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Larry's LogAfter our first day back in Venezuela, we slept until a little after 8, almost 12 hours, except we did get up a little after 5am when it started raining. At least most of the salt got washed off the boat. After having breakfast, we took the dinghy to the Indian site inside the Golfo de Cuare. It was a fair dinghy ride, about 20 minutes and we got a little wet since the wind was up. Of course, we also didn't find it right away. It was a pretty area though and there are some spectacular cliffs along the way and we eventually saw that the site is at one of the last high cliffs down the gulf, if you get to low ground, you (we) passed it.. It's also a little bit after a small shrine area that locals have set up with little statues of the Virgin and crosses. We saw the shrine but didn't see the small wooden dock for the Indian site. We wound up about a mile past it and figured that since the cliffs had disappeared, we must have gone too far. We turned back and saw a pinero coming out of a small indentation in the mangrove forest that lined the shore. As we got closer, we saw the small dock and several boats tied up. We went in and tied up to the almost invisible dock (tucked way up in the mangroves) and started looking around. It was interesting and the petroglyphs were right there on the sheer rock cliff. We also explored the area a little, going through a small tunnel and coming into a large open space surrounded by cliffs. It was very pretty but didn't take too long to see everything. There was a small walkway built over the water leading alongside cliff side itself so after looking around for 30 minutes or so and reading the signs explaining the place (also in English), we started back, stopping briefly at the little shrine, another indentation in the sheer cliff but with no mangroves except all the way inside where people had put more little statues and such. On the way back, we followed a local boat out of the gulf so we knew we wouldn't get lost or go aground. We got back to Destiny around noon, after looking around the anchorage for reefs that we would have to avoid when we left tomorrow morning. We had lunch and were below when we heard some men calling outside. It had been usual for boats to come pretty close so until we heard the voices, we didn't pay much attention. We went into the cockpit and a pinero was alongside with two uniformed Guardia Costa personnel as well as two other people. The boat got closer as we came out onto the deck and the two officers came onboard. They were very polite although they didn't speak English. Diane asked them to take off their shoes (big black boots) and they willingly did so and we invited them into the cockpit. They had a form and after Diane gave them some cold water, they started filling out the form, asking questions that we answered as best we could. They were very nice and polite and we had no problems. They evidently had tried calling us on the VHF but we had it turned off since we didn't think anyone would be calling. Anyway, they stayed about 30 minutes, first asking where we came from last (Bonaire), where we were heading (Puerto La Cruz via several stops) and then asking to see things like lifejackets, fire extinguishers and the like. They also looked at out boat papers and passports. When they were done, one of them called the boat that dropped them off on our radio and it came back out to pick them up. It was a very pleasant exchange. After they left (it was our first boarding ever by the Guardia), we started taking the dinghy up. I also cleaned up the inside from the mud we had gotten on our sandals while we were walking around the Indian site. After getting the dinghy on deck, I continued putting things away and tying down the small gas jerry jug we had taken with us (just in case). After that, I figured out the rest of the route back to PLC on the computer. We went to bed early and set the alarm clock for 5am. Saturday at five am came quickly; I got up, made some coffee and tied down the dinghy. Diane put away some last minute things and we were ready to go by 6:00. We waited a little while until the light was better. We finally started leaving about 6:30 and I got the anchor up only after some difficulty with the windlass - it stopped working about mid way through raising the 80 feet of chain. I hoisted some of it manually but then it decided to start working again for the last 15 feet or so. At least I didn't have to pull up the 60-pound anchor. We motored out between the islands and the reefs surrounding them into a 12 knot breeze from the east with seas about 5-7 feet from the northeast. Once out from the islands, I got the main up (not too easy bouncing around) and we motor sailed at about 5 to 6 knots the entire way to Ensanada Cata. It took about 8 hours to go the 40 miles. The trip was uneventful (the way I like them) but we did see a container ship about 10 miles out from the coast. Diane called them and they answered almost immediately. They said they had seen us on radar - they were bound for Puerto Cabello, the major commercial harbor we had passed by. I was a little concerned we might have to alter course to avoid them but it seemed they did first. I increased our speed though (higher RPM) and we passed safely in front by about 500 yards. We got into Ensa Cata and anchored in 23 feet of pretty clean water (nothing to compare to Bonaire but it was clear if very green) about 8.5 hours after leaving Chichiriviche. The west side of the bay was a nice beach and full of beach chairs, umbrellas and people, as well as 2 large, very anomalous, high rise buildings. We anchored on the eastern side of the bay and little after we had the anchor set, a couple in a Sunfish from the beach came over to say hello and ask some questions. They didn't speak English much but we communicated. The little beach in front of us was also populated and the pineros started coming out to bring them back to the other side shortly after we arrived. The combination of boat wakes and swell made it very rolly, and the swell continued through the evening. We decided to leave early again for Marina Caraballeda, another 53 miles down the coast. That trip though, would be almost directly into the wind and waves - we had almost been able to sail today's passage since it was southeast into an east wind. We slept for a few hours but were woken by the anchor chain rumbling. I got out to check and the wind had shifted to the south to southwest and was very light. It was 11:30 and since Diane was up, I suggested that we leave then. She agreed and since the dinghy was already tied down, I just made some coffee, got some things put away and we left Ensa Cata at about 1am. We had to be a bit careful leaving since a fishing boat had come in and anchored right behind us. Fortunately, at 1am we could see his outline against the lights coming from the 2 apartment buildings on the other shore. I raised the main in the bay and we motored out into a 5-10 knot breeze from the east-southeast. The swells were still pretty big though and the boat pounded on the larger ones since we were going almost directly into them on a course of 92 degrees. We were about 30 minutes into the passage when I turned on the autopilot and within a few minutes, we saw it wasn't working again. The same error message flashed as on the passage from PLC to Los Roques. We had to hand steer and although I tried spraying some anti-corrosion liquid into the connectors, it didn't work so we had to hand steer to Caraballeda. It had worked from Bonaire down to the coast and to Ensa Cata, so I figured the electrical contacts were slightly corroded again and would try to clean them after we anchored. The rest of the trip was very calm and the wind continued to decrease to almost nothing by the time we passed the commercial port of La Guaira, next to the Caracas Airport. At that time, interestingly, we saw on top of a mountain (and the coast here is very mountainous) the Humbolt Hotel that we had seen on our visit to Caracas last year. The swell was still there but tolerable without any wind waves on top of it. We also found a nice counter current of about .5 knot (the Equatorial Current goes west so our little counter current helped us along to the east) so we made the trip in 9.5 hours, arriving at the marina breakwater at 10:30am, motoring all the way. We approached Marina Caraballeda (easily seen on a large headland with a large radio tower) and went in to find that the fuel dock was closed on Sundays. Diane couldn't believe it; the one in PLC is open all weekend but not this one. Oh well; we would have to anchor and decide what to do, as it was too late to continue on to Carenero. We motored out of the enclosed marina and as I went up to drop the anchor, I noticed some yellow-green oil on the deck under the vang - the hydraulic vang. Sure enough, the seal was leaking. I got a rag to wipe the deck a little so I wouldn't slip, and anchored just inside the breakwater in about 21 feet of pretty murky water. I then inspected the vang more closely. There was a leak from the cylinder and when I released the mainsheet, the boom rose, meaning that the vang wasn't working. It wasn't something that I could fix, but also it wasn't absolutely needed to sail so it would have to wait until we got to PLC to deal with. After we got the hook down, we talked about it and decided to continue on to Carenero tonight and get fuel there. Caraballeda wasn't a very pretty spot and it was also noisy. We still had over ½ tank of fuel and although I thought we could make it all the way back to PLC on what we had, Diane wanted to get more. So, we rested the rest of the day, although I checked and cleaned the contacts on the autopilot. It tested OK - hopefully it will work tonight. Monday night the autopilot did work, at least some of the time. We got up at 2am, and after I had my first sip of coffee, we left at 2:45am. The current inside the breakwater had actually turned us facing west but once we got out from behind the marina breakwater, it was from the east all the way. Actually, there was very little wind (predicted light winds and the katabatic effect) from the ESE at about 5-8 knots. There was some swell of about 2-3 feet but of course, no wind waves on top of that so we had a pretty easy motor. We found a little of the counter current again but not much. Since we left a little later than last night, I motored at a higher RPM, about 2400 and we made about 6 to 6.5 knots, depending on if the wind was helping; I had raised the main before I even raised the anchor since there was virtually no wind in the anchorage. Since the autopilot was acting up and didn't work at all until I came on watch at about 4am, it wasn't a very relaxing trip. It was the same distance as the one from Ensa Cata to Caraballeda but we had to go around a large headland, Cabo Codera. We passed La Guaira, one of the main commercial ports on the coast but saw no traffic except some dolphins that made a brief appearance. I had never seen them so late at night before. The trip was very easy though since the wind and seas were down, and the wind had died completely by 4am. Diane had gotten out her Walkman since she likes to listen to tunes while on watch. I decided to listen on mine also, but it seemed somehow incongruous listening to Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" while sailing along the wild coast of South America! We rounded Cabo Codera around 10:30, with the wind picking up a little, and found the little bay just before the town of Carenero. W wanted to go to Carenero and buy some fuel and maybe some provisions, but first though, we wanted to relax from the last few days so we went into Bahia de Buche and anchored in about 20 feet after a 9-hour passage. The entrance was a bit tricky with shallows on either side, and mangroves surrounded the bay so the water wasn't very clear. There was a small beach where some locals had brought their powerboats for the day, but they will probably leave around sunset. It was a very pretty place and much different from anywhere we had been recently. While we were entering though, I noticed that the tachometer was going crazy. That usually means that the alternator or the voltage regulator is not doing well. Since we were so close to anchoring, I didn't check it at the time. After we anchored and got some shade canvas up, flaked and covered the main and had lunch, I checked it again. I first checked the voltage regulator and that was OK. Checking the alternator meant I had to run the engine but since we had been motoring for 9 hours, I didn't want to do that right away. I would have to run the engine to charge the batteries anyway so I could wait for that (of course, if its not working, I won't be able to charge the batteries!) At least the autopilot worked for the last 2 hours and we saw some Scarlet Ibis fly overhead during lunch (we hadn't seen them since we were in el Golfo de Cariaco). We just relaxed the rest of the day - both of us pretty tired. The only problem was that the locals there had brought out a stereo system and it was impossible to sleep. Most of them left by 4:30 though and it was pretty quiet after that. The last 2 boats left at 8pm, pretty late but they seemed to know the entrance pretty well - at least they didn't get stuck. As the saying goes, "no rest for the weary", as we had rain, some of it pretty hard, about 5-6 times during the night. I eventually just slept on the settee while Diane stayed in the v berth since it was easier to get up to close the hatches. |