Thanks to Linda on s/v "Villomee" for this great picture of us anchored at Spanish Point, Barbuda
We will start by saying that this entire cruising season has been extremely unusual weather wise. It's been pretty crazy! You can ask any cruiser and they will agree. The hot topic at happy hour is how "cold" it has been and where did you ride out the recent blow. There has been more wind than in the past 3 seasons with most days blowing around 20-22 knots and sometimes even with much higher gusts. It has rained at least once nearly every day that we can remember, although it never lasts too long. There have been huge northerly swells that are caused by storms way up in the North Atlantic and make their way down to the Caribbean. During these times, sailing is next to impossible, unless your crazy, and it can be very dangerous. There have been tropical waves that bring in the weather with a lot of clouds. Don't get us wrong, we are not complaining....really....but Mother Nature is in charge here.
Its been quite a while since we have sent you an update but all is well and we are doing fine. At the end of January, after cruising Venezuela for a month, we were finally able to make the 30-hour passage from Coche, Venezuela to Hog Island, Grenada. We traveled with two other boats; our friends on Another Road and Island Dreamin'. We motor sailed against the seas and easterly wind and departed before sun up. The wind was only about 10 knots and the seas were 4 to 5 feet. We had planned on stopping at Los Testigos for the night to break up the trip but we were making such good time. Since the sea conditions were pretty good the decision was to keep on going. However, shortly after passing Los Testigos we ran into a strong NW flowing current that runs between Grenada and Los Testigos. At worst, we were motor sailing at 2500 rpms and only making between 2.7 to 3.0 knots. Without this current, we can do 6.5 knots. It made for rather a slow, bumpy trip. We arrived at Hog Island, Grenada the following morning, no worse for wear, and glad to not be pounding into the waves anymore.
Hog Island, Grenada is a comfy little anchorage with a cute little beach and Rogers Beach Bar. Roger puts on a BBQ every Sunday with chicken, ribs and fish. There are a lot of cruisers that attend plus some locals that come to join in the fun. On Super Bowl Sunday a bunch of cruisers got together to watch the game at a small marina and everyone brought thier own version of chili to share. Besides the social activities, there was a bit of shopping to be done, had our mainsail repaired after a rip occurred on our passage from Venezuela, and we purchased a few necessary items at Budget Marine. We have nicked named this wonderful boating store the "candy store" because there is every kind of boat part you could ever want or need. A store like this in Venezuela is hard to come by. Of course, we had major sticker shock when purchasing fuel for $5 dollars a gallon versus the 4 or 5 cents per liter in Venezuela. But it sure was nice to hear everyone speaking English again, even though the island twang is hard to understand sometimes.
After 10 days, a weather window opened up again to head from Grenada north to the Windward Islands. This is only a day passage and we were glad to be underway again and under sail in somewhat light weather conditions. We headed up to the Tobago Cays, Mayreau and Bequia areas in the southern Windwards and spent nearly 2 weeks.
Looking out at Horse Shoe Reef at Tobago Cays
During this time, Lucia became very sick for a few days and we still have not determined how or why. She had been on the boat for days, with the exception of playing on deserted beaches. Without going into too much detail, we knew it was painful for her to take a bowel movement because there was quite a bit of blood in the stools and she would cry and pant continuously. We felt helpless and desperate to find a vet. Early the next day we contacted the "Coconut Telegraph", a cruisers' network, on our single side band radio for anyone with any knowledge of a vet in the area. No one came back with any information but one cruiser mentioned there was a vet in Carriacou, which was about 20 miles away. Without thinking twice, we raised the sails and headed south to Tyrel Bay in Carriacou. However, it was a waste of time, because there was not a "real" vet on the island, only one that could set broken bones. The local dive shop told us about a German woman who lives on the island. She was a microbiologist and knows a lot about animals and diseases. We went to her house and she was very kind, gave us a few helpful suggestions and names of people to contact in Grenada. But, it was a Sunday, the local pay phone did not work, and our only real choice was to sail back to Grenada. However, it was now late in the day and the wind and seas had been building. It would be a terrible, uncomfortable ride. We decided to let Lucia eat that evening if she wanted to, and hope for the best the second night. She was hungry and seemed to be feeling better later that evening. She had a restful night and continued to get better over the next several days. We can only guess at this point that she probably ate something on the beach that was very toxic to her system.
The next morning we sailed back north to Mayreau & Tobago Cays and met up with Sara's sister and her husband who were chartering again. We spent several sunny days hiking, snorkeling, swimming with sea turtles and telling tall tales of the sea over cocktails and dinners. We showed them what its like to be a "real cruiser" with tips and helpful ideas on anchoring in front of reefs and what its like to do your own laundry onboard.
Brian, Susie, Shane & Sara at Tobago Cays
Toward the end of February we were beating our way into the wind from Bequia to St. Lucia. The morning we left, we were traveling with our friends again on "Another Road". The plan was to do an overnighter and sail the 130 miles to Guadeloupe. It was going to be a great sail, with the wind on the beam and the waves were predicted at 7 feet with18-20 knots of wind and we were looking forward to making some tracks north. However, on the way Another Road experienced some rigging problems. Plan B was put into place and unfortunately, it was to head more into the wind and make landfall at St. Lucia for repairs.
The passage between St. Lucia and St. Vincent can be terrible, the cruising guide we use calls it "hard on the wind and hard on the body", and they are right! The seas became nasty, mostly due to the current that flows between these islands. This is where we experienced a "rage". A rage is a period of steep, steep waves, very close together. One of these waves was about 12 feet tall, maybe bigger. It is hard to say, considering we did not see it coming until it was too late. It hit us on the front quarter and proceeded to break over the boat, came crashing into the dodger and bimini (the "windshield" and "sunshade" over the cockpit) and sent seawater rushing through every seam, zipper and anywhere it could find its way through. The water proceeded to smash into the rear durades (air vents) behind the cockpit, and gave a nice salt water bath to our bunk. We were soaked and so was Lucia and we finally made it to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia well after dark.
We were anchored in St. Lucia for 10 days for another bout of high winds and seas. We rented a car and did some inland touring, making our way down to the Pitons and up the east coast. We did the usual shopping and laundry and kept busy with boat projects to help pass the time. We were able to get internet on the boat from a resorts free wi-fi service. Being here was particularly hard on Lucia since she is forbidden to go ashore because she is from a country that has rabies (St. Lucia is rabies free). Even with her vaccinations and health certificate, this is a very stiff law and any animal found will be destroyed.
When we left St. Lucia, the weather conditions were still not the best but we chose the lightest of these days and took 3-day sails up island, making overnight stops at Dominica, Guadeloupe and then on to Antigua. We had a variety of wind and sea conditions and sometimes when we got behind the tall islands the wind would totally die and the motor would have to be turned on to make any time.
We love Antigua but not for the hustle and bustle of English, Falmouth and Jolley Harbors where most folks go. We prefer the off the beaten track anchorages, such as Five Islands and Green Island, where there are beautiful beaches, good snorkeling and conch hunting with just a couple of boats anchored here and there.
Another successful conch hunt!
After a relaxing week at Green Island, we set sail and headed northwest for the 34-mile sail to the island of Barbuda, which is still a part of Antigua. This is now probably one of our favorite islands in the Caribbean. It is pristine and deserted (except for the small town on the west). Amazingly, the weather had calmed down so much that we anchored at Spanish Point on the east end behind the reef for 5 days in crystal clear, aqua blue water with barely a breeze blowing. The snorkeling was fantastic and the reefs were alive with lobster, crab, and reef fish. A nurse shark seemed to reside under a ledge because we saw it here on several different days. We caught six small, but tasty Bar Jacks that clustered under our boat and they made for easy fishing. We loaded up our mountain bikes in the dinghy and took them ashore to ride on the coral/sand/dirt and salt encrusted road. The riding was a little tricky with lots of rocks and ruts in the road to avoid. We came across wild donkeys, a donkey bone yard, salt ponds, ruins, half built abandoned structures, a couple of deserted fishing camps and huge sand dunes that lined the west coast. The coastline was gorgeous with deserted white beaches and cliffs. On the 4-hour ride, we never came across a single person or vehicle on the road at this end of the island.
But as cruisers, Mother Nature determines our lives and once again, she was in control and about to end our beautiful weather. The weather reports were predicting a huge northerly swell to be building in 4 days and predicted to reach 18 feet. Apparently, there were some hurricane force storms way up in the North Atlantic that was bringing these sea conditions. Not many anchorages are safe in these types of conditions, but we knew of one up in St. Martin about 120 miles away. The Simpson Bay Lagoon in St. Martin is totally land locked and surrounded by high hills. There is 12 square miles of anchoring room and you enter the lagoon through one of two lift bridges. Unfortunately, we could not stay in Barbuda since the island is very low and not protected enough to ride out a swell at anchor that big. We were forced to leave this beautiful place just when we were really getting in to the groove of island time.
On the sixth day, we had a lovely sail back to Jolley Harbor, Antigua to clear out with customs. The next morning we departed at 6AM for the 80-mile downwind spinnaker run to St. Barts. The winds were still relatively light, the seas were small, and it made for a very enjoyable passage. This is only the fourth time we have used the spinnaker in our 4 years cruising. We pulled into the anchorage at Anse de Columbier for the second night, then on the third day it was just a short 3 hour spinnaker sail to Simpson Bay Lagoon, St. Martin for the big swell event coming in the next day.
That was 3 weeks ago and we are still here. The big swell is gone, but the winds keep on blowing causing the seas to be up to 14 feet. The winds over the last 4 days have been howling, with gusts up to 35 knots. The lagoon is packed, but not overly crowded with boats and mega yachts of all sizes seeking shelter from this crazy weather. It is a good placed to be "stranded". We have met a lot of new people and have seen friends we have not seen for a year or two. It is a wonderful place for shopping and inexpensive dining. There are good places to have boat repairs done, and if you're lucky, you can try your luck at the Princess Casino. We have taken the city bus to Grand Case and rented a car with friends to go to Orient Bay and around the island. We've been to the Cliffs, stood on Sunset Beach watching the huge swells roll in and to free Tequila parties at The Tijuana Yacht Club. We have not been too bored!
Next week the weather is actually going to become so light there may not be enough wind to sail. Maybe this is the change of seasons we have all been waiting for. We will head to the British Virgin Islands then whether we have to sail or motor!
| Year Four September 2007 - June 2008 |
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Thanks to Nick on s/v Caribbean Soul for this great picture of Dream Chaser in Laguna Grande
We finally got out of the marina on December 16th! We have covered roughly about 400 miles so far sailing along Venezuela's north coast and to a few of the outer islands. We met new friends in the marina this fall that we have been traveling with. The boats are Chill, Dragonfly, Rainbowrider and Caribbean Soul. It has been a pleasure spending time and getting to know each other and cruising together to these wonderful places!
Our first stop was in El Oculto, which means, "hidden bay". This is a large bay on the north coast of Venezuela and well protected from the ocean. It is surrounded by hills full of cactus, desert plants and a few flowering trees. You can see flocks of small green parrots in the mornings darting from tree to tree. In the bay, there are two small islands where the snorkeling is superb but the water is only 75 degrees making wetsuits a necessity! The coral is alive here where most of the coral in the Caribbean Islands is dead. The coral is covered with Christmas Tree Worms, which are cone shaped like a Christmas tree. They appear to be soft and fluffy, and are spiral in design when looking at them from the top - down. They range in colors from purple, peach, pink, white, and green, to white with a black spiral, blue with a tan spiral and more. If you wave your hand over them, they will pop back down in the coral-like tube they live in. It is quite an amazing site.
New Years Eve afternoon was spent with a large group of cruisers on the beach for a party in El Oculto. Ten cruising boats made the 4-hour trip east from Bahia Redonda Marina for the party. We used an old abandoned fishing camp for our party headquarters. The "camp" was set back from the beach and consisted of a 20' x 40' cement floor, with an old dilapidated corrugated roof and wire mesh sides for walls. We had not seen any fishermen using the camp since before Christmas when we were here. The decision was made to use this as our party base. We brought music on our MP3 player to shore that we powered by a portable battery and a small inverter. Others brought chairs, portable folding table, lanterns, grills and everyone had their own meat to grill and a dish to share. It was also Lucia's 5th birthday on New Years Day and this party doubled as her birthday party. We provided the dessert; cupcakes decorated with powdered sugar dog bone designs. The New Year was toasted to early with a huge bonfire just after dark. Only a few wild, younger souls made it to midnight. On New Years Day, the celebration continued with a Recovery Party onboard two cruising catamarans rafted together. We invited 2 Venezuelan couples to join us who were in the bay on their powerboat. They brought champagne and cooked traditional Venezuelan food to share with all of us.
Even Lucia brings cupcakes to the party
After spending six days in El Oculto, we were ready to move on to Mochima National Park. Mochima extends four miles inland and is surrounded by high green hills and with red rocks. The wind here pipes up early in the morning and blows with a vengeance, swooshing down the hillsides until it finally dies well after dark. It is thought that Mochima was a sunken valley and a place where pirates were rumored to have hidden treasure. The bird life and dolphins here are abundant and spear fishing for lobster is not allowed. The area is now protected and the local fishermen are no longer allowed to build new fishing camps. There are many little quiet anchorages to choose from, but since it was just after the New Year, many of them were packed with tourists coming from the mainland. The water taxis from the small town were going non-stop all day long carrying passengers to and from the beaches. We made one stop in the little village of Mochima for cervezas and pargo (snapper) for lunch but then decided to move on to a quieter anchorage away from the tourists and town.
Our next adventure was to the Golfo de Cariaco. The Golfo is 35 miles long and as wide as 8 miles across. The scenery is very dramatic; at the entrance, it is similar to the Badlands of South Dakota with hills of red, tan and white, and at the other end, it is mountainous, very lush and green. In between there are beautiful, palm-fringed beaches. Several small villages dot the coastline and there are dozens of anchorages to choose from. The first three days we stayed in Laguna Grande and spent time hiking to the tops of the hills. It was amazing to find coral at the tops of these hills, which were once obviously underwater. There were also large rocks that looked like petrified wood. The shoreline in Laguna Grande is dotted with mangroves, which makes the water too murky to snorkel. On one of the muddy beaches, we discovered oysters on the rocks in the shallows. Prying them off with our fingers, we collected a bunch and threw them on the grill for a tasty appetizer later that day. The fourth day was a long trip against strong winds to the end of the Golfo to catch a glimpse of the Red Ibis. We anchored in the mouth of the Rio de Cariaco, which is the river at the end of the Golfo. We quickly launched our dinghies for a river trip mid afternoon. The Red Ibis are bright, bright red birds about the size of a small heron. They are absolutely beautiful when they fly in flocks but are very skittish when they are approached in the river. Unfortunately getting a picture of them was next to impossible. Nevertheless, they were many other birds we saw such as king fishers, huge white herons and bright blue smaller herons, hawks and osprey.
The weather forecast was predicting a break in the winds for the upcoming week and we had planned to spend more time in the Golfo, but now it driving us to move a little faster. We needed calmer weather to sail to Blanquilla and this was looking like a good opportunity to get there. In order to make the trip to Blanquilla it would take us several steps and several days to get there.
The following morning bright and early at sunrise, we motored out of the Rio de Cariaco anchorage along with Rainbowrider, Chill and Dragonfly. We sailed the 35 miles back down and out the Golfo and then another 12 miles back to Mochima for the night. The second day was another early departure to make the 60-mile trip to the island of Margarita off the northern coast of VE. 60 Miles may not seem like much but at only 6 knots, the trip is about 10 hours.
In Porlamar, Margarita there were 73 cruising boats at anchor. This is a major stopping place for cruising vessels. It is a big city with all the sights, smells and sounds. In town, we topped off on fresh veggies and fruit, and took on diesel fuel, the hard way. Getting fuel on the water is usually quite simple, but the "diesel boat" was out of commission. Normally, the diesel boat would come out to the boat. But this time we launched the dinghy and buzzed down the bay about 2 miles to the fuel dock which is really only for the fishing boats. The dock, which is permanent and made of concrete with big concrete pilings and rusty metal pieces poking out of the cement, is about 10 feet above our heads. It was difficult to hang on and keep us from being sucked under the dock with the surge of the ocean. The gas attendant began to hand us down the fuel pump, but he hesitated because we were "Americanos" and he said he was not allowed to sell fuel to us. Nevertheless, after a few minutes he finally agreed to sell it but for a higher price. Without him telling us what the price would be, he dropped down the nozzle to us and we filled our 6 - 5 gallon fuel cans full of diesel. The price ended up being 10 cents a gallon, rather than the normal 4 cents! It made him very happy considering he probably pocketed the extra, plus we gave him a tip for the trouble, which amounted to 60 cents. We did have to make one more trip back for another 30 gallons and he did not hesitate at all the second time around.
Two days in Porlamar, Margarita was plenty. Once again we departed at sun up, got underway and headed to the north coast of Margarita 35 miles to a small town called Juangriego for the night. This location was best for the next morning's departure to Blanquilla. The charming town was named after a Greek pirate who was shipwrecked here. While we all enjoyed cocktails at the beachside restaurant, we watched fishermen who were sitting in their boats making fishing nets by hand. All of us bought loaves of bread at the tiny bakery in town taking the last 4 loaves of bread that were just taken out of the oven.
The passage to Blanquilla was an all day trip again and we wished we had more wind. There was not enough to get us there before dark so we motor sailed most of the way. About 30 miles out we saw lots of dolphins and a dozen or more of them swam and played in our bow wave for a very long time. Blanquilla is probably the most beautiful of Venezuela's offshore islands we have been to. It is off the beaten path and is a low island only about 50 feet high with beautiful white sand beaches and excellent snorkeling. There are small valleys where there are lots of trees and dry creek beds but otherwise it is mainly low scrub and cactus. Wild donkeys roam the island and have made trails all over. We hiked inland on these trails and tried to avoid the "jumping cactus" that would occasionally embed themselves in our legs. We came across remains of a huge crab and the claw was the size of our hand! There were also more fossils of old coral and sea shells in the rocks. One morning early, we ventured in our dinghy along with our friends to the next bay north called Americano Bay. Here the ocean has formed a huge natural arch in the rock and there are cliffs on either side as you enter the bay.
Dolphins off our bow
To complete our outer island tour we set sail at 4:00 AM on the 5th morning and sailed all the way back to El Oculto Bay. It was an interesting passage of 3 different types of conditions. There were calm seas and a beautiful sail for the first third of the 90-mile trip. However, it turned ugly and rolly near the west coast of Margarita with squalls and the seas came from all different directions with the wind piping up to 22 knots. It felt like we were in a washing machine. The last third of the passage the seas finally calmed out and we had an awesome sail. The wind was fairly steady and strong, on the beam (the side), which is the best, with 5-foot seas, except for that occasional rouge 8 footer wave that would slap the side of the boat and a splash into the cockpit.
The second evening in El Oculto we had happy hour on the beach and invited all the boats that were in the anchorage. There were the eight of us, one German couple and another Danish couple. It is so interesting to meet folks from other countries and find out where they have been sailing all these years. In addition, we flagged down 5 local fishermen to join us who were passing by. They were on their way out to sea to go fishing for the next two days but were staying a local fishing camp for the night. To be friendly, it is common to share things with the local fishermen and quite often, you are rewarded with fresh fish or lobster the following day. We gave them rum, beer and cigarettes and shared popcorn as we chatted as best we could in our broken Spanish.
We are now back in the marina for several days to provision and make a few repairs. Soon we will head east to Grenada with the next weather window.
| Year Four September 2007 - June 2008 |
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red snapper
apple pies
Thanksgiving Dinner
Mahi-mahi fillets
Snails; more work than they are worth!
Fresh Nutmeg
Fresh meat market in the Dominican Republic
ice cold Venezuelan Polar beer!
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