Location as of 11/23/04, Canaima National Park, Venezuela [Angel Falls 05º59´N 62º32´W ]
We made the trip to Salto Angel (Angel Falls). The
falls is the tallest in the world and it is a primitive trip right out of
National Geographic
(this trip is not for the weak of heart
[or leg] or afraid of
challenges). We went by car, bus, and small plane to get to Canaima
National Park. This Park is very primitive.
Once there, we boarded an outboard powered dugout canoe for
the 4 1/2 hour trip into the jungle. Our guides and porters were local
Indians who live in the settlement. The trip up river through the rapids, the twists, and turns were a blast. After the canoe trip we walked into
the jungle to the falls. The trail is rough and very difficult. But
once at the falls we were awe struck!
After the falls we headed back down the mountain. It was getting late as one of our party was slow. Four of us headed back down as it got dark and started to rain and lighting. We made the river at the pickup point and waited and waited for our canoe to pick us up. We finally made it to camp where we had an excellent local chicken dish with rice and potato salad.
This is just a brief outline of our trip. More details and photos are on the Side Trips page. This trip was an interesting and challenging, as well as very educational.
Location as of 11/18/04, Bahia Redonda Marina, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela [10 12.466 N 064 39.851 W]
11/18: We have made the arrangements to go to
Angel Falls with Jaime. He is offering the same trip as the travel
services for bs150,000/person less than the travel services. He comes
highly recommended. We will leave this Saturday for 4 days. Karen who runs
the mini mart will check on the cats while we are away.
Jaime
did a money exchange for us and we are now worth 1.17 MILLION b's.
We are rich.....well ok it is only 500 bucks.
Went to Plaza Mayor to do some shopping and get a hair cut. It hasn't been this long in 20 years. The hair salon had 12 seats and all were busy and there was a wait. Had my hair cut, styled, poofed, and moussed for Bs4,600 or a little less than 2 dollars! She did a great job. Much better than most of the salons in the DC area.
11/16: Even in paradise there is work and frustrations. Trying to get our boat scheduled to be hauled and get the bottom painted. For the first time I am letting someone else do the work (Sorry Jenn and P, you can still come to help if you want). The marine stores don't carry everything so we spent most of the day running around trying to locate the paint. We finally settled on Blue Water Paints, the OEM for West Marine and BoatUS. Some things here are very expensive. The paint is about 3 times as much as the US, but the labor is so cheap that a crew can do the whole boat faster than us. This actually saves on the expense of sitting out of the water.
Makai also needs exhaust elbows. Can't get them here! so I have called Torrsen Marine in the Midwest, the pasts will be shipped to my parents, and then to FL, where a marine store will crate them for shipment to Venezuela (without duties and taxes). This can take 1-2 months..........if you're lucky and this is the fast way.
But, there are some fun activities. We are planning a 4 day trip to Angel Falls and a trip to the Amazon river. Thr trip to the falls is by bus, 5 seater plane, outboard powered canoe, and foot. We will have 1 nite in a hotel and the others will be hammocks in the camps at the falls. It is pretty reasonable as it includes all the food except the first day. Cost 600,000bs or about $255 dollars!
11/15:
Happy Birthday Jasmine!!!
11/12: We have cleared in and today made our first foray out into PLC by dinghy. The La Guardia watches the cruisers very carefully for speeding and equipment violations. We haven't had any problems but others have. It almost always results in several hours at the station and some financial fee!
Steve from 'None such' stopped by for breakfast and then guide us to Plaza Mayor for shopping. The exchange rate here officially is 1,900bs to $1, we are getting 2,350bs/$1. Things here are definitely less expensive. Several cruisers call Venezuela a trap. You come for the inexpensive goods and stay forever. This is a great place to stretch your money. We have been eating out. Dinner for 2 and drinks has been costing us about $10-11/day. Food is not bad. We have been working on our Spanish, slowly.
We were turned onto a great VOIP service called Skype. Computer to computer it is free. Computer to phone is about 2cents a minute anywhere in the world. We have been calling out for the last 3 - 4 days to WI, CA, VA.. and so far we have only spent 3.50euros or less than 4bucks.
Things to do:
Boat: Bottom paint, engine impellers, oil changes, exhaust elbow, finish plumbing water maker, SSB radio, Wind generator
Us: Angel Falls, Amazon, Mountains, and more
Location as of 11/11/04, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela [10 12.466 N 064 39.851 W ]
We made it, but this trip was for the birds. 
This is
the first continent we have stepped on since May. We left Crasqui at
12:22PM and arrived 25 hours and 30 minutes later. We were going to
do the trip in 3 hops but the Tropical Wave north of us altered the winds.
Instead of East trade winds we had NNE winds. Perfect beam reach. We
boomed out of the gate at a comfortable 8 1/2 knots for several hours.
This put us at our first stop in Los Tortugas at 2:30-3:30AM. So we
decided to press on.
(Isla La Borracha, last waypoint before Puerto La Cruz)
2:30AM we were hit with a fast moving squall. The winds went from 2-3knots to almost 30. We reefed the foresail and kept trucking at 8 plus knots occasionally hitting 9. To add to this excitement we were just passing by Los Tortugas in the dark, with wind howling and the rain interfering with the radar. Even at 5 miles were having difficulty picking out the island. Charts in this area can be off quite a bit, i.e. several miles. Some areas haven't even been surveyed. Most navigation in the Carib includes eye ball nav. Big worries of running aground or hitting an island were in the top of my mind. We kept watch for lights (very few), watched the depth gauge, and altered course to the west to make sure.
This trip was literally for the birds. We had a Golden Finch stop by the boat. It moved around the boat and even sat on Sharon's hand, leg and shorts. Friendly fellow. It then jumped up to her shirt top and looked down her shirt. Dirty Bird! He made several trips checking out the boat and taking flies from Sharon. He left a couple of times but came back. It was easier to ride than to fly, but were going in the direction he just came from so he departed.
We also had a big black bird just swoop into the cabin. The cats lit up like fireflies. Fur poofed as the bird flew around the inside of the boat. I finally cornered him in the kitty litter room and carried him out. He flew off without a squawk of thanks but it left a couple of tail feathers. At least the Finch was nice enough to visit with both of us and nosh a few flies before departing.
We made it to Bahia Redonda Marina. Bob from 'Pipe Dream' relayed instructions from Arnoldo the Dock master until we were close enough to speak with him over the radio. Along with Arnoldo, Carl from 'Starlight Dancer' and Dave from 'Sylvester' helped us get med moored to the dock without embarrassing ourselves.
Location as of 11/09/04, Crasqui, Los Roques, Venezuela [11 53.481 N 066 44.153 W ]
We moved to Crasqui, one of the many little islets in the archipelago. This is the beach where all of the Venezuelans come on the weekends. We have heard it is not uncommon to see float planes and helicopters here. The weekdays are quiet. Thank goodness. We haven't seen any park officials yet. The fees for the park are $2 per ft and $12 per person. They normally give you 48 hours to pass through, otherwise it would be a very expensive couple day stay! We are taking advantage of that while we wait out a weather window that should be here towards the end of the week.
The next run will be to the western end of Isla La Tortugas. We will make the 20 miles though the reefs of Los Roques and anchor behind Buchyaco until late afternoon. Then after some naps and passage prep we will make an overnight run to Tortugas. As mentioned in the past it is important to watch the weather and to plan your arrivals so that you end up getting to your destination in the light. A lot of the charts here are not accurate or complete and it is important to follow eyeball navigation when entering an new island. Technology, GPS and chart plotters, will get you close but if you blindly follow them in you will end up aground, Coral reefs are sharp and hard and will do damage to a boat. Out here you can't call for a tow like in the US. This could turn your boat into salvage assuming anyone was with in hearing distance to help!
We are looking forward to getting to Puerto La Cruz!
Location as of 11/06/04, Isla Sur, Aves De Barlovento, Venezuela [11 56.674 N 067 26.304 W ]
11/6: Yesterday had supper aboard the German Boat
'Amazone' with Helmut, Bridget, and the 3 kids. Enjoyed cole slaw,
potatoes and fresh mullet Helmut caught. Our tuna ran out and we are back
to eating from the ship's stores.
Today we are heading to our next stop in the Roques. Before 'Panda' headed north to Puerto Rico they passed on the email saying that 'Windbourne III' hadn't left Bonaire yet. With the weather we figured that they probably went south to the coast and are making their way along the shore. So we decided to move.
We raised anchor a little before twilight and made our way out. The winds were blowing 18-22knots from the east and the waves were 3-6ft and a little confused. Sharon had only coffee for breakfast and with the rolly ride ended up sick. Asked if she wanted to return but she is a trooper and we continued on the way. It was a rough 36 nm. The winds and the waves didn't let up.
The whales are supposed to be migrating, but with the rough seas I still wasn't able to spot any. Around 2PM we finally dropped anchor in a cove created by the islands and reefs at the southern end of Carnero. The cruising guide said there were 6 moorings, we saw only 3 and they were not very good. We worked Makai up to t he windward side of the island pretty close and dropped the hook in 17' of water. Kind of weird being that close and having the water that deep. A couple of steps off the island and the drop off is straight down. We did anchor securely in sand for the night.
Location as of 10/31/04, Isla Sur, Aves De Barlovento, Venezuela [11 56.674 N 067 26.304 W ]
10/31:
Happy Halloween!!! We have our Jack-O-Lantern Mom brought to us in Aruba.
Here is Biff hanging around with Jack waiting for the Trick or Treaters.
They did a great job of scaring them off as we didn't have a single one knocking
on our hull!
We are anchorage off some mangrove swamps surrounded by local
fishing boats. These boats are from 25-40' long. Open and are crewed
by 3-8. These guys are traveling in basic conditions. Some have a
small cabin enclosed about the size of a small tool shed others are wide open.
Open boat anchored off our starboard side had everyone sleep in hammocks or on
the deck. They fish and lobster until their holds are full or they run out
of food. (they want to trade cigarettes for lobster, we have none onboard).
Then they head back to Venezuela 70 miles away. I am not sure that I would
cross the Potomac River in one.
'Elbita' was anchored here when we arrived. Juan Carlos came over to see if we would charge is cell phone as their engine was dead and they were trying to contact friends to bring parts. Out here there are not stores, houses, phones for help so you count on friends to help you out. their friends showed up with the parts and they were able to fix the boat and get underway.
It is a small world when cruising. We went out to look at another anchorage and we saw a boat we knew from Bonaire, 'Panda'. We buzzed over to say hi and were invited onboard to chat. They had cold soda with an ice-cube. Out here that is a treat!
We got caught up and played with Bella the boat dog before heading back home to let the cats out of the cabin. They hate being locked up inside.
Location as of 10/29/04, Round Island, Aves de Sotavento, Venezuela [12 01.224 N 067 41.069 W]
10/29: Round Island is no a great anchorage. Ok in good weather from the east, otherwise it is exposed to the open ocean from the other directions. We decided to move on for a better place to layover.
Headed
out about 7AM 'ish. Cloudy again with the wind on our nose. Some
rain clouds but with radar and luck we missed most of them. No whales, but
about 3 miles from the anchorage 3 - 24" black fin Tuna hit the lines.
Makai was throttled back and went into fishing mode as we each reeled and landed
a tuna. The third has on a handline. Got to play 'Old Man and the
Sea' and we both worked the line hand over hand to bring the fish to the boat.
These were full grown tuna. Sharon gets to cross another off her list of
thing s to catch and we will have fresh tuna for lunch and dinner for the next
couple of days. The 3 tuna netted us about 12lbs of very fresh sushi!.
Don and Sandy you are missing it!!!
10/28: Got up at 4AM to prepare for departure. Checked the weather. Skies were mixed clouds with heat lighting to the south and thunder heads with lighting to our northwest. Spoke with 'WindBourne III' and agreed that the weather looked acceptable to travel. Cast off the mooring at 4:20AM and with a cup of Starbucks in hand (last 15lb bag..what am I going to do!) Headed south-east along the coast of Bonaire doing 7 knots on a beam reach, before turning due East into the wind to make our 43 mile trip to the Aves. 'Windbourne III' followed us out.
Wind were light and we motor-sailed towards our destination. Somewhere along the coast we passed 'Aleluya' tied to a morning. They headed over to the Aves the day before but had to turn back after there engine started smoking and then quit 12 miles from the island. Bummer. Bob said everyone did good and the sail back was great. They got to see a whale breach and several flukes (we did get to see whale at all!).
Makai anchored off the edge of round island. Identified by 3 palm trees on the island, good thing as there was much else and the island it self isn't much bigger than a 7-11 parking lot. After anchoring, a message was relayed via another boat that 'Windbourne III' had to turn back as they were having problems with fuel. The quality control standards are not quite as good as in the US. We double filter all of fuel and it still looks rough. 'Windbourne' was going to have the tank pumped out and polish job done to clean up. We will move on to the next group of islands and wait for them to arrive.
Location as of 10/27/04, Mooring #22, Bonaire [ 12 09.115 N 068 16.723 W]
10/27: Had our flotilla meeting on 'Sylvester'. We were planning on departing for the Aves Thursday morning at 5AM, but now we are getting reports of 10' swells coming from the north caused by weather over Bermuda. Cruising you need to be aware of what is happening almost everywhere as far as the weather is concerned. It all has impacts on how you plan. 'Aleluya' headed out this morning.
Everyone is checking the weather and if we decide to delay departure we will have to clear back into Bonaire and wait it out. We hope that will not be the case as we are excited to be heading out, but don't want to court trouble if possible!
10/26: We are clearing out of Bonaire today for a 5AM departure with Windbourne III. Had problems with the dinghy engine. Would not start. Got it working..... Need to visit Immigrations and Customs to clear out and get my Hawaiian sling back. Time to start hunting for lobster and fish!
We are heading to the Aves if the winds hold. If not we will head south to Venezuela and work our way along the coast to get to Puerto La Cruz. The Aves & Roques don't have a permanent population as they are primary a group of small reefs or tiny islands. Everyone says it is the most beautiful place in the Caribbean. We'll see.
We are excited to be leaving, but said to go. Bonaire has become like home. During this passage we will be out of touch for 2-3weeks until we get back to civilization.
10/23: Today was a work day to give back some to the Bonaire park that we have been diving in. We volunteered to help with a sponge recovery dive on t he Town dock. The diving is restricted and requires special permission and a local guide to dive. We had to provide our passport info just to prove we were not terrorists bent on damaging the dock.
Ivan damaged most of the sponges that were attached to the town pier. Along with a dozen other divers under the leadership of Susan we broke into several groups. One set dove for sponges in the 45-90' level (that was us) and the other group tied the sponges to the pier with fish line. Each group of 3 had a tarp to load sponges that were picked up loose from the bottom. We transferred the found sponges to the second group who then tied them to the pier. It was an incredible effort, being deep and working, I burned through my air in 42 minutes. I usually get more than an hour from a 80 cuft tank. Sharon got a 15 more minutes then me.
We are beat now it is time to sit back and read!
10/22: The gypsy life is getting ready to start up again. We are beginning preparations to head to Los Aves, Las Roques, and then Porta la Cruz, Venezuela. The Aves and Roques are reef islands that are uninhabited. The water and the scenery are supposed to be the best in the Caribbean. Can't wait. We received and email from another boat 'Panda' saying that they speared a 4lb lobster. Cant' wait. Have my butter in hand and am ready to eat. My kind of forage. We are planning a flotilla with Windbourne III, Sylvester, possibly a couple other boats. More to follow...
Saturday we will help with the sponge recovery dive. The purpose is to dive and collect sponges that were ripped off or loosened because of Ivan and then transfer them to others who will retie them. The replant will help fix the damage. It looks like we will be diving in the 45-90' range. We willing be diving with Master Divers, but still need to be careful so that we don't get Narc'd (nitrogen narcosis).
10/21: Winds have been almost no existent here. 99.9% of the time winds bellow form the east 15-20 knots. No wind is unusual and wind reversals or shift can be dangerous. The winds create swells from the ocean which roll in to the mooring field. This puts your back on the lee shore (downwind shore) and large swells which can damage a boat. If the mooring break we would be sitting up against a concrete bulkhead (100' away) with large waves pounding the boat. If a wind reversal happens we will cast off and sail offshore until it settles. There is no warning and it almost always happens late at night. More excitement!
10/17: Another tough day. Sat around and read and then joined Windbourne III, Prism, Ti Amo, Aleluya in the pool for the 2PM daily drink and soak hour (ran into 4 hours). Talk about pruney fingers...
Onboard we have the opportunity to read a lot. The library of Congress doesn't have enough books. I think I have read all of the books on Bonaire and almost, but not quite, looked at Sharon's romance novels....I am reading some of her fantasy books though, wizards, druids, magic, and such.
10/16: K1 from 'Delphinus' was stopped by after their return from Peru. They spent a month there site seeing and hiking. They really recommend it as a place to visit. While we were chatting in the cockpit and K1 trying to drink is frozen beer (had to cut the top off to get the beer out) we noticed another cat coming in. Lots of boats come in and out so you don't take to much notice, but you always watch just in case. Double Magic tacked back and forth and finally anchored down by 'Delphinus'.
Anchoring in Bonaire is prohibited so we jumped into the dinghy and buzzed over to help him get squared away. Upon arriving we saw that we was very close to shore and several nasty looking coral heads (they can hole a boat quickly). He relayed he lost both engines and this was the best he could manage. We went to the marina, 100 yards away for help. 'Harbor Queen' dive boat was there and offered to render assistance. I jumped aboard, cleated, and managed the lines. Captain Irwin handled the tow just like a tug boat master. Impressive! 'Double Magic' was delivered to the dock where Sharon and Alfonso secured the boat. We chatted with the Captain and crew. They were from Switzerland and had been out for several years.
That was the excitement for the day. We went out to BobbieJan's for ribs. Best ribs in the Carib. Cheap too!
10/14: Today we rest!!!!!
10/12-13: We checked the weather and determined that the winds were going to be light with clear skies. We decided Tuesday morning that this was our weather window, so we had better head out. Made arrangements to get some fuel and with the help of the guys from 'La Bella' (62' Halberg-Rassey) we cleared out of the dock and moved to the fuel dock. After fueling up for the trip and paying our bill, Makai was moved over to the commercial dock to clear customs and immigration. The dock was designed for the big cruise ships and commercial vessels. It's a difficult and potentially dangerous place to tie up. We were stressed and worried that we would damage our boat. But we made it ok, just barely.
Aruba requires all boats to go there coming or going before doing anything else. Immigrations came to visit us at the boat. We found out that we had not actually cleared into Aruba. The office where our passports and boat papers were taken upon arrival was only for customs. Nobody told us. With all of the stamping and such I thought the passports were stamped. Wrong!! Immigrations made me fill out the exact paperwork that I filled out in customs, but was told it was 2 different offices. They were real nice and gave us an exit stamp as a souvenir.
We headed out at 6pm instead of the 3pm I was trying for. The winds were light and the waves we 1-2'. We motor sailed up wind and took turns on watch. Biff was ok for the trip. Kat was not happy. She has had it so comfy she forgot what pounding to weather was like. We had planned on anchoring in Spanish Waters, Curacao but we made good time and decided to continue on the last 40 miles to Bonaire. As we headed around the east end of the island in the straights the winds picked up to 20-25 knots with 2-3' waves and an occasional 4'. Of course on the nose. We averaged 6 1/2 knots across to Bonaire. Once we got behind Klien Bonaire the waves dropped to less than a foot and we had a great sail up to the shoreline.
We moored mid afternoon in beautiful blue and turquoise water. Went to Pasa Bon for PIZZA with 'Delphinus', 'Natural Selection', and another couple, Katie and Jeff, who were on their way west.
Location as of 10/11/04, Renaissance Marina, Oranjestad, Aruba [12 31.010 N 070 02.291 W ]
10/11: My parents made it off to the airport yesterday. US Airways was very helpful and escorted them to the gate. Received and email saying they made it, but their luggage took a separate flight.
We were planning on casting off the dock to anchor at Surfside and wait for a weather window, but we decided to stay one more day. XJ, gave us the day for free. This gave Sharon another opportunity to extend our trip (let's hope).
Note from Sharon: Nope didn't win at the casino, but did meet some nice people...Hi Lois and Pat. Hope you gals had a nice trip back to the states...Hi Ralph, did ya get a chance to go fishing?
10/9:
Friday
we took my parents sailing. We had to move our boat from our med moor
to another dock to pick them up.
We
sailed out of the harbor and went out to go sailing in international waters.
Off to port you could see Venezuela and a bunch of LARGE container and oil
ships. We sailed up to the west end of the island and anchored off Mom &
Dad's Hotel for lunch of Gado-gado. A local dish made by Admiral
Sharon.
After lunch we headed back to the marina. Sharon put
out some lines and caught an 18" Rainbow Runner. It is a member of the
mackerel family and is tasty (you're missing it Don). Upon entering the
harbor we passed two cruise ships at the dock.
10/8: Went out to visit the Ostrich Farm. Did the
tour and got to see some big stupid birds. Harold the
guide explained that their brains are so small they will forget him between
breakfast and lunch. We got to feed them from a bowel. This farm has
only about 50. Curacao's farm (we were there but didn't want to pay 15
bucks to see them) has 800. The eggs are equivalent to 2 dozen chicken egg
and the Ostrich is a very tasty and tender red meet. Sharon and I had
shoarma and Mom & Dad had ostrich burgers.
Location as of 10/07/04, Renaissance Marina, Oranjestad, Aruba [12 31.010 N 070 02.291 W ]
10/6: Went and did the tour of the island. Saw the California Light house. Named after the ship 'California' wrecked on the point. It was at midnight when they ran aground. It wasn't until the next morning that the found that they ran into the reef surrounding and island. No Radar or GPS then! We did a run down the coastal road. Road was a vague description of the rock and sand filled path we traversed. Four wheel drive territory for sure, not Suzuki Baleno station wagon. We ended up having to turn around we hit a point the car would not go through.
The shore line on the windward said is rough. It looks like a cross between Arizona and Vermont. We got lost looking for the National park. After getting directions from a local we made it to the park. We stopped at the Tunnel of Love cave. Aruba's biggest cave. If you are ever here do not waste your time and money on the tour. It was terrible. The next cave was free and it was spectacular. It had multiple rooms that had openings to the sky.
10/5: My parents arrived safe and sound after a 6 hour flight from Milwaukee, WI. Got them settled in the Marriott Stellars on the beach. It has an awesome view of the beach and the ocean.
Makai is now med moored at the Renaissance marina in downtown Orjansted, Aruba. A med moor is where you dock the boat stern to the dock. One set of lines runs from the boat to the dock and another set is tied to a mooring 40-50' in front of the boat. you have to be careful not to back into the dock while picking up the mooring from the bow while passing it under power. At the same time not drift into the million dollar boats on either side. Tough on the nerves. Thanks to the guys on 'La Bella' we docked and un-docked without to much embarrassment and no damage.
Location as of 10/01/04, Palm Beach, Aruba [12 31.120 N 070 02.513 W ]
Today
we dove on the Penderalis wreck about a mile offshore. We rented tanks
from the Pelican Pier
(Nice
people, they have been letting us land our dinghy there-Thanks Ella) and we
motored our little dinghy out to the site. We dove in 30' of water.
Sharon did her Arubian fish survey and we swan around the wreck. It is
pretty spread out on the bottom. We went back to the surface and dive boat
had picked up the mooring we were tied. They just tied us to their boat.
But, looking up from the bottom it is a shock to see a BIIIGGGGG boat where our
little dinghy was.
Location as of 09/24/04, Palm Beach, Aruba [12 31.120 N 070 02.513 W ]
9/29: Well another tough day in paradise. We scraped the bottom of the boat. The bottom paint is in need of renewal (Jenn and Parimal where are you when work needs to be done). While we were only in Spanish Waters, Curacao for a couple of weeks the algae and barnacles moved aboard. So our first dive in Aruba's turquoise blue water was to scrape and clean! Who said cruising was laying back and seeing the sites. It is working on your boat in exotic places.
9/24: We cleared out of Curacao on the 22nd and prepared to depart for Aruba on the eve of the 23. Because of the distance and the need to arrive at sunrise we headed out at about 5PM AST for and overnight run. About 70 miles almost due west. Since it was downwind and the winds were light, we motored all of the way. It was a pleasant sail. Spent most my watch [Bil] watching movies and watching for other traffic. It was a clear evening and there was just enough traffic to keep me alert. With us sailing so close to Venezuela we worried about pirates. But alas we didn't see any pirates of the Caribbean this trip.
We cleared in with Aruba Port Authorities after taking a wrong turn. Picked the wrong marks and turned into an un-surveyed channel. The Aruba Coast Guard came to visit us and ask where we were going. Very friendly, but professionally, made sure that we visited immigrations and customs before going anywhere else. Aruba cruisers are required to clear in before anchoring or going to a marina. In Curacao and Bonaire we anchored and then went to clear in (Curacao we were there 4 days before clearing in). They understood and waved to Sharon and Biff as they waved thanks for the help!
Location as of 12/13-14, Caracas, Venezuela [10° 30'N 66° 58'W]
Cruising we discovered requires a valid passport. Since we didn't want to go home to sort out the extension, Sharon emailed the US Embassy in Caracas. Sharon's' passport was a limited validity while she waited for a replacement copy of her naturalization certificate. The problem was that they would not extend her passport without it and there is a 2 year wait ( 1 year passport, DUH!). The Chief Administrator Matt C. offered to contact the State Department after the predicament was explained. After about a week Matt responded saying that after all of the frustration of getting an answer, they told him the same thing! He was finally able to get permission to extend provided that Sharon could prove her identification.
Sharon made the arrangements. We would fly out Monday ($50 more than the bus and 45minutes vs. 5 horrible hours) and meet with the Embassy and return Tuesday night. Had to be back Wed to get our boat hauled, but that is another story. We stayed at the La Floresita adjoining the old US embassy grounds. It was a two star. That night there were a half a dozen large caliber gunshots. Venezuela is different than the US. There is the military carrying major firepower everywhere and no lawsuits for military negligence. After that shots we heard the sirens and then it was quiet!
We made it to the Embassy Tuesday morning only to have to wait until 8:30, over an hour away. The line for US Visas was loaded with people and moving along like a train. Finally got in and met with the Embassy folks. They were professional and quick. Sharon was asked to provide proof of citizenship and they accepted the passport as the proof (Matt also stepped in and confirmed the State Dept had agreed to the extension. ) So they held the passport to print and emboss the addendum page stating that the passport was extended for 10 years. No charge, but we had to get a receipt for the service from another window. The cashier gave Sharon a receipt for no charge. I love our government's need for paperwork.
While the Embassy folks were updating the passport the let us walk the grounds. We found a table with a shelter and had pineapple slices while overlooking the most spectacular view of Caracas. The Embassy is high up on the mountain. Unfortunately upon entering our camera was taken, along with our leatherman so I can not post any pictures of the awesome view! (we got them back when we left).
We left the Embassy with Sharon's full 10 year passport in
hand to the mall.
At the mall we got lunch at Tony Romas and at the
suggestion of the concierge at the Best Western we got a taxi and headed off to
Avila Magica.
This is a cable car ride up to 7,000 ft to over look the
ocean on one side and Caracas on the other. The view was beyond
spectacular words and photos. We passed Santa on the way down. I
guess he was taking a break before Christmas to get some sight seeing in! There is a hotel and a ice skating rink at
the top. We enjoyed a cappuccino and the sights. Finally it was time
to head back down and get to the airport. After another taxi ride we made
the airport 1 hour away.
At the airport we checked in and went through the metal detector. The guard noticed something she couldn't id in our back pack. They ripped a part our bag and ran pieces though the x-ray. They finally narrowed down the problem, our leatherman. They made us check it. Since we had only our backpack which had our camera, boat docs, permits, etc I asked if I could check the toiletries bag. The reply was if it was wrapped. While having it wrapped a very large Guardia Nacaional soldier with a machine gun started talking to me. I didn't have any idea what he was saying and nerves were making it worse. It finally became clear that he was recommending I hold on to the bag very tightly. He was doing me a favor! Finally the bag was check and we made it down to our gate.
We were a couple hours early so we read and chatted with a couple of Venezuelans who were coming home from school in Louisiana. Finally as the departure time came our flight just dropped off the board. No announcement, no help desk or anything. About an hour after our flight was supposed to leave an employee of the airline came by to explain. We left the ground almost an hour and half late. The flight back was quick. When we landed Sharon went to get our checked bag. I went to see if the driver came back to get us and waited. Sure enough there he was. He waited, thanks goodness. He drove us to the boat and we were in bed by 10PM.
This trip head way to much excitement but a real eye opener. Everywhere we went everyone was great and very helpful. One thing we noticed while taking taxis everywhere was that traffic was as bad as DC (1/3 of the population of VZ lives in Caracas), yet there was no road rage, no honking, and no swearing. The traffic was less orderly than the US but the drivers here are nicer. There is a lesson to be learned here!
Location as of 12/12/04, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela [10 12.466 N 064 39.851 W ]
12/12: Sunday was another day. The water in PLC as been turned off for repairs and cleaning. It is expected to take 4-5 days. We played dominos at the El Ancla restaurant. I am getting better, came in forth out of 15 players. Sharon, well she had fun.
Just so everyone doesn't think we sit around all day reading and playing games, cruising is educational too! Tony and Benta from 'Side by Side' spent 32 days touring Peru. To help us expand our minds they created a 1 hour slide presentation of their trip. The narration talked about the travels, the people, a bit of history, and awesome scenery. They hiked the Inca trail 12-15,000 feet above sea level to Machu Pichu, saw Lake Titticaca, and the Nazca lines. I want to take this trip, but Sharon is not so sure with the very, very rough sleeping and travel conditions. We'll see........
12/9: Just bought a new Caribe 10cx dinghy. In the states it is almost $3,500 here it was $1,900. Quite a savings. We bought an old used 15 hp Johnson outboard from 'Mystic Adventure'. The 5 hp was to small to push us and our dive gear around. We will get rid of the other dinghy to make room. We named our new dinghy 'Mauka'. Which is "towards the land or mountains' in Hawaiian. [12/11: We have some problems with the lower unit, Jack is going to see if he can find a unit before we unwind the deal]
12/8: Life here has been busy. We are in port to get some boat work done. The prices here are amazing. We went to Orient Canvas to get quotes on custom made side curtains with windows for the cockpit and a custom sun shade to cover the boat. Though they needed to be followed up with, not quite hounded they gave us the price. Bs830,000 for the sides and Bs1,600,000 for the shade or a total of about $1,200 US. We couldn't get quotes of less than several thousand dollars just for the side curtains. Everyone we have met says their work is the best, but you have to stay on them. They are so busy that they are not talking with anyone else until mid Jan.
Sharon went off with Caroline on 'Wind Bourne III' to Plaza Mayor for shopping. We are still trying to get sorted on the haul out. After a lot of running around confirming time, rooms, etc.. we have been bumped to the 15th. Now we have to find out if we have a place to stay. If not 'Ia Orana' has a condo we can use, since they are the reason were bumped. This helps unscheduled run to Caracas to the US Embassy to get Sharon's passport fixed. That is another story......
12/6: We plugged the radio into Steve's boat. Since he had the same radio it was quick. We called 'Wombat of Sydney' in the Aves 450 miles away and another of Steve's friends in San Blas. Steve worked several different frequencies and did some long counts to ensure the transmitter would hold up. Both contacts said we were coming in clear and steady and the quality sounded good. Steve said that he thought the radio worked better than his. He usually has a hard time reaching San Blas. Rene on 'Aretha' has the same radio and has talked with France from here. Happy with the great buy! Now the work of installing it begins. These are big radios and the boat requires some work to get it ready. I will post my progress as I go.
12/5: Sunday is a day of relaxation. We played Mexican train dominos at the restaurant and came in forth! Sharon didn't do quite as well as last week where she came in forth. Dominos is popular here. We learned to play in Bonaire with 'Delphinus' and 'Natural Selection'. We also played full contact dominos with some other boats. This is an open warfare version. Loud and a lot of fun!
The evening was occupied with a Xmas sing along arrange by
Cliff & Orma on 'Skylark'.
The
sing along was to raise money for the local barrio kids living outside the Bahia
Redonda Marina gates. Michael on 'Wind Witch' has been organizing the
various events. It is a chance for the cruiser to give back to a country
that they are visiting (some almost living here permanently, but that is another
story). The sing along was fun as about 30-40 cruisers showed up.
Cliff led and Orma played Mare Mare's grand piano to lead us in song.
Sharon sang and had a lot of fun. I was requested by 'Second Lady' and
others to lip synch and keep my hands at my side. Had fun anyway!
We raised Bs110,000. This will go a long way for a Xmas dinner and
presents for the Barrio kids.
12/4: The mini mart sponsor a swap meet. Of course we had to go. What other junk could we load onboard?? We found an Icom M700 SSB radio (HAM bands opened) and tuner. We currently have only a receiver and the incident with 'Windbourne III'(see 11/6) and the trip to the Aves convinced me we needed longer two-way communications. The boat selling the radio had upgraded their radio. This radio is the workhorse of the cruising world. Indestructible! Steve on 'None Such' looked it over and said if it work it would be a great radio. New they are over a $Grand, they were asking $350 and I offered $275. After some dickering we settled on $280 with a final check to ensure the radio worked. Everyone we walked by on the way back to the boat couldn't believe the price.
12/01: We are back to the boat our floating home. It is now time to get to work. Even in paradise reality bites! The schedule of events, oil changes, fuel filter changes, finish plumbing the water maker, prepare for the haul out and bottom job and clean. Makai will have Blue Water paints put on. They have recently started their own line but are the OEM for West Marine & Boat US. The prices are good and came with a recommendation from Victor over at Aqua Vi Marina.
Sv Wind-Bourne III just arrived after their rough start from Bonaire. It was good to see them. We helped them dock and chatted over cafe con leche. This afternoon we will break to the pool for the 2PM siesta.