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Larry's LogFriday was again a lazy day but we did go snorkeling in the morning. The wind was about 15 knots and it wasn't too rough out near the reef so we went and found it pretty good. We didn't see anything unusual although I did find another octopus inside his lair. The telltale sign was a bunch of discarded shells just outside the hole. I saw them, looked inside and, sure enough; there he was, staring out at me. We got back to the boat a little after noon and had lunch, ran the watermaker, relaxed and read the rest of the day. The weather was still beautiful although the wind generator still had a problem with a breeze over 18 knots. I had gotten the email address of the maker in Trinidad from Bob on Happy Ours. He was in Cartagena now but I spoke to him on the SSB in the morning - they were fine and enjoying the marina and the locale. We did have some bad news though that morning. Pete and Lanie on Marnel IV had gone to Curacao but had broken the boom during a gybe. Nobody was hurt but it would certainly delay them from continuing west. The breeze was only about 12-15 for most of the next day so it was very pleasant and the wind generator kept working well. We went snorkeling around 11 after running the waternaker and enjoyed it as the water was blue again (it had turned green but still mostly clear) but we didn't see anything particularly interesting, although I did spot a very large snapper (couldn't tell what kind it was since he swam away when I got within 50 feet) and also a small stingray. We got back to the boat and had lunch and didn't do much the rest of the day except read, but we did watch a movie in the afternoon since the wind generator was doing so well in the moderate breeze. We had a very nice day on Sunday as well with a good breeze, about 12-15 knots. We ran the watermaker in the morning again and went snorkeling around 11 to the patch reefs between the main barrier reef and the blue hole. We had a very good time there, seeing several moray eels, a lobster and some very large Rainbow Parrotfish. I think I also saw a small fish called a triplefin - only about an inch long with a triple dorsal fin (many fish have 2 dorsal fins but I think these are the only ones to have 3). I say "I think" because the fish is so small I could barely see all the distinguishing characteristics. We were out there for about 2 hours. Once back at the boat and cleaning the conch (and then cleaning the dinghy from cleaning the conch) that Diane found, we had lunch and read for most of the afternoon. The wind was really up again the next day, about 20 to 25 knots, making snorkeling a little difficult. So we just stayed on the boat and did some little chores. I started another ropework project, covering a wood handle with some hitching and then putting a turk's head over the ends and I finished it by the end of the day - and it looked pretty good. We also watched a movie in the afternoon since we had the power. Interestingly, the water had turned greenish again, even though the wind was blowing. I would have thought the flushing action from the wind and current would keep it blue but there must be some other factor at work as well. Tuesday the wind was up again overnight so the wind generator was only producing power when the boat swung into the wind (I had feathered it), so the batteries were a little low in the morning. After doing the net and running the watermaker, we went out snorkeling to the spot just behind the barrier reef and in front of the blue hole. The wind had eased off a bit and was now a very nice 10-12 knots so the waves weren't bad. The snorkeling was pretty good although not as good as the last time. However, Diane discovered a spot that had many large conch so we collected 8 of the largest. Of course, that meant I had to get them out of the shell and even though I now knew how to do it properly, it still took over an hour. Then I had to clean up the tools and the dinghy. Diane, though, had the job of skinning them, so that wasn't easy either (although she could do that sitting down inside the boat). We got back from snorkeling about 1, I finished with the conch about 2 so we had a late lunch. Afterward, Diane was busy with the rest of the conch preparation so I just read. A little before dinner, we had some surprise 'guests.' A pod of dolphins, probably the same ones we had seen last year when Dolphin Street had been here with us, swam by the boat, jumping and cavorting around. Actually, I think they were fishing and the jumps and splashing were meant to frighten their prey into a 'bait ball' so they could feed easily. We watched them for a while and they came close to the boat sometimes but they were pretty far away within about a minute, as we had talked about trying to get in the water with them. They stayed in the general area for a while and we could see them for about 30 minutes but they were about 80 yards away and moving fast all over the area, much too fast for us to attempt to swim after or follow. Dinner was, of course, conch fritters - very good. There were some clouds in the early morning the next day but they cleared up by about 10 and the breeze was again a very nice 10-12 knots so it started out as a great day. After running the watermaker for a couple of hours, we went snorkeling. This time, we went to the reef just to the north of the blue hole. We went up toward the main barrier reef and I saw lots of large fish - too bad we don't have a spear gun, dinner would have been good. We didn't see any new fish but the reef was pretty and the water very clear. We did find a new species of conch though, called a milk conch. The ones we normally see (and eat) are called queen conch, but this one was much smaller and had a whitish shell. We cleaned the bottom of the dinghy while we were anchored in shallow water (about 4 feet), watching a large barracuda nearby that seemed to have gotten curious about us. He was about 6 feet long and would get with about 12 feet of us but he never threatened us in any way. Back at the boat we just took showers, rinsed off the snorkeling gear and relaxed and read for rest of the day. Since the wind was blowing nicely and the wind generator was working well in 12 knots, we watched another movie - "Titanic", perhaps not the best one to watch when you're cruising. Thursday I did the net this morning as usual, filling in until the 'real' net controller comes off the hard, but there was someone doing email, which interferes with people trying to get through. There have been announcements to please not do email during this period but I suppose some people just don't care. To make sure people don't get the wrong idea, the rest of today was very busy. I spent the entire morning in the water cleaning the boat - the waterline, the through hulls, the propeller and shaft, and the anchor chain. There was a lot of grass growing along the waterline, mostly on the line where the black bottom paint met the blue bootstripe. There was also lots of growth on the bootstripe itself since it's under water much of the time. The anchor chain looked like the grass was really enjoying the slightly rusty metal and it was a pain to dive down to scrub it. The hull itself looked pretty good except for the bottom of the keel which I was just too tired to do when I finished. Diane, in the meantime, had done some hand laundry and cleaned up below deck. After lunch, we went snorkeling again to the reefs between the blue hole and the main barrier reef. I went up toward the barrier reef and saw some nice fish; large Rainbow Parrotfish, a Midnight Parrotfish, 2 moray eels and a Sand Tilefish, in addition to the usual cast of characters. The current was fairly strong and Diane stayed back behind the patch reefs, mostly looking for more conch, which she found. When we got back to the boat, of course, that meant I had to get them out of the shell, easier now but still a pain (of course, they do taste good). After that was done and the dinghy cleaned up, we just relaxed and listened to the weather. It was supposed to be 15 to 20 knots through the weekend so we figured we would move to the little island to the west of us and wait until it calmed down a bit to move on to Sotavento, the next set of islands to the west. They were only 15 miles away but Diane gets seasick if the waves are much more than 5-6 feet so we decided to wait until they were down. The next day, we started moving west again although not very far. As soon as the light was good, we left the blue hole and went to the island on the west side of Barlovento, Isla Oeste. It took a little over an hour to motor there and we arrived about 11:30. There was another boat but there was still enough room for us to go in about the same spot we were in last year; 18 feet of water in a nice sandy spot. Most of the bay was coral so you had to be careful about where you dropped the hook. After anchoring, we got everything back to normal, putting up the sun canvas, etc. Interestingly, by the time we had lunch, unnoticed by us, the other boat had left and gone around to the other side of the island, where the cruising guide recommends. The guide doesn't recommend this area because of the coral bottom, but as I said there are large sandy patches. The only problem with this bay is that it rolls here because it's not protected from the north at all and there was a slight swell coming in from that direction. After lunch, we went snorkeling to the large reef about 20 yards to the south of us. Unfortunately, the water wasn't very clear - green and a little murky but the reef itself was nice. We didn't see anything unusual but before we swam back to the boat, I did see a large school (about 20 individuals) of large Midnight Parrotfish, with some large Rainbow Parrotfish as well. After swimming back to the boat, we went to shore to walk around and then took a little swim to cool off. There was nobody else around and the fisherman shack was deserted, so we exposed a little more skin than usual. Not for too long since the sun is really strong, even at about 4pm. We went back to the boat and had our sundowners and saw someone (another cruiser) walking along the beach - if he had been about an hour earlier, he would have had a different kind of experience. The next day we started to get ready to leave for Sotavento but found time in the morning to go to shore and walk around the island. It was a beautiful day again with just some light, puffy clouds and the breeze was about 10 knots (we could have used a little more but it was OK). We walked around, found more nesting boobies as we did last year, as I took some pictures. We also looked at the anchoring spot that the cruising guide recommended - there was a boat there but the water looked either very deep or too shallow. After walking, we went for a swim since it had started to get hot. We had left the boat around 10 and it was close to noon when we got back to the dinghy. Back at the boat we had lunch, relaxed a while and then I started to get the dinghy ready for the trip tomorrow. Since it was only about 9 miles of open water and it was predicted to be only about 15 knots, I was going to tow the dinghy but I still wanted to get everything out of it, like the oars, gas tank, etc. and remove the engine as well. The danger was that it would flip and dump everything. I always tow it with both the towing bridle and the painter attached. Diane helped with the engine and then I rinsed everything off (including myself) and let the gear dry before putting it away. Diane made some bread again in the afternoon which we had for dinner. She was getting pretty good at bread baking. We got up early on Sunday, listened to the weather and continued getting ready to leave. After I did the net, we left for Sotavento at about 8:30. The trip was uneventful with the winds about 12-15 knots from the southeast with seas fairly large for that wind velocity, about 5-7. I suppose the seas were left over from the higher winds overnight which were about 18-20 knots. We got to Sotavento and had the anchor down at noon - we had motorsailed with just the jib since the batteries needed to be charged and we had the watermaker going as well. As we turned to go around the island toward the anchorage, Diane spoke to the Guardia Costa staff at the station there. They were very nice and even got someone who spoke English to get our information; where we had come from, where we were going, how many people on board, etc. They said they stood by on VHF channel 16 24 hours a day and to call if we needed help. Diane thanked them and we think we'll try to pay them a visit before we leave. The approach to the anchorage near Isla Larga wasn't difficult but we did have to keep watch for the many reefs nearby. The toughest part was the beginning, judging where to cross some very shallow water after turning in from the open water. It was also a little early, still about 10:30 so the sun was still in front of us as we came in and started to go back east after rounding the west tip of the island. But we managed and anchored in a nice size bay surrounded on 3 sides by mangroves, with the eastern side a small island itself. The water wasn't very pretty, green and a little murky but the bay was pretty and very protected and we anchored in about 17 feet of water. It was still blowing about 15 knots. We ate lunch and decided to move a little to get better exposure to the breeze. We also saw another boat coming in (we had been alone at first) so we quickly cleaned up from lunch and moved about 100 feet back and to the outside. The other boat came in and anchored well inside, about 100 yards from us. There was plenty of room for us and probably 10 other boats if necessary. After moving, since we had already set up the sun canvas, we both just relaxed. Interestingly, about 5pm, the breeze just calmed down to about 12 knots, like someone flipped a switch. Usually wind changes come much more slowly - this time, the wind dropped from a steady 16 - 18 knots to 12 to 15 in a matter of a minute or so. The breeze stayed low all night although it was comfortable sleeping. The wind generator did manage to keep producing some juice all night so the batteries weren't too bad in the morning by the time I did the net. After finishing the net the following morning, I started getting the dinghy ready again while Diane defrosted the freezer. When she had a few minutes, she helped me lower the outboard from the stern rail onto the dinghy's transom. I then finished putting everything back together. We were now alone in the bay since the boat that came in after us yesterday afternoon left early - I think to one of the islands just north of here. Since it was late when I finished and when she finished (she had also made some tortillas), we just had lunch and went snorkeling afterward. We went out to the reef to windward of us and were rounding it on a plane when the outboard lost some power. It happened suddenly but I don't think I hit anything and when I checked the prop later, there was no damage. The engine would still throttle up fine but wouldn't push the boat very fast. Going slowly wasn't a problem so we went to the opposite shore, tied up to the mangroves and went snorkeling. The water was green and a bit murky but it wasn't too bad. I poked around the shallows and the eel grass and found a small Balloonfish, our first one. I also saw a lobster and some other interesting things. After snorkeling, we went to the tiny beach nearby and just relaxed for a while before going back to the boat. I hoisted the dinghy (it was already getting bottom growth), rinsed the gear and looked in the outboard engine owner's manual and several other reference books I have for what might be the problem. Hopefully, it would be something easy or else we would have to cut our stay short here and go to Bonaire to find a mechanic. I told Diane it might be a clog in the fuel system although I couldn't see why that would happen with the large fuel filter I had installed a few years ago. Perhaps there was something there but it would wait until tomorrow. We'll put the engine back on the stern so I can look it over more closely. |