It was an extremely hot and busy day today. There was no wind down here due to Hurricane Fabian that’s doing its thing up north. I dropped our dirty laundry off at the marina and went with Jocelyne, Gladys and Blanca on a ladies day out. It was interesting that all four of us are Canadian. We first went to Sambil Shopping Centre where we roamed most of the stores, raced each other on a miniature racecar track (Blanca won) and had lunch. We finished with the stores at Sambil and took a taxi downtown to the pedestrian streets where we spent the rest of the afternoon trying on dresses and parios in at least a half dozen stores. Back at the boats, all of the husbands spent their day working on boat projects.
The ladies arrived back at Jak’s just in time to join the men for a cold drink before dinner. Joan and Dan (Mainly) had arrived from Trinidad and they were at Jak’s when we got there. The power was off which meant Jak’s couldn’t make me one of my fresh fruit drinks. The fresh pineapple, passion fruit, melons, bananas and oranges are normally whipped up in a blender. We all had dinner together and then I picked up our clean laundry, we returned to the boat and after raising the dinghy etc. we went to bed.
We left the boat at 8:30AM and didn’t return until 9PM. I had a checkup with the eye doctor that finished a little after 10AM. We then stopped at an Internet café, went to the Jumbo Plaza and ended up at the Rattan store for lunch. After lunch we walked to the other side of town and went to visit the Canadian Consulate. I can guarantee all Canadians that there are no tax dollars wasted by the Consulate office on Margarita Island. The small office is in a building that is in pretty rough shape. In fact, when we were looking for the office we tried every building on each side of where we eventually found it. We thought the building was totally empty. It was except for one little room. Terry the Consulate was a very nice person who was able to answer all of our questions. He very often eats lunch at Jak’s but not having met him before we had been unable to identify him.
We returned to the anchorage and stopped at Jak's for drinks and dinner. We had to pull three tables together to make room for our crowd. We were joined by Mainly, Miss P, Promesa, Vikja and Globitou. Globitou is leaving tomorrow to put their boat on the hard while they fly back to Canada for a few weeks. That gave us a very good excuse for a party.
We took the free bus to Sigo for shopping today. I redecorated the head (bathroom). We bought a new shower curtain, bath mat and towels facecloths etc. We went to another store where I was able to purchase some nice cool nightgowns. With what money we had left, we bought some rum, wine and beer and then headed for the grocery aisles. We didn’t buy a lot of groceries because we seem to be eating out a lot but we did buy some things for breakfast and a few light lunches aboard.
We had lunch and finished just in time to be ready for the bus. That was at 12:45PM. We don’t know what happened but the bus didn’t return for us until 2:15PM. It wasn’t to bad, we just kept going back for more free drinks and we sat in the air-conditioned eating area until someone came and told us that the bus had arrived. Our total expenditures for the day came to less than $85. US
When we arrived at the boat we put the groceries away and had a late afternoon siesta and some how the evening just drifted away.
We were into plan A, B, and C before 8:30AM. Plan A was that we would stay on the boat today and just clean, relax, and do what ever we wanted. I somehow discovered that a particular style of dinghy cover that I have been admiring is made right here in Porlamar by Orient Canvas. I know I have a dinghy cover but it doesn’t compare to the ones made here. So in the afternoon we took the dinghy over to the dock by the Canvas Company and had them take measurements. They are going to see first if they can get the colour of fabric I want and then call me with an estimate on Saturday. They wanted to call us tomorrow but we won’t be around. Plan A for Friday was that we were going with some other boaters to the Rabbit Market. I think it’s called that because it looks like a lot of small hutches where the locals sell their goods at great prices. As I said, that was Plan A. Plan B was announced after the net at 8AM. One of the German boats here found a great German Restaurant in Pampatar. He provided everyone with the menu and arranged for a bus to transport all that wished to go. Last count there were over 40 of us (mainly German but a lot of French, Americans and Canadians) going for lunch together on Friday. This impacted the plans we had for Saturday. Plan A for Saturday was a Canadian get together at a restaurant on the beach where the fishermen bring their catch. There are a lot of Canadians in the anchorage and I was to go boat to boat and inform them. Since most of us are going to the German restaurant on Friday, we decided to cancel the Saturday plans for now. If this keeps up I’m going to have to go back to using a daily planner.
In the end, we did spend most of the day on the boat and it was very enjoyable. The wind finally picked up a bit so we had a lovely breeze to cool things down a bit.
I didn’t wake up until after 7AM and before 7:30 Rick was serving me poached eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast. This is normally a sign that he has plans for the day and wants to get moving.
We hadn’t finished eating and the fuel boat came by. Rick told them to come back later because he did want some diesel. They returned in a couple of hours and asked how many litres of diesel we needed. Rick handed them the jerry cans and told them 68 litres. They took them and said they would bring them back later but when we explained we wouldn’t be here later they said no problem pay us now and we’ll leave them on the deck (All of this is in their broken English and our broken Spanish). We paid them 9000Bs ($3.75US) and when we returned in the late afternoon our full jerry cans were sitting on our deck.
Meanwhile, down below I shortened the new shower curtain and had just enough fabric to make two matching curtains for the ports in the head. I finished in time to tidy and have a quick shower before we had to leave for the German Restaurant (Oma’s). We shared a taxi with Blanca and Leo (Promesa). Gladys and Joe (Vikja) joined us at a table for six. The meal was great and the German lady who owned it said she would make a mountain of spaetzel for me. She certainly did. I ordered Sour Broughten and Rick had Snitzle with some wonderful German potato salad. First came my meal with spaetzel on the side and not long after a large bowl of spaetzel was set down in front of me. I thanked her but told her I didn’t think I could eat any more. She said she would bring a container so I could take it with me. I took some of it but there was so much I was able to share it with others at the next table. We had no sooner emptied the bowl and she came with another and said that it too was for me. This was getting quite funny as my large container couldn’t hold any more. I asked her for another container for another lady at the next table. Meanwhile we also had some homemade sausages and blood pudding. Later she brought us some bread pudding with candied mango on the side. We eventually had to ask for the bill just to stop the flow of food. Our bill, which included quite a few drinks, came to a total of $10.US. (I know the German words were misspelled but everything was verbal so I didn’t get to see the correct spelling.)
Today was another attempt to stay on board. I did some mending and washed some pillow covers in the morning. Rick cleaned the lifelines, which had gotten really yellow from the sun and salt. He had trouble getting them white but eventually found that a rubbing compound with a wax did a good job.
Orient Canvas called and asked us to come and review the quote they had put together for our dinghy cover. We put the dinghy in the water and went to see Israel. Israel is his last name and no one can pronounce his first name so they all call him Israel. We told him that from now on we would call him Joe. His quote was good and he said he would have it ready for us in about a week and a half. We returned to the boat and sat in the cockpit with a comfortable breeze. Rick read his book while I did some hand sewing. I was going to cook dinner on board but since the dinghy was in the water we went to Jak’s instead. As usual, we met a gang of cruisers there so had a fun evening.
We finally did it! A whole day at the boat and it was very enjoyable. I finished my last bit of hand sewing first thing in the morning. Our new curtains have nice little box pleats. Then the next project was to cut Rick’s hair except I don’t cut it anymore. It now gets shaved. I made him sit in the bathtub because I needed the electrical outlet so we couldn’t do it on shore. I didn’t want the hair blowing everywhere and this worked well. After the hair cut, I scrubbed the topsides and interior of the dinghy while Rick worked on his favourite project, stainless steel.
Cleaning the dinghy was an experiment. Rick has been telling me that the white finish was coming off the dinghy. When we took it to Orient Canvas he told me in broken English that the finish wasn’t coming off it was a growth or bacteria. This provided a great topic of conversation with the other cruisers who said we were babying our hypalon. It’s heavy duty stuff and can take anything. The recommended solution was 1/3 water, 2/3 bleach and a good squirt of detergent in a spray bottle. Scrub hard and rinse well. It worked! Our dinghy looks almost brand new except I want to replace the zipper again. The new zipper I put in while we were in Tyrrel Bay had a metal pull painted white. It is totally rusted so I bought a new zipper and plastic pull but that’s another project. It was a lovely sunset and beautiful evening except….. The boat behind us has a dog that barks at any boat or dinghy that comes within a quarter mile. It’s annoying but not unbearable. This night the people left the boat and were visiting the boat beside us with about 4 other couples. I’m not sure if the dog could see them or if it just goes on like this every time it’s left alone. It barked non stop for ¾ of an hour as we were eating dinner and trying to have a cup of tea and conversation. Finally, I couldn’t take the barking anymore so I shone our million-watt spotlight at the dog and it stopped for about 5 minutes. It started again and wouldn’t stop. I blew our air horn every time the dog barked (embarrassing Rick) but finally the owner got the hint and went and took the dog off the boat with him. I love dogs but I dislike inconsiderate owners.
Well I guess I sure let off some steam tonight.
I awoke to the smell of a warm tropic breeze, fresh coffee and warm bread just out of the bread maker. Life is good.
It was a holiday in Margarita. We’re not sure which holiday as it wasn’t listed but we know it had something to do with their patron saint. All of the government offices and banks were closed and there was a parade of decorated boats. I’m not sure, where the parade was but I happened to turn the television on and it was live on TVO.
We raised the dinghy straight up on a halyard beside the boat so that Rick could clean the bottom. I did the top and inside yesterday but very nasty things can be found on the bottom so I declared it a Blue job. Rick worked away at it most of the day but he took his time because he wasn’t feeling very well. He thinks it’s the flu but I think it is too much sun. Margarita is very different from the Eastern Caribbean. It’s hotter but with the lack of humidity, the heat isn’t noticeable. Add a nice breeze and everyone makes the mistake of spending too long in the sun. Yesterday when Rick was cleaning the stainless he didn’t have a hat or shirt on. We’ll probably know better by tomorrow whether to offer some sympathy or not.
Rick was feeling fine when he awoke today so he has promised not to go in the sun without a hat again. We were just about to leave the boat after the cruisers net at 8AM when Kamytoo called us to say they heard Cahoots trying to reach us on the SSB. As I called Cahoots, I heard Promesa calling us on the VHF. So after a quick conversation with Margaret and John (Cahoots) who are in Los Testigos and should be in Margarita next weekend we found Blanca and Leo at our boat. We quickly jumped in our dinghy with our laundry to follow them ashore. I wasn’t very pleased with how clean the laundry was returned from Juan’s last time and Blanca was very pleased with her laundry that was done by another lady. We beached the dinghy amongst the local fishing boats and climbed a path through the sand to the road. Right across the street was a Laundromat that is run by a lady named Marie. She took our laundry and said it would be ready after lunch.
Next we jumped back in the dinghy and went to dock at Marina Juan to use the phone. Blanca who is Canadian is also Colombian and speaks perfect Spanish. She called the dentist and made appointments for the four of us on Friday. This dentist has been on vacation for the last couple of weeks so we thought we might have to wait a long time before being able to see her. It’s nice not to have to wait for ages for doctor and dentist appointments.
Next Rick and I went to Vemasca, the marine store down the road. We spoke with both Dennis and Charlie about the party they have planned for this Friday night. Vemasca is providing a shuttle service between the dinghy dock and their store for the party. It’s their 10th anniversary and I don’t know yet what all will be happening at the party but Rick heard the words “free beer” so we’re committed.
We left there and went to see Joe at Orient Canvas but he was out and wouldn’t be back until 2PM. No problem, we stopped for a cold drink on the beach and then walked back to Jak’s where we shared a chef’s salad for lunch. We returned to the boat for a siesta and it was almost 3PM when we heard Sirena and Moonrise on the radio as they were coming into the bay. We went over to say hello and agreed to meet for dinner at Jak’s. Orient Canvas called us just before we left to pick up our laundry and asked us to wait until tomorrow to stop by with our deposit for the dinghy cover.
BBy the time we dropped the laundry off at the boat, it was time to go to Jak’s. We had a great dinner and a fun evening with Irene (Distant Drummer), Blanca and Leo (Promesa), Bob and Marta (Sirena), Carol and Tom, (Moonrise).
I had another eye doctor appointment in the morning but because of the holiday Monday and the fact the doctor was in surgery all day yesterday the back up was unreal. They were serving espresso in the waiting room because everyone had to wait so long. It was after noon when we finished but the doctor is such a sweetheart no one got upset.
We found the Mediterraneo Ristorante just a couple of blocks in a direction we hadn’t walked before. This restaurant had been highly recommended. It was more expensive than most but worth it. We decided to have a late lunch / early dinner. It was to die for! We shared a salad that had a few different types of lettuce, tomatoes, apples and little balls of baked brie. We then shared pasta that comprised of Farfalle pasta, shrimps, broccoli, walnuts and a cheese sauce. Desert was a wonderful chocolate mousse that had a mix of very fresh nuts on top. We shared it as well but Rick didn’t eat any. I did offer. The meal cost us $18.US.
When we left the restaurant we took a cab back to the anchorage and stopped to pay our deposit for the dinghy cover on the way to the boat.
We had a small siesta before raising the dinghy, which was a bit of a chore as there was a major swell rolling through the anchorage. It wasn’t uncomfortable in the boat but when we watched the other boats, it was interesting to see them ride about 10 feet forward on their anchor chain and then slowly roll back again. We were observing this as we sat in the cockpit having a cup of tea and watching a beautiful full moon rise from behind the land.
The roll in the anchorage increased in the early morning hours so we decided to put a bridle on the anchor line. We weren’t sure if the swell was a forerunner to larger swells that we might receive as a result of Hurricane Isabel. If so, we thought it was easier to prepare ahead of time.
In the afternoon, we had to release the bridle as it was going under the boat. Meanwhile as this was going on Rick was cleaning fenders and took the monumental step of discarding our fender boards. I guess that means we won’t be going through any locks in the near future.
Orient Canvas called and wanted to take some more measurements of the dinghy so Rick went over while I remained on the boat. While he was gone Firenza and Richard from Blue Dreams stopped by. They came aboard for a visit and while we were into discussions about boat features, I had a surprise call on the radio. John and Margaret (Cahoots) had arrived and were anchored not far from us. We agreed to have dinner together at Jak’s and that we would pick them up in our dinghy so they wouldn’t have to splash theirs. John and Margaret were our dock neighbours in Toronto a few years ago. At that time they sailed a Bayfield 40 named ‘Blind Faith’. They had circumnavigated with their daughter on board in Blind Faith.
Eventually Rick returned and we all went for dinner. We had fun discussing different sailing adventures and little Canadian politics. We had finished eating and all of a sudden, a cold blast of air hit us. It was quite strong and from the west. Wind here is from the east sometimes a little south of east or a little north of east but never from the west. It was dark so we couldn’t see the boats. We always have the anchor light on at night so at least we could see that Wind-Borne III was where we left her. It was a wild dinghy ride back. It started to pour rain and John was just in the process of saying that at least it was fresh water when the first of many large waves came over the bow of the dinghy and hit all of us. By the time we dropped John and Margaret off and made it back to our own boat we were totally soaked. The dinghy, poor thing, had performed well but now had gallons of water in it. Boats were dragging some with no crew on board. The squall came so suddenly no one was prepared. The boat anchored beside us (China Clipper) was close before the storm, but as we each turned the opposite direction we had come within a foot of each other. A boat dragged down on him and bent one of his stanchions. We started our engine and let it idle just in case he started to drift too close we would be able to quickly pull away. A little after 9PM the winds began to die down a bit so I made a pot of tea and we sat in the cockpit and waited for the winds to change back to their easterly direction.
Normally at this point, we would have gone to bed but with China Clipper so close we had to wait until we both turned without touching. We don’t think the wind change was a result of Isabel. We won’t know until the weather report in the morning. By about 11PM we decided to take night watches. It wasn’t until 4AM that the wind changed back to its normal direction. The boats had swung around each other without incident. China Clipper had shortened her anchor rode. We finally went to bed and set the alarm for 6AM.
Eric reported during his weather forecast that the storm cell that went through last night was a streamer from Isabel. It went through the Venezuelan out islands and then dissipated.
We were up and ready to leave the boat by 8:30AM as we had reservations for four at the dentist for 9AM. Blanca and Leo (Promesa) joined Rick and I in sharing a taxi to the dentist. After we all had our first appointment (the only one who doesn’t have to return is Rick), we spent the day roaming another mall. There was a hardware store that reminded us all of Home Depot. Rick wouldn’t think of going in without a cart. Next door, there was another store that was similar to Costco back home but not quite as large. We didn’t buy much at the hardware store but we did buy a few groceries nest door.
It was after 3PM by the time returned to the boat which gave us about an hour to rest before getting ready for the party at 5PM. The party at Vamasca was great. They provided free transportation to and from the party, free appetizers and drinks as well as live entertainment.
When we returned to the boat although we hadn’t had lunch or dinner, we were more tired than hungry so we had a cup of tea and went to bed.
It is such a small world. You may remember when we first started on this trip we met Al and Tisha on Suvarov in Oswego, New York. Eventually we began to call them the Suvies. We became good friends and boat buddies. We traveled as far as Key Biscayne Florida together. We also met their friends John and Joan who surprised the Suvies at Christmas and the spent a couple of weeks sailing with them later in January. What you don’t know, is that through our web site, we have been communicating with a couple from Toronto who had been preparing their boat to head south. Ron and Liz on Undine who we had renamed the Undies.
I just received an email from the Suvies to tell me that while traveling south again, this time with John as a boat buddy. They came upon another Canadian boat in the Erie Canal system. After spending some time together and exchanging sailing stories Ron (Undine) pieced things together from the stories he was hearing and those he had read on the web site and here is what the email from the Suvies said: "I'm starting to put some things together....are you guys the Suvies?” “We (Al and Tisha) said yes”. Anyway the Undies met the Suvies and the Suvies met the Undies. The boats are now on their way south travelling together as buddy boats. I think this is so neat.
We spent the day relaxing. The water was so crystal clear in the
morning we went for a swim. I had arranged a group get together for lunch
on the beach (22 of us). There is a local restaurant (very basic) with a
little building and a lot of tables under the palm trees called The Pescador.
The fishermen keep their boats anchored just off the shore. I began my
meal with some Jugo (juice). When we leave this place, I’m really going to
miss my Jugo. Everywhere we go I am always able to choose from a big pile
of fresh fruit what type of jugo I would like. I usually select the fresh
oranges and bananas mixed. Sometimes the passion fruit but today I had
just plain pineapple (la piña). It is always done in a blender and served
with ice. Rick had his beer. In the grocery store a can of beer is
.13 cents but at the restaurants we pay .25 cents. We both ordered a filet
of white fish which was served with fried plantain, rice, a salad and arepas
(corn meal griddle cakes) for $5. The meal was cooked to perfection.
Although it was lunch, by the time we finished eating, drinking and talking it
was almost 5PM. We took Margaret back to Cahoots. John had been
unable to join us as he had a nasty ear infection and wasn’t feeling well.
The dinghy was raised and we sat in the cockpit with a sundowner for a while and
then just called it a day.
Walter (China Clipper) moved his boat yesterday because at times we seemed very close. When we awoke this morning, we seemed even closer (even after he re-anchored)! This time he moved to the other side of the anchorage. I spent the morning scrubbing the stern and starboard side of the hull. Rick cleaned his stainless. I’m not sure when I’ll get to the other side but for now we’re at least half clean. We played dominoes in the afternoon. Halfway through the game some nasty looking clouds appeared along with thunder and lightening. Most of the weather went over the mountains and out to sea. We did get a wind shift from the west and some heavy rain. It wasn’t strong, didn’t last long and happened during daylight hours so we just kept an eye on our boat and continued with the game.
After dominoes we all went to the beach and joined the locals for beer and empanadas. Empanadas are made with a circular piece of dough and filled with chicken, cheese, beef or fish and then deep fried. They also served fresh oysters caught locally but we passed on those. Eventually we returned to the boat before dark for our sundowners.
It was our 2 year anniversary of leaving Toronto. Rick wanted to recognize the day by getting up at 4:30 AM just as we did on this day 2 years ago. I didn’t feel it was necessary.
We did get up early and left the boat as soon as the Cruisers Net finished at
8:05AM. We were to meet Promesa, Moonrise and Sirena at Jaks at 8:30AM for
an all day Island tour with Carlos (Top Banana Tours). As we were getting
into the dinghy Rick noticed Blanca and Leo rowing their dinghy. They were
anchored quite a ways out so it took us a few minutes to reach them. When
we did, we found that not only had the outboard stopped running but when they
started to row one of their paddles broke. We all went ashore, Promesa in
tow to meet the others. Carlos arrived and we began the tour by him
stopping to pick up cases of beer, rum, pop and ice that he served continually
throughout the day. Our first sight seeing stop was in the Valley of the
Virgin. The Basilica that houses the Patron Saint
of the Island is in the
Valley. The souvenir carts all around the church sell replicas of the
original Virgin that is a few hundred years old. She is also the Patron
saint of all people on the sea such as fishermen, sailors etc. We toured
the museum and learned there is a lot of history associated with the statue.
On our way from the Valley to La Asuncion, which is the capital of Margarita, our
van broke down. The timing was perfect because we had just been making
jokes about a local bus that we passed. This bus was the type that was
packed full of people, boxes and chickens. It was missing doors and
windows and reminded us so much of the bus in the movie, Romancing the Stone.
Anyway, the women stood outside, gabbed while all the guys put their heads
together, and fixed the problem. The rest of the day was great.
There were some stunning views for taking lots of pictures. One of the
places we stopped was the distributor of pearls
for Margarita. There were
some very good quality pearls and pearl jewelry there but it was all a little
out of our price range. We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant in Juangriego.
By the time we returned to the anchorage everyone was so exhausted we just all went back to our boats for the night.
We were up early this morning but it took us a while to get going. John and Margaret (Cahoots) stopped by and John was feeling much better. Joan (Mainly) called and has arranged transportation on Friday for a trip to Boca Del Rio. She wanted to know how many people were interested so I spent part of the morning calling boats and making a list.
When we finally left the boat, we walked to Vemasca to pick up a CD. The saxophone player (Yovani Mayora) who was at the party last week had a CD that I wanted to purchase but when we were ready to leave I couldn’t find him anywhere. Dennis said he would get one and have it autographed for me. When we arrived he didn’t have it but called and had Yovani bring one over. Yovani not only delivered and autographed it he then gave us a ride into town. He dropped us off at Cheers where we wanted to eat lunch. We had heard that everyone should eat at Cheers and try their steaks. We hadn’t had a steak since Bequia and that was more than six months ago so the excitement was mounting and our mouths were watering as we placed our orders and waited. The steaks were very large and somewhat tender but we could taste the tenderizer and I had to cut off a lot of fat. It’s too bad that Ken our butcher back home can’t come to visit and bring a few cuts of beef with him. Rick has decided that although it was good, from now on, he is going to stick with chicken, fish and pork in the islands. As we were about to leave, Mainly and Miss P. arrived. We spoke with them a while and learned that they had spent the morning at the Hilton Hotel being plied with drinks as they looked at some Time Sharing units.
We walked down a couple of streets to an Italian Bakery where we like to buy bread. On our way would you believe that we were stopped by a promotion agent for the Time Sharing units at the Hilton. We now have a free luncheon for four of us (Promesa and Wind-Borne) next Wednesday. They also threw in free T-shirts. It was not possible for us to pass up so many free things. We also would like to see the Hilton, which is the largest hotel and Casino on the island. They pay the cost of the cab to the Hotel as well.
The rest of the day was spent back on the boat relaxing.
We were up early and on the go again. Today was another dentist appointment. We shared a taxi with Blanca and Leo as we were all going to the same place. When we were finished in the dentist office, we stopped for our regular Café con Leche in the mall. We decided to try a different grocery store this time and took another taxi to a plaza down the road a way. It was ok but a little more expensive than the ones we normally go to. We all thought there were better selections at the others as well. While we were in the mall, I noticed one of the public telephone locations. I had heard that these places were great for calling Canada or the U.S. I believe it’s important to check the validity of statements like that so I decided to call home. It cost me 30 cents a minute. This is a big difference from the Eastern Caribbean where calls average $6 a minute. Evidently there are other locations around town that are cheaper still so I’ll have to give them a try another day.
We left the mall and return to the boat with our groceries. I had just put the refrigerated items away when Orient Canvas called and asked if we could bring the dinghy ashore for a fitting. The dinghy cover looks great and is almost complete but the fitting took more than an hour. By the time we returned to the boat it was dinner time so we just closed up and called Promesa who joined us at Jak’s for dinner with Cahoots.
Today was a Pink Day for Marta and me. Bob and Rick took us ashore at 9AM and we didn’t return until after 5PM. We began by having the taxi stop at the laundry so that I could leave my dirty clothes with her. We then went to the salon recommended to us by my eye doctor. It was wonderful. I had a facial, manicure, pedicure and my hair cut. Marta had her hair coloured, manicure, pedicure and haircut. It was well after lunchtime when we left the salon. If I quoted the prices we paid, all Canadian women would be on the next flight to Margarita. We stopped at the public phones and called home. By this time, we were both starving so we had a taxi take us to Mediterraneo for lunch. Marta is now hooked on the restaurant. Gaia the owner greeted us when we arrived and after having one of her innovative salads for lunch, we left with a promise to return another day. We walked down the road a couple of blocks to my favourite bakery where I picked up some bread. We continued our walk along Av. Santiago Marino to Avenida Cuarto de Mayo. We did a little shopping in Rattan and then walked back the way we came looking for another public phone place. Marta had some more calls to make and so meanwhile, I logged on to the internet. I was well over an hour on it and it cost me 23 cents.
On our way back to the anchorage, I stopped to pick up my laundry but it was too late. Mary, the laundry lady had left for the day. I called Rick from Jak’s to let him know that I had returned. We went to Casa Blanca Mare for dinner with Sirena and Promesa where we had a wonderful Italian meal. When we were leaving the owner gave us a bottle of sparkling desert wine to share.
We were thinking of Toronto all day today wondering how much of Hurricane
Isabel actually hit the city. It’s interesting that we’re down in
Venezuela, which is certainly a lot closer to the hurricane region than Toronto,
and yet we’re the ones worrying about everyone up north preparing for a hurricane.
Although we were worried, we didn’t let that interfere with our day.
First things first, I picked up my clean laundry and dropped it off at the boat.
We then delivered our dinghy to Orient Canvas who wanted to glue some fasteners
onto the tubes to hold down the interior of the covers. They would deliver
it to the dinghy dock for us when they were finished. We had beautiful
sunshine with a lovely breeze (35C) and just a sprinkle of rain later in the
afternoon. We left with about 20 others at 9:30AM for another tour.
We stopped first in Chacachacare to look at
the boat yard. It was very
clean and well protected. We took the time to check on our friend’s boat, Globitou that is on the hard there. Our next stop was in Boca Del Rio for
a visit to a marine museum that was first class. We spent longer there
than we expected to but it was such a great museum that everyone was very
interested in seeing more. Eventually we were back in the vans and on our
way to the mangrove lagoon. We took what the guidebook describes as a “Lagoondolas”.
These are small open boats with a protective canopy and a big outboard.
There were about five or six people per boat so we needed four boats. Rick
and I were in a boat with Margaret and John (Cahoots), the tour guide and Don, a
single hander. We definitely had the faster boat because the drivers raced
in the open areas of the mangroves. Our driver gave all of the other boats
ahead start and we still took the lead. The mangroves were
beautiful.
We had a little starfish that we played with for a while before
returning him to the water. Later we got to see and hold a baby sea horse
that the driver reached in and got for us. In some of the taller mangrove
trees, the pelicans were perched on thin branches, swaying in the breeze, which
didn’t seem normal to us. When we arrived at the beach (Playa La Restinga)
the venders were all selling their pearls and fresh oysters. The beach
itself is exposed to the wind and therefore a great bodysurfing beach.
There were small guacucos (clam-like shellfish) that wash up on shore or you can
dig for them in the shallows. They are small but easy to find. You
need at least 20 per person for a meal. We decided to pass on the clams and had
lunch at the restaurant. The most expensive meal was $5 and it included
lobster tail, crab claws,
fresh fish, sweet fried plantain and rice.
Everything was wonderful. Our trip back to the anchorage was fun as
our driver, a tenor, sang his heart out.
We looked at our new dinghy cover before it got dark. We also had to show it off to everyone else. We then left it where Orient Canvas had secured it and went to Jak’s for drinks and dinner.
We took a much needed day of rest. Both Rick and I both have the sniffles. Blanca has a full-blown cold and is taking decongestants. So far we’re just drinking a lot of orange juice and water and going through many boxes of kleenex. What ever we have, I’m blaming the air conditioning. Everywhere we go the air conditioning is running full blast. In the taxis and vans as well as the stores and restaurants. It had been a long time since we have been in air-conditioned areas. We stayed on the boat all day today and did a few things in between reading and napping.
I listened to CBC on the SSB and Isabel wasn’t even mentioned in the news. It sounds like it weakened considerably before reaching the Toronto area.
Today was another day of rest or at least a day at the boat. Rick checked and serviced all the through hulls and changed the water maker filter. I managed to clean one cupboard before having a siesta in the afternoon. Rick’s cold is better and mine is getting there. We didn’t even go ashore for dominos in the afternoon. Neither of us felt like making dinner so we went into Pescador De La Marina. It’s a little more expensive than other restaurants but Jak’s is closed on Sunday.
Casablanca is air-conditioned. Pescador is air-conditioned as well but we sat out on the beachside deck. We enjoyed the meal and the view. There was a lovely sunset and the lights of the highrise buildings sparkled with the mountains in the background.
We took a taxi to Vemasca the Marine store, where we ordered a few things and then chatted for a while with Charlie, who manages the store. He has a video he wants to loan us about a Cuban band that he thinks we will enjoy. When we left Vemasca we walked to a grocery store called CM. Walking anywhere here is tough work. There are no hills to climb but it is so very hot that you need a gallon of water to drink along the way. It’s hard to carry enough water however because the extra weight of anything makes you perspire more. When we arrived, we had a cold drink before shopping. This is the final grocery store in the area for us to check out. It’s the closest to the anchorage. They seem to have the best selection of everything including produce. I bought a stove top espresso maker and some of our favourite Italian Sangria that we use to have trouble finding in Toronto. We were able to find some peanut butter for Rick. Venezuelans don’t eat peanut butter so it is very scarce. Maybe because of my cold I have been craving fruit but non-tropical fruit for a change. I found it at CM. We bought some Royal Gala apples, dark red plums and nectarines. When we arrived back at the boat, I immediately ate 3 plums and an apple.
I thought I bought 3 itres of orange juice concentrate but when I opened the first one I found that we had 2 orange and 1 apricot. No problem I’m learning to like apricot.
Dinner was at Casablanca again but this time there were 10 of us. Hillair and Michael (Indigo), Carol and Tom (Moonrise), Marta and Bob (Sirena), Blanca and Leo (Promesa) and us. The meal was wonderful but there was just too much food. We’ve sworn ourselves to salads for the next while.
We both must be feeling better. I started the day by defrosting and cleaning the fridge. Rick vacuumed while I spoke with Wendy (Kamytoo) who had come by to have a look at the covers I made for the jerry cans. When she left I washed the floors and attacked mildew with bleach that was trying to get a foothold in some corners of the interior. Rick washed the cockpit floor while I cleaned below. It’s quite funny to try and wash floors in this heat. You spend more time wiping all of the perspiration dripping onto the floor that you’ve just washed. That’s OK because then it’s really not necessary to rinse. Celine and Marcel (Alley Cat) arrived in the afternoon from Los Testigos. They are very good friends of Promesa who had been watching for them all week. Our friends Marci & Rod (Windmiller) sailed in with them. All four boats got together for drinks and dinner at Jak’s.
Today we went on vacation (sort of) with Promesa. First we dropped off the dirty laundry and then went for our regular Wednesday morning dentist appointment. We finished just in time to go to the Hilton Hotel to hear a soft sell on what we thought was Time-Sharing Units. It was a soft sell but it wasn’t Time Sharing it was sort of a pay in advance Hotel Room deal and it was interesting especially with the price of the Bolivar. Meanwhile they plied us with beer and then gave us all a pass for a free lunch. After eating a lovely meal we were ready for a siesta but we couldn’t leave without a swim in the amazing pool that winds all around the two highrise Hotel buildings. Stretches of the pool were under large arches of beautiful flowering bushes. We went down three different water slides as we followed the pool around. We didn’t stop to play at the volleyball net or to go under the waterfall but we certainly did enjoy it. Best of all, it was the first fresh water swim we’ve had in a long time. After a nice shower we returned the towels and took a taxi to a bakery and then back to the anchorage. At the bakery we picked up a lovely cake to take with us to Sirena. We returned to our own boats but then met at Sirena within the hour to share the desert wine. It was a lovely evening and we did well in eating most of the Black Forest cake but there was a bit left over. As we were discussing what to do with the left over cake Bob solved the problem by dropping it on the floor. We had a good laugh and then fed the left over to the fish while Bob was still on his knees washing the floor.
When I awoke my left eye was a little swollen and itchy. It wasn’t all that bad but I thought I had better go see the eye doctor because she’s in surgery on Fridays and not available over the weekend. I walked in a little after 9AM and the waiting room was packed. I asked the receptionist what time the doctor would be able to see me. She was so happy to see me she asked me to come in right away. I thought this a little strange but nice. In the end, the doctor had to change the date of surgery for a cruiser that I had recommended come to her. She had no way of getting hold of this person. So when she heard that I was there she was hoping I could pass on the message. No problem. She checked my eye, which was fine, but I had a small mosquito bite on my eyelid. Oh well, better safe than sorry. We left and went to CM (now my favourite grocery store) and bought some potatoes and fresh broccoli. I had already thawed the last meat from the freezer, a pork roast and I was getting ready to actually cook. We had the taxi stop to pick up our laundry before taking us back to the anchorage. To prepare for this strenuous task I had an afternoon siesta and then turned up the heat in the galley. It was a lovely dinner and we were just cleaning up when Blanca and Leo came by in their dinghy. They had gone for a special dinner to discuss their next season’s plans. The plan options ranged from going back to Canada to sailing in the Pacific. In the end, they chose to spend the next season sailing in Venezuela with us. We were so pleased and excited that we invited them aboard. To celebrate I opened the two bottles of my favourite sparkling sangria and we toasted their decision.
We had a very early start to our day. I arranged for a Yellow Fever vaccination clinic at 8:30AM this morning. Evidently, the serum comes in a vial that holds enough for 20 people so the doctor doesn’t like to open one for only 1 or 2 people. I asked on the net last week if anyone else required his or her yellow fever vaccination. I got more than enough participation so today was the day. I had requested at least four taxis to pick us up at 8AM from Jak’s restaurant. Rick and I had to drop the dinghy off at Orient Canvas for dinghy cover alterations before heading to Jak’s. We left the boat a little after 7:30AM. Everyone showed up on time except the taxi drivers. We all walked to the taxi stand under the tree out back and there was only one taxi. The rest appeared soon after. I gave everyone a map of where to go in the hospital and I couldn’t believe that we all arrived without a problem. It was extremely hot in the hospital but we didn’t have to wait very long. They were expecting us. Nick who is a young boy about 10 years old from one of the German boats (Heldenberg), kept asking us how long the needle was going to be. We had him believing that it was almost a metre long. There was no charge for the vaccination so we all decided to donate some money to the hospital. There was an elderly hospital volunteer who had been checking with us earlier. She was such a sweetheart (just like the hospital volunteer workers at home) I went to her to give our donation. I was the first one finished and none of us knew who to give it to. She took me to their office where I met her boss. They were so pleased and grateful that before I left I received hugs and kisses. The whole morning was a nice experience and now (after 10 days) I can go into the interior of Venezuela where there is a Yellow Fever alert.
It wasn’t even 9:30AM so Rick and I spent the rest of the morning walking around Plaza Bolivar and the pedestrian streets. He finally found an earring he liked so we bought that as well as a new bathing suit for him. We had a great pizza from an Italian restaurant near our favourite bakery. When we returned to Jak’s we found Blanca and Leo about to eat lunch so we sat with them for a while. The afternoon was dedicated to siestas. Our friends Bob and Marta (Sirena) left today for Puerto La Cruz. They will return in a few weeks after having some repairs made to their boat. John and Margaret (Cahoots) left to explore the out islands before heading up to Cuba. Marci and Rod (Windmiller) called and asked if we would like to join them for drinks or dinner at Jak’s. On our way in we met Carol and Tom (Moonrise) who joined us as well.
It was quite windy and rolly last night. We even had a few minutes of rain, which seemed to cool things down considerably. We had no specific plans for the day. I decided to shampoo the upholstery on the starboard side of the main salon. I have given up ever finding a steam cleaner. I don’t think they exist outside of North America. I felt that the hot sun and strong breeze would dry the cushions reasonably quickly. Jak’s was closed for renovations today so we went to Pescador de La Marina with Promesa, Windmiller and Alley Cat. We returned to the boat reasonably early which gave me some time to catch up on some of my email.
It was another beautiful sunny and windy day, perfect for shampooing the upholstery on the port side of the main salon. I laid all of the cushions out on deck to dry in the sun and wind yesterday and it worked well so I did the same today.
Rick found a little leak in the galley sink drain. He disconnected everything and found that the salt water which comes up pretty high in the drain had caused some corrosion. We needed a project for tomorrow so now we have one.
Jak’s restaurant is normally closed on Sunday but we still use it to play dominos. This weekend dominos had to be canceled because Jak’s is renovating. Even the tables were being painted. We had a late lunch/ early dinner at Pescador’s on the beach. This is where the locals eat under the palm trees near a little hut. The little hut is where the amazing meals are prepared. The cost of our meal, which included 6 beers, 2 dinners of fillet of fish, rice, salad and arapa (local corn bread) came to a total of 1200Bs or $5 U.S. We were back at the boat by 4PM. The dinghy was raised and we had a lovely evening reading and relaxing.
Rod and Marci (Windmiller) joined us in our search for a new sink drain. We thought we knew exactly where to find one. We went straight to Rattan Depot where there is a large hardware store. They sold plumbing fixtures, sinks and faucets but no drains. They sent us to an appliance store that was close to the anchorage. Before leaving, Rick finally bought himself a machete from the gardening section. He has wanted one as a tool (not a weapon) for a while now and they were only a couple of dollars. He also bought a length of 2 inch PVC tubing and some end caps. There are at least four boats here that want an extension on their outboard handle and we could only buy in a 12 foot length so when it’s cut all boats should be happy. We stopped for a coffee before leaving. I ordered Café con Leche for Rick and me. I was going to order for Marci and Rod but Marci said she would take care of it. When she asked me what I had ordered I told her and explained that it was the same as a cappuccino. She made the mistake of using the word cappuccino and ended up with a large pile of whipped cream on Rod’s coffee. We had a good laugh and Rod nicely shared the whipped cream with all of us. In the next store, the people were very nice but they only had one drain in stock and it was solid brass and coated black to match a black sink. This might have been better than nothing except they were asking 130,000 Bs (officially that is $81.25 US). I told them that was too much money and asked if they knew where we could buy a normal stainless steel one. The lady took me outside and pointed to a store across the street. They had exactly what we needed for $5.50US so we bought a couple. It’s good to have a spare. When we finally returned to the anchorage, we called Promesa. Blanca and Leo came ashore and joined us at Jak’s for lunch/dinner. With the new drain installed, there was still time for a sundowner in the cockpit even though the sun was hidden by some clouds.
We met Marci, Rod (Windmiller), Celine and Marcel (Alley Cat) at a little
after 9AM. We all piled into one large taxi and after dropping off my
laundry, Rick and I played tour guides. We started at Cedeno and Av.
Santiago Marino. The first stop was a travel agent to check on costs of
flights from Toronto. We then went to an Internet Café where you can surf
the internet for hours and also make cheap phone calls to Canada. Marci
had the name of a store that sold men’s Tevas. It was on Santiago Marino but
there are no street numbers so we just had to ask someone if they knew which
direction we should walk on the street. Luckily, they sent us in a
direction where the
street only went a few more blocks. We crossed the
road and didn’t notice the sign but we had literally ended up on the doorstep of
the store we were looking for. Both Rod and Rick bought a new pair of Teva
Sandals but we said we would pick Rick’s up tomorrow. As we walked along
Santiago Marino and then Avenida 4 de Mayo a lot of window shopping took place.
The stores along these streets are expensive designer shops. Marci did
find and buy an affordable dress at a non-designer store. When we entered
Rattan, I could tell it was the highlight of the tour. Everyone was
heading off in every direction. The tour guides were losing control.
I was able to bring everyone together again by gently steering them towards the
bakery where we stopped for a Café con Leche and a sweet bun. We agreed to
go our own ways for a half hour.
Alley Cat wanted a few groceries and we
wanted to buy some new videos ($2 to $3) for videos. All are American
movies in English with Spanish subtitles.
When everyone was shopped out, we went to Mediterraneo (my favourite) restaurant for lunch. It was after 3 PM when we finished lunch and no one had the energy to go any further. We walked to the bakery for a loaf of Italian bread and then looked for a taxi. A bus came along before any taxis so we took it. Everyone on board was very friendly and tried to tell us how much the bus cost but each person was quoting a different amount. When we stopped and handed the bus driver some money we learned from the change he gave us that it cost 500Bs (about 20 cents) for each person. The bus/van had no door and we could see through the holes in the floor but the driver was slow and careful on the roads so it was a good experience.
