Lounging around in Lemmon Cays, San Blas

Checking in today from another top spot.  09:37N 78:54W, the West Lemmon Cays, almost at the furthest western point of the San Blas chain.  We have spent day after day in stunning anchorages, snorkelling with stringrays, nurse sharks, and lots of other more friendly things!  Have seen thousands of starfish, some reasonable coral, less tropical fish than we expected but all in all it the San Blas has been a great stopover.

 

Our only "complaint" has been the terrifying amount of thinder and lightening.  Last night it lasted 9 hours, all around us, mainly sheet lightening which isn't so bad but every now and then a huge fork comes down with accompanying thunder roar and we sit and pray.  The bad news is that the rainy season doesn't officially start till June and we have been having these since we arrived here. 

 

We may just have internet (plug in....not wifi) in the next day or so, forgotten what that will be like bul well overdue to sort some things out.  

Paradise Found in the San Blas ..... May 2012

POSTED BY EMAIL VIA SATPHONE, WILL RE-POST WITH PHOTOS ONCE WE HAVE INTERNET CONNECTION. 

Currently 21 May in "The Swimming Pool" anchorage, Hollandes Cays, San Blas, Panama 

05 – 12 May 2012 

Nargana

We moved on from Snug Harbour, despite the inclement weather we had experienced there we really did enjoy it.  It was another overcast day to head west but there was a gentle breeze so we hoisted up the full main releasing many litres of rain from its folds, rolled out the headsail and sailed for nearly 3 hours before the breeze dropped out again and we motored in glassy seas.  Our anchorage for the night was to be about 20 miles away at Isla Tigre, but with poor light and reefs jutting out where we thought the anchorage should be we took the sensible option, did a u-turn and carried on.  Next option was Farewell Island, another island densely covered with coconut palms about a foot above sea level, white sands – looked great but we couldn't find the indicated shallow patch for anchoring unless we went in far closer than we like, so that one was crossed off the list too.  Ever flexible we continued on to the the village anchorage of Nargana at the mouth of the Rio Diablo, yes you guessed – combination of river and village, very very murky muddy waters.

There was however a very good reason to come here, it is rumoured to offer the best provisioning in the San Blas chain and also to have internet available at the local school.  But because we hadn't stopped enroute we had arrived on a Saturday.  School - therefore the internet, was closed until Monday.  We could wait, the anchorage was safe, there were 4 other boats there and we could stay till Monday, but that was until the wind died completely, the sun set and the no-see-ums came out to play and feast.   So on Sunday morning we made a hasty dash ashore and purchased all the mosquito coils, bug spray, baby oil we could find (supposed to keep no-see-ums away) and loaded up on produce.  The choice was a pleasant surprise, we found cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, carrot, pumpkin, potatoes, onions, bananas, mangoes and papaya (which actually turned out to be a cucumber!!), all of it looked somewhat wilted but when you have nothing you are not so choosey.

Coco Bandero Cays 

With enough fresh supplies onboard to stave off scurvy for a while longer we unglued the anchor from the super muddy seabed and headed for clearer waters.  Who would have thought that just 5 miles from Nargana we could find paradise.  We anchored in the eastern  Coco Bandero Cays, nestled within the island group.  These islands are picture postcard perfect and come with the great names of Tiadup, Olosicuidup, Guaridup and Dupwaia, with Whichubdupbipi in the distance.  First, and lasting impressions are that paradise may actually have been found!

There were 9 boats lying peacefully at anchor within the group and we had four beautiful small islands within swimming distance to explore.  The water was crystal clear, the bottom sandy, the anchorage flat, reefs with good live coral and reasonable fish life also within swimming distance, no bugs and as the photo shows one of the most stunning sunsets we have ever experienced.  What a difference 5 miles makes!  We do wonder why the Kuna people choose to live in such overcrowded environments when there are so many islands in idyllic settings on their doorstep, we guess they have their reasons and we realise being close to the mainland for their food and water source is a main one.

We had finally found the San Blas that many cruisers we have met over the years have raved about and we spent our days snorkelling all the surrounding reefs, swimming and relaxing.  We spent five nights out here, the winds were calm and despite the regular thunder storms most nights daily life was uneventful.  A local in a dugout came by one day selling wine and bananas so we stocked up on both while we had the chance.  Another day some local women paddled by selling "molas", the embroidered fabrics the San Blas are famous for.   We had heard all about them, seen women in the villages wearing them, but until now had not had an opportunity to look and buy.  After looking through 3 buckets full of various mola designs I choose a couple and the ladies went away happy.  I'll look for a couple more along the way – spread my business around!

Friday quickly rolled around, our produce was getting low again so we decided to do a day trip into Bug Village (Nargana) and try the internet again and top up on fruit and vegetables.  Just over an hour later we had exchanged our crystal clear waters with even murkier ones than last time, if that was possible.  We had had torrential rain overnight and the town anchorage looked like a huge mud bath, oh well.  Covered in bug spray, armed with two fully charged laptops and a list of things to do online we ventured ashore.  Much to our dismay the school was closed for teacher training (we think), and we were told to come back after 5.30pm. so much for our quick in and out in one day trip.    Next up was hunting out the available produce, great if all we wanted to eat were limp carrots.  Things were not going so well.  Still we had no plans so we decided that another night in Nargana, armed with the knowledge that we needed to be proactive against the bugs, would not be such a bad thing. 

We threw caution and bugs to the wind, and did a river jungle excursion on the Rio Diablo by dinghy.  We followed a couple of dugouts over the very shallow bar entrance, punting our way along after sliding to a halt 3 times and up into the muddy river waters.  The dense jungle vegetation comes right to the rivers edge but in some places we could see through where it had been partly cleared for gardens, we also passed many small cemetery plots.  Huge old mango trees dripping with fruit hung over the river in places but we were mindful that all coconut trees are owned so thought that may also be the case with the mangoes, so refrained with difficulty from helping ourselves.   Instead we partook in some "on river trading" almost like going to a drive-thru market, we purchased many mangoes,  pineapples and bananas – at least we wouldn't go away empty handed if we could not get anything else ashore.

The jungle was wonderful, it was cooler because of all the trees, noisy with bird and insect life, busy with villagers in their dugouts – washing and doing laundry (but the colour of the water!!!), tending their gardens, picking fruits and just collecting fresh water.  It was a hive of activity, Friday afternoon in the jungle!  We would have liked a walk ashore but it was late afternoon and we didn't want to tempt the bugs too much so headed home while the going was good.   

The bugs didn't seem too bad so we decided to "go out" for dinner after our interneting, we took our own mozzie coil just in case, packed the laptops yet again and headed ashore. 5.30pm, 6pm, 6.30pm and 7pm all came and went without any signs of life at the school, no internet tonight either.  We took a waterfront table at one of the two "cafes", ordered Chicken and Chips - the only option on the menu - and sat back and enjoyed our first meal out since Cartagena in Colombia.  The drinks menu was as basic as the food menu, beer or beer, but at least it was cold beer, Skipper was happy enough.  Several locals gathered around by us and we weren't sure why.  Eventually a large dugout came into the anchorage, stopped at a platform about 30 metres from the cafe, slowly and methodically unloaded their fishing net onto the platform, left it there then pulled up adjacent to the cafe and sold their catch to the waiting villagers.  When everyone was gone I asked to buy a couple of fish but they wouldn't sell us any, we don't know why.  The fishermen then proceeded to gut the remaining fish, about 10 feet from where we ate our dinner!  Interestingly they didn't use knives for this, just their thumbs – guess they have seriously sharp thumb nails and have honed their technique over the years. Our dinner ashore was very good, relatively bug free and provided ongoing entertainment.   

We had one last attempt at the internet on Saturday morning but it was all still closed, life will go on without internet (will it???).  We took another tour round the small stores and found more produce had appeared overnight, we left with a reasonable supply of vegetables and a huge plumb fresh chicken still with head and feet but at least it had been plucked!!  Our experience this time in Nargana was much more positive.

It was time to head for clear water again and we ventured 6 miles this time to another superb anchorage, San Blas seems laden with them.  We passed cute little Waisaladup, another postage stamp sized sandy cay and entered the lagoon anchorage at Kanlildup, better known by us cruisers as Green Island.  Clear water, surrounded by reef and islands, sandy beach ashore, no bugs - another cracker of a spot and home for the next few days.

 

Solitude and Storms in the San Blas ..... April/May 2012

26 April – 05 May 2012

Our 10 days so far in the San Blas Islands of Panama have been a very quiet affair.  We knew that by entering east in the chain we would be off the beaten track, but the track seems not to be beaten at all!!!  We are more than happy to "get away from it", the boat is well provisioned so we certainly won't go hungry  but we are feeling somewhat cut off.   This is mainly due to the fact that our marine SSB Radio has malfunctioned and will not transmit or receive.  These radios are an expensive piece of equipment and treasured by those of us that have them.  This is how we communicate with all our cruiser friends, via our daily morning "net", you can either just listen or those that wish to can check in, let everyone know where you are, what its like, how the weather is etc.  We talk to each other, sometimes over thousands of miles. We can also receive weather information on it, listen to the BBC World Service and we have previously used it for our emailing.  It is our umbilical cord with our cruising community and the outside world – and it has been severed!!!

Isla Pinos

We made landfall at Isla Pinos, Panama after our overnight passage from Isla Tintipan in Colombia.  There is no outlying reef so it was a straightforward entry around the island, into the shallows of the bay, anchor down, breakfast, a very quick dip – mindful of the possibility of crocodiles!!! and then a well earned sleep after our unplanned beat to windward.  We had a couple of visitors paddle by in their ulus (dugout canoes).  The first caller came to collect USD10.00 (US dollars are the official currency of Panama), we had been told that some villages charge a fee for yachts to anchor, it's per stay not per night so reasonable enough especially if you spend longer than one night.  They provide a receipt, duly stamped by the local "authority".  Our second visitor was David who spoke some English and was the local "tour guide".  We arranged to meet him ashore the following day for a look around the village and to help repair his machete!

Part of the reason for us entering the San Blas chain so far east was so we would experience the traditional lifestyle of the native Kuna Indians.  This village was certainly a good example, homes made of wood and bamboo with thickly thatched roofs, no running water, outhouse longdrop toilets on stilts over the water, no power (we didn't even see or hear a generator) a couple of solar panels to run the villages one television, a cellphone tower that had been located on a hill that didn't give coverage to the village and most women were still wearing the traditional mola dress of an embroidered bodice top, a plain gathered cotton skirt to just above the knee and beads covering their legs from below the knee to ankles, all very colourful - sadly photos not permitted. 

The one very disappointing aspect was the amount of rubbish, both in the village, in the water around the village and washed up on the beaches.  In the village it was mainly plastic bags and foil wrappers, just lying about, caught up in vegetation or fences with apparently no effort made to dispose of it.  In the water by the villages it was all manner of plastics, polystyrene and foil collecting in pools out of the current. Further from the village on the shoreline it was mainly plastic bottles of all shapes and sizes, bottle tops, plastic shoes, polystyrene containers and blocks.  In fairness most of this rubbish possibly collects here from thousands of miles away but there doesn't seem to be any effort to collect and burn it, and they add to it with there own village rubbish. 

Ustupu   

With David's machete repaired, and some fresh fruit onboard we left Isla Pinos and headed 14 miles east to the largest village in the San Blas, Ustupu.  This is quite a small island with probably around 2000 people living on it.  We went ashore for a walk around (after paying our USD15.00 anchoring fee), there were children and teenagers everywhere, hundreds of them.  Most of the houses were built in the traditional way, with the odd ghastly concrete block carbuncle in a state of disrepair.  Houses were packed in tightly, most had bamboo fences around and you could barely walk between some of them – looked like a serious case of overcrowding.  It was an interesting island as it had waterways running through most of it, nearly every house had water frontage – very handy for those longdrops!!!  (We did NOT swim here!!).  

We were visited by a passing canoe with several women onboard and two Mormon missionaries, one had been "in service" here for nearly two years and the other had just arrived.  He was covered head to toe in bites but seemed in good spirits.  They had been ashore picking mangoes, the dugout was overflowing with them and they kindly gave us about 20, yummy. 

We moved again the following day, we had been attacked by no-see-ums, miniscule little bitey bugs that are small enough to get through our mosquito nets, they devoured us while we were sleeping and left us covered in bites.  This was not a good thing, I had remade all our mosquito nets last year to make sure we could keep the bugs at bay in the tropics but we have never had no-see-ums before – if we can't keep them out of the boat we have a big problem.

Achutupu

Our next stop was a few more miles up the road to the next inhabited island of Achutupu.  

It was another village anchorage close to the mainland and mangroves, the water was again murky (I must add there are many rivers that run into this area and there has been a lot of rain so this had stirred things up considerably).  We covered ourselves in bug spray and ventured ashore to a tiny neighbouring island that had a backpackers resort and in our guide book it mentioned that they did good seafood and served cold beer.  We were welcomed ashore, but alas no cerveza frio, only caliante and no seafood – or for that matter anything else to eat.  We had a walk around the cute little resort with no customers and adjourned back to Balvenie for a cold beer instead of a hot one ashore.  We wrapped ourselves up, applied more bug spray, lit mosquito coils and sat and watched all the villagers in their canoes return from their day ashore on the mainland tending their gardens.  Many just rowed across but there was a slight breeze (helpful for keeping the bugs away) and those with some sort of sail seemed to be enjoying a late Sunday afternoon sail across the bay. 

Five Palm Island and Mono Island

Next morning was very overcast, not ideal weather for reef spotting but we were eager to get to some clearer water and be able to swim and walk around without our "protective clothing" on!  We headed off, taking things slowly until visibility improved.  Eventually the clouds cleared away and we spotted a gorgeous little sandy cay, the quintessential desert island, white sandy beach, five palm trees, fringing reef and all the size of a postage stamp.  We checked the charts and decided to head towards it for a coffee break and shore excursion.  From Balvenie it looked like an absolute paradise, we dropped the dinghy and went ashore. 

It seems that paradise is hard to find these days.  Plastic rubbish has taken over the world and on this teeny tropical paradise there was a selection of all shapes and sizes of pollution.  I am sure most of it has come many miles, across the Caribbean over the outer reef and then found a lovely little sandy spot to rest – until time ends.  We are passionate about the pollution problem we constantly see and try and eliminate it whenever we can.  Had this been a comfortable overnight anchorage – it was very rolly – we would have tried to burn all this and cleaned up the beach, but I'm sure another batch would arrive in the next strong winds.  What we need are products that are biodegradable and an education programme worldwide to increase peoples awareness.  Anyway enough said, for now,  needless to add – paradise was not found.  The water was clear and cool and we enjoyed a quick dip and snorkel before moving on to the flat anchorage at Mono Island.

 It was a beautiful spot, a tiny offshore island next to the mangrove lined mainland.  Normally we love to go exploring up the mangroves but paranoia has set in with regard to the no-see-ums, we just couldn't risk getting any more bites or we might just both go crazy!  Again we were the only yacht, where have all the cruisers gone?   A couple of canoes stopped by returning from their gardens and asked for cold drinks, we treated them with fresh baking too but were horrified when they just threw their drinks cans overboard when they had finished.  Oh well at least they rust and decompose.

Snug Harbour

Again we just stayed one night, the bugs weren't bad as there was a breeze but the waters were again murky as we were so close to the mainland so no snorkelling and just a quick dip ashore off the sandy beach.  We had a big day and moved 10 miles east (my sort of day hop) to a group of several islands just a little further offshore to the anchorage of Snug Harbour.  This was not your desert island type of paradise but it was truly a magical spot, flat water, islands all around, some cute sandy beaches, turtles in the bay,  visits from playful dolphins and starfish resting on the seabed.  Just beautiful.  

At last we had found another cruising boat, a young couple from Norway who we spent a couple of enjoyable happy hours with.  We stayed 4 nights, we had bread, coconuts, avocado, potatoes, bananas and limes delivered by dugout canoe (but our change never quite made it back!!!). We filled our water tanks to overflowing with 2 days of torrential rain, surprisingly they weren't consecutive days, we had a night then day of thunder and lightening storms, often right over the boat and certainly not good for our nerves watching fork lightening sizzle the waters around us, then we had a beautiful sunset followed by a spectacular day with hardly a cloud to be seen.  All the laundry was done, ropes were rinsed, sails dried out, Balvenie sparkled in the sunlight.  Then just before dawn the thunder storms returned and hung around all day, we have never had such hard rain for so many hours, I'm sure it was starting to soak through the teak decks and cabin top, an imaginary mist filled the air below.  Late afternoon it stopped, the water tanks were overflowing again and slowly we dried out, retrieved all our electrical appliances and gadgets from their "safe havens" in the oven and microwave and life returned to normal. 

Santa Marta and Surrounds ..... April 2012

UPDATED BY EMAIL VIA SATPHONE.  WILL BE RE-POSTED WITH PHOTOS WHEN INTERNET COVERAGE  (15 MAY..STILL NONE - CURRENTLY IN SAN BLAS ISLANDS OF PANAMA)

07 – 19 April 2012

The new marina in Santa Marta, Northern Colombia was a great place for us to park Balvenie for 12 nights and take some time to do those always present boat jobs and to have some time out to explore a little of this area of Colombia.

Maintenance and Chores

First up was repairs to our reasonably new (purchased in Turkey 2008) hot water cylinder.  We had noticed that the generator had started to make different noises to normal and on further investigation discovered that the hot water cylinder was leaking all over it …… always something!!!  So it was out with the cylinder, the marina organised a welder who promptly arrived and took it away for repairs to a pinprick leak.  He was back with it the following morning, the weld looked good but the thread for the element look compromised and on trying to insert the element our suspicions were confirmed – back it went for rethreading.  It returned again, just not quite right, and many many hours were spent by skipper, upside down in the engine room in over 30c of very sticky heat while he installed, filled, fitted and gooped it all together (several times) until it didn't leak anymore.  Meanwhile I entertained myself by washing and drying nearly everything onboard Balvenie, it's a long time since we had affordable self service laundry facilities at our fingertips so I kept out of skippers way and washed everything in sight ….. and then you wonder what we do all day!!!!   

Heading for the hills and rainforest

We took time off one day and headed with David and Brenda on Bandit into the hills.  Firstly we got a local taxi to the "terminus" for transport to Minca.  The transport of the day was this very beat up old Renault, door linings and handles missing, tyres looking very much in need of retreading, all in all it didn't look capable of getting the 4 of us plus driver up the windy road into the hills – oh well here we go.  Amazingly it did make the journey and our young driver knew where every pothole was enroute and did a sterling job of missing most of them. 

The tiny village of Minca is set high up in the coolness of the hills and was a welcome change to the heat of Santa Marta.  We found an eco-resort/cafe and relaxed over excellent Colombian coffees then set off for a walk into the jungle along one of the paths.  Our plans for a pleasant stroll to a nearby waterfall with maybe a quick dip in a refreshing pool followed by our picnic lunch didn't quite go as planned.   The heavens opened and we were reminded that we were in a rainforest, shelter was found – eventually - under a derelict building, and while the water fell down in bucket loads we stood and enjoyed our soggy picnic lunch – well at least it was warm rain!!!   It was rather a muddy walk back and our enthusiasm was dampened somewhat for a further excursion to a a nearby coffee plantation, we retrieved our taxi driver from the local bar where he was happily playing pool and embarked on our adventure home.  Old cars always manage to go much faster downhill and we all were worried about the flooded roads, swimming pool sized potholes and squeaky brakes but we arrived back in Santa Marta unscathed – it was an entertaining outing.  

Dropped back in Santa Marta within the local market area we took the time to explore some hardware stores where we found all sorts of goodies we needed at very reasonable prices then we strolled through all the stalls – there was not much at all you couldn't have got here if you looked hard enough.

Seaside lunch excursion

On another day we caught a taxi out to the neighbouring bay of Taganga, our 18 year old Lonely Planet describes it is a quaint fishing village with a couple of shacky cafes.  It's still a laid back cruisy place, but the locals have made way to tourism -  it is now the backpacking centre for this area with access to the Tayrona National Park and starting point for the 4 day hike to Ciudad Perdida (The Lost City).  Several restaurants' lined the waterfront, tastefully set under thatched roofs with open sides to catch the sea breeze.  We enjoyed a stroll along the waterfront followed by a lazy lunch in the shade as we looked out over the pretty bay.

The weather offshore was settling again and it was time to farewell Bandit, they had been waiting for a weather window to head across to Providencia then onwards to Guatemala where they will leave Bandit for a few months while they return home.  We have decided not to head for Guatemala just yet and will head further down the Colombian coast and across to Panama and cruise there for a couple of months before heading north.  We have had a great time in company with David and Brenda and hope to share many more anchorages with them next season.

 

Cartagena - The Colombian One ..... April 2010

POSTED BY EMAIL VIA SATPHONE.  WILL REPOST WITH PHOTOS WHEN INTERNET COVERAGE AGAIN

10 - 12 April 2010

About 9 years ago, just after we had bought Balvenie and she was sitting down in Picton Marina while we were in Auckland working hard to make our dreams come true, we were introduced to an Irish cruising couple, Pat and Olivia Murphy who were on their yacht Aldebaran in Auckland, half way around their circumnavigation of the world.  They inspired us with their stories of exotic places they had travelled to, sights they had seen, so many of which you can not do without your own boat.  But the highlight of their journey so far, they recalled, was spending Christmas and New Year in Cartagena, Colombia.   We were amazed that such a "normal" couple had even ventured into this land of drug barons and cocaine dealers, lived to tell the story and spoke so highly of it.  We filed it away in our memory bank under "possibly but probably not", but here we are – in Colombia.

With Balvenie and Bandit safely tied up at the new marina in Santa Marta about 3 hours  drive north, we decided to catch a minibus down to the UNESCO World Heritage City of Cartagena de Indias.

The road goes down the coast, the terrain was flat and all quite uninspiring, no lush tropical jungle to the waters edge here, just flat plains and scrubland.  We passed several "shantytown" villages of one room corrugated iron shacks,  they lined the road with swamp lands behind them.  I imagine in the rainy season they are constantly awash and plagued by mosquitos, they looked very bleak but there is probably nowhere else for them to go.

Arriving into the old walled town of Cartagena was like taking a weekend mini-break back to Europe.  The Spanish certainly performed some atrocities in the countries they "conquered" but they left behind some wonderful architecture, Cartagena is overflowing with it. There were plazas with ancient trees providing much needed shade, handsome buildings housing government offices, banks, museums, palaces, churches and large mansions and then there were all the streets, a feast for the eyes in every direction.  Flowering vines and bougainvillea clung to old plaster walls, some freshly painted – some showing signs of centuries of peeled paint, wooden balconies perched out above, every street was a scene out of a movie set. 

We had unintentionally timed our visit at quite possibly the safest time you could ever have visited.  Cartagena was in the final preparations for a summit to be held in the weekend, with over 30 Heads of State partaking, including President Obama, There were thousands of police in town, including armed police in our hotel, security was at an all time high.   There were also hundreds of street cleaners (not normal I am sure), and many buildings were getting a very quick lick of paint to tidy them up.  We may have seen a very sanitized version of Cartagena but our memories will be of a very safe, secure, clean, tidy and beautiful old walled town. 

Outside the main walls life was going on as normal, the "new" old town of Gétsemaní hadn't been "airbrushed" for the visit and as we walked through some of its streets we decided that a return to the safer area might be a sensible move! 

We took a minibus the short distance out to Bocogrande, it wasn't far but the heat was sapping our strength and the buses are really rather entertaining.  Bocogrande is a long stretch of high rise buildings set along the waterfront on the peninsular, the Caribbean on one side and the harbour on the other.  These are not the Caribbean beaches of brochures with crystal clear water, palm trees and white sands, come to Cartagena for the culture and history, not for a beach holiday!  

We spent some time in the Museo del Oro y Arqueologia, it houses a collection of gold and pottery from the Zenú culture (the Spanish must have missed this lot), there was also an excellent video on how the Zenú farmed the swamp lands successfully hundreds of years ago, they dug over 750,000 hectares with canal systems to control the water flow in the rainy season.  It appears modern day man has learnt nothing from their successful ways.

We wandered the streets day and night, sampling street food and enjoying cool lime juices from vendors, it is a old city to stroll around, take your time, find a shady spot, people watch, vendor watch, police watch.   We enjoyed our "minibreak" immensely.

  

  

 

Sun, Swimming and Snorkelling in the San Blas ..... May 2012

07 May 2012

 

Over the last 12 days we have been slowly making our way west through the San Blas Island Chain.  We have now reached the "triangle", the popular cruising ground (with other yachts at last) and are anchored at Coco Banderos 09:30:77N 78:36:96W, an absolutely stunning group of four small islands, with brilliant white sandy beaches, coconut palms swaying in the breeze,  and all fringed by coral reefs.  It's so pretty here it's the cover shot on the excellent Panama Cruising Guide. The sun has even come out and the patches of blue sky are increasing - after some cloudy and wet days.

 

We have several proper blog updates ready to post and had hoped to do them yesterday at the local village which provides internet at the school, but we forgot it was Sunday.  We didn't stay an extra night as the teeny no-see-um bitey bugs were out in force and we are only just starting to get rid of the last round of bites. 

 

We did manage a quick trip ashore to provision at the very basic looking stores, we hunted through them all and did much better than we had hoped.  We are now in possesion of the islands supply of bug spray, mosquito coils and baby oil to keep the nasties at bay.  On the fresh produce front we found bread, tomatoes, cooking and eating bananas, pawpaw, limes, carrots, peppers, onions, potatoes, cabbage, pumpkin, celery and one lettuce - way more than we had hoped for.

 

We will be staying around this area now for a while, we are below the hurricane belt, the anchorages all look very protected,  the water is clear, there were no mosquitos or no-see-ums last night, we even get cell phone coverage when we swing in one direction.  The village is about 5 miles away so we can do that in a days outing when we get low on fresh food again, and maybe we will find the school open next time to post our blog updates with photos.

 

Meanwhile we will continue the odd text update from time to time via email on our satphone (best purchase we made last season, especially now as our SSB radio has gone into a coma).

 

A huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY goes out to Marks Mum, Jackie, who has a very big birthday on the 8th.  She's had a hard year after not being at all well earlier in the year, but she's improving all the time.  Don't have too many sherries Jackie.  xx

Weaving north through the San Blas ..... April 2012

We have motored about 15 miles north to the largest village of the Kuna Indians, Ustupu.  09:07:74N 77:55:76W. 

 

We have had cloudy skies the last 2 days and alot of rain, although it hasn't been heavy.  It seems the rainy season has started early this year, just our luck.  Thunder and lightening is a regular occurance, especially late afternoon and early evening, it sits mainly over the mainland, it provides spectacular viewing, but not when it gets close!!!

 

The cloud cover makes navigation difficult and we are so pleased we bought the excellent Panama Cruising Guide when we saw it  in Curacao, the aerial photos and chartlets are invaluable.  We had another yacht arrive in our anchorage just as we were leaving this morning , it was Panamanian and possibly a charter, otherwise it has been very quiet.  

 

Our main problem at the moment is the tiny no-see-um insects which have invaded the boat and have eaten us both raw.  They get through the mosquito nets so we are currently at a loss on how to eliminate them as they seem immune to bug spray and appear to be very very hungary.

 

We will go ashore to explore soon, it could be very interesting.

 

Updated via Satpone 28 April 2012

Another day, Another country ..... April 2012

Currently in Kuna Yala, the San Blas Islands part of Panama, 08:59:79N 77:45:44W.

 

We have said our farewells to Colombia pleased that we spent the time to explore a little off the beaten track and enjoyed 3 nights in the Rosario Islands and 2 nights further south at Tintipan.  Actually it rained most of the time at Tintipan so things looked somewhat gloomy but Balvenie was clean - for a little while.

 

We had a 6am wake up call from a Coastguard/Naval boat, 3 officiers came aboard and checked our passports and zarpe (Colombian exit papers), they were all very professional, said it was fine to stay another night and went on their way.

 

So we have now done an overnight trip to Panama, with wind on the beam then forward of the beam as we closed on land - that was not in the forecast and Balvenie is now covered in salt water again.  Lightening flashed in the distance around us all night, a little spooky.

 

More blog updates will be posted with photos when we have internet, right now we don't even have cellphone coverage!!     Updated via Satphone 27/04/2012  

 

 

Cruising Colombias offshore islands

Isla Tintipan, San Bernardo Group

09:47:25N 75:50:32W

Just arrived today after a beam reach with full sail down from the Rosarios, in 10 knots and flat seas, forgotten what that was like but it was very pleasant. Just going to stay one night as weather looks good to move across to the San Blas islands tomorrow so will leave in the morning and do an overnighter.

More to come when internet coverage.  Sent via satphone

Rosario Islands, Colombia ..... April 2012

22 April 2012

10:1092N 75:4429W  Isla Grande, Rosario Islands

 

We had a pleasant overnight sail in favourable conditions from Santa Marta.  We are about 20 miles south of Cartagena in a small island group that seems popular with Colombians for short getaways.  Daytripper boats come through in the mornings, they stop out on the reef for snorkelling then move on, afternoons are very quiet.  Local fisherman have been past selling huge lobsters but our fridges are full with fresh produce to eat first.

 

The temperature is in the mid thirthies, and finally the water temperatue is lovely and warm too, wonderful., but still cool enough to be refreshing and cool us off.

 

There is no internet coverage (yes we are really away from it all now!!!) so updates via satphone and no photos until  internet signal.  (Updates on Santa Marta and surrounds and our trip to Cartagena will be uploaded then too)

 

Where do the days go? ..... April 2012

Old and new at Santa Marta 

06 - 18 April 2012

This is what you could call an "express" update.  We are leaving the marina here at Santa Marta in Colombia tomorrow morning after 12 nights here.  Good grief, just what have I been doing for 12 days?  Well there was the trip by bus down to the wonderful city of Cartagena for a couple of nights, then there was a day drip to neighbouring Taganga, another day trip high up into the hills and the rain forest to Minca.

However I haven't yet done any blog updates, and now we are heading off to places where maybe there isn't even phone coverage, let alone internet - do those places really exist still?  We will find out soon enough.  So all will be updated at a later stage, it will be old news, but never mind. 

  

Just One Night in Aruba ….. April 2012

04 – 07 April 2012

We had seen and done all there was to do in Curacao and  the best weather window so far this year was forecast for us to move further west, firstly to Aruba then onto Colombia.  Several cruising friends had done this journey within the last 6 weeks, and all had experienced very high winds and up to 5 metre seas, and it is reputed to be the 5th worst area of water in the world.  Yes - we really were looking forward to this one!!! 

However Jimmy Cornell's cruising bible “World Cruising Routes”,  recommends the passage should be made in April, May or November – it was now April, the forecast looked steady with nothing over 20 knots and 2 metre seas.  Fingers crossed.

Still in company with our kiwi friends on Bandit we lifted anchors at first light. Skipper was happy to raise our mainsail after having it in semi retirement for many miles now, we poled out the headsail then pointed towards Aruba, around 70 miles away, it was going to be a long day.  

A long day it was, but it was the most comfortable sail we have had since sailing from Morocco to the Canary Islands, that was way back in October.  We had steady winds and current with us and we rounded the southern end of Aruba with daylight to spare.  The entrance to our chosen anchorage at the bottom of the island was squeezed between an oil refinery and some tiny islands fringed with sandy beaches and turquoise waters, what a contrast! 

We came to Aruba on holiday nearly 20 years ago and weren’t too impressed with it then  - this time the adjacent oil refinery, a slight chop overnight in the anchorage, the requirement for having to berth at a yacht unfriendly dock for checking in and the continuance of a settled weather window all swayed our decision – it wasn't going to be a weeks visit again this time, it was just a one night stand!  The fastest rise and drop of a courtesy flag in Balvenie’s voyage so far, 14 hours. We were on our way to Colombia.

We went back to our normal downwind sail plan of headsail poled out to windward and staysail poled out to leeward, it worked well for the first two days with winds around 15 knots from directly behind us.  The sea was quite flat most of the time but we got long periods of adverse current which slowed us down, and even with the light winds chopped the seas up.  We could certainly see that it could turn into a nasty piece of water with strong winds fighting against the current and were grateful for the conditions we had.

Day turned to night, back to day, back to night.  The full moon was just magical, almost bright enough to read by.  Even with peaceful conditions we both struggle to sleep on these short passages, there was a reasonable amount of shipping to keep us alert, and we needed to make two course changes to avoid container ships.  You really have to wonder in these days of AIS if there is any watch kept at all by eye - they just steam on, heading straight for us, still it is much easier for us to see them than the other way round, so we always change course and keep a very good watch, especially in busy coastal waters. 

Needing all the sails up in light winds approaching Santa Marta

Day three dawned and the wind dropped to below 10 knots, time to play with Big Red again, he needed the cobwebs shaken out as it has been too windy to fly the MPS (Cruising Chute) for months.  The sea breeze arrived as we were making our final approach, it made for quite a challenging drop of Big Red, rather a handful to douse as the wind gusted around the headland to 22 knots.  So now we are tied up in the new marina here in Santa Marta, Colombia – who’d of thought we would ever sail to Colombia!!!!

Colourful Cocktail of Curacao ….. March/April 2012

24 March – 02 April 2012
 
We are in the area of the Caribbean known as the Dutch Antilles or the ABC’s.  Having spent an enjoyable 9 nights in the “B” island of Bonaire, snorkelling every day and slotting easily into the very laid back atmosphere of the island we knew it was time to move west and on to the next letter of the alphabet!, and so, along with our cruising buddies on Bandit, we were headed for the “C” island of Curacao just over the horizon.  We had a very pleasant sail, blue skies, 15 – 20 knots from the east, 1.5 metre seas. We both made the comment that had this been in the Mediterranean we might still have considered this a sporty days sail, but after the seas and winds we have become accustomed to in the Atlantic and Caribbean it was positively lovely. Bandit once again took line honours…(Skippers note…more blatant use of  illegal sized headsail…sigh !!!)   

Our ABC Island Cruising Guide mentioned the entrance to our chosen anchorage of Spanish Waters as being deceptively small…. well there was no deception there – it is very small (and no channel markers)!  Add to that the fact that the Hyatt Hotel has popped up since the guide was written and “built” a beach with swimmers happily paddling around as well as installing some docks with large boats tied up, then there are the shallow spots to avoid and, as luck would have it, a stream of large power boats out enjoying the sunny Saturday afternoon and they all wanted to pass – at speed.  Oh well!,  there was nothing for it but to breath in and hope for the best.  As is often the way all went without incident but it sure kept us on our toes for a while.

We thought in Bonaire there was a touch of Holland, well in downtown Willemstad  the capital of Curacao you truly could be forgiven for thinking you were in Holland.  Our first day trip into town was to complete Customs and Immigration procedures, all straightforward but we got in plenty of exercise walking from one to the other, then we didn’t quite time it right for the Harbour Authorities lunch break so had to go off and have our own lunch break and return to them later.  We normally allow a day to check in to a country,  if its quicker then that is always a bonus.  

Wandering around Willemstad is a very colourful experience.  Candy coloured buildings line the harbour on both sides. Cafes with umbrella shaded outdoor tables serve a blend of Caribbean, Dutch and American food.  Venezuelan vendors run a floating market on a nearby canal – their stalls were overflowing with fresh produce of all shapes, sizes, flavours, colours and prices.  Both sides of the harbour are connected by the unique swinging, floating Queen Emma Bridge.

Then there are the people - what a diverse cultural blend.  Initially, way back in the year dot the Arawak Indians lived here, then along came the Spanish in 1499, followed by the Dutch in 1634. Both tried to do what the Europeans were so good at doing during that time of new world discovery …. attempt to wipe out the indigenous race and steal anything worth stealing!!!  So not many Arawaks survived which created a manpower shortage duly solved by shipping African slaves to do all the work.  Curacao then became a major port for slave trading for many years.  More recently you need to throw in a few Venezuelans, well it is just down the road and major oil refineries were built here for processing Venezuelan Oil, hence importing Venezuelan labour.  So all in all it is somewhat of a melting pot culturally speaking, and if you sit back and people watch you would never ever guess what country you were in.

We spent a day out and about exploring by hire car, we shared it with Brenda and David from Bandit again.  The island is much bigger than Bonaire, but the vegetation and landscape are very similar.  We found some wonderful sheltered coves on the northwestern coast, the water so clear, the sand a brilliant white, the surrounding colours so sharp they almost didn’t look real.  We stopped at Playa Knip for a picnic lunch, followed by a snorkel and swim, the clarity of the water was outstanding, there were some lovely corals and a good selection of tropical fish to entertain us for quite some time.

Across on the windy east coast at Shete Boca National Park it was an entirely different picture.  No shelter from the 25–30 knot trade winds here. We visited an impressive natural bridge carved and shaped  by the relentless ocean waves crashing onto the rocky shore line.  The surrounding landscape felt weather beaten and raw, only cacti and thorn bushes thrive here. It seems everything comes with sharp edges in such a hostile environment.  What a contrast to the sheltered western coastline just 10 miles away.


We ended our sightseeing day with a little luxury, Curacao cocktails on the terrace of the Hyatt Hotel.  Brenda chose a Blue Curacao Margarita while I opted for a Roman Crush with Orange Curacao as an ingredient.  Well …. when in Curacao it would be downright rude not to drink Curacao (the liquor)!  They were both excellent.  Luckily for the budget David and Mark stuck to beer.

We have enjoyed our time here and will move on in a day or 2, we plan to have only a short stop in the “A” island of Aruba before heading to Colombia.  We have a relatively settled weather window coming up and want to make the most of it, hopefully getting to Colombia for Easter.  

Bonaire – the B in the ABC’s ….. March 2012

 
15 – 24 March 2012
Time to leave the Venezuelan Islands and head ever westward once again, next stop Bonaire.  Another brisk downwind sail in 25 knots of wind and seas around 2 metres, these conditions seem to be the norm these days.  Once we came around the bottom of Bonaire we were into flat water, hard on the wind with just the head sail up, heeled over and doing over 8 knots, Skipper was having so much fun and I was remembering how much I disliked being heeled over, and this was without the main!!  The heavens opened for free Caribbean boat wash on our final approach, we rolled in the headsail and headed for the mooring buoys off Kralendijk,  Bonaire’s main town.

You can not anchor in any of Bonaire’s waters, it is all a marine park.  Diving holidays are the main source of income on the island and the preservation of the underwater life is taken very seriously.  We had 9 nights tied up on the mooring buoy ($10US a night), tropical fish both big and small lived under the boat and in the coral patches just metres from shore.  It is a snorkelers and divers paradise, just being able to walk out from shore into waters teaming with fish and coral is wonderful.  

We found the best snorkelling on the small island of Klein Bonaire, we did dinghy excursions over there and explored the shallow waters close to shore where we could see all the fish up close, then out to the deeper waters by the drop offs where land fell away into dark depths.  The fish life was exceptional, never before have we seen so many big fat parrotfish.  The water still wasn’t that warm if you wanted to stay in for any length of time so our wetsuits came out of retirement, they also protected us from a few little biteys, which we think were tiny jellyfish. 

The stronger winds we had experienced in the Venezuelan Islands eased while we were in Bonaire, so pleasant to have around 15 knots and peaceful nights, (except for an invasion of flying fish one night which sure got our attention)  the seasons should start to change soon bring the beginning of more favourable conditions.  There was quite a  lot of cloud cover around so we tried to time our snorkelling excursions for when the skies were clear, it makes such a difference to the underwater colours if the sun is out and shining through, it wasn’t always possible but we did our best and were rewarded with more vivid colours. 


 













We hired a car with David and Brenda on Bandit  for a day and explored the rest of the island. First we followed the coast up to the northern part which is all National Park, inland was dry scrubland interspersed with cacti, home to many lizards, some of which were too busy lying in the sun to take any notice of approaching cars, its a good thing there is not much traffic!  The National Park had a small interesting museum showing the history of Bonaire, and a reconstructed skeleton of a whale that was recently impaled on the bow of a cruise ship!  There are some hiking trails through the park but the temperature is heating up and there wasn’t much shade so we gave hiking a miss. 

We moved on down to Rincon, the first area to be settled on the island as it was inland and away from the pirates.   It seems once the threat of being attacked by pirates passed its inhabitants moved onto greener pastures, there is not much in Rincon these days, not even a cafe for our much needed caffeine hit.  So it was a detour back through Kralendijk before exploring the bottom of the island.  I should add that Bonaire is a small island. 
The south is very flat and we found where all the tourists go when they are not diving or snorkelling – they are enjoying the waters in and around Lac Bay, a world famous windsurfing destination.  The sandy beach and lagoon area are protected by an outer reef, the water is shallow and flat and the wind whistles through.  Lining the beach were a few shacky bars,  windsurfing schools and hire shops.  Everyone seemed to be chilling out and having a good time.

There are salt flats down the east coast, the salt is still collected and exported.  The colours were great, pastel pink flats, hazy blue skies and snow white pointy piles of salt.  Pink flamingos wade nearby, not as many as we had hoped but great to see them standing proudly.

The last “attraction” were the freshly painted Slave Huts.  They look rather cute painted in bright white or terracotta, the grey sea and stormy sky as a backdrop, but they show a dark side of Bonaire’s past when slaves were kept here to work in the salt flats.  Up to 26 slaves were housed in these tiny structures, if you look at the photo at the top with us standing next to one you will see that they are not very big.  

Bonaire was a great stop, the moorings handy to the small town, most things within walking distance.  It had a touch of Holland to it, but not a very pronounced one yet it didn’t really feel Caribbean either, it is a unique destination.  It was time to move ever westward, the forecast promised under 2 metre seas and 15 knots of wind for our next day sail to Curacao, now wouldn’t that be nice.

For our Cruising and Tourist info on Bonaire on our Balvenies Cruising Info blog click here 

Las Aves – Another stunner ….. March 2012

12 – 15 March 2012

More downwind sailing in stiff winds saw us cover the 30 miles from Los Roques to Ave de Barlovento in Las Aves in no time at all, and how nice for it to be a day sail instead of an overnighter.  Once we came around the bottom of the island, skipper climbed aloft to identify the shallow and reefy areas before we could weave our way into an almost wind free anchorage tucked behind mangroves.  Now the cruising guide warns of getting too close to the mangroves as thousands of red footed booby birds live here…..and they are not wrong. There were indeed thousands of these noisy birds everywhere!, and yes, the little ball of fluffy white with the big black eyes in the photo is a baby booby bird…. isn’t it just so cute.  

We dropped the dinghy, organised our happy hour drinks and went off for a dinghy drift into a mangrove lined lagoon just by the anchorage. The bird life was quite outstanding, thousands and thousands of booby birds, hundreds of pelicans, and many more species which we are unfamiliar with.  It was a tweeters paradise and never before have we seen trees so laden with nesting birds.  It appeared to be quite territorial as there was a fair amount of squabbling and squawking going on from time to time if someone happened to land on the wrong perch. 

Some mangrove trees were much more popular than others looking very much like apartment blocks with birds perched on every level.  The cacophony of “birdsong” was quite something else, it may well have been karaoke night and we hadn’t been told!!  Every now and then we saw smaller birds darting in and out of the trees, or were they the infamous “vampire bats” that Venezuela is known for that sneak aboard while you are sleeping and draw blood from between your toes!!!  These bats, along with the impossible check in regulations put so many people off stopping in these islands, such a shame.

Next morning, again in company with Bandit we made our way up through the inside of the reef, most of the water was a clear dark blue, but as we reached the northeast corner it was time for more reef spotting, this time we went for the easier option and followed Bandit in and we both managed to find sandy spots to anchor in under 10 metres.  The Caribbean Sea rolled by around 150 metres to the north of us, but we sat in calm water behind 100 metres of reef which gave us great protection from the ocean swell but no respite from the 20 to 25 knot trade winds we had become accustomed to over recent weeks. I have to say we felt very exposed in this anchorage but we were now within one mile of the location of Chinook Wind, a fellow kiwi yacht that was now abandoned and sitting high and dry on the outer reef.   

We dropped our dinghies and went together to visit her,  she sat alone on the reef, looking like she had been there 2 years, not just 2 weeks.  It was a very sombre excursion, our previous blog update tells much more about it.

The wind eased early afternoon to around 18 knots, it’s surprising how your threshold changes.  Once I would have thought 18 knots was a howling gale if we had to endure it at anchor, now it almost seems calm.  Lulled into this false feeling of calmness we decided  to make the most of our reef anchorage and took to the water.  The snorkelling was excellent, the clearest water we had experienced, the coral was good but still lacking bright colours and there was a reasonable selection of fish. 

We ended the day with dinner on Bandit and a round of 500, pink against blue.  That blue team just does not have what it takes, its 2 – 0 to the pinks!!

We left Ave de Barlovento quite early next morning, it felt rather spooky anchored out there with the nearest land about 4 miles away.  Another sporty downwind sail took us westward 18 miles to the other Aves island group, Aves de Sotovento. We gave the northern tip of the reef a very wide clearance before turning south into the lee.  Flat water once again, wind in front of the beam and water colours so beautiful you really find it hard to believe they are real.     We headed towards Isla Curricai iced with a long sandy beach, the island no more than 5 feet above sea level, a few small coconut palms and the skeleton of a fishermen's hut  were the backdrop,  just another stunner. 

We snorkelled the lagoon side of  the island.  For the first time since probably Turkey the water was so warm I could have stayed in for hours, it was just magic.  The snorkelling was ok, but as that was the windward side it was quite churned up and visibility was poor, but the warm water was just great, can’t have everything.  This was to be our last deserted island paradise for a while, we enjoyed another sundowners ashore but the clouds on the horizon spoilt the sunset, we are desperately trying for the perfect sunset silhouette photo!!.  The jury was out on whether we would stay another day, we had “sailed under the radar” now in Venezuela for 12 nights and we knew there was a coastguard station on a small island south of us, maybe it was time to be very grateful for what we had experienced and move on.

Our decision was made easier next morning, it was a gloomy day, the last of the fresh produce had been eaten for dinner, the remains of the fruit consumed at breakfast, Bonaire and civilisation were just 43 miles away.  It was anchors up and we pointed our bows westward yet again.

Venezuela had been great and we were very pleased we had explored what we could.

Pilgrimage to Chinook Wind ….. March 2012

13 March 2012

A little over two weeks ago we waved a cheery farewell to fellow kiwi cruisers Dick and Ann Oliver on Chinook Wind as they set sail from Prickly Bay, Grenada – heading west towards Panama, the Pacific and finally to New Zealand. They had just spent a few weeks on the hardstand in Grenada, working long days on their boat. Chinook Wind was looking great and ready for her journey to New Zealand.

We first met Dick and Ann this season in Rabat, Morocco.  We learnt they had bought Chinook Wind in America, sailed across the Northern Atlantic to the Azores, onto Portugal then Spain, where they had turned around to start heading for home.  We have crossed paths with them many times this season, including a great time in Graciosa in the Canary Islands.  We left Las Palmas on the same day starting our Atlantic Crossing and shared some rather nasty seas and weather with them down to the Cape Verde Islands.  We didn’t catch up with them again until Grenada.

It was with much horror and disbelief when we listened to our morning cruisers net a fortnight ago at 9am and heard Dick call in under “Priority Traffic”.  We have a few sections on our Single Side Band Radio net - Priority Traffic, Boats Under Way, Boats Anywhere then Info.   We have around 20 yachts that participate on a regular basis, it’s a great way for us all to keep in touch and to know who is where.  For those of us that have volunteered as ‘net controllers’ and run the net one day a week, it is always a huge relief when nothing is heard under that section. 

Alan on fellow kiwi boat Tuatara takes Tuesdays net and received Dicks distress call.  Dick reported quite calmly that they had hit a reef around 60 miles east of Bonaire at 11pm Monday night, the boat was high and dry and intact, they were uninjured and for the time being reasonably safe.  They had put out Mayday Calls but had received no response so then had deployed their EPRIB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon).  This distress beacon was registered and the rescue process was finally put into place.  Venezuelan Coastguard made radio contact with Chinook Wind  early morning and advised help was on its way to them at Ave de Barloventa, within Las Aves Island Group, part of Venezuela. 

Another one of our net controllers, Rob off Ventana who speaks fluent Spanish offered to call Venezuelan Coastguard via satphone for an update on the rescue and quickly confirmed that it was underway and help should be there by 11am.  We later heard a Swedish yacht assisted in the rescue,  Dick and Ann could basically only take with them what they could swim to safety with.  They were taken to mainland Venezuela by Coastguard.  (A side note to this is that this was the same Swedish yacht that was then refused a park permit in Los Roques!)

Today, two weeks after that fateful day, Balvenie in company with fellow kiwis David and Brenda on Bandit slowly made our way up the inside of Ave de Barlovento reef and found a sandy spot in which to anchor.  We covered the final distance to Chinook Wind by dinghy but still could not get right to the boat.  We anchored the dinghies and swam the remainding 100 metres across the shallow reef through the coral heads to the wreck.  She is a very sad sight, lying on her side, stripped of almost everything, inside and out.  I imagine that during the next lull in the winds all remaining hardware will also be removed. It was an emotional few minutes we spent with her alone in this isolated location. The hull will lie there at the mercy of the seas, a very sobering sight to all long distance cruisers and especially to those of us that pass this way.

Dick and Ann had flights arranged by the British Embassy to San Francisco and have been staying with their daughter there. They are both well, we are thinking of them and we send our love to them both.

Under the Radar in Los Roques ….. March 2012

 06 - 12 March 2012
Our second overnight sail saw us move on another 130 miles westward from Blanquilla to Los Roques.  Still in company with Bandit and both flying the same sail plan for the journey, our speeds were very evenly matched and we were within close sight of each other all night long.  The winds were still up around 20 – 25 knots but the seas slightly calmer until we closed in on “The Rocks”. Big chunks of land in the middle of all this ocean always stir things up somewhat.  We opted out of attempting either of the two narrow reef passage entrances into the lagoon, definitely not a game to play going downwind with big following seas. We settled for the slightly further but much more sensible option of going around the top of the main island of Gran Roque. Once we were in the lee of the island the seas flattened but the winds accelerated….. 30 knots plus in front of the beam – time for more salt water over the boat.  But it was a short sail to the main township where we found a sandy spot in very shallow water and dropped the hook. Phew !!.

We had heard and read of several versions of just how to deal with visiting Venezuela’s offshore islands.  Unfortunately they do not offer check in facilities at any of the island groups we were planning to visit so legally we could only stay one night to rest, fly our quarantine flag, then leave.  The other option was to sail the extra 80 odd miles to the Venezuelan mainland to check in and then sail back to check out, not such an appealing option as mainland Venezuelan waters have a reputation for being somewhat lawless and unsafe.

However we wanted to explore this reef and island paradise for as long as we could and had heard that we may be able to get a park permit for around US$120.00 for 5 nights or 14 nights depending on what mood they were in,  even if we hadn’t checked into Venezuela.  We were prepared to give it a go and see what they gave us.  Then Bandit swung by a Swedish yacht anchored next to them who had just been ashore and were quoted US$900 for a 5 night pass, when they tried to negotiate they were then told they couldn’t have a pass at all, could stay two nights maximum and could not move from where they were anchored – mmm, time to rethink our plan of action.    A speedy decision was reached and our anchors were up in a jiffy and we were out of there – we were going to risk it and “sail under the radar” for as long as we could.

Our first island stop was Crasqui, the light was good and it was back to eyeball navigation in reefy waters, last done coming up the Red Sea.  The charts were slightly out although gave a fair indication of where we were but there is no substitute for having someone on the bow or better still up the mast to spot the best passage in. The deep blue water clearly identifies the path to follow. The lighter shades indicate shallower water and once these shades become familiar, eyeball navigation is not so daunting.

We stayed only a night in each anchorage in our quest to remain undetected, we moved on to Augustin Island, then up to the wonderful long sandy beach on Sarqui.  Then we found escape from the wind and stayed a couple of nights at what quite possibly was the best anchorage we have ever been to.  Tucked in close to shore and nestled behind the mangroves on Cayo Remanso we had the totally sheltered lagoon of Isla Carenero at our back door, the all round shelter was first rate and the view was awesome, especially for the moments when the sun came out and showed off every colour of blue imaginable for the miles across the lagoon, just priceless.  The snorkelling was very good also, just off the back of the boat – so easy.  It was certainly a spot you could while away days and days – another time!

We had one more stop at Elbert Cay the furthermost west in the Los Roques Group, we were joined by an American yacht at sunset then they left at dawn, we only saw 5 other yachts in the group during our stay and amazingly they were all headed east.  Just why you would sail to windward in these seas at this time of year totally mystifies me!  The Venezuelans seem to be doing well at keeping foreign yachts away, we are baffled at why.  It would never become over run as it is difficult to get to, why not welcome the few boats that get out and venture this way?  Maybe their policies will change, one day. 

The islands we visited were beautiful, the sands some of the softest and whitest, the water some of the clearest and the colours were just magical, oh and I mustn’t forget the pelicans - marvellous.  Unfortunately we had more than our share of cloudy days and the winds were constant at around 20 knots, day and night.  No matter how stunning paradise is, when the wind just never lets up and the land is only about 5 feet high you do start to feel somewhat windswept and long for peace!   

We managed to stay 6 nights in Los Roques, it was a wonderful place to explore but we were always looking over our shoulder, was that boat in the distance a fishing boat or coastguard?  We never felt at ease and would have been much happier had we been able to legally check into the country, purchase our park permit, relax and enjoy this outstanding group of islands and reefs.

Next up we were heading for the reef chain of Las Aves, we were on a pilgrimage to visit our friends Dick and Ann’s yacht Chinook Wind, laying high and dry having been abandoned just a couple of weeks earlier when they struck the reef in the middle of the night. 

We would be proceeding with extra caution.