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Larry's LogSunday the wind calmed down to about 15 knots. When I got up, Diane told me there was a small dead bird on the side deck and sure enough, there was a warbler lying there. It didn't seem to have any injuries so my guess is it just flew into the boat by accident in all the wind. Of course, I tried to identify it - it looked like some of the small birds I had been seeing. But even with the 'bird in hand', and looking at the book's illustrations, I couldn't positively say what species it was. The book was great for some things but not all of the small, nondescript species were pictured and I couldn't tell from the text what it was. So, after trying for about an hour and puzzling over the book and examining the little birds coloration, feathers, etc. I gave up and gave him a decent burial at sea. The rest of the morning was reading and relaxing. We decided to go snorkeling in the afternoon - the wind had piped up but was now coming down again to about 15 knots. We went with Clyff and Anna, us in our dinghy and they in theirs, around 1. We showed them the small pass between the coral heads in our bay leading to the next and then the next pass. As we were going through the easternmost bay, I spotted some dolphins. There was a small pod of about 6 that were probably fishing; rounding up the fish in the small bay so they could dine at leisure. We went toward them and they swam past the dinghies a few times but we never got to see them really well - they were too busy. We continued on to a reef toward the main barrier reef but well inside that. The snorkeling was pretty good but not great, although I saw some new species - one quite by accident. Diane and Clyff had both gotten one conch each (we were going to show them how to get the animal out) and we found Conchfish inside each one. I also saw a small Spotfin Hogfish on the reef. Of course, I also saw a large Barracuda. We each went back to our boats and after a while, we went over to Koncerto. Getting the conch out wasn't as easy as it was before. Clyff and I had to break the shells on both before we got the animal out - I wondered if the effort was worth it. We stayed a while and then went back to Destiny, relaxed a bit and had a nice dinner of Spaghetti Carbonara. The wind was up again and I had to feather the wind gen to keep it from freewheeling and not producing anything. The next day the wind decreased and although the day started cloudy, it soon cleared up. We spoke to our friends on Reflections on the SSB in the morning and they were in Puerto Cabello and planning to visit Merida for a week, leaving the boat there. Interestingly, although they didn't stay long in Las Aves, they said they preferred Aves de Barlovento (where we were now) to Sotavento, the next island group. We asked them to call when they got back from Merida and tell us how they liked it. After breakfast, I put a piece of rubber gasket material over the galley sink drain hole to prevent water from dripping down under the sink. We were using just one side of the sink but it was difficult to keep water from splashing on the other side, where I had removed the drain. I had tried just duct tape but once the tape got wet, it didn't stick anymore so I had to take it off and put the sheet rubber down using just some good silicone sealant. Hopefully that will last until I can fix it properly. The rest of the morning and part of the afternoon we both worked on the logs. We actually didn't do much the entire day except go to shore around 3 and burn the accumulated garbage where previous cruisers had set up a spot. Garbage is a problem for any cruiser who ventures away from the populated centers for any amount of time and we do what most people like us do - burn the plastic and toss the glass and metal in the deep ocean, making sure nothing floats (which is what most municipalities do also). Once everything is burned as much as possible, we try to bury it, especially if there are any embers still hot when we leave. Most everything is gone when we finally do leave, even the aluminum foil is just cinders. We went snorkeling around 11 the next morning, after running the watermaker for 2 hours, and went to 2 spots. The first was just OK but the second was pretty good and there were lots of fish, although I saw a new one at the first site (small bottom dweller; a Barfin Blenny). Anyway, we were out for a couple of hours and then went back to eat lunch. Another boat had come in and gone to the furthest bay east and I thought that we would probably go to the reef anchorage in a day or so, probably after we walk on the island once more. We went over to Koncerto around 3 and I took some pictures of the boat - it was a very nice catamaran, a 50-footer, and obviously very comfortable to live in but seaworthy as well. We all then played a board game called "Cash Flow." An interesting game, intended to teach people about investments and such, but a bit complicated (you needed a calculator). We all played until dinner was ready; Diane had brought over some chile and Anna made cole slaw. Just as we were about to eat, we saw the boat that had gone up to the easternmost anchorage leaving. Koncerto and Destiny were now the only boats in Las Aves de Barlovento again. After dinner, we talked for a while but never got back to the game. (Clyff and I were winning.) We decided to clean the bottom the next day and we were glad we did because the keel and rudder were pretty bad. I had done the waterline and a bit of the hull a week ago but it certainly needed it again. Interestingly, the prop was pretty good, just a bit of weed and a barnacle or 2, so I'm pleased with the Velox paint we got from Tom and Steph. I'll have to get more when we go back to PLC. The rest of the hull was, as I said, in need of scraping. It all came off easily though (except on the bottom of the keel, of course) and there were few barnacles, just lots of soft growth. The tough part was diving to the bottom of the keel, 7 feet down, and trying to stay there while getting all the crud off. We worked for about 2 hours and then, having finished most of the bottom, gave up for the day. The wind had calmed down considerably and it was only about 5-8 knots, so we weren't making too much electricity. But it was sunny and nice so we didn't mind. We told Clyff and Anna that we were going out to the reef tomorrow and needed our magazines back and they said they were probably going to leave then anyway so no problem. Anna had also scanned some recipes for Diane and loaned us a CD to look at. I had made a CD of the pictures I took on Isla Sur and of Koncerto for them, so we were just about done. After running the watermaker again, we went to shore again for another look at the birds. We stopped at Koncerto to drop off the things for Anna and Clyff and they invited us over for drinks later, and we said sure. The walk was just as good as last time although the fledglings and adults were flying more. We also saw the Peregrine (a few this time) and lots of the nestlings again. Suddenly, all the booby skeletons we had seen on the ground made sense. I originally thought that they were just fledglings that crashed landed and hurt themselves but realized that they were probably victims of predation. While Diane waited for me at one spot, I tramped through the higher vegetation to see the Brown Boobies nesting on the ground. I saw the ones we came across the last time and found, on one nest, that an egg had hatched. I got a few good pictures and then left so as not to disturb them too much. Going back to meet Diane, I saw some very pretty small birds and was finally able to identify them later; Yellow Warblers, a native of these islands. We walked back to the dinghy and slowly motored along the shore to see some more of the birds there. We then went back to the boat to drop off the camera, take showers and then go over to Koncerto. We sat and had some drinks and snacks and Clyff and I talked about catamarans. We had talked about this back in Margarita, almost a year ago, but I wanted to find out more. If I ever sell Destiny and look for another cruising boat, I will definitely consider a cat. Anyway, we stayed for a few enjoyable hours, wished them a safe trip back to New Zealand, their home and where they were headed eventually after seeing the San Blas Islands of Panama, the Galapagos, and the South Pacific and said we would keep in touch by email. They said if we ever get to New Zealand to let them know and I said "You never know, we might just do that." Back at Destiny, we had dinner and read for the rest of the evening. Thursday we left to go out to the reef at about 9:30 and saw Koncerto leaving also. They were going to the little Isla Oeste to spend a day or so and so we said we would talk to them on the VHF later. We went out through the reefs surrounding the anchorage we were in and had to dodge several other reefs but the light was good and we had no problem seeing them. It took about 30 minutes to get to the point furthest east on the barrier reef and where friends had said to try. There were reefs to the south all along the route but we avoided them easily and saw the lighter blue water ahead. We anchored in 16 feet of crystal turquoise water about 150 yards behind the barrier reef, set up the sun canvas again and while Diane prepared dinner for later, I took some pictures of the incredible watercolors around us. It was a little rollier than the anchorage near the island but not too bad, especially since the wind was blowing now at about 15 knots from the east. It looked like it should be excellent snorkeling. I spoke to Anna and they were just anchoring in the lee of Isla Oeste, somewhere the guidebook doesn't mention as an anchorage but they said it was fine and a good place to stage for leaving for Sotavento, the next group of Las Aves, about 16 miles to the west. After lunch, we went snorkeling (naturally) and the first place we went was very good. Not too many big fish like we saw in Los Roques but many types and the water clarity was great. We then moved to a 'blue hole' and anchored the dinghy next to it in 6 feet over sand and snorkeled there are well. That was also excellent and I saw several new species to put on our list. We were out almost 3 hours - longer than usual so it must have been good. Later that evening, we had enough power so we watched a video; still seems strange to watch a movie while you're anchored in the middle of nowhere with nothing but stars and water outside (but I like it). We spoke to Koncerto the next morning just before they left. After wishing them safe sailing, I said, "You never know, we might meet you in New Zealand sometime." In the morning, the wind was up to about 20 knots so the snorkeling would not have been good - too rough. I spent part of the morning wiping off the stainless steel with a rag and fresh water; it got some of the salt off and cleaned it a little as well. I found if I rubbed it hard enough, some of the beginning rust stains would come off also. Of course, it's a losing battle but one has to try. Diane was occupied by making a cake, which we had at lunch - called Desperation Cake. With some cream cheese icing, it was very good, not out of desperation at all. With the wind cranking, we had plenty of electricity and ran the watermaker until the tank was full. We might even watch another video tonight. The wind calmed down to about 15 knots in the afternoon so we went snorkeling. We tried a different spot again and found it to be excellent. We saw a species of angelfish we had seen only twice before, a Rock Beauty, but never one so large and seemingly unafraid. I got several pictures of it and hope they come out. We snorkeled down that reef and came back the same way since it was too long to go around. No new species this time but place was excellent. We only snorkeled for a about 90 minutes since it was a bit rough and the light was not as good since we had to start late. Still, it was a good trip. The wind picked up overnight again to about 20 and I had to feather the wind generator to keep it producing. In stronger winds, it just starts to freewheel and doesn't make any juice until the wind drops. By feathering it away from the wind, I can adjust the angle the wind hits the blades and the 'apparent' wind is less. We did have enough juice for another video - gotta keep the crew occupied. |