Boat work in exotic places

September 30, 2006   Saturday

Porlamar, Isla Margarita, VZ

Yesterday we took the bus to Sigo and bought six more cases of cheap beer.  That was all we felt like putting into our cart, so it will have to do.  We also visited an electronics “super store” near the supermarket and purchased another 12 volt DVD player (like for a car).  Our JVC radio/DVD player decided last week to eat one of our DVDs.  We can see the DVD in the unit and it spins freely, but there are two tiny blocking pieces of plastic that will not move down to allow us to eject the DVD.  We have already tried the paper clip trick, thanks to Judy’s computer shop days; but it still will not eject.  We tried contacting JVC via email but haven’t heard back from them.  Repair here is out of the question, so we just bought another unit.

We spent 80% of today replacing the membranes of our watermaker.  It was quite a job.  While disassembling the unit, we discovered that we should also have ordered new end caps and new O rings.  We managed to find a couple of the right sized O rings in Bill’s diving gear, and we installed the new membranes and reassembled the unit and reinstalled it down in the engine room.  Now we must wait until tomorrow afternoon to test it, because we used some 5200 on one of the screws on one of the end caps and must wait for it to cure thoroughly before pressurizing the watermaker.  We figure there is a 50/50 chance that this will work.  Otherwise, we will have to order the parts from France.

After talking with many people here in the anchorage, we really do not want to go to Puerto La Cruz unless we must order these parts to be delivered there.  If we decide to go elsewhere, we will try to make a posting here before we leave; because there will definitely not be internet service in the outer islands.  We hate to forfeit the $600 that we already paid the marina in Puerto La Cruz for the month of October, but we really don’t want to sit there for a month either.  It has been such a light hurricane season that we are willing to take our chances and head on to Tortuga, Los Roques, the Aves, and the ABCs.  The sooner we make the passage from Aruba or Curacao to the San Blas Islands, the better.  October is the best month for that passage, and November is supposed to be okay.  In December it can be one of the roughest passages in the entire world.  We have talked to one person who encountered 45 knot winds and 90 foot seas in that area during a December passage.  This person has sailed down in the roaring forties and said that this passage was rougher than sailing in the Southern Ocean.  We would not venture into that kind of weather.

We don’t know how the men get any work done here in Venezuela with all the distraction by the pretty women in exceptionally low cut tight tops and short skirts or tight pants and high heel shoes.  They are quite distracting and most visually appealing to the male population and male visitors.  The views in Isla Margarita are lovely to say the least.

One day this week we had occasion for another cruiser to visit our boat.  We will leave out both his name and his boat name as well as the reason he visited our boat in order to protect his privacy.  Anyway, this guy obviously is a transvestite.  He was dressed in unisex attire of shorts and tee-shirt when he visited us, but the cosmetic surgery and attempts to appear female were quite apparent.  That is the first time we have seen a transvestite sailor.

We also met a couple of people who are well known down here because of a pirate attack last year.  Judy had read about this online already, and we were surprised to meet them.  Good for both of them; this attack has not changed their attitude about sailing –even remaining here in Venezuelan waters again this season.  They are two single handers, on separate boats.  They just happened to be together on his boat at the time of this attack last year.  Had the woman (who has medical training) not been aboard to treat his wounds, then he certainly would have died.  She was able to stem the blood flow on the head wound, which was the most serious.  Below is a copy of the article about the attack:

August 4, 2005

In the bay next to us in Laguna Grande, Golfo De Cariaco, Venezuela at 11:15 PM pitch black with no moon "D" and "M" aboard the American catamaran "-deleted-" (the only boat there at the time) were awakened by the sound of their dinghy being stolen. The dinghy, a ten foot "Caribe" with a 15 HP "Yamaha" had been raised on aft davits tied but not chained or cabled.
At least four pirates had arrived in a penero. Two of them had swum over to the catamaran, climbed aboard the steps and cut the dinghy's lifting tackle and lines with a machete. They had to know that releasing the dinghy in this fashion would make a lot of noise. It is scary
that they were not concerned. "D" had removed the plastic key from the outboard but the pirates were ready with their own key. This was obviously not their first theft.
"D" came out and started fighting with the two pirates on his boat's aft deck. "-deleted-" at the time had no working flashlight or working lights on it's aft deck. "D" was hit repeatedly with a machete but in the pitch black thought that they were hitting him with a club.
When the pirates jumped into the water "D" followed to try and save his dinghy. Unbeknownst to him a third pirate was swimming the dinghy away. A fourth pirate jumped into the dinghy from the penero and attacked "D" with a machete. The pirates got the dinghy started and took off leaving "D" for dead. "D" swam back to his boat.
"M" spent quite some time stemming "D"'s blood flow by applying compresses. She then weighed anchor and motored to our bay using radar and depthsounder. She was attracted by our bright anchor light and was successful in waking us. I was nervous going out of our locked cabin but the voice was female, she spoke English and I could hear an inboard instead of a penero. We cycled our alarm system and radioed the other boats in our bay for help. As quickly as we could we launched our dinghy and I went over, the first one aboard.
I had never been exposed to anything like this. It was horrible with large pools of blood everywhere on the aft deck and the port steps. "D" was sprawled nude on his back on the aft deck. The average adult holds about five to six liters of blood. "D"'s blood loss would likely have been greatest just after he was injured when he was working hard fighting his attackers and swimming back to his boat. Guessing at what he lost in the water and what I saw on deck he must have lost two to three liters of blood.
In my haste to render assistance I had only donned shorts - no shirt or footwear. It was impossible to move about the aft deck without stepping into the blood. It was very slippery. Later before getting back into our dinghy I rinsed my feet in the sea off the catamaran's aft steps. The next morning the rainwater in our dinghy was tinged pink.
"D" had nine very deep cuts to his head, chest, arms, shoulders and back. He had great difficulty rolling over so that I could check the wounds on his back. The wounds were some two to four inches long through both layers of skin and fat and into muscle. I looked at all of the wounds and ascertained that none of them was bleeding.
"D" was lucid, shaking, throwing up occasionally from shock, reasonably calm and coping well with the pain. He was as comfortable as he could be. I checked three other boats by dinghy and / or radio to find out if any of them had any medical training or medical supplies. Medical supplies were not going to help much as "D" was not bleeding and his cuts were so severe that only a doctor with suturing could help.
I immediately determined that the victim's injuries although quite horrific were not life threatening and given that the bleeding had stopped the crisis was under control. However shock could quickly change that evaluation. My whole focus at that point was getting more help than I could offer and that meant a doctor, nurse or paramedic.
I had no idea how far help would be but assumed that it would not be close. The first choice was to have help come to us in the form of a fast boat. The other boats and Sandra called "Maydays" in English and Spanish on HF as well as VHF but there was no response of any kind. In times of crisis in third world countries we have found that the cruisers generally have to do it themselves.
Greg of "-deleted-" was the only other person to dinghy over to help. He knew the area and knew that help could be secured in Cumana some 12 miles two hours away. He volunteered to drive the victims' boat there. I offered to go along but he felt safer my staying behind in case there were problems with his wife and his boat. Along the way they repeatedly fed "D" liquids and pain pills which he repeatedly threw up. They elevated his legs, forced him to stay awake and kept him as comfortable as possible.
When the catamaran arrived at "Marina Cumanagoto" the night security there pulled out all of the stops calling anyone who spoke English and could help get "D" medical help. "D" was quickly transferred by ambulance to a private hospital and got first class care. The doctor dared not sedate "D" because shock had badly set in. He was given a local anesthetic before his wounds were stitched up. A surgeon and an assistant spent three hours to close up all of "D"'s wounds.
The next day Greg needed a ride back as the catamaran no longer had dinghies. Given the seriousness of what had happened we would have expected the Authorities to rush over and investigate. They could have brought Greg home in some official boat, ship or whatever.
It took four days for the Authorities to visit Laguna Grande and investigate. As was the case with all of the other pirate attacks in Venezuela no one was charged and the Authorities did not recover any of the stolen property.
The marina quickly came to the rescue. They offered free of charge their big double outboard penero to take Greg home. The trip took only 15 minutes. A fast boat when the alarm was raised is the sort of thing which should have been available from the Authorities in the first place. The time that was lost for the catamaran to motor two hours to Cumana could have had "D"'s non life threatening injuries kill him. "D" was interviewed by the local media and the Authorities the next day in the hospital. He recovered extremely well and was out of the hospital within four days.

Stocking up; replacing watermaker membranes

September 30, 2006   Saturday

Porlamar, Isla Margarita, VZ

Yesterday we took the bus to Sigo and bought six more cases of cheap beer.  That was all we felt like putting into our cart, so it will have to do.  We also visited an electronics “super store” near the supermarket and purchased another 12 volt DVD player (like for a car).  Our JVC radio/DVD player decided last week to eat one of our DVDs.  We can see the DVD in the unit and it spins freely, but there are two tiny blocking pieces of plastic that will not move down to allow us to eject the DVD.  We have already tried the paper clip trick, thanks to Judy’s computer shop days; but it still will not eject.  We tried contacting JVC via email but haven’t heard back from them.  Repair here is out of the question, so we just bought another unit.

We spend 80% of today replacing the membranes of our watermaker.  It was quite a job.  While disassembling the unit, we discovered that we should also have ordered new end caps and new O rings.  We managed to find a couple of the right sized O rings in Bill’s diving gear, and we installed the new membranes and reassembled the unit and reinstalled it down in the engine room.  Now we must wait until tomorrow afternoon to test it, because we used some 5200 on one of the screws on one of the end caps and must wait for it to cure thoroughly before pressurizing the watermaker.  We figure there is a 50/50 chance that this will work.  Otherwise, we will have to order the parts from France.

After talking with many people here in the anchorage, we really do not want to go to Puerto La Cruz unless we must order these parts to be delivered there.  If we decide to go elsewhere, we will try to make a posting here before we leave; because there will definitely not be internet service in the outer islands.  We hate to forfeit the $600 that we already paid the marina in Puerto La Cruz for the month of October, but we really don’t want to sit there for a month either.  It has been such a light hurricane season that we are willing to take our chances and head on to Tortuga, Los Roques, the Aves, and the ABCs.  The sooner we make the passage from Aruba or Curacao to the San Blas Islands, the better.  October is the best month for that passage, and November is supposed to be okay.  In December it can be one of the roughest passages in the entire world.  We have talked to one person who encountered 45 knot winds and 90 foot seas in that area during a December passage.  This person has sailed down in the roaring forties and said that this passage was rougher than sailing in the Southern Ocean.  We would not venture into that kind of weather.

We don’t know how the men get any work done here in Venezuela with all the distraction by the pretty women in exceptionally low cut tight tops and short skirts or tight pants and high heel shoes.  They are quite distracting and most visually appealing to the male population and male visitors.  The views in Isla Margarita are lovely to say the least.

One day this week we had occasion for another cruiser to visit our boat.  We will leave out both his name and his boat name as well as the reason he visited our boat in order to protect his privacy.  Anyway, this guy obviously is a transvestite.  He was dressed in unisex attire of shorts and tee-shirt when he visited us, but the cosmetic surgery and attempts to appear female were quite apparent.  That is the first time we have seen a transvestite sailor.

We also met a couple of people who are well known down here because of a pirate attack last year.  Judy had read about this online already, and we were surprised to meet them.  Good for both of them; this attack has not changed their attitude about sailing –even remaining here in Venezuelan waters again this season.  They are two single handers, on separate boats.  They just happened to be together on his boat at the time of this attack last year.  Had the woman (who has medical training) not been aboard to treat his wounds, then he certainly would have died.  She was able to stem the blood flow on the head wound, which was the most serious.  Below is a copy of the article about the attack:

August 4, 2005
In the bay next to us in Laguna Grande, Golfo De Cariaco, Venezuela at 11:15 PM pitch black with no moon "D" and "M" aboard the American catamaran "-deleted-" (the only boat there at the time) were awakened by the sound of their dinghy being stolen. The dinghy, a ten foot "Caribe" with a 15 HP "Yamaha" had been raised on aft davits tied but not chained or cabled.
that they were not concerned. "D" had removed the plastic key from the outboard but the pirates were ready with their own key. This was obviously not their first theft.

At least four pirates had arrived in a penero. Two of them had swum over to the catamaran, climbed aboard the steps and cut the dinghy's lifting tackle and lines with a machete. They had to know that releasing the dinghy in this fashion would make a lot of noise. It is scary
"D" came out and started fighting with the two pirates on his boat's aft deck. "-deleted-" at the time had no working flashlight or working lights on it's aft deck. "D" was hit repeatedly with a machete but in the pitch black thought that they were hitting him with a club.
When the pirates jumped into the water "D" followed to try and save his dinghy. Unbeknownst to him a third pirate was swimming the dinghy away. A fourth pirate jumped into the dinghy from the penero and attacked "D" with a machete. The pirates got the dinghy started and took off leaving "D" for dead. "D" swam back to his boat.
"M" spent quite some time stemming "D"'s blood flow by applying compresses. She then weighed anchor and motored to our bay using radar and depthsounder. She was attracted by our bright anchor light and was successful in waking us. I was nervous going out of our locked cabin but the voice was female, she spoke English and I could hear an inboard instead of a penero. We cycled our alarm system and radioed the other boats in our bay for help. As quickly as we could we launched our dinghy and I went over, the first one aboard.
I had never been exposed to anything like this. It was horrible with large pools of blood everywhere on the aft deck and the port steps. "D" was sprawled nude on his back on the aft deck. The average adult holds about five to six liters of blood. "D"'s blood loss would likely have been greatest just after he was injured when he was working hard fighting his attackers and swimming back to his boat. Guessing at what he lost in the water and what I saw on deck he must have lost two to three liters of blood.
In my haste to render assistance I had only donned shorts - no shirt or footwear. It was impossible to move about the aft deck without stepping into the blood. It was very slippery. Later before getting back into our dinghy I rinsed my feet in the sea off the catamaran's aft steps. The next morning the rainwater in our dinghy was tinged pink.
"D" had nine very deep cuts to his head, chest, arms, shoulders and back. He had great difficulty rolling over so that I could check the wounds on his back. The wounds were some two to four inches long through both layers of skin and fat and into muscle. I looked at all of the wounds and ascertained that none of them was bleeding.
"D" was lucid, shaking, throwing up occasionally from shock, reasonably calm and coping well with the pain. He was as comfortable as he could be. I checked three other boats by dinghy and / or radio to find out if any of them had any medical training or medical supplies. Medical supplies were not going to help much as "D" was not bleeding and his cuts were so severe that only a doctor with suturing could help.
I immediately determined that the victim's injuries although quite horrific were not life threatening and given that the bleeding had stopped the crisis was under control. However shock could quickly change that evaluation. My whole focus at that point was getting more help than I could offer and that meant a doctor, nurse or paramedic.
I had no idea how far help would be but assumed that it would not be close. The first choice was to have help come to us in the form of a fast boat. The other boats and Sandra called "Maydays" in English and Spanish on HF as well as VHF but there was no response of any kind. In times of crisis in third world countries we have found that the cruisers generally have to do it themselves.
Greg of "-deleted-" was the only other person to dinghy over to help. He knew the area and knew that help could be secured in Cumana some 12 miles two hours away. He volunteered to drive the victims' boat there. I offered to go along but he felt safer my staying behind in case there were problems with his wife and his boat. Along the way they repeatedly fed "D" liquids and pain pills which he repeatedly threw up. They elevated his legs, forced him to stay awake and kept him as comfortable as possible.
When the catamaran arrived at "Marina Cumanagoto" the night security there pulled out all of the stops calling anyone who spoke English and could help get "D" medical help. "D" was quickly transferred by ambulance to a private hospital and got first class care. The doctor dared not sedate "D" because shock had badly set in. He was given a local anesthetic before his wounds were stitched up. A surgeon and an assistant spent three hours to close up all of "D"'s wounds.
The next day Greg needed a ride back as the catamaran no longer had dinghies. Given the seriousness of what had happened we would have expected the Authorities to rush over and investigate. They could have brought Greg home in some official boat, ship or whatever.
It took four days for the Authorities to visit Laguna Grande and investigate. As was the case with all of the other pirate attacks in Venezuela no one was charged and the Authorities did not recover any of the stolen property.
The marina quickly came to the rescue. They offered free of charge their big double outboard penero to take Greg home. The trip took only 15 minutes. A fast boat when the alarm was raised is the sort of thing which should have been available from the Authorities in the first place. The time that was lost for the catamaran to motor two hours to Cumana could have had "D"'s non life threatening injuries kill him. "D" was interviewed by the local media and the Authorities the next day in the hospital. He recovered extremely well and was out of the hospital within four days.

Porlamar, Isla Margarita, VZ

NOTE May 27, 2013:  Social conditions are much different in all of Venezuela than when we visited in 2006 and 2007.  We would recommend avoiding VZ until crime abates as it is too dangerous today.

September 28, 2006 Thursday

Porlamar, Isla Margarita, VZ

We were cleared in on Tuesday by Juan Baro.  Fantastic service he provides.  Cannot imagine why anyone would deal with clearing themselves in when Juan makes it so simple.

Marina Juan also provides free bus trips to the Sigo supermarket and shopping center on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Juan gives you a laminated number on a lanyard that you hang around your neck.  You show this number to the cashier when you check out of the supermarket; and they direct you over to some guys who pack up all your groceries into boxes, which are labeled with your number.  The boxes are loaded into a large enclosed delivery truck which follows the bus back to the harbor.  Then the guys unload the boxes and they are wheeled out to the end of the dinghy dock for you.  Talk about service!!  And all this doesn't cost a penny!  Juan does request that you tip the guys 2500 Bs per person -- that is $1.09 USD.  Their services are certainly worth that piddling amount.  And your laminated number also entitles you to a free coke or water at the supermarket.  What a deal!

So, we ventured to Sigo on the bus yesterday.  This was to be just a scouting expedition; we don't need any food on the boat except maybe another loaf of bread.  But Judy cannot go into a supermarket and not find something to buy.  This supermarket would rival any in the states.  They had everything.  Of course, everything is labeled in Spanish; so shopping was interesting.  We did buy a few mystery items---things that we think we know what they are, but are't totally certain.  So some meals might be a bit adventuresome.

Bill has discovered that he likes the local Venzuelan beer called Polar Hielo (ice).  We bought a case.  After we got back to the boat and reviewed the cash register receipt, we discovered that the case of beer cost only $7.35 USD.  We have been warned that booze will cost more on the mainland, so this is the last place to really stock up on cheap beer before we head to the San Blas Islands in late November.  So we really should buy enough to last until end of February, when we should be going through the Panama Canal.  Beer could also be used for bribes or trading if needed.  So we will probably go back to Sigo on the bus tomorrow and buy another 10 cases of beer.  Man; that sure makes us sound like drunks!  And Judy doesn't drink the nasty stuff and Bill really doesn't drink more than 2 beers on any day.  That will be our 5 month supply.

Oh yeah.  Gosh these people can eat!  We went to lunch at a very nice seaside restaurant on Tuesday.  We were astounded at the quantities of food that all the local people ate.  Every single table also was drinking either wine or beer, even the ambulance drivers who had stopped there for lunch.  Absolutely no one was drinking water or soft drinks.  Just a difference in cultures.

We ordered Asopada de Pescadore, which turned out to be like a soupy paella.  It was fantastic and had every imaginable type of seafood in it.  They brought it to the table on a cart in a large soup tureen.  They added a generous splash of olive oil and white wine over the top and served up large bowls to us.  It was delicious but way, way more than we could ever eat in one meal.  We were still so full that we even skipped dinner that night.  We had the leftover soup for dinner again the next evening, and we still have another meal worth in the fridge.  We will have 3 meals from what was served for one lunch. 

When we went grocery shopping, we again noticed how much everyone was eating in the little restaurant tucked into the corner of the supermarket.  And the rest of the world is always joking about the fat Americans and how our restaurants serve such huge portions.  The US doesn't hold a candle to the Venezuelans in that regard.

This afternoon we had diesel delivered to our boat.  The two guys did an excellent job; no bumping against our boat and no drips anywhere.  And the delivered diesel only cost 32 cents USD per gallon!!!!  Man, what a profit you could turn with a shipload of that to the states.  We had been warned that US boats are not allowed to purchase diesel on the VZ mainland, so this was our only opportunity to buy diesel at these ridiculously low prices.  After we leave Puerto La Cruz then we will not be visiting any more inhabited islands.

We will be clearing out with the officials tomorrow.  Actually, Juan's guys will be clearing us out with the officials tomorrow.  We just need to drop off our in-bound clearance papers at Juan's office and they will handle everything and have our departure papers ready by 5:30 tomorrow afternoon.  (We will then take the bus to the supermarket and buy that all-important cheap beer.)  We have 24 hours to leave Isla Margarita after the clearance papers are stamped.  But, since they are closed on weekends, that means that we can leave as late as 7:00 a.m. Monday.  Don't you just love their logic?  You have 24 hours to leave, but we aren't working for 2 days so you really have 3 days to leave.  We plan to leave this anchorage Sunday and move to the west end of Isla Margarita.  That is about 45 miles from here.  From there, it will only be about 55 miles to Puerto La Cruz.  According to the sailing guide books, very few boats visit the west end of Isla Margarita.  So it sounds just perfect for us.

Porlamar, Isla Margarita, VZ

September 28, 2006 Thursday

 

We were cleared in on Tuesday by Juan Baro.  Fantastic service he provides.  Cannot imagine why anyone would deal with clearing themselves in when Juan makes it so simple.

Marina Juan also provides free bus trips to the Sigo supermarket and shopping center on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Juan gives you a laminated number on a lanyard that you hang around your neck.  You show this number to the cashier when you check out of the supermarket; and they direct you over to some guys who pack up all your groceries into boxes, which are labeled with your number.  The boxes are loaded into a large enclosed delivery truck which follows the bus back to the harbor.  Then the guys unload the boxes and they are wheeled out to the end of the dinghy dock for you.  Talk about service!!  And all this doesn't cost a penny!  Juan does request that you tip the guys 2500 Bs per person -- that is $1.09 USD.  Their services are certainly worth that piddling amount.  And your laminated number also entitles you to a free coke or water at the supermarket.  What a deal!

So, we ventured to Sigo on the bus yesterday.  This was to be just a scouting expedition; we don't need any food on the boat except maybe another loaf of bread.  But Judy cannot go into a supermarket and not find something to buy.  This supermarket would rival any in the states.  They had everything.  Of course, everything is labeled in Spanish; so shopping was interesting.  We did buy a few mystery items---things that we think we know what they are, but are't totally certain.  So some meals might be a bit adventuresome.

Bill has discovered that he likes the local Venzuelan beer called Polar Hielo (ice).  We bought a case.  After we got back to the boat and reviewed the cash register receipt, we discovered that the case of beer cost only $7.35 USD.  We have been warned that booze will cost more on the mainland, so this is the last place to really stock up on cheap beer before we head to the San Blas Islands in late November.  So we really should buy enough to last until end of February, when we should be going through the Panama Canal.  Beer could also be used for bribes or trading if needed.  So we will probably go back to Sigo on the bus tomorrow and buy another 10 cases of beer.  Man; that sure makes us sound like drunks!  And Judy doesn't drink the nasty stuff and Bill really doesn't drink more than 2 beers on any day.  That will be our 5 month supply.

Oh yeah.  Gosh these people can eat!  We went to lunch at a very nice seaside restaurant on Tuesday.  We were astounded at the quantities of food that all the local people ate.  Every single table also was drinking either wine or beer, even the ambulance drivers who had stopped there for lunch.  Absolutely no one was drinking water or soft drinks.  Just a difference in cultures.

We ordered Asopada de Pescadore, which turned out to be like a soupy paella.  It was fantastic and had every imaginable type of seafood in it.  They brought it to the table on a cart in a large soup tureen.  They added a generous splash of olive oil and white wine over the top and served up large bowls to us.  It was delicious but way, way more than we could ever eat in one meal.  We were still so full that we even skipped dinner that night.  We had the leftover soup for dinner again the next evening, and we still have another meal worth in the fridge.  We will have 3 meals from what was served for one lunch. 

When we went grocery shopping, we again noticed how much everyone was eating in the little restaurant tucked into the corner of the supermarket.  And the rest of the world is always joking about the fat Americans and how our restaurants serve such huge portions.  The US doesn't hold a candle to the Venezuelans in that regard.

This afternoon we had diesel delivered to our boat.  The two guys did an excellent job; no bumping against our boat and no drips anywhere.  And the delivered diesel only cost 32 cents USD per gallon!!!!  Man, what a profit you could turn with a shipload of that to the states.  We had been warned that US boats are not allowed to purchase diesel on the VZ mainland, so this was our only opportunity to buy diesel at these ridiculously low prices.  After we leave Puerto La Cruz then we will not be visiting any more inhabited islands.

We will be clearing out with the officials tomorrow.  Actually, Juan's guys will be clearing us out with the officials tomorrow.  We just need to drop off our in-bound clearance papers at Juan's office and they will handle everything and have our departure papers ready by 5:30 tomorrow afternoon.  (We will then take the bus to the supermarket and buy that all-important cheap beer.)  We have 24 hours to leave Isla Margarita after the clearance papers are stamped.  But, since they are closed on weekends, that means that we can leave as late as 7:00 a.m. Monday.  Don't you just love their logic?  You have 24 hours to leave, but we aren't working for 2 days so you really have 3 days to leave.  We plan to leave this anchorage Sunday and move to the west end of Isla Margarita.  That is about 45 miles from here.  From there, it will only be about 55 miles to Puerto La Cruz.  According to the sailing guide books, very few boats visit the west end of Isla Margarita.  So it sounds just perfect for us.

Isla Margarita

September 25, 2006   Monday

Los Testigos to Isla Margarita 49.4NM

Arrived at 10.56.985N; 63.49.759W

Sailed out of Los Testigos at 6:00 a.m.  We had nice winds on a beam reach and then the winds clocked around to a broad reach.  It was our nicest sail since we moved aboard and began cruising.  But about 15 miles before our destination, the wind died down.  Even with only 5 knots wind speed, we were able to maintain 4 knots boat speed (probably thanks to current); but at that slow speed it would have been after dark before we arrived.  The guide book says not to arrive in Porlamar in darkness because the local fishermen set nets around the harbor entrance.  So we started the engine and motor sailed the rest of the way and arrived here about 3:00 p.m.

We talked to several of our friends on the VHF radio.  They had all just left the anchorage at Porlamar, Isla Margarita; and were enroute to Isla Coche.  A couple of them asked us to join them in the sail over to Isla Coche; we could continue all together from there to Puerto La Cruz.  But we had to stop in Porlamar because we were delivering a boat part to someone.  Shhhhh……don’t tell anyone, because that means we are smugglers.   Chuck offered to return to Porlamar if we wanted him to accompany us on the passage to Puerto La Cruz, but we told him to go on.  We will be fine on our own.

After seeing this anchorage, we are doubly annoyed with ourselves for staying in Trinidad all summer.  And ESPECIALLY ANNOYED with our insurance company for insisting that we be there instead of here.  Porlamar is a large, very cosmopolitan city with a very large shallow harbor with clear waters.  We contacted Juan Baro, who will act as our agent to clear in and out of here.  We will meet him tomorrow morning and surrender our passports and boat paperwork to him, and he will handle everything for us.  This involves visiting several official offices.  By the time we hired taxis and paid all the fees, it will only cost a bit more to use Juan to handle it all for us; and will be infinitely easier on us.

Taffy and Shirley on S/V The Road came over and picked up their water pump which we had brought from Trinidad.  The hull of The Road is painted black with white stripes all around both sides, like a highway.  It is extremely distinctive.  The Road stands for The Royal Order of Ancient Druids.  Obviously from a name like that, Taffy is from Ireland.  Shirley is from South Africa, and they sailed out of South Africa years ago.  They have an African Gray parrot named Rubbish. 

Rubbish does all kinds of voice antics.  He can mimic almost any sound and talks quite well.  For example, he will make a sound just like a fog horn.  Then he will say “Stop that.  That’s ugly.”  Only he can’t say it quite clearly and it sounds like “that’s uggie.”  Rubbish can also mimic Shirley’s voice perfectly.  Sometimes when Taffy is working on something on the boat and calls for Shirley to come help him, Rubbish will answer as if he is Shirley. 

Taffy:  “Shirley, I need your help straight away.”

Rubbish:  “Coming.  Be right there.”

Several moments later:

Taffy:  “Shirley, I really need your help right this minute; I can’t hold this much longer.”

Rubbish:  “Coming.  Be right there.”

About the third time this occurs, then Taffy realizes that Shirley isn’t nearby and the bird is talking in her voice.  Gotta love this parrot.

The Road was severely damaged 4 years ago when a Venezuelan fishing boat ran over them near Trinidad.  Taffy and Shirley are fortunate that they were not killed in this incident.  They were rescued from the sea by another boat and The Road partially sank.  The Road was then hauled into Trinidad and put on the hard.  Taffy and Shirley had to return to the UK and get jobs to earn enough to repair the boat.  They returned to Trinidad and began working earnestly on the boat in July 2005.  They finally got The Road seaworthy and left Trinidad about 3 weeks ago.  And we thought we were sick of being in Trinidad!

Taffy told us something interesting about Amel boats.  When the EU was setting standards for the CE certifications that all products in Europe are required to meet, they devised a drop test for yachts.  They raise the yacht 2 meters up in a travel lift sling, then they drop it onto a concrete slab.  Of all the boat manufacturers in Europe, only one manufacturer was willing to allow their boats to be tested in this manner.  Of course, it was Amel.  They dropped an Amel like ours from 2 meters height directly onto concrete and the boat passed the test with no structural damage, just mars in the gel coat.  Now, that is impressive.

We have decided that we will stick around Isla Margarita until Sunday.  Certainly no reason to rush off to sit in another marina in Puerto La Cruz.  It is quite pleasant here on anchor in this harbor, even though it does roll a bit at night.  We are sending our laundry ashore to be done.  That is a first for us; we always do that chore ourselves.  But laundry service is so inexpensive here that it doesn’t seem worth the effort to do it ourselves.

It will take us awhile to get accustomed to the exchange rate of 2300 Bolivars to one US dollar.  This means that everything sounds quite expensive but really isn’t.  For example, the broadband WiFi service that we are using cost 40,000 Bs for one week – that sounds like a lot of money but is really only $17.39.  Still a lot for internet service for one week by US standards, but certainly not expensive for this remote place.