When we awoke this morning we just had a yoghurt and coffee to hold us until eggs benedict at 10AM. We took our hand held radio with us to breakfast because we were waiting to hear from our friends Celine and Marcel (Allie Cat) who were arriving sometime in the morning. Their timing was perfect we had finished breakfast and walked around the marina to where they were going to dock. Initially they were supposed to be docked next to us but our existing neighbour hadn’t left yet. The dockmaster assured them that their proper slip would be available by tomorrow.
Once they were settled we returned to our boat and Rick worked on the rub rails and I cleaned and organised a couple more storage areas. It was early when Marcel and Celine came by and let us know that they were going to the pool. We finished with our chores and joined them for the afternoon.
We had dinner on board again. Baked macaroni and cheese made with good Canadian old cheddar. We both ate much more than we should have.
The first tropical wave of the season formed in the Atlantic today. Although it will be weak and not develop into anything at this time of the year, it’s a reminder that Hurricane season is just around the corner. I continued with my cleaning of cupboards and Rick continued working on the rub rails. I was gathering many treasures of the bilge that we can hopefully get rid of next weekend at the swap meet.
I had a meeting with Janet, one of the Fundamigos ladies at noon so Rick joined me afterward and we had lunch at the restaurant.
Since it was Monday, the pool was closed so there was no happy hour or dip. We joined Celine and Marcel (AllieCat) for the potluck barbecue in the evening. It was great fun catching up on what had happened since we were last together. Neither they nor we could believe it had been almost a year since we last went our separate ways.
Rick puttered on small jobs today and I had a Fundamigos meeting to discuss the final plans for our fundraising barbecue tomorrow. In the afternoon Orient Canvas came by to reconfirm the design for our dodger, bimini and mainsail cover. It was an easy discussion with them because we still wanted everything the same as the existing.
It was an extremely hot day and we were anxious to get into the pool in the
afternoon.
I spent a good part of the day creating certificates and envelopes for all of the amazing prizes that were donated for our raffle and barbecue tonight. The type of gifts we received for the raffle were 15 days free dockage, 9 days free dockage, a free haulout, a domestic airline ticket, an international check out for two people, some Lexan, fishing gear, one hour spa treatment, facials, manicures, teeth cleaning, dinners, flares, books, laundry, liquor etc.
In the evening, the barbecue was a tremendous success, the food was good, the
Mariachi band was loud and everyone had a great time.
We took advantage of a morning with nothing planned for either of us and went shopping. Our first stop was Locatel (a large pharmacy) in Plaza Mayor and then we headed over to Fiorka to do some grocery shopping. When we arrived it was 11:30AM which was not really lunch time but Rick was hungry and wanted Chinese food again so we stopped to eat first.
Thursday we found was not a good day to shop. There was no butter or eggs in the grocery store and the fresh vegetables were not very fresh looking. We bought what we needed and returned to the marina. After putting everything away I had a siesta and Rick read for a while.
This morning I had promised I would help Dona (Windwitch) resolve a software problem with her weather fax program. That was the first item on the to-do list. I then had another Fundamigos meeting to attend at the restaurant. The meetings are very informal and this one was a lot of fun because Nancy (Texas Reb) had returned from Cumana and joined Janet and I. While we were having our meeting Rick checked the batteries and started polishing the hull. I suggested he should hire one of the guys to do it for him but he wanted to putter.
We both had a little siesta after lunch and then hit the pool at 3PM. There was a surprise party in the evening at the restaurant for Arnaldo our dockmaster who was leaving. The place was packed and extra chairs had to be brought in to accommodate the crowd.
We were up early and there was no lazing around this morning. It was the first Saturday of the month and therefore it was “Swap Meet” day. I wanted to get rid of a lot of things today so we were setting up at a table in the prime location (shade) by 7:00AM. The swap meet is supposed to start at 9AM but it really starts the minute the morning net finishes at 8AM. We had a very successful day. I sold our old digital camera, a tripod, a camera bag, our old hand held radio, a head set, a coffee-pot, plastic glassware and dishes, a small crock-pot, some hatch hinges and probably a few other things that I have forgotten. I’m sure we’ve gained at least an inch on the waterline.
In the afternoon I sat down at the computer determined to update the pictures on the web site and to catch up on answering some of our email.
Everything was accomplished and I relaxed and watched TV for an hour before getting ready to go for dinner.
Roberto and Marie Elena were treating us to seafood paella for dinner.
They make one of the best we have tasted. After they served ours (the presentation was wonderful) two other tables in the restaurant asked if they could have the same meal. When Roberto found that others had ordered the same he asked Marie Elena if I had announced it as a dinner special on the radio. She assured him that I had not.
After an enjoyable evening we returned to the boat.
On Mother’s day I normally wake up and quickly turn on the computer to find my Mother’s Day greetings waiting for me. That’s exactly what I did this year but there were no emails at all. I wasn’t too worried because it was a little too early for my daughters to be up.
At 10 PM we went to El Ancla for a special Mother’s Day breakfast. It was the regular eggs benedict but today it was served with a lovely fruit salad and champagne with strawberries. Roberto also presented all of the ladies with a lovely flower and a kiss on the cheek. The glass of champagne was bottomless, I thought we might never leave the restaurant.
Eventually, we made our way back to the docks and went to say hello to Marci and Rod (Windmiller) who must have arrived while we were eating breakfast. We sat on their boat and talked for at least an hour. When we returned to our boat it was after 1PM. I immediately checked for email again and still there was nothing. It was time to take action. I called each of the girls to tell them that I knew they were probably trying to call me but having a little difficulty getting through (I don’t have a phone). Kelly assured me that not only was there probably a failed attempt at a phone call but that the flowers that she probably attempted to send probably didn’t arrive either. She explained that it is a known fact that things are easily lost in Venezuela. We both had a laugh. I tried a couple of times to call my other daughter but there was no answer. I’m sure she was probably out somewhere thinking of me.
I had to allow Rick to cover for the girls and pamper me throughout the day. That idea was shattered when I found him pulling apart the interior of the boat to find a little leak somewhere in the fresh water system. I decided that the best approach was to pamper myself. I tuned a movie on the TV, fluffed up a pillow and lay down on the settee. It was nice for a few minutes but it didn’t take long before there was a mattress standing up between the TV screen and myself. It was becoming quite difficult to get a feeling of being a little special today. Not to be deterred, I just watched the TV in a sitting and sometimes standing position when I wanted to see the full picture.
Happy Hour (3PM) came and went. I mentioned pool time to Rick but he couldn’t stop in the middle of his “drip” quest. Finally at 4PM he suggested that since he wasn’t going to solve the problem today, we should go to the pool. We did exactly that and lazed around in the water until 5:30PM.
I had planned to cook lamb for dinner but with everything else that happened during the day I forgot to thaw the roast. Instead, I cooked hamburger hash, it seemed appropriate.
Today the weather report said there are now 2 tropical waves out there.
One is already west of us and the other has just formed off the coast of Africa.
Our new chainplates were ready and we had arranged for Rafael to drive us to the stainless steel place and the bolt store. Robert (Hayadura) needed to buy some bolts as well so he came along with us. Picking up the chainplates took us less than 10 minutes but the bolts were a different story. Rick had gone to one bolt store almost 2 weeks ago and returned with the price and assurance that they had what he needed.
Today we learned that none of the stores stock 316 stainless bolts (3 different stores) but that they could order them. We finally placed an order and agreed to return in a couple of days. Robert was happy with 304 stainless bolts so he was able to purchase what he needed.
On the way back to the marina we dropped Robert off at EPA (Home Depot type of store). Rafael stopped at a small local restaurant and we picked up lunch to take back to the boat with us.
It was Monday, pool-cleaning day. It was extremely hot with no breeze and I sure could have used the pool today.
Orient Canvas arrived at 5:30PM to put on and check the top of the new dodger. It took them awhile but it fit like a glove when they were finished. Rick prepared dinner so we had POP (plain ordinary pasta) for dinner. I think he is one of the best POP makers in the world.
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Well today we have 3 tropical waves. It was extremely hot again with no
breeze in the marina so I think we can truly say that hurricane season is just
around the corner.
Orient Canvas arrived at 9AM to make the pattern for the dodger windows and fit the new bimini. It took them all morning but they seemed to be doing a nice job. While they were busy in the cockpit, Rick was down below preparing and cleaning all of the holes for the new chainplate bolts. I tried to maintain a supervisory roll in both locations but my main responsibility appeared to be serving water on demand.
After a short siesta in the afternoon we went to the pool and joined Wendy and Lorne (Kamytoo). Later Marci and Rod joined us as well.
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We had purchased a nice fresh chicken from the vegetable stand just outside
the marina. I thought I would roast the chicken whole with potatoes and carrots
for dinner. It was a great idea but for some reason it took 2 hours before it
was cooked. Since it was 6PM when we returned from the pool it was after 8:30PM
by the time dinner was ready. Rick said it was worth the wait.
This morning while Rick went with Rafael to pick up the bolts we ordered for the chain plates, I remained at the boat and cleaned lifelines. I was able to finish the lifelines and had just started on some of the deck stainless steel when he returned. I had had enough sun so went below to help with reinstalling the chainplates. We decided to tackle the most difficult ones first and things went reasonably well. Even with stopping for lunch we were able to install four of them and make it to the pool by 3:30PM.
In the evening we had plans to go for dinner with Tom and Janet (Sovran) on their last night before flying back to the States. I had spoken so highly of Da Giorgio’s Restaurant that they wanted to give it a try. We met at the security gate and took a taxi. As we pulled up to the last major intersection before reaching Da Giorgio’s the taxi driver commented that the street ahead was in complete darkness. There were no streetlights on and in the large condos the only lighting appeared to be the emergency stairwell lighting. We drove the short distance to the restaurant anyway, hoping we would see some lights on there. No way, the only lights were the headlights of all the vehicles outside the restaurant pulling out to leave. We had to think of another restaurant we could go to without reservations. I suggested we try the typical Venezuelan restaurant, El Gran Caney Porteño in downtown Puerto La Cruz.
Rick didn’t think it would be open in the evening but we had the taxi stop there just in case. It was still open but was certainly not near as busy as it normally is in the afternoon. We went in and had a drink, salad and shared a cachapa (a corn type pancake served with a mild white cheese). It was about 8PM when we walked from there to El Moroco for our main meal. Tom and Janet were still very hungry and ordered paella while Rick and I shared some calamari. We had an extremely enjoyable evening and couldn’t believe that it was after 10:30PM when we walked out of the restaurant. The waiter got us a nice taxi and we returned to the marina and said our good byes. Rafael was picking them up at 6:30AM, well before my eyes will be open.
May 12, 2005, Puerto La Cruz, VenezuelaI had quite a few announcements to make on the net this morning so that was first on my agenda. Rick said he didn’t need my help today with the last two chainplates so I made myself busy baking bran muffins. At 8:30AM the power went off in the marina. At 9:30AM they announced on the radio that the power would be off between 9AM and 11AM for maintenance.
Oh well, it was 12:30PM when it finally came back on but since we don’t have an air conditioner it doesn’t really affect us.
Rick took all morning to install just one chainplate. I think he would have been better off if he had accepted my offer to help.
I had arranged for Rafael to pick up a few of us who needed to go to the Fundamigos headquarters for an orientation training session in the afternoon. We ended up needing two taxi’s so called for another from the security gate.
The orientation session was conducted in both Spanish and English and
became
a little chaotic at times but there was a lot to cover and for those of use who
were first timers, they had to answer a lot of questions as well.
When we left the Fundamigos headquarters I rode with Janet to her house for tea but found that the water had been turned of so we had a beer instead. Her youngest daughter was home from school, the eldest is in boarding school in Britain. She lives in one of the beautiful large houses on the canal. Now that I know exactly where her house is I promised her that we would stop by in the dinghy sometime.
I returned to the marina just in time for a cocktail party that started at
5PM. Transpacific Travel (one of the tour companies in the marina complex) was
having a cocktail party at the
Ancla restaurant and showing DVD’s of the inland
trips that they offer. They had a full house. As soon as the free portion ended,
many of the cruisers left but we stayed for the dinner and watched the movie.
Roberto was showing the “Sahara” and both Rick and I enjoy the Clive Cussler
books and we are avid Dirk Pitt fans so this was a movie we both wanted to see.
This was Friday the 13th and we decided not to push our luck too far today. Rick put the deck plates on today. It took most of the day because he made sure there was sufficient space between them and the chainplates for caulking so in some cases he had to file the deck plates a little. By the time he was finished filing his hands were all blistered he had worked so hard with the heavy stainless steel and the file.
I did a little hand laundry in the morning and in the afternoon after pool time using one of our new portable non-electric washing machines.
Later, I made a nice lamb stew for dinner.
In the evening, we stayed on board and watched a new DVD that Marie Elena had loaned us called the ‘Interpreter’.
Rick attached all of the shrouds today so we again have our mast secured and he has completed a major job.
As soon as we finished eating lunch we went to the pool. It was early but we were going out in the evening and didn’t want to miss our dip. Celine (Allie Cat), Rod and Marci (Windmiller) and Wendy from Kamytoo joined us. At 3PM we all returned to our boats and got ready to leave.
We went downtown with Celine, Marcel, Rod and Marci. Both Allie Cat and Windmiller are going home to Canada for 6 months and wanted a few more gifts to take back with them. We started at the souvenir stores on Paseo Colón where Marci bought quite a few items. We walked along the side streets toward Cinco De Julio (5th of July Street). On our way Celine stopped at a store and purchased a cute watch that had a band of dolphins. It didn’t take us long and we arrived at El Gran Caney Porteño. None of the others had ever been to this restaurant and I had recommended it as a place for our last evening our together. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal and the fact that it was inexpensive pleased all of us.
There was still enough daylight when we left the restaurant that we felt comfortable walking along the side streets to make our way back to Paseo Colón. When we arrived at the large Cross (for which Puerto La Cruz is named) there was an outdoor Mass taking place. It appeared to be a Catholic Cardinal conducting the mass and there were hundreds of people participating. We watched for a few minutes and then began our stroll along the street looking at all of the wares being displayed on small tables. It has been a while since we have walked Paseo Colón at night and it was very enjoyable.
It was Sunday, so we began the day with a pancake breakfast for a change. I made the pancakes using some whole-wheat flour this time and we were both surprised at how they were still nice and fluffy.
We spent most of the afternoon in the pool with Windmiller and Allie Cat. Roberto showed up later and treated us to some snacks and beer.
I made a lamb stew using the pressure cooker and we had dinner onboard.
We awoke to a strange sound of engines revving. Normally it’s very quiet in the morning and the only sound we hear when we open our eyes is the singing of the different songbirds nesting in the palm trees around the marina. When we looked outside we saw a large Italian sailboat across the channel of the marina and it was aground. A quick check of the pilings indicated it was high tide. The sailboat was trying to get into the haulout slip and the dockmaster was assisting it with the dinghy but all they were doing was plowing up the bottom. Eventually as the tide started to fall they called it quits and the next time it was free, it motored out of that channel and back into it’s slip. This was a relief to Marcel who was to be hauled out today at 10AM. We thought that this large boat might delay all of the scheduled haulouts for the day.
Rick washed most of the deck in the morning. He was really removing the mess I made when I had cleaned the lifelines the other day. We were waiting to help Allie Cat with their haul out, which went smoothly and pretty much on time. As soon as we knew they were in the haulout slip we left to do a little grocery shopping.
Just for a change, I decided to shop at Exito. It’s a much larger store that has everything from appliances, clothing, camping gear to groceries. It takes a lot longer to shop there because even though we only went for groceries we automatically go up and down all of the aisles to check out everything.
By the time we returned to the marina and put things away we were both ready for a siesta. We had just settled down when we heard a light knocking on our bow. It was Chris (Destiny) a single handler who had just arrived the other day on his Gozzard 36. We all went up to the restaurant where we could sit and talk for a while.
When we returned to the boat I had just enough time to prepare a dish of Flemish cabbage for the potluck dinner tonight. The potluck get-together was extremely enjoyable and not too crowded this night. We sat with Marcel Celine (Allie Cat), Tony and Benta (Side-By-Side). This was Allie Cat’s last dinner as they were flying home to Canada in the morning.
We again woke to the sound of engines in the morning but this time it was only 6AM. Sure enough, it was the large Italian boat going through the same motions again trying to get into the haulout slip. They again had to give up as the tide started to fall.
We said our goodbyes to Allie Cat and watched them lug all of the suitcases to the security gate where their taxi to the airport was waiting for them.
Rick washed the last bit of deck in the morning.
We had lunch at the restaurant, a siesta and then went to the pool before dinner.
Orient Canvas arrived at the boat just as we were returning. They put up the new bimini, dodger, main sail cover and promised to return in the morning to take some more measurements.
Dinner was onboard again, this time with whole-wheat pasta and a nice homemade spaghetti sauce.
Orient Canvas arrived at 9AM and spent most of the morning making more
patterns and taking measurements. They took everything away with them. Only the
main sail cover needed some adjustments, everything else fit like a glove but
they were now ready to sew in some zippers for our sunshades.
We spent the afternoon at the pool then returned to the boat for dinner. It was a stir fry night.
I have reclaimed the interior of the boat. Rick has finished his projects that necessitated ripping the interior apart. I spent the morning ripping apart the forward cabin. The mattress was in the main salon. Books from the bookshelf were piled on the settees in the main salon as well. I scrubbed walls and ceilings. The room sparkles and every cupboard and shelf is neatly organised (for a while).
We spent the afternoon in the pool. Roberto joined us and let us know that he just installed a draft beer spigot in the restaurant today. During happy hour and dinner, draft beer was on the house.
It was movie night but Marie Elena had loaned the DVD to us last week so we had already seen the movie (The Interpreter). We stayed for dinner as she was serving lasagne, which is a dish we both enjoy but that I seem to very rarely make.
Rick washed the starboard topsides today while I cleaned the oven and cupboards in the galley. There are a couple of storage areas that I refer to as the deep holes. There is no way I can reach the bottom of these areas. Rick assisted by standing on his head (almost) and washing the bottom of them for me.
In the afternoon I wanted to visit Janet (the Fundamigos lady) who was having a craft sale at her house. We went by dinghy and first stopped at Plaza Mayor to pick up some coconut milk. When we arrived at Janet’s I was in awe at the beautiful woods that had been crafted into trays, bowls, boxes, frames and fruits. There was nothing rustic, everything was finished to a beautiful sheen using only beeswax. The natural colour of all the different woods was amazing. I purchased a few pieces, one, a napkin holder had a small amount of black ebony on the bottom while the rest of it was made from curari which is a tobacco brown colour wood with clear tones. I bought a few pieces of fruit, the dark grapes were made of granadillo which is very dark brown like roasted coffee beans, a starfruit that was made of cartan which is a light orange colour and a red pepper made of zapatero which is a burgundy or eggplant coloured wood. I also bought two small oval bowls one was made of roble, which is reddish brown, and the other was made of miguelito which is a light yellow wood. I would have liked to have purchased many more pieces as the prices were wonderful but there is only so much room on a boat.
When we returned to the boat I prepared chicken satay for dinner. This recipe was why I needed the coconut milk. I had considered making the coconut milk from scratch as we have access to as many coconuts as we want. The gardener in the marina will pick them and using his machete, open them for anyone who asks (no charge). It’s quite a bit of work however to make the flesh and juice into milk especially when it can be purchased inexpensively in any store. I used a whole chicken that Rick had picked up from the lady who has a fruit stand just outside of the marina. Her chickens are a good size so I was able to have more than enough meat for the chicken satay and to make chicken soup that I started but will finish tomorrow.
Rick made poached eggs and bacon for breakfast this morning. Not only that, as I continued with my spring-cleaning he helped by cleaning the head while I finished off in the galley.
I finished making the chicken noodle soup for lunch. It tasted fine but I used way too many noodles so there wasn’t a lot of visible broth.
After lunch we had a short siesta and then went to the pool. It was really hot today and the pool was the best place to cool off although everyone has started to complain that even the pool water is too warm.
After a shower we went to have a drink with Marci and Rod (Windmiller) in the condo that they have rented for a few days before flying home.
The condo is very nice and it is the same one that we have booked for when we haul out at the end of June, so it was good to be able to see it. The four of us took a taxi to Pollo El Ray for dinner. It was the first time Rod and Marci had eaten there and they enjoyed the food and the price. We all had chicken and a mixed salad.
Since it was Sunday we went for eggs benedict at the Ancla Restaurnant.
I knew that it would be too warm after breakfast (10AM) so I wanted to do as much cleaning as possible before breakfast. I was able to wash the walls and clean the teak in the main salon. Rick strung clothesline in the cockpit for me and I also washed all of the curtains and hung them out to dry.
Breakfast was good and when we returned to the boat the inside temperature was 36C (97F) degrees and outside in the sun it was 40C (104F). The solution was to spend the afternoon in the pool. The pool was almost empty, as the only cruisers there were those without airconditioning. Everyone else was either at the restaurant playing dominoes or in their boat with the air-conditioner running.
Neither Rick nor I were very hungry at dinner so we had some of the leftover chicken noodle soup.
My alarm was set for 5:30AM. I was up, showered, finished breakfast and at
the security gate by 6:30AM. Arnaldo, who I had asked to drive us, was already
there waiting for us. Today was our training day at the Luis Razetti Hospital.
Nancy (Texas Reb), Benta (Side By Side and I were at the hospital ready and
waiting for Janet by 6:45AM. We were given scrubs to wear with booties, masks
and hats. The first surgery we watched was a gentle introduction to the
operating room. A little boy about 5 years old was having a broken nose set. The
second surgery was a little more gross. A man caught stealing had been shot in
the face. The bullet went from the front of his cheek and jaw right past his ear
(which was no longer there). A large hollow or groove went across his face. This
was not the initial surgery but the second in a series. Dr. Anna was attempting
to rebuild his face by implanting a nylon plate.
After the first surgery, the
nurse showed us how to clean up in preparation for the next surgery. After the
second we did the clean up. We were taught not only how to clean the room and
operating table but also how to clean the instruments without damaging them or
hurting ourselves. We had to move fast as there wasn’t much time between
surgeries.
It was almost noon when we returned to the boat. Since I had been in the operating room all morning I hadn’t been aware of the heat. It hit 44C degrees (111F) in Puerto La Cruz. This is much warmer than usual for this area. I checked the ocean water temperatures as well and they also were extremely high. If this continues it could be a very interesting hurricane season.
Rick and I had some lunch and then a siesta. It was Monday so the pool was closed but Marci and Rod had invited Lorne, Wendy (Kamytoo) and us up to their condo to finish off the last of their drinks and snack. They are flying out tomorrow morning.
We returned to the boat at 5PM about the time that Island Canvas was to arrive. It was not bad timing, they showed up at 6PM. When they finished the sky looked like it was about to rain so we closed up the boat and headed to the restaurant for dinner. I wasn’t going to use the stove in the heat with the boat all closed up. We found Rod and Marci there as well. Rick and I shared a pizza for dinner and we all watched the sky open up with a wonderful downpour, thunder and lightening. It lasted not more than a couple of hours and then we were able to open the hatches onboard to get a little air.
Jaime announced a complementary shopping trip to Exito and Fiorca today. Even though we didn’t need much of anything we both decided to spend the morning in an air-conditioned store. Needless to say we found a few things we needed.
We returned to the marina at lunchtime and had a bite to eat and a siesta. In the afternoon we went to the pool to cool off but with the extremely hot temperatures we’ve been having, the water in the pool was warmer than bath water. It still felt good.
We had dinner onboard and it was not what we would normally refer to as a “dinner” but we both enjoyed it. I had picked up some German sausages made in Colonial Tovar (the German village near Caracas) at Exito and I picked up some fresh sweet corn on the cob at Fiorca. We ate the sausages in a bun and had the wonderful corn on the cob as a side dish. It might not have been a very healthy meal but it was a nice treat.
I was looking forward to receiving a small airconditioner from Roberto this evening but it didn’t arrive. He wants to rent air conditioners to the cruisers and I said we would test one for him. He said it would be a free standing unit that we would have inside the boat rather than over a hatch. Maybe tomorrow, but it doesn’t matter, we came south to be warm so we shouldn’t complain about a little heat. I’ll repeat that statement to myself a few times.
It was another very hot day and still no air conditioner. Rick had been washing halyards and let one of the spinnaker halyards go. Our spinaker halyards are both external so it wasn’t a big deal but he did have to climb the mast to replace it. Wearing my bathing suit, I washed the cockpit cushions in the cockpit. I tried to stretch it out as an all day job because it was so refreshing rinsing the cushions and myself with the hose. Rick made sandwiches for lunch while I was playing with the water. He read in the afternoon while I had a siesta. The pool was a real gathering place for everyone in the afternoon. The pool water was so warm that when we got out the 40+ air temperature felt cool.
We had dinner onboard and ate some of our leftovers from the fridge.
Roberto called on the radio during dinner and asked Rick if he could speak to the “capitana”. He said I was the “capitana” because he saw Rick mopping the deck earlier in the day and he must have been ordered to do so by someone who was a “capitan”. He gave me information for the announcement he asked me to make on the net. We then received assurances that he was still trying to get an air conditioner for us hopefully by tomorrow.
Rick and I then watched the DVD that Marie Elena picked up for movie night tomorrow at the restaurant.
Rick lowered the dinghy into the water and we joined Bonnie and Jeff (Quickstep) for a tour through the canals. We met Bonnie and Jeff in Grenada a couple of years ago. They had never been to Venezuela but like many other cruisers after Hurricane Ivan they left Grenada and came looking for a safer place to leave their boat in the summer months. We showed them the way through the canals to Plaza Mayor where we walked around but only stopped for a drink of fruit juice. We returned to the dinghies and then made our way to Maremares where we walked through the resort to L’Ancora Restaurant. We had a nice lunch there and killed time until the stores opened after siesta. The Caribbean Mall was right across the street so we roamed around there and finally did make a purchase of a couple of DVDs each.
When we returned to the marina we raised the motor and dinghy before heading straight to the pool. There were a few people in the pool today trying to get a little relief from the heat. It helped a bit but the pool water is much warmer than bath water now so the cooling effect isn’t felt until we get out of the water.
It was movie night but since we had already watched the movie onboard we just went for dinner. Roberto has a new chef and tonight he was serving an Arabic meal for the dinner special. We had a huge chawarma with falafal and tabouleh on the side.
It was a day to take things slow and easy. Rick washed halyards in the morning. I think he just wanted to work on something involving water. If you left the hose turned off and in the sun for five minutes the water that came out of it was scalding hot, so it had to be left running.
We spent the afternoon in the pool and then went to the restaurant with Bonnie and Jeff in the evening for dinner and since it was Friday night the band was playing. That was the real reason the Bonnie and Jeff wanted to be there. With a boat named “Quickstep” they are obviously dancers. The band was good and when they realised that Jeff and Bonnie were there to dance every piece they played was a different beat. They danced to them all except when the band played a quickstep. They said there wasn’t enough room on the dance floor in the restaurant.
When we awoke this morning there was a lovely breeze. Finally the air felt less humid and we were able to move without perspiring.
It was still extremely hot so we didn’t do a lot in the morning and then spent the early afternoon in the pool.
Orient Canvas arrived at 2:30PM. They brought the dodger windows ready for the first fitting and attached some of the deck fasteners. They also brought the aft portion of our new sun awning that they made for us using the free blue fabric we acquired during the commercial shoot in January. We’re not sure how long the awning will last as it’s not Sunbrella but it sure folds into a much more compact package for storage, so I like it.
It was 4:30PM when we met Jeff and Bonnie at the security gate and took a taxi downtown. We went directly to the 4 story, fabric store where Bonnie found some of the new “suede like” material for about $1 per metre. She couldn’t pass it up. We left there and walked to the bulk food store where they sell great dried fruits. This time it was Jeff who couldn’t pass it up. As we walked by the vendors on the sidewalk we checked out each of the DVD stands to see if there were any new movies we liked. Bonnie found the Phantom of the Opera, which was another “must have. She also found that she had left her reading glasses in the taxi but we were able to pick up a new pair at one of the stands for $5.
Eventually we arrived at El Moroco where we all had a nice seafood dinner. It was dark when we left the restaurant so we took a taxi to Paseo Colon for a stroll along the shore to check out more vendor stands. Bonnie stated that there were so many things she liked there that she was going to go broke at 1000 Bs (less than 50 cents) per item.
When we returned to the marina we found that the taxi driver had returned Bonnie’s lost glasses to the guards at the security gate.
We were back to no wind or breeze in the morning. It was another day to work with water. I washed some of the interior cushions. I had finished the bottom cushions and with Rick’s help they were all laid on the foredeck to dry. As we were arranging them we could see the storm clouds approaching. It was a good rainfall but provided no relief from the humidity. The cushions didn’t dry and we had to close all the hatches and ports. It was a good afternoon for a siesta and a good evening to stay below and watch a DVD.
When we finished breakfast, Rick and I walked over to Aqua Vi to confirm our haulout date at the end of June. We met Lawrence (Meander) in the office and learned that he is hauling out about the same time as us.
While we were at Aqua Vi we wandered into their yard and spoke to our friends at Orient Canvas.
We took a taxi to Plaza Mayor before returning to our marina. Rick walked from there to a hardware store in Lecheria for some hose while I picked up a few things at the grocery store.
Just as we returned to our boat the sky opened up with a wonderful downpour. Rainy season has definitely arrived and the cushions I washed may never dry. We must have put them out on the deck and taken them in about 3 times during the afternoon.
I made Flemish cabbage and marinated a couple of steaks for the potluck barbecue in the evening and then settled down to watch TV and have a siesta. Our English TV stations were speaking Spanish. This happens everytime there is a power outage and some one has to reset them to English again. Rick called Potter (our new dockmaster) and station by station he converted them to English.
There was a good crowd at the barbecue in the evening. There were a lot of clouds in the sky but they provided only a spectacular sunset and no rain.
There was a free trip to Makro today so we went along. Makro is the South American equivalent to Costco. We didn’t think we needed much but we came back to the marina with more than we could carry.
It started to rain just as we reached the boat and to our pleasant surprise Orient Canvas had installed our new sun awning while we were off shopping. It was nice to climb aboard and stand under it with the bags of groceries and be out of the rain.
We had lunch and a siesta but had to pass on happy hour in the pool. The water had turned green due to a problem with the filter. The pool people assured us that they would have it fixed by tomorrow.
We went to the restaurant for our happy hour and had a nice time with Rondda (from the condos) and her sons who are visiting from Calgary.
Dinner was on board and we spent the evening watching TV.
