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CW 47 2002
10.11. -16.11.2002
It's Sunday, 7am, and Silver Blue is leaving the Isla Margarita for good. And it's about time; she's already growing roots.
| The sailing is relaxed, but, since I didn't sleep much - and badly -
last night, I spontaneously change the days destination and head for the
island Cubagua, instead of Tortuga. At 12 o'clock I already drop anchor
in the Ensenada de Charagato, after carefully having surrounded the north-eastern
cape. Apparently a car-ferry tried a short cut here in 1968, not being too careful - and one can clearly see here, what came from that. Thanks to Christopher Columbus Cubagua was the first European settlement in South America. The reason for this was the islands rich oyster banks and the subsequent trade in pearls, which was also the reason for the Spaniards enslaving most of the local inhabitants. The whole thing came to an end with a large earthquake and tidal wave in 1542. Since then the island is uninhabited. |
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On Monday, at 7.30am I continue towards Tortuga. I'm halt an hour late and
I'll miss it tonight. With aft winds of 4 Beaufort, under the gemaker, we
do a nice 8 knots. Since the direction of the winds changed radically a few
times I have to move the sail, which isn't exactly small (120 m2), to the
other bow and that's quite a lot of work. As a reward I get to see dolphins
playing with Silver Blue again - which hasn't happened in a long time. And,
as always, it's a beautiful sight. At sunset I spot the Playa Caldera on Tortuga
- and the waters I have to manoeuvre through to get there. Now I am missing
that half hour. Getting through the reefs in fading light and with now 6 Beaufort
isn't easy. Also, the electronic maps aren't very precise and therefore not
much help. The good old radar is of much more help and at 6.50pm the anchor
drops to the ground, 4 meters below the water.
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The following morning the bay lights up in all its beauty, but there's
a lot of work to do before I can conquer the beach. Silver Blue wants
to be washed and the generator and desalinator need new filters and fresh
oil. But then - vamos a la playa - I hit the beach. I meet a few fishermen that have a camp here and ask them for a crayfish. They do have one, but she is full of eggs - it's their spawning season. And I really don't want that - so I thank them and decline. Crayfish shouldn't be caught during this time anyway. During my way back the sun starts setting, enveloping Silver Blue in a beautiful light. A magnificent sight! Wednesday begins with freshly baked full-grain bread and Allgäuer Emmenthaler that I bought in Margarita. What a feast. Therefore it's already 11.30am before I weigh anchor. My destination are the close by Isla Los Palonquinos. I drop anchor in the middle of the reef. I'm all alone here, apart from a few pelicans. Nothing's going on, except the continuous murmur of the ocean. It's absolutely peaceful here. |
| The following day takes me to the western end of Tortuga, into the Caya
Herrandura, only 5 nautical miles away. At 1pm the anchor drops into 3
m of crystal clear water; just like anchoring in a swimming pool. Wonderful!
There are also a few fishermen, living in camps, here and on Friday morning some of them ask me for cigarettes - and I ask them for fresh fish. Though I've been a non-smoker for a few years now, I always have cigarettes with me since, apart from rum, they are the most sought after article of exchange. So a box of cigarettes (that cost about 1 Euro) changes hands and, believe it or not, after 2 hours I get a wonderful, fresh tuna fish for it. |
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I enjoy that one in the afternoon and at 6pm I weigh anchor with destination Los Roques. The moon is almost full and the weather reports predict a calm night. But apparently that was no good: there is a continuous wind with more than 6 Beaufort and there's a strong sideward swell and, the usually very reliable, autopilot apparently can't come to terms with that.
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Apparently I've also got too much sail out and I really don't feel like shortening the sails again in the middle of the night. But is has to be done and afterwards Silver Blue does run a little smoother, but she's still doing 8-9 knots. The sideward swell is getting higher and higher, forcing me to take the rudder myself. Very strenuous … Already at 7.00am I sight the passage through the reefs and at 8.30am I drop anchor in front of Gran Roque (left). Now I'd like to recover a little, but no such luck. After the ship is secured the official part demands my attention. All in all I have to visit 4 different places and also pay quite a lot of fees for this national park. After everything is taken care of I move Silver Blue to the probably most famous bay here, close to the island Francisquis and then I can really relax a little. |
That's all for now from Los Roques. More, next week, if you like …
… until then, take care!
TOM
