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Larry's LogAfter dinner, I found a small leak at the hot water heater. I discovered it while doing a check of the new hose clamps I had used to fix the first problem. New hose clamps should be retightened after some use, but of course, they shouldn't be tightened too much else you run the risk of cutting the hose under it.. One thing you learn is to keep checking things, even after you think you checked them already. After some early morning rain that required closing the hatches, it cleared up nicely. We had decided to go shopping for liquor and beer that morning, but we also had to return some info on Merida that Stewart on Sweet Dreams had kindly given us the day before. They were anchored just in front of us and were planning to leave for Merida today, leaving their boat (and dog) in the care of some friends. Stewart had come by on Saturday asking about the KISS wind generator and we started talking. After getting the dinghy in the water and bringing the Merida materials back Sweet Dreams, we went in to the dock. We got on the bus that took cruisers from 'Marina Juan' (much more crowded than it was in July) to go shopping at Sigo, one of the large supermarkets in Porlamar. Of course we got the important provisions (rum, beer and wine) but also bought some frivolous stuff like milk, eggs and bread. After shopping, we had pizza for lunch in the little "deli" at the mall and then got the bus back. After unloading everyone's stuff from the bus, we carried our goodies (about 6-7 boxes) to the dinghy, loaded it on the dinghy and then unloaded it onto the boat. Of course, it had rained again while we were gone and since the hatches were closed but not tightly, our bed got wet, as did the aft head and galley - oh well. We heard on the morning weather that a tropical wave was coming through with rain, and it did although we thought it was past us early in the morning. It took most of the rest of the afternoon to get the stuff put away (I helped) and then I brought the boxes back to the dock. It was a rainy, dreary day and I had to run the engine again to keep the batteries charged. The next day I dropped Diane off at the dock at about 9 to go shopping again (naturally) while I stayed on the boat to get diesel and water from the boats that come around to sell it. I had contacted both earlier and saw the diesel boat after I dropped Diane off so I went over and made sure he knew to come over. Diane had called the "Wateraby" earlier by radio. I went back to the boat and got everything ready, the fuel filter, the deck key, etc. While waiting, I cleaned the shells a bit again and set them out to dry. Finishing that, I took the binoculars to look for the 2 boats and saw them both; I started waving and of course, they both came over at the same time. The diesel guy had a faster boat and so got to me sooner. He tied up alongside (I put out fenders beforehand), came aboard and the kid with him pumped 130 liters, which almost filled the tank. Of course, I added biocide at the same time. After he finished, I took the fuel filter and emptied it into a jar to look at the fuel he had been pumping. There was some dirt and I handed it back to him just to get rid of it and he emptied the cup of fuel into his engine's tank. I guess he had a good fuel filter on the engine. While the diesel was pumped, the water guy tied up on the other side. After paying and casting off the diesel boat, I started on the water. I put water into both tanks and we took about 250 liters. We wanted to start the trip to La Blanquilla and La Tortuga with full tanks and could use the watermaker once there. About 10 minutes after the "Waterbaby" left, Diane called on the radio that she was back so I got the dinghy around and went in to get her. The wind had picked up and was now about 15 or so in the anchorage and it made for a bumpy ride. After lunch, she was going to go shopping again at a different place but decided against it. We just relaxed the rest of the day - it rained off and on for much of the afternoon but cleared that night. So much for never raining in Margarita. The next morning we went shopping again at Sigo. We wanted to really stock up on liquor and wine (duty free means cheap) in Margarita and also get some meat, etc. We got back around 1:30, Diane put things away and wrote everything down on her provisioning list. Later, we went into Jak's , the local cruisers' hangout bar/restaurant, for some drinks and dinner - that was very good; fried calamari, French fries and salad for each of us and 7 (small) beers for about 10 US. Since there were some northerly swells coming down over the next day or so, we decided to listen for the weather the next morning and decide then if we would go round to Juangriego tomorrow. Listening to the weather at 7:15, we didn't go today as we heard that the northerly swell was up and besides, Diane got up late. We decided to leave Monday, so instead, we went shopping at another mall, this time with a Home Depo type place (Rattan Plaza) where I bought some stuff, including a replacement for my failing rotary tool. I bought a Dremel at a price that wasn't too far from what it would be in the States. We had lunch there and came back to Jak's for a beer. Since we were staying for a few more days, Friday we went to shore to go to another big mall (Diane likes to shop) and drop off some laundry at a local place we heard did a good job. At the laundry, we found out there was a minimum weight and we didn't have that amount so we went back and Diane got the rest, which more than covered the minimum (we had been out for several weeks already). After that, took a cab to the mall - a really big one that was only 18 months old and very nice. After walking around, buying some tee shirts and eating lunch we decided to stay and see the movie - "K-19", with Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, excellent! It was in English with Spanish subtitles so we had no problems. We got a cab back to the 'marina' and got back to the boat with no problem, even after dark, although raising the dinghy in the dark was a but tough. It rained overnight, poured actually, and I had to get up to close all the hatches. It rained a bit in the morning too but then cleared nicely. We got up, went in to get our laundry from yesterday and they seemed to do a good job, although some of the things were still stained. Diane said they required soaking in bleach. After we got back to the boat, Diane worked on the finances while I read my next Patrick O'Brian book. After lunch she took a nap and I continued reading - a lazy day. The only eventful thing that happened was the sangria bottle opened up in the refrigerator just before dinner and spilled most of its contents - what a mess. Diane wanted to clean it up before it stained everything (her hands were somewhat purple after that). The next morning, we visited Sweet Dreams and spoke to Denise and Stewart for a bit about their trip to Merida which they loved and where we planned to visit when we got back to PLC. I then dropped Diane off on shore to play dominoes (Sunday was dominoes) while I went back and read my book and put leather strips on the sharp outboard corners of the solar panels, to protect heads (mainly mine) from the edges. When the dominoes game was over, Diane got a ride back from Graham and Denise on Maha III. They had been cruising for several years and had told Diane about Juangriego so we all talked about the area for a bit. Since we wanted to leave tomorrow, we started getting ready and making preparation on Monday. Diane went shopping again for fresh veggies and meat while I got more gas for the outboard at the fuel dock about ½ mile down the bay. Getting there was OK although it had started to blow already. Once there, it was a rough dock, very high, with old truck tires to protect boats from the rusting concrete. The tires were making black marks on the dinghy cover but luckily an attendant helped with my painter and I gave him the 2 jerry jugs and said 'gasolina". He filled the containers, about 19 liters in one and 10 liters in another and the cost was 2300 Bs. He cast me off and I called back "muchas gracias." Getting back was difficult since I couldn't plane into the chop so it took about 20 minutes, although I didn't get wet. Once there, I put oil into the containers right away (I learned my lesson) and got everything together to clean the bottom, primarily the prop and through-hulls. Cleaning the prop took about 45 minutes and the thru-hulls another 15. The bottom needed it badly but I didn't have time since I needed to pick up Diane after she came back. I got on the boat, rinsed everything and took a shower myself and as I was drying off, the radio went off. So I got dressed and went to go pick her up with the last groceries before leaving for Juangriego and La Blanquilla. Once back, we wanted to fill our water tanks and called 'Waterbaby' to come but he didn't show up until about 4. While waiting, we made a last minute run to get rid of some garbage and then, back at the boat we took off the outboard engine and everything else and got ready to leave. After we got water, we relaxed a bit since it was blowing to much to get the dinghy on deck but eventually, we just went and hoisted it without too much of a problem, and left it raised by the bow to let air below - I would tie it down tomorrow. I got some other little things done in preparation like get the lines ready, tie down the gas containers and take down the solar panels. It's amazing how long the process is to go from 'at anchor' to 'underway', and it's even longer from 'at the dock' to 'underway.' |