Venezuela ( November 15th 2002 to January 9th 2003) We left Chaguaramas in Trinidad at 5 pm. For security reasons it was recommended to sail Venezuela together with a "buddy" boat. Our "buddy" boats were "Trompeta", another HR 42, and a c a t a m a r a n " K o n c e r t o " . Together we passed through the Boca de Monos, just before dark. The Boca de Monos is infamous for it’s strong currents and waves, but all went well. After a beautiful overnight passage we arrived the next morning at Los Testigos, Venezuela. We anchored in the lee of Isla Cabra and went ashore, keeping our balance on a ramshackle dock, to check in. It felt good to be back in Venezuela and we enjoyed speaking Spanish again. We felt relieved to be out of the dirty waters of Chaguaramas Bay and went for a nice swim. It was a nice anchor spot with frigate birds circling overhead. That evening John and Tricia, whom I met at the writer’s group in Trinidad, invited us on "Trompeta" for a drink, and we had a nice time together. The next morning we moved to an anchorage at Playa Real, a white sandy beach with clear waters. After spending three days in Los Testigos, we sailed together to Isla Margarita. We anchored in Porlamar and stayed there for 2 weeks. Porlamar’s skyline consists of high-rise hotels along the waterfront. A lot of these hotels are unfinished, and were probably built for money laundering. Margarita is a great place for duty free shopping. It is cheaper than anywhere else in the Caribbean. To give an indication: a can of beer costs 10 $ ct, which is 2 ½ times less than a can of coke. Like the other sailors we stocked up on everything. We also bought diesel at 7 $ ct per litre! Another treat was to go for a meal in one of the restaurants. "Jack’s" at the waterfront had the best deal, and was also a meeting point for sailors. We met Nick and Gertrud of "Tartufo" again and their friends Dick and Pam of "Aliesha". We also had a good time together with Tricia and John. We exchanged ideas and copied charts of the Pacific. One night we met Theo and Lourdes. Theo is from Holland and Lourdes from Caracas. When I told Lourdes I was a little bit disappointed when I saw Porlamar, she invited us to show us around the island. They showed us the nice spots on the east part of the island. We saw nice beaches and the old colonial towns of Pampatar, Juan Griego, Asunción, and Valle del Espiritu Santo, where they live. They recommended us to visit the Laguna de la Restinga, where they had seen "Caballitos del Mar" or seahorses. And so we did, together with Robert and Jeanette of "Nassau", whom we had met earlier in Trinidad. With a small boat we navigated through the mangroves in the lagoon, and sure enough our guide found us colourful starfishes, sponges, and seahorses, which were mating. We were very lucky to see and video this miracle. Some time later we discovered the pretty, old town centre of Porlamar, bustling with people on Plaza Bolivar. On November 30th we left Porlamar and sailed to Juan Griego together with "Aliesha". The next morning we sailed on to Isla Blanquilla. Just before we arrived, a windsurfer sailed in our direction. We anchored on a beautiful spot with a view on palm trees and a small fishing boat on a white sandy beach. It was so inspiring that I had to paint it. We had a very nice time together with Pam and Dick. We went to Americano Bay further north along the west coast of Blanquilla. Luckily we went with two dinghies, as the sea was very rough. The bay was beautiful with a natural arch, but we did not see much when we went snorkelling, because the waves had whirled up all the sand. Snorkelling around our boat and a little bit further north was great though. We played a nice card game together on their boat and one evening we had sundowners and a barbeque on the beach. This was a big success. Just before sunset Marc of "Carely" came towards us and had a chat with us. He turned out to be the windsurfer we saw when we arrived. From Blanquilla "Aliesha" sailed eastwards to Grenada, and we had an easy sail with "Carely" southwestwards to Isla Tortuga. The anchorage at Playa Caldera was quite rolly, but we went for a nice walk along the pristine white sandy beach and wandered around the quaint fishing village. The fishermen had lined their "gardens" with conch shells. These are shells of large sea snails. All of a sudden two small airplanes appeared out of the blue and landed on the airstrip in the middle of nowhere. About ten passengers were brought ashore from a catamaran to board the planes. We have also anchored behind the reef at Palanquinos. We went snorkelling but did not see much due to low visibility except for a huge barracuda. The nicest anchor spot was at Cayo Herradura. This island has a nice, white sandy beach with a sand spit forming at the southeast at low tide. It was great fun to walk to the end of the sand spit, where the waves were rolling in from all sides. We had a nice view over bright blue waters and the fishing village, which I painted, and there were lots of fishing boats surrounding us. One time a fishing boat passed us. They must have liked the name of our boat so much, because the crew was jumping up and down with ear-to-ear grins, yelling "Alegría, Alegría"!. This was a nice anchorage, and quiet enough to hoist Marcel up the mast to check the rigging. From Isla Tortuga we sailed overnight to Boca Sebastopol at the southeastern tip of Los Roques. This entrance through the reef can be quite challenging, especially when you are tired from a nightsail and the sun is not so high yet, that you can clearly see the reefs. We were lucky, as we could follow "Carely". Doyle’s coordinates of the Boca were spot on, and then we had to take a sharp turn to the right, to sail in between the outer and inner reef. This we could do eyeballing our way, as the light was slightly higher and behind us now, and the water crystal clear, so that we could clearly see and avoid the reefs. Luckily this was the case as our Imray chart was totally inaccurate. Los Roques is like a Pacific atoll in the Caribbean Sea. It is a national park consisting of many little islands protected from the sea by a barrier reef. It was great sailing in calm waters behind the reefs. We thought it was a great experience staying at anchor on our own and one time with "Carely", just behind the eastern barrier reef, near the other entrance, called Boca del Medio. We did some of the best snorkelling there. We saw conch, different corals, huge parrotfishes, and lots of other rather tame and curious fishes. A few nights before Christmas, there were fluorescing lights in the sea all around us. On Nordisqui and Isla Vapor we saw lots of shells, and we could see how storms had built up the islands. During a storm the waves must have thrown shells and coral on to the beach in ridges, thus expanding the islands. There were beautiful shades of blue in the pools, surrounding these islands. We also had a great time on Francisqui. This was a well-protected anchorage in a lagoon, surrounded by three little mangrove lined islands. After a walk over the middle island we arrived at the so-called "piscina", which was like a swimming pool surrounded by corals and full of fish. In Francisqui we celebrated a multinational Christmas together with people from four other boats: Robert and Jeanette on "Nassau", David and Annette on "Nordlys", Brian and Anne on "Farn", and Marc, Céline and Jean Pierre on "Carely". First we had drinks on "Nassau", and then we went for dinner on "Nordlys". Everyone prepared something special for dinner at Christmas Eve. We had a great time, and outside the wind was hauling. It was actually quite a challenge to stay dry during the dinghy ride. On Christmas Day Marc offered Marcel to have a go on his windsurf board. So he coached Marcel, and after a while I could film Marcel surfing along. A pity I have knee problems, because I would have loved to try it as well. We also saw some kite surfers, who made incredible, acrobatic jumps. On Gran Roque, the only island with a village, we did our paperwork. Marcel had to go to four different stations, before we were officially checked in. Here we also did our grocery shopping. Even though there had been a national "paro" or strike since we left Margarita, we could still buy some food. But everyone in the village was talking about the "paro" and the situation in Caracas. We watched the demonstrations on television in a bar. It felt great to be back on Gran Roque, as we had been here seven years ago, when we lived in Caracas. It looked even nicer now with more "posadas", small guesthouses, and restaurants. We celebrated New Years Eve there with Robert and Jeanette, Marc, Céline and Jean Pierre, and Hans, Mariana, Jeanne and little Isa from "Domicil". With 100 other guests we went to a nice restraurant, the "Ballena Azul", where they had prepared a huge buffet with lobster and other delicacies. They also served lentils, which are supposed to bring good luck for the New Year in Venezuela, so I had some. After dinner, at midnight, we poured champagne in a glass, toasted to the New Year and kissed eachother. Then everybody went to the "plaza" in the centre of the village. There was a band playing, and we danced until late, and Marc gave a juggling show. Sailing along Los Canquises we saw numerous, bright pink flamingos. Unfortunately we could not get close enough to make a photo. One evening we anchored at Cayo Remanso, another beautiful lagoon anchorage with a nice view. We also visited Dos Mosquises. The entrance to the anchorage there was quite tricky, as you have to cross a reef. We crossed it at high water and all went well. On Mosquise Sur we visited the turtle research centre. Here they feed the hatchlings until they are one year old and then let them go. There is some debate whether or not they loose their orientation because of this. This was also the place where Amerindians used to live. We walked to the other side of the island and had a stunning view over the lagoon with turquoise waters. We have also anchored at Cayo de Agua, named this way, because the Amerindians found fresh water here. We walked from the "oasis" with palm trees across the island to the other side. Our sandals were full of tiny seeds with spines, which stuck to them while we crossed. We walked from Cayo de Agua to West Cay across a sand spit connecting the two islands. Amazing to be walking on such a narrow strip of sand with the waves crashing onto it from both sides. One evening we had sundowners on the beach together with the people from the other boats. From Cayo de Agua we sailed together with "Nassau" to Islas de Aves de Barlovento, and filmed eachother. We found a beautiful anchoring spot behind the mangroves of Isla Sur. The Aves got their name from the large number of birds, living there. With our dinghy we explored the mangroves and filmed lots of nesting and baby boobies, frigate birds, and pelicans from nearby. Especially in the mornings and evenings the birds were most active, soaring the coloured skies above the mangroves. We also had a nice walk on the island together with Robert and Jeanette and did some snorkelling. On our last day here, "Tween", came sailing in unexpectedly. We met Ine and her children in Margarita, and now we met Ben as well. After a short sail to Aves de Sotavento, we anchored behind the mangroves of Isla Larga. There were fewer birds here, so we decided to enjoy a lazy day and play a game of scrabble with Robert and Jeanette. "Nassau" sailed on to Bonaire and we moved to another anchorage behind Isla Curricai or Long Island. This is a typical Robinson Crusoë island, just sand with one palm tree. Here we celebrated Eva’s birthday on board the "Tween" with homemade birthday cake with candles. We did some great snorkelling behind the barrier reef together with them and the Hacking family on board the "Ocelot", and at night we continued the celebration, by organising a potluck on board "Ocelot". The next day the three of us sailed to Bonaire with high seas.