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Larry's LogTuesday we got up early due to a rain shower but even though it stopped quickly, we didn't get going until about 7. It was only about 30 miles Juangriego and Diane wanted to eat something and then listen to the weather at 6:45. We got underway in very light conditions, winds about 5-10 from the east. We motor sailed most of the way until we turned Cabo Negro at the northeastern tip of the island, when the wind and waves were behind us. Then we sailed, a very nice sail, at about 6 knots on a broad reach until we got to Punta Galera, where we turned south into the bay with Juangriego. A small mountain blocked the wind just as we got around and then it accelerated (a la the 'Bequia Blast') until we got into the Juangriego anchorage itself. There it was a fairly steady 10-15. We dropped the anchor at about 12:30 near some other boats in 15 feet of water and while I straightened out the boat, Diane made lunch and put on the cockpit canvas to block the sun. I just started to relax when Diane called me that the toilet was broken. When I looked at it, I saw the key that holds the handle had fallen out. It was fixed in 10 minutes. Diane prepared dinner and I went back to relaxing. She then took a nap. Launching the dinghy from deck would have to wait until tomorrow. Wednesday, November 13, today is Diane's birthday. The wind died overnight except for a small breeze, which kept us from getting hot but it wasn't enough for the wind generator so the batteries were down a bit in the morning. The anchorage was a little noisy that morning, with dogs, cars, and especially fishing boats going in and out. It didn't seem to matter which side of the anchorage you would be on, they were there. After launching the dinghy, putting the engine on and getting it ready, we went around the bay slowly looking for a good beach to land. We finally went beyond the main dock and beached the dinghy by the restaurant we were told about by Maha III. The owner kindly came out and helped drag the dinghy up the beach above the high tide mark and kept our oars and fuel line/filter behind his bar until we came back. He also let us wash up a bit and then we went on our tour of Juangriego. Walking around the quaint town was very nice and the beach was pretty with all the colorful fishing boats lined up. We found the church and that also very nice but the light was wrong for pictures so we came back in the afternoon for better shots. They were also having a funeral at the time. We continued along and ate lunch at Patrick's, a French bar/restaurant and hotel. It was a little expensive but the meal was very good and after all, Diane's worth it, right? After a good lunch, we walked a bit more and then went back to the restaurant where we left the dinghy. It was still there and looked untouched. We had a couple of beers there, collected our stuff and then went back to the boat. We were going to raise the dinghy immediately but the wind picked up and a squall was coming so we waited, but amazingly, even though it had been raining just 200 yards away and was coming right for us, it dissipated in that space and we stayed dry. It did though give us a full rainbow instead. After enjoying the 'silver lining' without the dark cloud, we hoisted the dinghy and relaxed the rest of the day. The batteries were full between the sun and wind. It was too bad the water was dirty; I would have run the watermaker. The next day, after listening to the weather, we decided to leave Juangriego for La Blanquilla tomorrow since the winds were forecast to still be light to moderate (15-20) from the ENE. We went into town at about 9:30, beached the dinghy in the same place and left the oars etc, with the same people and went on an excursion to the small fort near the town. El Fortin was significant in the independence of Venezuela as Bolivar forces were landed there. The fort itself wasn't much but it was a nice walk up a very easy hill and the view was nice. We also saw on the other side into the small bay just north of Juangriego, which looked very nice. We walked around the hill, looking at the views and then walked back through town. We ate lunch (pizza) at a restaurant on the beach and found it very good and pretty cheap. Diane bought some more wine since the prices here were even better than Porlamar and then we went back to the restaurant where we left the dinghy, had some more beers and then, back to the boat. The next few minutes illustrate why we like Venezuela, and Venezuelans, so much. On the way back, we stopped at the fuel dock to see if we could get some more gas and maybe some ice. They were out of ice and the pumps weren't working, but the attendant was extremely nice and offered to siphon some gas for us. At first he said he would go into town and get some for us but after we came back with our small 2.5-gallon container, he just siphoned some from his boat. I held the dinghy, since the dock was situated such that the wind would blow you against it, while Diane brought the container to him. She spoke to him and the Guardia Nacional on duty and they were all great. The attendant then wouldn't accept any payment for the gas but in anticipation, Diane had brought in some chocolate since they had been so nice in just making the offer. Back to the boat, we got the outboard and everything else out of the dinghy. Diane started her Beef Burgundy, which turned out OK but not as good as last time. We then hoisted the dinghy on deck and I started getting everything ready while Diane finished preparing dinner. We wanted to leave as early as possible in the morning to make the 60 miles in daylight. I usually assume making 6 knots on average but hoped that since trip was downwind and with the current, we could do better than that. Friday we both got up about 2am, earlier than we planned, so we decided to leave for La Blanquilla then. I got the dinghy tied down and readied things on deck while Diane did the same below. We upped anchor, surprisingly muddy, at about 3:30 and raised the main and motor sailed until about 7am. It was a very light wind, from the East at about 5 knots initially. We ran the watermaker for about 4 hours while we ran the engine and passed numerous small fishing boats, with lights, (hopefully they all had lights) and some larger fishing boats at about 25 miles outside Juangriego. The boat rolled since it was a broad reach and the wind was pretty light, eventually increasing to about 10-12 knots by early morning. It was a really beautiful sunrise, and as the day came on, the wind increased to about 15 knots from the ESE and we had a nice broad reach with full main and jib. At first, it was very fluky but then steadied. We averaged our 6 knots and got to La Blanquilla about 12:30. It was a really clear day and we saw the very flat island from about 12 miles out. Typically, you can only see the 60-foot high island from about 7-8 miles. Of course, we saw the 600-foot high islands called Los Hermanos, near La Blanquilla, from more than 25 miles away. The sail was pretty uneventful except for a nasty little wave that crashed aboard the stern just 2 seconds after Diane had moved away. It only happened that once. She also didn't get seasick, although she had taken 2 Sturgeron that morning. We arrived at Playa Yaque, the main anchorage, at about 12:30 and dropped anchor in about 25 feet over sand. The anchorage was not crowded but there were 12 boats there, a surprising number. After we got the boat settled, Susan and Don, from Sunrise, came by and said there was a get together on the beach tomorrow at about 5. We then just relaxed - Diane took a nap and I read my book. Getting the dinghy in the water would wait for tomorrow. After the long day yesterday, I got up a bit later than usual. We listened to the various radio nets, ate breakfast, and then launched the dinghy. It was somewhat difficult since the wind was up - it got out of my hands while Diane was winching it up and got turned around but there was no damage and we got in the water OK. During a lull, we got the engine on then just relaxed for most of the morning, running the water maker again. Not one to miss a social occasion, we went to the beach at about 5pm for the potluck drinks and snacks. We saw some people we knew already, like Jim and Pat from Lady M III, and Paulette and Frank from Amphitrite, and met some new people also. We also saw a Crested Caracara (a large bird somewhere between an eagle and a vulture) for the first time and some small swallows unlike the ones we saw in Trinidad or PLC. The snacks were very good and of course, the drinks were rum (duty free from Margarita) and Coke. We got back around 9pm, almost bedtime. |