SEPTEMBER_____________________________________________________________2006

Friday, September 1st

<Araksi> We took our dinghy cover to one of the canvas stores on the beach as it was in need of some reinforcements. Dinghies suffer a lot at docks and under the merciless tropical sun. So it is important to have a good and strong cover to protect them.

Saturday to Monday, September 2nd to 4th

<Araksi> Most of the time we were mostly around the boat. Saturday I surfed the internet for all kinds of information, and cooking, reading and writing filled up the rest of the weekend.

On Monday I had my Spanish class as usual, which is always fun.

Tuesday, September 5th

<Araksi> We were all around town today, trying to buy flight tickets to Europe. Condor flies directly from Porlamar to Frankfurt, and this for a very reasonable rate. The problem is to find an agency that sells these precious tickets. Everywhere we went we were told that we most probably could buy them at the airport. So that will be our project for tomorrow.

In the afternoon I went to one of the beach restaurants along the coast to buy some oysters. The islands here are known for their huge banks. I bought two dozens for almost nothing. They are much smaller than the ones we get in Europe but the flesh is full and juicy; just put a little of lime on them and let them slide down your throat.

Wednesday, September 6th

<Ruud> The prevailing winds here are from easterly directions most of the time. Except today when around 10:30 the wind suddenly changed to the southwest and then to west. This caused a lot of commotion in the anchorage as all boats swung 180° around the anchor while the wind blew with a strength of 20 to 25 kts. In such situations anchors are jerked out of their seabed and the art is to have one that digs in immediately after. If you do not have the right type of anchor or you didn't give enough scope on your anchor line, you are bound to be dragging, and dragging fast. And so it came: everywhere in the anchorage we saw boats coming loose and running into other yachts. On the VHF we heard other warnings and calls for help, but it has no sense to leave your own vessel which need it own attention too, especially because we knew many other yachts to be unattended because their crew was ashore for shopping. Luckily we had anchored somewhat offside the other yachts just because we had experienced this all before and wanted to keep enough distance.

It was a miracle that no damage occurred at the end, mostly because many boats just decided to lift anchor and flee before one of the unmanned draggers could hit them.

Later in the afternoon the wind eased and at night everything was back to normal.

Thursday, September 7th

<Araksi> When I was up in the cockpit this morning I saw Roxy next to us. So that was the boat that woke me up in the middle of the night while doing their anchoring maneuvers. When I saw Ulf in the cockpit this morning I decided to swim over. He told me how they were caught by the strong westerlies yesterday and that they had to leave Blanquilla where the anchorage is quite exposed to bad weather especially when coming from the west/southwest.

While I was telling him about our odyssey of finding a flight to Europe - especially one of those marvelous direct flights from here to Frankfurt with Condor - he came with the solution, just like that: Unitravel. This is a travel agency close to Rattan in town. Thus today swimming was not just a good exercise but also a remedy to our problem.

After breakfast we went directly to Unitravel. We found there very helpful people - this is actually the usual thing here in Margarita; people are simply very friendly -, above all Rafael, who spoke English. He confirmed that we can indeed buy Condor tickets here even though the trip starts somewhere else than in Germany. The procedure is that the customer gives the dates of departure and arrival and the agency sends the data to the head office and waits for conformation. So we will know on Tuesday if we can get a flight for the desired date.

With smiles on our faces we continued our venture in to town heading towards the Plaza Bolivar, walking down the Avenida 4 de Mayo. This is a long avenue that harbors along its path many stores with all kinds of goods. But the intriguing thing of this place is the dramatic difference between rich and poor: along the street we observed pauper areas with lots of street vendors, but a block further the avenue mutates into a elegant place full of boutiques selling the most exclusive brand goods, to become more modest again a few blocks further away.

With all its differences this mile has one thing in common: it is full of people. It is just bursting, mainly of Venezuelan tourists from the mainland (it is the vacation season until mid September). Being a tax free island Margarita attracts a lot of visitors. Beside than that it has beautiful beaches, sunny weather and friendly people.

Plaza Bolivar is a huge square with a big church in the middle and it is surrounded with lots of stores. By the way, here in Venezuela you can see the name Bolivar all over the place; streets, squares, buildings, schools and even the currency is named after Bolivar, the very person who liberated the northern part of South America from the Spanish occupation. I found here a fabric store, Il Castillo. It is a two storied huge place with all kind of beautiful fabric, just amazing.

By the time we were back on Garabes we were just exhausted. The heat is not always easy to cope with. After dinner we watched a DVD. Drake has lots of these movies that he lends us. So we are taking advantage of it.

Saturday, September 9th

<Araksi> We had the usual morning routine today; I wake up earlier than Ruud, have a swim, then either do some exercises or do some internetting until 08:00 when the cruisers net is on. Carl gives a good weather forecast, therefore I don't listen to Eric at 06:30 anymore. Besides than that my reception of Eric, who emits from Trinidad, is not so good anymore. After the net we have our breakfast, then we start doing the things that are on the to do list for the day.

In the evening we went to a local restaurant with a group of sailors; we were with Paul, Mary, and Drake. Barbara and Graig from C-toys joined us as well. The restaurant was packed with locals, the menu was quite large and the food was ok. We had lots of fun, and that continued at the Sunset Bar and Grill at the anchorage. Keith played good music as every Saturday and we enjoyed the company of many nice people.

Sunday, September 10th

<Ruud> A real Sunday, with no work but relaxing; reading, writing, internetting. In a peaceful surrounding we enjoyed the many seabirds chasing behind the plenty of fish in this bay: seagulls, much smaller than their European counterparts, frigate birds and mostly the majestic pelicans that dive into the water with amazing speed and come out every time victoriously with a big silvery victim. Then they pass by within a meter, not at all afraid and land on the many yacht that are left unattended, to cover them slowly but certainly with a grayish layer of "paint".

In the evening I went fishing with Charlie from Brisa. By simply trawling next to the rocky shores we caught a fine Spanish mackerel and some tasty bonitos. That called for a sushi, Araksi-style. So the crews from Brisa and Garabes were soon chopping and slicing to get a perfect maki-sushi ready in no time. The only thing missing was the sake, but that couldn't spoil the fun.

Monday, September 11th

<Araksi> As we have WIFI connection here in the anchorage we were hoping to be able to Skype more often but this is unfortunately not the case simply due to bad communication. After having tried many possible solutions, we thought it was now the time to seek the help of some other cruisers. I had heard Paul and Drake talking of their good Skype calls. So I contacted Paul to find out about his equipment. He apparently has a strong antenna and a WIFI amplifier that strengthens the signals received and sent. When we skyped with each other to check the quality of our conversation, it became obvious that I could receive him much better than he could hear me. The problem seems to be our own antenna: it can receive very well but is not strong enough to send a clear signal. So there is another gadget to buy.

In the afternoon we went to Paldemar to plug our computer in Paul's antenna system, but this did not work. Nevertheless we had fun with lots of talk and Cuba Libres (Coke and Rum with lots of ice and a slice of lime). Then we went to the Sunset Bar and Grill had some more stuff to drink. Well yes, that's not good.

Tuesday, September 12th

<Araksi> After breakfast we went to the Hilton Marina to see if the arrangement we had made last week was still being considered. The tickets to Frankfurt should be approved by now so before doing the last confirmation today or tomorrow we want to make sure that we have a berth for Garabes in there. We then walked to CM, the big grocery store, and went back packed with vegetables and fruits around noon time.

In the evening we had Paul and Mary for a goodbye dinner. They will be leaving in a day or two. This also is part of sailing. You meet fine people, have good time with them and then you part, with a maybe in mind that you meet them somewhere in another nice anchorage.

Wednesday, September 13th

<Araksi> I went to Unitravel in town first thing in the morning; we didn't have any message from Rafael by yesterday, so I wanted to find out if there was a problem. He unfortunately didn't have any news for us. He told me that he already had contacted the head office yesterday and that they ensured him that the confirmation was on its way. Hopefully. After that I checked the stores along the long avenue Santiago de Mariño for pearls. Margarita and the surrounding islands are the center of pearl production in Venezuela.

In the afternoon I had my usual Spanish class.

Thursday, September 14th

<Araksi> I just wanted to check and air the sail lockers. But that turned out to be a whole days work. The thick, winter wear that I had vacuum packed in special plastic bags had to be controlled; the seal on the bags seemed to be loose. Indeed, the clothing didn't pass the smell check. The disgusting mildew odor was all over the place. So I soaked each pullover one by one in a bucket filled with ammonia water. This takes the odor away. Then exposed them to the strong sun of Porlamar. I don't even want to think of doing this work in rainy Trinidad.

Our cockpit was full of clothing hanging all over the place, all day long. At least the job is done and it was a part of the preparation for our departure to Europe. I want to take most of the thick cloth to my sister's place. By the way, talking about going to Europe, we still didn't receive any answer from the travel agency while the date (25th or 27th September) is getting closer.

Friday, September 15th

<Araksi> I had promised Rudi, an Austrian sailor, to search and dive for his anchor that he had lost last Sunday. At 07:20 we were ready for the expedition. Ruud - still suffering from his swollen leg - was almost sure that we will not be able to find the anchor. He could have been right, for the area we have to search is quite big and the water has been a little murky in the last two days. The depths here are luckily not more than four meters. Given this conditions we started the search; Rudi in the dinghy, and I in the water being pulled very slowly by a line attached at the end of it. Half an hour later I saw an almost oblivious chain in the sand, I was not even sure if it was one. But it certainly was something that didn't fit into the normal pattern. I dove for it. Yes, it was certainly a chain, but the anchor had so much of a growth on it and most of it so deeply submerged that I couldn't even figure out its type. Once back at the surface Rudi told me that his was a CQR anchor; I had to be sure that this one was his. Equipped with a rope I went down again, passed the loose end of the rope through the shackle that was attached to the chain and then swam to the anchor to see if it was a CQR, - behind a haze of growth I could see the typical CQR flukes - then finally went up bringing the end of the rope back to the dinghy. We tied a buoy to it for marking the anchor and went back to Garabes. Now that the anchor was found and marked Rudi's 20 ton boat had to be attached to it. But first he had to find lots of ropes long enough to reach his boat; his engine is out of order, he therefore needs to pull the boat towards the anchor with a little of assistance from behind, that is, we pushing with our dinghy.

Ruud's leg still looks infected. He has been taking antibiotics since yesterday. We decided to visit a doctor tomorrow if we don't see any bettering until then.

Our dinghy is finally dressed up: the cover on the inflatable tubes have been reinforced, the outboard cover has been mended, and the fuel tank finally has a new protection too.

In the afternoon I went to the Spanish class. I enjoy going on board Brisa for practicing Spanish together with Drake and Natalie. Late in the evening we watched one of Drake's DVDs "The Matrix Revolutions".

Saturday to Wednesday, September 16th to 20th

<Araksi> Our main concern was finally to get the tickets for our visit to Europe. We still do not have a confirmation for the 25th of September. We have been putting some pressure on Raphael from the travel agency by visiting him a couple of times, and urging him to call the lady at the airport who apparently is the contact person to the main Condor office in Chicago. In the mean time we arranged for enough cash to pay the ticket -this is another process that takes at least two days to get it done. We bought a mobile phone with a local sim card in it. The whole thing was a good offer and above all, it's always practical to have a local contact number, so we are now accessible through our Venezuelan phone number.

Thursday, September 21st

<Araksi> We were on the way most of the morning. Back at the dock we met Rudi who invited us for a beer. Sitting in the shade and watching sailors come and go was enjoying, after a while Gabi form sailing catamaran September joined us. We had met her and Hans on board Gammeldansker couple of days ago when Gisela and Holger had invited us for a sundowner. While chatting Gabi asked if we would like to have a surf board. I always wanted to learn to wind surf and was happy about her wonderful offer. By the end of the day I was the proud owner of a wind surfing equipment.

Today in town we saw the wonderful sculptures and paintings of Francisco Narváez, and the works of other mostly local artists in the Museum of Contemporary Art. This place is a oasis of peace of mind and inspiration just in the center of busy Porlamar.

Friday, September 22nd

<Araksi> I had my last Spanish class today; Natalie will be away for a while, and we ourselves are leaving soon as well. In the afternoon Ruud went to the travel agency to pay for the tickets; our flight is finally confirmed for the 29th of September. I wonder if we would have been able to fly already in September if we wouldn't have put some pressure on Raphael.

In the evening we had Gale and Slim on board with their Venezuelan friends Vicente and Mary. With these pleasant couples we had another marvelous evening in paradise. We love being in Margarita; the weather here is almost always sunny with a gentle breeze, the sea is at our doorsteps, the locals are friendly, and we have good internet connection from our boat thanks Robert on the sailing vessel Freya who offers a good and fast WIFI service.

Luckily the hurricane season has so far been eventless this year, and the month September being the enfant terrible among its brethren in terms of hurricane activity is almost over. The couple of hurricanes that crossed the Atlantic towards the Americas were hardly noticed here in Porlamar.

Saturday to Sunday, September 23rd to 24th

<Araksi> Beautiful weather and pleasant people make a beautiful weekend. We did lots of reading internetting, and writing. On Sunday afternoon I dove with Gale and Slim for oysters. They just lay on the sandy bottom very close to our boat. We picked up more than two dozens. Slim and I cleaned them on board Garabes to serve them only minutes later with some lime and spice. A delight! Later we moved to Mis Gale where we finalized the evening with some cold beers while Gale and Slim were telling some more of their adventures.

Monday to Tuesday, September 25th to 26th

<Ruud> These are the last two days in the anchorage before we leave to Europe. We are mainly doing the last arrangements to move in to the Hilton Marina tomorrow.

Wednesday, September 27th

<Ruud> We moved Garabes from the anchorage in to the Hilton Marina. Laurie, a british sailor who has his boat in here helped us settling in our berth. He will keep an aye on Garabes when we are away.

Thursday, September 28th

<Ruud> Today is our last day in Porlamar. We will be gone for about six weeks. We were basically packing and taking some precautions on Garabes: such as emptying most of the closets to let the air circulate much easier. Hopefully this will prevent the mildew from building up. September and October are the most humid months in here and this creates a paradise for mildew.

Friday, September 29th

<Ruud> Departure to Europe. Flight: Porlamar - Frankfurt. Luckily, we got a direct flight, still more than 10 hours though. It will be Saturday late in the evening before we will arrive at my mother´s home.