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Larry's LogFriday, June 13 and we moved slips this morning. There was a side-to one just vacated and since it was the same price and available, we took it. It was empty yesterday afternoon but we wanted to move the boat when the wind was down so the mornings were the best time. The dockmaster, Arnoldo was on the dock and his assistant was in the dinghy releasing the lines to the stern moorings. I backed out of our spot and just backed up all the way into the new slip - we had to back in since the side dock was pretty short and the gate would only be next to it if we were stern first. There were lots of people to help but it was no problem since the wind was so light. We got in and tied up and then got everything else plugged in - electricity and water. Since the slip wasn't facing the wind, there would be a lot of pressure on the lines later when the wind finally came up so it took me a while to get all the lines arranged satisfactorily. I also got the awning tied down better since that would also be under pressure and made sure the boat was OK. By the time we moved and I got things setup, it was almost lunchtime. I went to get the dinghy (I had put it on the dinghy dock while we moved) and then washed down the lines that had been in the water attached to the stern moorings. In just a week, they had gotten pretty slimy and tiny barnacles were already growing. A strong stream from the hose cleaned them though and I washed down the boat a bit as well. Diane went back to Maremares after lunch and I did some small projects. Mostly I started putting things back on the stern rail since it was now cleaned and waxed. Saturday was fairly busy although I did go over to play chess with Tom again in the afternoon. In the morning though, were more boat chores. While Diane cleaned the oven and refrigerator, I put some more things back on the stern rail and started cleaning the life jackets and the bag as well as the Lifesling and bag. There was just a little bit of mildew and so I got that off and rinsed everything well and let them dry in the sun. Diane then helped getting the jib down and folded. I wanted to inspect it and the halyard as well as clean it from the accumulated dirt and salt but we just folded it and put it in a sailbag for now. After the sail was down, we put up the small awning we had for the bow. We couldn't use it before because it was designed to be suspended just above the deck and you couldn't walk around it easily (unless you were willing to crawl) so we hadn't used it for a while. The ability to raise the dinghy was somewhat impaired but you could just let go part of one side to hoist or lower the dinghy so it wasn't too bad. It would make the forward cabin cooler in the day and not put so much strain on the air conditioner. After all that, I just did some other little things and then went over to see Tom. We had a good time playing and he actually won a game. The first one in over a year. Diane had gone to a seamstress to see about getting new slipcovers for the settee cushions. Elias had told Diane about her and was going to show Diane where she was located. She brought 3 cushions along with the fabric we had bought in Trinidad. When Diane got back, she said the seamstress should do OK and that the first one would be ready by Wednesday, so we could see if they were being done correctly. That evening, Diane made a pizza (store bought dough) and it came out pretty good. She had also made an apple cobbler (from scratch) and that was excellent. If nothing else, we typically ate well. Sunday was a non-working day. Although it rained in the morning, it cleared up by about 11:30 so we went to the Sunday brunch at Maremares. Since it was Father's Day, it was a very good one. We went with Weedie and Janice from Plenum and saw Sojourner and Spice Island Lady there also. It was unlimited champagne, excellent food and wonderful desserts, for about 10 USD each. We left about 2:30 and stopped at Kimba and visited with Rebecca and Don. I had never been on their boat, a Catana 472, and I was very impressed. The layout below was much different from the Catana 471 (our friends Joe and Ruth on Legacy had a 471); they told us the 472 was the deluxe version of the boat. It was very pretty - but my only question was still the outside steering stations, completely exposed to the weather with no possibility of shelter. They did provide good visibility though. We dinghied back and explored some of the small canals off the main one and found some very pretty houses, colorfully painted, with beautiful flowers and sculptures in front. Naturally, each had a dock or some facility for a boat. When we got back to Destiny, we just hoisted the dinghy and relaxed the rest of the day. There would be more work tomorrow. As so Monday was another workday - I was mostly occupied with plumbing 'things' while Diane washed the repaired bimini we had gotten back and some other small tasks. I wanted to move the ball valve from the pressure water system to the fresh water flush side of the watermaker since it was in a bad spot and occupied too much space. I moved it to a bulkhead and was very happy with it there since it was out of the way but easily accessible. I also fixed a small leak from the drain on the forward head sink. I had to remove the hose, being careful not to admit too much seawater, and then remove the nut holding the drain in place. Once off, I cleaned it up and reassembled everything with silicone. I had used polysulphide before but I saw that it wasn't really adhering very well to the metal and thought that the silicone might work better as a sealant. We would see. I then completed installing the bungee cords that held up the cockpit locker hatches and called it a day. We were going to the weekly potluck so I had to clean up and take a shower. The potluck was, as usual, very nice. Diane had made lomito and making that on the grill was excellent. We didn't do much the next day except for go to the mall, Plaza Mayor. We went by dinghy through the canals and walked around a little before going to eat lunch at the pizza place there. I then went on the Internet, checked email and our financials while Diane got a pedicure and manicure. I then got a haircut at the same place she was having her nails done. After finishing there, we just went shopping at the supermarket and got a few things for the week since we planned to go to Caracas on Friday to visit our friends there. Back at the boat, we just relaxed the rest of the day since it was already a bit late and it started raining again. The next day wasn't very productive but we did some things we needed to get done. In the morning, Diane cleaned the cabin sole with a mixture of Chlorox bleach and laundry detergent and got it looking better but still not 100 percent. I did some little things but couldn't do much since we were going out to lunch with Tom in Puerto La Cruz and then going to check on the seamstress and see how she was doing with the slipcovers. We left around 1 and walked over to CMO, where Mima was moored. We saw Tom, got a taxi and went to the seamstress. She had done 2 covers and they were OK but one was made with a slight tightness along one edge that she said she could fix. She also didn't make each corner by making 2 turns but rather by making one long gentle turn. That way though, the foam didn't fit tightly under the cover. We would explain more when we brought the remaining cushions tomorrow. After the seamstress, we went to lunch at an Arabic place and had some very good food; Tom loved the place and had been there many times. We had a dish called chawarma, very much like a Greek gyro. Anyway, it was very good. We then had some ice cream at another place just down the road. Finally, we went to a local chandlery but I couldn't find much of what I needed so we went back to the boat. A little after 5, Elias came by. He was going to start the cabin sole varnishing while we were gone. We went over what Diane had done and what he would need. We also explained what we wanted done and how to reach us if needed. Although we trusted him and had seen his good work, I was still worried about not being there to see what was happening. Thursday we were occupied with getting prepared to go to Caracas tomorrow and bringing the remaining cushions to the seamstress. In the morning I got everything from the deck stowed away and helped Diane get the remaining settee cushions ready to transport to the seamstress. It was a little difficult since the cushions were long and unwieldy, but we managed to put them into large plastic bags folded in half and held with light rope. If I ever redo the cushions, they will be in smaller pieces. Once we got everything ready, we brought it all to the marina entrance and got a large cab (old and somewhat broken down but everything would fit) and Diane explained where we wanted to go. Of course, halfway there, Diane realized she had forgotten the remaining slipcover fabric so we went back and she went to get it. We finally got there and Emma (the seamstress) had finished 4 cushions and we brought up the remaining 6. We looked over the ones she did and they were pretty good. We explained carefully about matching the pattern on the fabric on the larger ones and showed her what we had done and she seemed to understand. We then went to lunch at a nice Italian place she recommended and it was pretty good. We then went back to get the completed cushions and went back to the boat. Once back, I got out the bags and things we would need while Diane went to get the finished laundry, return some videos we had borrowed from Kimba and check on our long overdue cruising permit. She also went to the panaderia (bakery) and got some bread, cookies and macaroons for the trip. When she came back, she complained about a large 'go-fast' boat that almost swamped the dinghy on her way to the other marina while in the canal. Oh well, s--- happens. We hoisted the dinghy, got everything below and had a drink. Elias came by a little after 5 again and we showed him the materials he could use for the work he was going to do. We had decided to just have him do the preparations only rather than start to do the actual varnishing. We figured it was better that way for him (he wouldn't have to work on Sunday) and I could see what the preparation was like before the first coat went on. We got our clothes (mostly) packed and figured we were "pretty much" ready. Friday we made some last minute preparations and left for the bus station around 10:30. We got our tickets, checked the bags and waited. One attendant didn't want to let us on the bus with the small bags we wanted to carry - my PC and backpack with the camera inside, and Diane's backpack and bag with lunch, but after some arguing with Diane, he just gave up. It wasn't a problem really, but they did check the contents of the bags before we went on the bus and also passed a metal detector over us as well. They hadn't done that before but I guess some extra security is OK. The trip itself, 5 hours 30 minutes, was uneventful although it got cold inside the bus and it rained most of the way. We stopped for lunch about 2:30 and got to Caracas at 5:20, pretty much on time. Giulio was at the bus station and after we got our checked bags, we went to the apartment where we were staying and then to his apartment. We saw Giancarla, Giancarla's mother, Lydia, and Lucas, his 2-year-old son. We had brought Lucas a toy (for Christmas) and we finally got to give it to him. We also finally met his 18-year-old daughter, from a previous marriage, Samantha. She was going to be our 'chauffeur" tomorrow to show us some sights around Caracas. We had a wonderful dinner, served in the Italian style with some pasta first and then the main course and salad after. Of course, Giulio and I had some Italian coffee with Grappa as an after dinner drink. It was wonderful to see them again. |