Cieneguita, Chimana Grande, Venezuela
Our first day's
"passage" was a five-mile motor across the morning calm of the bay to the
anchorage of Ciéneguita in Isla Chimana Grande. Though only
five miles distant from the bustle of Puerto La Cruz, Ciéneguita
is light-years distant in atmosphere. The anchorage is tiny, with
room for only one or two boats, and it is completely uninhabited and undeveloped.
The hills slope steeply into the placid water. Scrub brush and rocky
outcrops jut from the red soil, which is the same color as the red Georgia
clay of Cathy's home state. We spent our first day back in "cruising
mode" enjoying the quiet, listening to the subdued chirps of birds and
the chittering of insects, and diving to clean Sovereign's fouled propeller.
Bahia Matacual
Over the next several
days we hopped along the coast of Venezuela, moving only a few miles each
day. We stopped at Isla Chimana Segunda, El Oculto, Bahia Matacual,
and El Saco. Each of these harbors exhibited similar arid, hilly
landscapes ashore, and flat calm water. On every night except one
we were the only boat in our harbors, and we relished the solitude.
Surprisingly, this short stretch of the Venezuelan coast has more well-protected
harbors than the entire island chain from the Virgin Islands to Grenada.
Yet we had shared the rolly harbors in the lee of countless Caribbean islands
with hundreds of boats, while these harbors were deserted.
We would have liked to spend months cruising this part of Venezuela. It is certainly the best cruising we have done since leaving Maine over a year ago. But we spent too much time elsewhere, and as the calendar neared the end of hurricane season, we needed to be ready to move quickly before the Christmas trade winds set in and made travel difficult. We rushed back to Isla Margarita (if slogging into head winds and current can be said to be rushing). We arrived in time to "hurry up and wait" for our mail to arrive. We hadn't gotten mail in over two months, and this package was a welcome mix of magazines, bank and credit card statements, and the all-important U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Documentation renewal notice.
After five days at Isla Margarita, we cleared out with Venezuelan customs and immigration. Our original plan had been to head for Grenada via Los Testigos, two offshore hops totaling about 130 miles. Looking at our charts and the weather, we decided that the southerly route along Venezuela's Paria Peninsula offered more choices for shelter in case of trouble. By 0745 on November 19, we had raised anchor and begun motoring southeast into 15-knot winds, five foot seas, and a one-knot unfavorable current. Despite the slow going, the day wasn't too bad, with three or four pods of dolphins coming to check us out as we motored through their part of the ocean.
We dropped the anchor at Puerto Santos late that afternoon. We ate dinner, washed dishes, and then checked the weather. Conditions seemed to be improving, so we hauled up the anchor and motored east towards the darkening horizon. The coast of Venezuela runs almost directly east here, and all night as we stood our watches we monitored the radar, trying to stay less than a mile offshore. This would keep us out of the worst of the contrary current. Every so often a light would wink on nearby as we approached the fishing vessels that ply the Venezuelan coast. As we safely passed, the lights would wink off again. The small wooden boats do not show up on radar, and if they hadn't turned on their lights, we would never have seen them.
That night was supposed to be the peak of the Leonid meteor shower, though we saw very few meteors. The frequently passing squalls may have had something to do with this. However, I did see the longest meteor trail I have ever observed-it must have lasted five seconds!
Early the next morning we were nearing the eastern end of the Paria Peninsula, marking the end of Venezuela. We had to decide whether to turn left and head for Grenada, or to stop at Trinidad. Since we were so close, and we knew our friends Glyn and Jenny on "Wandering Star" were there, we decided to stop at Trinidad.
By noon the next day we were in the Gulf of Paria, which separates Venezuela and Trinidad. We made a small detour to the island of Chacachacare to say hello to Glyn and Jenny, and then motored into Chaguaramas to check in. When we got to the customs dock, there was no room to tie Sovereign up. It was getting late, and I didn't want to wait for the boats to leave because then we would have to pay overtime fees to customs. Instead, Cathy dropped me off on one of the boats tied to the customs dock. For the hour I was in the customs office, Cathy motored Sovereign around in circles, waiting for the dock to clear. When it finally did she pulled up to the dock and tied Sovereign up all by herself! She didn't even have the help of someone ashore to catch her lines! About the same time as Cathy got the last line tied up, I stepped out of the customs office. Needless to say, I was impressed.
American Thanksgiving...British style aboard "Wandering Star"
We spent the next
several days catching up with friends, and shopping for various items we
hadn't been able to buy in Venezuela. Thursday, November 23 was Thanksgiving,
and we celebrated it aboard "Wandering Star". Glyn and Jenny had
managed to acquire a real Butterball turkey that actually fit in their
oven, and Jenny cooked the turkey, stuffing, and gravy. Cathy baked
two pumpkin pies, and Mike and Barbara from "Phantasie" supplied mashed
potatoes and vegetables. It was a marvelous feast, made more interesting
because we were the only Americans there! I think we are well on
our way to getting the English to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday.
Trinidad hasn't changed since we were here last. It is still hot, humid, and rainy. The harbor is still dirty, noisy, and rolly. Still, we are glad to have stopped because it gave us the chance to visit with friends.
November 30, the official end of hurricane season, is only two days away, and we are ready to leave as soon as the weather cooperates. Starting just 80 miles north of here, the islands of the West Indies are poised like stepping-stones across the Caribbean. We need to tread quickly towards the cruising grounds of the Exumas and Bahamas during that small window between the end of hurricane season and the start of the Christmas trade winds.
Many of the people we know are staying in the Caribbean for another season, and are not in a hurry to go anywhere. We are sad to leave our friends, and sad to leave so much of Venezuela unexplored. But to paraphrase what a wise cruiser once told us, "It is always good to leave without seeing everything. And there is nothing wrong with saying goodbye. That way, there is always a reason to come back."
Smooth sailing,
Jim and Cathy