western end. We went back to the boat, took a cooling swim off the boat and just relaxed for the evening. The next morning, after the daily SSB net, we spoke to our friends on Koncerto, Anna and Clyff. They were in Los Roques and would be coming to Las Aves tomorrow. We told them where we were anchored and that we looked forward to seeing them again. Its always fun to see old friends and catch up on things; we hadn't seen them in almost a year. Around 11 we went snorkeling on one of the reefs between the main barrier reef and us. It was large and the water clarity was very god but except for seeing a nice new species, a Spotted Drum, it wasn't as good as Cayo de Agua. Of course, we intend to try other places here; its very large and there is no shortage of reefs. We'll also try the large barrier reef; we'll probably move up to there sometime next week. We came back to the boat and after eating lunch I got the conch that Diane collected out of its shell. I seem to be getting the knack. I also had to skin the beast since its really pretty tough but then I left Diane to "tenderize" it. I went snorkeling on the small reef just in from of the boat and that was pretty good, lots of fish, not too spectacular or big, but I did see another new species - a Spotted Trunkfish. I swam back to the boat and cleaned the waterline and then relaxed the rest of the day. Its not supposed to happen here, but we had to run the engine in the evening since the wind was so light. Friday morning we had our first encounter here with some fishermen - and a very pleasant one. They came by, first to the boat next to us and then to us offering some fish to trade. They really wanted cigarettes but we don't smoke and I don't think the people next to us did either. Anyway, we traded a bottle of rum for 2 large Red Snapper, about 3 to 4 pounds each. They offered us a tuna also but Diane said we didn't have room. We went over to their boat in the dinghy and spoke to them while they cleaned and filleted the fish. Very nice guys and we said we would be here for another week or so and to come back in a few days if they got more. A little after they left, we went snorkeling again, this time on a reef further to the north. The small trimaran had left so we were alone for a while anyway. The snorkeling was pretty good and I saw another new species but the outside reefs were probably better. As we moved from one reef to another, we saw Koncerto come in. We figured to let them anchor and get settled and then we would go over. So we snorkeled the second reef, again pretty good, and went over to greet Anna and Clyff. We came up to the boat and we said hello and talked for a while but since we were still wet, we didn't go on board but Diane invited them over for drinks and snacks later. As we were leaving the boat though, I heard some loud birds just overhead. I looked up and saw a Peregrine Falcon flying fast over the water. I was amazed - I had seen them before but never expected one here. My bird book says they are found on Los Roques as winter residents so why not Las Aves. Anyway, I was very happy to see it. Clyff and Anna came over about 4:30 and we talked and had drinks until almost 11. We had almost a year to catch up on and it was really nice to see them again. The next morning was quite special. Clyff and Anna picked us up in their dinghy and we went for a walk on Isla Sur. We showed them the little 'shrine' made by the prior cruisers and then we started to walk to the west side of the island, where we hadn't walked the other day. First, I was impressed by the greenery of that side, much more lush plantlife although it was still very dry. However, the most amazing thing was the birds. There was a small lagoon inside the island surrounded by mangroves and there were Red Footed Boobies and their nestlings in almost every tree, or so it seemed. We all felt like we were walking through a National Geographic documentary. As we walked further, we found Brown Boobies nesting on the ground, like we had seen them on West Cay in Los Roques. However here, there were many more. Most just had eggs but we found one that had hatched and the parent was sitting on an egg and a new hatchling. Interestingly, they all had 2 eggs but as they grew, it seemed like only one nestling survived. Of course, that's just a casual observation but we didn't see any Red Footed Booby nests with two nestlings, just one. We walked as far as we could and came to a mangrove forest that we couldn't get around so we walked back the other way and went to the other end of the island. Diane and I had been there before and Clyff and I talked about why the ground nesting birds were only on one end. Certainly the vegetation was different but that didn't seem to be the reason. Then Clyff pointed out that there were many crab holes here and we came to the conclusion that the birds wanted to avoid the large crabs that might take an egg or even a new hatchling. That seemed a good possibility - we hadn't seen as many holes on the other side although we were sure there were plenty there, just not as many. We walked to the far eastern side until a large mangrove again blocked us and so we walked back to where the dinghy was and they dropped us off at Destiny. We made plans to meet later on their boat - Diane would make the snapper we got and Anna would make some side dishes. Sounds like a plan. We went over around 4:30 and had some drinks first and then dinner. We all had a very good time and stayed until about 10. Coming back, we had to notice that the wind was up more - to about 20 with gusts to 25 so we got a bit wet getting back to our boat. When we got back, the wind gen was freewheeling so I feathered it so we would get some production from it during the night. |