Info on Chichiriveche and storage on our boat

Storage space

40	Doors	average 12x18” and 18’ deep
26	Cubby Storage  Compartments	average 19 x 10” and 15” deep
20	Drawers	2 are extra deep and 30” long and 3 more are 30” long
10 lineal feet	Closet - hanging	1 fwd, 1 aft, 1 nav station, and 1 passage berth
60 cubic feet	Closet - storage	1 fwd, 1 aft, 1 nav station, and 1 passage berth
75 lineal feet	Shelf - storage	averages 4 “ deep
75 cubic feet	Under berth - storage	2 fwd and 1 aft
60 cubic feet	Under floor - storage	1 fwd and 6 saloon
75 cubic feet	Lazarette - storage	cockpit
225 cubic feet	Lazarette - storage	aft
100 cubic feet	Sail locker - storage	2 forward at the bow
40 cubic feet	Beam – storage	1 locker usually used for emergency equip. & life raft

After we shopped for yet more provisions yesterday and were storing things in all the nooks and crannies inside the boat, Bill got to thinking about just how much storage space we have on our boat.  Here is his list of the storage spaces:

Storage Space on our Amel:

40                    Door Cabinets - average 12x18” and 18’ deep

26                    Cubby Storage Compartments - average 19 x 10” and 15” deep

20                    Drawers - 2 are extra deep and 30” long and 3 more are 30” long

10 lineal feet    Closet – hanging - 1 fwd, 1 aft, 1 nav station, and 1 passage berth

60 cubic feet   Closet – storage - 1 fwd, 1 aft, 1 nav station, and 1 passage berth

75 lineal feet    Shelf - storage            - averages 4 “deep

75 cubic feet   Under berth - storage  2 fwd and 1 aft

60 cubic feet   Under floor – storage 1 fwd and 6 saloon

75 cubic feet   Lazarette - storage cockpit

225 cubic feet Lazarette – storage aft

100 cubic feet Sail locker – storage 2 forward at the bow

40 cubic feet   Beam – storage 1 locker usually used for emergency equip. & life raft

All this storage is yet another reason why we think the Amel Super Maramu 2000 is the best boat for cruising.

Today we received an email from our friends Dan & Jaime on S/V Neria.  They are currently enjoying Puerto La Cruz.  They had checked out our blog and saw that we did not know anything about the statues in the cliffs/caves on the southern side of the Golfo de Cuare near Chichiriviche where we were anchored last weekend.  Here is the info they forwarded to us:

“Of anthropological significance, gouged into Mount Chichiriviche is a 250-foot sinkhole named "the Cave of the Indian," with petroglyphs dating to 3400 B.C. - the mysterious beckonings of a people called the Caquetios.  In another nearby cave you'll find dozens of tiny statues of the Virgin del Valle, patron saint of Venezuela's fishermen, and other saints adorning its pockmarked walls. Here and there you will also see offerings or photos of

loved ones. Each July, the Cave of the Virgin - formally known as the Maritime Sanctuary of Our Lady Mother of the Rock - hosts a procession of fishing boats that have been blessed by the local bishop.”

Thanks to Dan & Jaime.  Interesting.

Tonight we are having sundowners with another boat that wants to do the passage to Cartagena about the same time that we hope to go.  We might buddy-boat with them.  They want to get together and talk about the planned passage and where we will stop along the way.  It would be nice to have another boat nearby for this passage just in case either of us experiences any problems.  After all, we are talking about the normally rough water and high-wind area of the Colombian coast.

We will sail over to Curacao on Saturday.  It is only about 20-25 miles and is basically downwind so it should be a pleasant half day of sailing.  Our friends Donna & Bruce will be arriving next Tuesday to visit with us until 5 September.  We have reserved a slip at the Curacao Yacht Club for the 8 days that they will be with us.  Might not stay in the slip each night because we might want to anchor elsewhere some nights, but having a marina slip will allow sleeping with air-conditioning --- a true luxury!  We tried to reserve a slip at Seru Boca Marina but they were fully booked.  There are no other marinas in Curacao that can accommodate our 7-foot draft, so we are fortunate that the private Curacao Yacht Club is willing to rent slips to foreign flagged yachts.  Their rate is 40% more than Seru Boca, but then they know they have you over a barrel so you just smile and fork over the money and be thankful that you found a slip at all. 

Our diesel is down to only 220 liters (we hold 600 liters) and Bill wanted to fill up here in Bonaire.  I suggested that he first call the Curacao Yacht Club and find out the price over there.  Diesel is almost $5 per gallon here at the Harbour Village Marina in Bonaire.  Diesel is 92 NAF (Netherland Antilles Florin) in Curacao.  At our bank’s exchange rate of 1.818, that means the price of diesel in Curacao is about $2.176 per gallon.  Glad Bill called before filling up here in Bonaire.  Obviously we will wait and fill up in Curacao.  At that low price we will also fill up all our jerry cans before we leave for the passage to Cartagena.

Not sure if we will have internet access in Curacao; so if this website is not updated for a week or two that means we didn’t find WiFi.  But we will certainly update before we head out to Cartagena.