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Larry's LogWe left El Muelle at about 8:30 after listening to the Security Net in a very light easterly, about 5 knots, towing the dinghy with the bridle. Passing Puerto Nuevo, we saw the flock of Black Skimmers that Sabai, the British boat we met in Laguna Grande, said were there. We also saw some male Frigate Birds in breeding colors roosting in the mangroves near there. We motor sailed most of the morning and ran the watermaker as well, with the engine at 2000 rpm, with no problem. Since the watermaker feed line was on a tee from the engine intake, I was always concerned that the water flow wasn't sufficient to support both the engine and the watermaker, particularly if the engine was running at high speed. Evidently, there was no problem since both were doing fine. I was glad however, that Joe and I had installed a larger diameter through-hull when we replaced the one that was there originally. We got all the way to Laguna Grande before the wind started to pick up but then, within 30 minutes, it was 20 knots from the ENE. By the time we got to Puerto Real, it was about 25. We arrived in Los Canones, near Puerto Real, at about 2. In getting ready to lower the main, I set up the new lazyjack system I arranged. They finally worked the way I wanted but I still need to make some additions to make them easier to use. After we dropped the anchor, it stayed very windy the entire afternoon and we ran the watermaker again for an hour with the extra power. The wind blew until after sunset but we managed to get the dinghy on deck around 5, although it was difficult. We planned to go to Cubagua tomorrow and Porlamar the day after to meet Kristali and get ready to go to La Blanquilla. All I needed to do in the morning was to tie down the dinghy. We left Los Canones at 5:30 in the morning. It was a bit difficult tying down the dinghy without light but there was a half moon. We got up around 4, awakened by a splash near the boat. I got up but didn't see anything - we assumed it was a fish. I got the main up at about 6 but there was no wind so we just motored with the main in tight. We went down the coast toward Cumana with a little swell at first, even without much wind. At the end of the Araya Peninsula, we turned the corner and now the wind was from the northeast, at about 5. We continued motoring past at least 70 small fishing boats and eventually found the sea bouy that marks the end of the bank off the northwest tip. The wind was still pretty light and we tried to sail but it was not enough wind, there was a chop starting to build and what little wind we had was from the direction we wanted to go so we motor sailed. I furled the jib since it wasn't doing anything and motor sailed with the main only. We saw lots of dolphins coming up past the peninsula, just inside Cumana and then on the outside as well. I heard later that it would have been good to go to some islands called Los Lobos for the night, that are as far east as Coche but just off the Araya Peninsula. Then in the morning you get a nice reach to Porlamar - maybe I'll try that next time. But we were going to Cubagua and by the time we got there, it was blowing 15-18 from the east, with a 3 foot chop. We tacked into the harbor and dropped anchor at noon. We had lunch, got the sail cover on, raised the dinghy and did some other odd jobs around the boat. We ran the watermaker for about a half-hour but the tank then seemed full. Diane had spoken to Kristali earlier and they would be in Porlamar until Saturday or Sunday so we made an effort to get there to see them again. but we needed to stop in Cubagua to avoid the worst of trying to sail directly into the wind and current. We relaxed in Cubagua and by sunset, there were 13 boats in the anchorage. When we were here before in July, there were only 3. The wind didn't let up at all and there was so much that we watched a video that night. Today is November 1, and our 2 year anniversary of starting our cruise. We had left New York for Bermuda on this date, and that passage was the worst of the entire trip. Everything else had been easy compared to crossing the Gulf Stream in a 35 - 40 knot breeze from the Northwest. So was it good to get the worst over with right away, I suppose so - it gave us a really good sea story to tell. Anyway, we left Cubagua at about 0545 and motored for about 6 ½ hours into the wind and current. The wind was relatively light at about 15 from the East but the chop was uncomfortable. We arrived at Porlamar at about noon. The trip was uneventful except Diane discovered just before we arrived that the port side water tank was empty and the pump was running. It must have happened during the passage since we had used the water from that tank before we left Cubagua. It must have emptied into the bilge but I would not be able to address it until we anchored, and we did soon drop the hook near Kristali in about 12 feet of water. Michael, the 16 year old from Kristali, came over after we anchored and told us that Steve and Connie were shopping and would be back soon. We got the boat a little more organized and I started to look at the water problem. It wasn't apparent at first exactly where the leak was from but as I was working on it, Steve and Connie stopped by. They still had their provisions in the dinghy so we just talked a bit and they went back to their boat. They also had a meeting on shore in a few hours to see if they would leave tomorrow with some other boats. After they went back, I worked on the water problem and eventually found that a hose had come off a connection from the hot water heater (Connie had suggested a blown hose before they left - you were right Connie). I decided to replace that piece of hose since it was very soft. But I also found that the electrical connection to the hot water heater was loose so I redid that as well. I left the side of the hot water heater compartment open to let everything dry. Before they left, Steve and Connie said that they would come over after their meeting but we spoke to them later and they said they weren't leaving until Sunday so they would come over tomorrow. We were tired anyway but we were glad that we would see them before they left. When you're in Porlamar, you go shopping and the next morning, that's what Diane did, as soon as I could get the dinghy ready to bring her in to shore. I offered to go but she said no so I went back to the boat, wiped off the stainless from all the salt, put the galley cabinet doors back on and then changed the oil in the watermaker pump. This involved taking the hoses off, removing the pump from its bracket and reading directions in the Little Wonder manual, which were wrong. I figured it out though and although the old oil was a little dark, it was otherwise clean. About 10 minutes after I finished that and put all the tools away, Diane called that she was back at the dock with her groceries. After I picked her up and got back to the boat, we called to invite Kristali to come over around 2:30. They came over with a bottle of wine and some cheese and crackers and we had a great reunion. They also brought over some cruising notes that they had about their time in Venezuela. It was great to see them again, even if only for one day - they were leaving to go to Trinidad tomorrow with 2 other boats along the north coast of Venezuela. Kristali left early this morning and we got up early also but we didn't do much except I cleaned the sea shells we had collected at Laguna Grande and lashed in place some cleats I wanted to use for the lazy jacks. I was going to put them in place permanently but decided to see how the placement was first. I ran the engine for 90 minutes since the wind was light and there wasn't a full day of sun (some rain). That day we discussed what to do for the winter, whether to go back to Trinidad for Carnival, stay in Venezuela or go north again to Martinique. No decisions, but we still had time to figure it out. We had some desire to see Carnival, as it was supposed to be one of the best in the world, along with Marde Gras in New Orleans and Rio, but we also wanted to see more of Venezuela, like Merida, the Andes, and the Los Llanos, which are supposed to be one of the best places in the world for bird watching, and of course, we hadn't seen Los Roques or Las Aves yet, with spectacular snorkeling. |