After spending the previous 3 months in Trinidad, in turn anchored in Chaguarammas and being hauled out, we set sails and sailed the 100 miles westward to the Venezualan islands of Los Testigos.

Los Testigos ( The Witnesses) or as we call them "Lost *********" , is an absolute paradise. Comprising of about 6 smallish islands with about 160 Spanish inhabitants who live by fishing. Most live on Isla Iguana or on Testigo Grande but as there are no ferry or airport, Yachties are among the few outsiders to visit these islands. The people are very friendly and kind and we found white beaches, high sand dunes, lots of fish and crayfish, beautiful views and a huge colony of frigate birds. Our planned 2 day stay is now on day 6! We were however surprised to see all the yachts anchored here. Although there are quite a few anchorages, we counted more than 50 yachts here in the middle of nowhere! These islands are 40 miles from mainland Venezuela and we will sail to Isla Magaritha from here which is 45 miles away.

We are using these days to get the boat re-organised and at the same time to enjoy the paradise we find ourselves in. We have been catching crayfish, fishing, swimming and playing on the sand dunes. The sand dunes are high and could be seen from far as we approached the islands. Snorkelling is great with an abundance of fish life. The water is clear and visibility good.

Prrrfection performed very well during the last year. We have worked so hard on her during our haul-out in Trinidad, preparing her for the anticipated crossing into the Pacific early next year and doing all those "jobs to do" on the growing list stuck onto the fridge. We have done the yearly antifouling, polishing and servicing of the engines, but Claude has also installed secondary fuel filters, float switches in the bilges and made countless other improvements on the boat. We spent 34 days on the hard at Peakes and it was hard work in the sun every day. The most gruelling job to me was repainting the gripdeck. The white paint is beautiful and clean, but it was not an easy job, masking, painting two coats - all under a fierce sun.

The girls made lots of friends and had fun even though the boat was upside down most of the days. They had Halloween and went Trick or Treating with 5 other children in the dinghy, all dressed up, painted faces and came back with bags full of candy.

We also had some awnings made for the cockpit. The promised delivery date dragged and dragged and we got very irate, especially as I had just bought a sewing machine from another Yachtie who sold their boat and were now going to be landlocked. Norman and Pauline sold some of their equipment on board and we replaced our masks and fins which we lost overboard, acquired much needed fishing gear, but the sewing machine was my treat. And that lead to a trip to the fabric shops. I also managed to get more fabric paint to finish the tablecloths I started months ago. It was fun trying to plan our trip, our spare time hobbies and to try and get everything on the boat that we might need in the months ahead. The girls swopped videos and books - reading material for them is scarce. More people seem to be going west this year and there will be lots of "kid" boats.

To get back to the awnings - they arrived the day before we wanted to leave and we still have to fix hooks and fasteners and so on, but it is a huge improvement and will make our life more comfortable. The shade cloths have really been handy that we have been using up till now, but we can not sail with them and with us going West, we will have more sun in the cockpit during the days.

I spashed out with new carpets. After we lifted the old ones and scrubbed them, they fell to pieces. Three years of hard living have taken their toll on them and although it was on my wish list in Mosselbay, we went to the factory shops in Trinidad and managed to find carpeting. Claude and I made templets and cut the carpets and they are now all rolled up, ready to be put down which we will do once the boat is sorted out and every thing is back in its place. You can imagine the chaos on the boat, toolboxes out - all the stuff being moved from one side of the boat to the other side as we worked. . O yes, I also had to invest in new batteries. The engine batteries gave their warnings and instead of being stuck somewhere in the Pacific or on some remote island, we decided to rather purchase them where our Rand can afford it. For the house bank batteries, we decided to get 4 x Golf Cart Batteries, and they have already proven themselves. We gave the last oldish battery to the Coast Guard when they came onboard here in Los Testigos and they returned shortly afterwards with 2 large fish of the Macrel family.

We replaced some halyards and sheets , three years were not a long life for them. Claude decided to replace the fuel lines, the old ones were of an........