26 Days Traveling Venezuela's Out Ilands

HEADING WEST --Part I- Los Testigoes

Thank you for your patience.... We now have a new computer that Sean and Carlie brought down with them on their visit to us in Bonaire. Sean helped me pull all the important data off the old computer which was so exciting...So here we go. We have actually separated this voyage into four parts. We hope you enjoy this passage in your minds as we did in real time.

26 Days Traveling Venezuela’s “Out Islands”…And what a fabulous time we had.

It has been recommended these islands are very remote, a cruisers dream; but go prepared…

July 30th..Meeting with Cathy and Derek (Idyll Island) this past week we have decided today is our last opportunity for provisioning for this leg of our journey. To protect ourselves even with a buddy boat we have decided not to travel along the coastal mainland of Venezuela.

We were able to check out of Customs & Immigration at Prickly Bay. Cruisers still need to check in only at Grenada Yacht Club, St. Georges.

July 31st. Pulling up anchor 0330hrs not only has the wind pcked up but we have a squall on to of us.

It feels great to be underway. We've got "Auto" on. The wind and seas should be behind us for this crossing.

What a real roily ride.`Auto` has definitely worked hard for us today. We're travelling anywhere between 5.4 to 7.7 knots depending on the following seas....as we ride down the surf. The seas are confused and sloppy, worse than any roilyness we've ever encountered.

We seem to be very close to our planned coarse so we'll go to the Southern end of Los Testigos as recommended in the guide.. The currents are set to the NW and can be as strong as 2.5 knots.

By 1730 we are anchored just north of the gap between Testigo Pequeno and Testigo Grande in Playa Real off a beautiful sandy beach where the surf crashes onto the windward shore.

Los Testigos (The Witnesses). This group of nine islands has just over 250 inhabitants, their source of revenue fishing. Los Testigos is approx. 2 miles long and 1.5 miles at it's north.

First on the agenda today is our one mile dinghy ride over to the fishing village of Isla Iguana Grande to check in with the Costa Guardia outpost. Check in was a very simple one page form. The young officer was very friendly enjoying our attempt at speaking Spanish.

Crossing back over to Testigo Grande we decided to stop at Ballandra Bay and hike over to the Sand Dunes. Absolutely beautiful. Being the windward side we were amazed to find very little garbage. Normally the windward side of an island will be strewn with garbagge---primarily plastic, a cauldron of bottles, shoes, toys etc. etc. But not here.

We did see tracks from the big leatherback turtles in the sand.

Aug.2nd. Getting a bit of exercise.

Back to High States…Rain is coming
Cathy and Derek swam over, we reviewed the weather and have decided to pull anchor around 2200hours tonight for our trip to La Blanquilla.

After lunch we noticed the Bay to our North is full of local fish boats. The Bay is closed off with a yellow net. We decide to investigate.

The people were friendly even with the language barrier. We asked why it was taking so long to net the fish. One local who spoke very good English explained they were waiting for the confirmed price they would get from the Venezuelan mainland. If the price was good they would take fish; if not, they would only take what they personally eat….What a novel idea..

STAY TUNED

Exciting News.....Sean and Carlie have come for a visit and HURRAY!!! They have brought me a new computer so very shortly I will be able to share with you our fabulous trip from Grenada to Bonaire...

Back to High States in Grenada

July 2009.

Darn!!! Our new dinghy has arrived and it has a leak at the forward lift ring. Back it goes for repair. This of coarse means another day or two at the Marina.

We were invited to an Oil Down…This is a traditional Grenadian Dish cooked on a residential street corner beside a rum shop. As is the custom this dish is usually prepared by men. This dish more often than not includes local Breadfruit, chicken backs, pork snout, or fish (lots of bones), grated coconut, callaloo, tumeric ,and vegetables such as pumpkin, carrots, green bananas & green papaya thickly sliced. These are layered into a large pot, topped with very doughy dumplings, then cooked over an open fire for a couple of hours.

There's 42 cruisers this week which I think is the largest group so far. We're in Cuttie's neighbourhood at the corner Rum Shop. We were all asked to bring an h'ordeurve or dessert. Here Sam is getting in on the prep work.

Along with Leona who asks "is there not a sharper knife"

And Gail. They're preparing the root vegetables.

Here one of the local residents is grating coconut.

Randy with Rick and Griff (whom we haven’t seen since Trinidad). Griff helped organize this outing for the cruisers....

Thank you Heather & Don (Asceance) who also helped with the organizing.

Cooking over an open fire will take a couple of hours.

While a few cruisers were involved in the preparations the rest of us do what the locals do while they wait for the Oil Down to be cooked: “Lime”; sipping our cold drinks; yes you guessed Rum enjoying each others company and an incredible view.

We're turning into quite the ""social butterflies.We've been invited to Celebrate Batisite Day with our French Connection friends. We felt quite honored to be their token Anglophones.The French flag was up and we enjoyed soft french music. In the foreground Louis, Jervais and Louis' wife Marie-Josie. These friends are all from Quebec. We originally met them in Luperon. We also met many couples from France and had a fun but frustrating time trying to interact with one another in French/English. Oh well, we all did try.

Louis & Manon

Rand with Michel. Michel is a single handler on a 60 footer who has been sailing in the Caribbean for many years.

Marie France

et Gilles. We all took a dish to share while Gilles prepared and cooked the Tuna. Delicious food and great company...

We’re anchored back off Whisper Cove. It feels wonderful to be back on anchor, swimming in the bay. It's much cleaner than at the Marina.

Here's from left Margie who will be staying in Grenada; Heather who will be on her way to Trinidad; Terry will be off to Venezuela where she will teach water color lessons, (she has been teaching a few of us here her techniques) and Leona who is planning to stay in Grenada for hurricane season unless we can talk her and Bill into coming West with us. We all got together on our last night in Clarks Court Bay (Before we head back around to Prickly Bay).We lucked out with it being Hamburger Night and of course not many of us can not say no to a good hamburger.

One tropical wave after another is hitting us right now. This squall is chasing us on our way to Prickly Bay. We actually sat " hove too" off the Bay for about ten minutes as there was zero visibility.

Our first trip into "de Big Fish" dinghy dock with the new dinghy and there's an oil slick----time for her first scrub.

Scott and Sue invited us to join them at the Mongolian Restaurant to watch Scott “jamming” with his drum.

It was an extra special evening because Rum Runner (Jay & Jennifer) just arrived this afternoon in Prickly Bay. We haven’t seen them for at least six months. We had a great time getting caught up.

JUNE 2009- Home for a month to Celebrate MOM's 75th Birthday

Our trip home went far too quickly. By the time we raced around the first 10 days with appointments it was time to celebrate MOM's Birthday.

We are only disappointed we did not get to see everyone on our list. We do want to give a special Thank You to Jim and Toni for opening their home to us and friends.

Celebrating Mom’s 75th Birthday on the Cruise Ship---Serenade of the Seas--- heading for Alaska.

Thank you Ash,

and Sean and Carlie for taking time off to join us making this such a memorable trip.

Celebrating already??? Must be Happy Hour.

We all had staterooms with windows and were all on the same floor. We were most grateful the main dining room “Reflections” accommodated our request for the 6pm dinner seating. The staff was friendly and professional.

The ship itself had recently been renovated. The elevators were glass facing out to sea.

I had fun each day spending a few dollars on the slot machines. Ash preferred playing cards while Randy and Sean were focused on the “quarter machine” with the challenge of getting the fifty dollar bill perched precariously on the edge. You put quarters down a shoot, landing at the base which was constantly shifting slowly back and forward. Be darn if they didn’t get it even if it did cost them fifty dollars. Carlie enjoyed sharing our machines and Mom—well, she preferred a quiet time reading in the solarium.

After traveling the first two days through the Inside Passage we arrived at the Historic Fishing Town Hoonah on Icy Strait Point home to the largest native Tlingit Indian settlement in Alaska. As if on queue as Serenade of the Seas anchored we watched Humpback Whales and Orcas frolicking off starboard.

In 1912 the Hoonah Packing Cannery opened. What I found amazing was within two years this cannery canned 2,367,072 cans of Salmon which then was shipped to Seattle.

Heading to the Hubbard Glacier. I was surprised there was no snow on the ground and I expected more on the mountain tops.

Beautiful pieces of ice floating by.

Randy trying to keep warm. Yes, we were all cold.

The Hubbard Glacier is the longest tidewater glacier on the North American continent extending 76 miles.

In stark contrast to most glaciers Hubbard Glacier is in fact thickening and advancing toward the Gulf of Alaska.

Absolutely breath taking.

At the Glacier the Captain gently spun the boat 360 degrees for two hours giving everyone on board breathtaking panoramic views.

Are you ready to Rock Climb?

Sean is first

Way to go Carlie…Up to the top and ring the bell.

Then Rand's turn.

It continues to be cold…16 degrees Celsius and overcast.


We’re at Skagway, a Tlingit name meaning “a windy place with white caps on the water’. Skagway is at the northern tip of Lynn Canal. Skagway was one of two “Tent Towns” back in 1897 that was a jumping off point for the 600 mile trek to the gold fields. At times this town was home to more than 10,000 transients. Of coarse the town is full of tourist type stores which we enjoyed. Mom even found a quilt shop.

We rode the local bus out to try our luck at panning for gold. Of course the few slivers we all found were well planned in our pans filled with sand. We were taught the correct “art” of panning and if we were not careful we would loose the gold in our pan.

Our afternoon excursion was on the Whitepass & Yukon Railway train which took us 2885 feet above sea level slowly but surely to the Alaska British Columbia Border. This train now operates purely for the tourist trade. It is in fact designated as a Civil Engineering Landmark, shared with the Panama Canal, Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.

Again we had incredible views and could only imagine the trials and tribulations that the miners went through back some 100 years when they had to make this trek by foot with mules packing a years supply of provisions. We saw the steep narrow pathway they used.

We were told this is the steepest grade railroad in the world with cliff hanging turns, two tunnels ,and I have to admit when we started to head back down the track I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. We were all reminded the train had a specially engineered brake system.

We’ve arrived in Juneau along with four other cruise ships. Juneau is the capital of Alaska founded during the 1880 Gold Rush. We passed beautiful fjords along the Gastineau Channel. The town itself is totally for the tourists. I have only seen this many jewelry stores in St. Thomas. We did have fun trying on a few rings.

We all decided to take the tram ride up 1800 feet to the crest of Mt. Roberts.

Spectacular view..

We got our share of exercise hiking the trails.

Why are the trees so crooked?? The curvature of the trunks of the hemlocks is called snowcrook and is caused by the gradual creep of snow downhill bending the young saplings causing them to develop a down slope curve or where a slope is not too steep the snow gets blown upslope by the strong prevailing winds.

The weather has finally warmed up with the sun showing its glowing face. We actually managed to put on shorts and t-shirts and sit out on deck.
Our last night formal night on board. Enjoying the scenery before dinner.

0600hours and we’re all out on deck early, not because we want this week to end but to enjoy the Vancouver skyline.

Lyons Gate bridge ahead

What a wonderful memorable week.....

What's the Saying: Things Happen in Three's--Well it is TRUE!!

The last few weeks we can say have certainly not been without frustrations. Saying this however, we did have a fabulous time treating ourselves to a week in Ft. Lauderdale for our Anniversary. We shopped, shopped, shopped and had a great time. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

Foreground is High States in Prickly Bay.







On one of our hikes we found this quiet reefed bay.

















Our next hike we found this lodge...Jim & Toni are you moving to Grenada??

With going to Ft. Lauderdale we decide we should leave the boat on a mooring ball at Clarkes Court Bay Marina which is east of Prickly Bay.We initially anchored off Whisper Cove for a few days. When time came to head for the mooring ball our Garmin GPS Plotter did not work. YIKES!!! I know, I know; back in the late 70’s when we started sailing we only had a CB and compass… but boy when you are spoiled having a GPS Chart Plotter in these waters full of shallow reefs we really do depend on its operating. On the mooring Randy tried everything to repair the Garmin to no avail.

Of coarse now on a mooring ball close to the Oasis Bar we can't not go to the weekly Wednesday Hamburger Night and be entertained with fabulous pan music.
















So, we're on our way and our connecting flight to Ft. Lauderdale is through Trinidad. This has got to be the nicest coffee shop we have ever been in.
















We decided to take the GPS Receiver with us to Ft. Lauderdale. West Marine was excellent, checking our unit on their system deciding ours worked. So back to the trouble shooter in Kansas and its decided we need a new update chip. Within two days we receive the chip at the Hotel. Fabulous.. Well, fabulous until we get back to Grenada and find the chip is empty, yes, no data on the data chip. After another call to Garmin they apologize and send a “loaded” chip to Grenada. Chip uploads no problem. But, the unit is still not working….Back to the trouble shooter. The decision is it must be our antenna. So now we try to order an antenna from Kansas and for some reason they cannot ship out of the USA. Now remember, we did get the data chip shipped from Kansas to Grenada. Oh well, we won’t go there.

Back in Grenada we decide the dinghy bottom full of barnacles and fouling organisms really needs a good cleaning. Off we go first over to Whisper Cove for a short visit and then on to Hog Island with our scrappers, drinking water, and a bit of cash in case the beach bar opens as we are sure we are going to be thirsty doing this labour intensive task. Needless to say we try and get the dinghy up on its side on the beach to start this monstrous job and the hull is so full of water we can barely budge the dinghy.




Randy decides enough is enough we may as well return to High States. Well, if not only a number of Randy’s repairs start to re-leak but the port flotation tube really lets go from the transom. We try both paddles in the leak but the leaks only gets larger; Randy uses his foot plus the towel we took along. I am bailing as fast as I can then Rand tells me to get up onto the bow as far as I can which helps a bit, we move the anchor and chain up forward which helps more and then Rand moves up to "mid ship"while still trying to cover the hole with his foot. By the time we reach High States we are submerged to the gunnels. Gas can floating, the Merc almost submerged, not a pretty site.

Deciding we have no choice but to go to a Marina slip we have more excitement / stress. High States motor will not start. Randy spends the day troubleshooting and finds one of the wires disconnected.

So Friday, May 8th we arrive at the marina dock in time to take the weekly 10am shopping bus into Island Waterworld, “biting the bullet” purchasing a new dinghy. This should arrive a week Monday. We have also asked Jonathan the owner at Island Waterworld to order us the Garmin Antenna that we need.










I finish this Calabash bowl for Charmella.


















On Sunday Raymond came by and said he would take the dinghy to the garbage for us for 30EC which is just over $10.00. Randy said sure. As Raymond was getting ready to load the dinghy into Raymond's boat the head of the marina security said he would take it off Raymonds hands and try to repair it. Raymond got his 30EC from us and did not have to move it.... that's good business Raymond.





In fact, the dinghy delivery Monday has gone by and we have not yet received either the dinghy or antenna so it looks like we will be at the dock a while longer.

We do make time for another hike, this time over to Hog Island . We had to climb through the broken fence to cross the bridge.
















“CEL E BRATE CEL E BRATE Dance to the GPS”….Yes, After many frustrating hours of Rand figuring out the wiring in “this old boat” the GPS is up and running---No small feat. Radar also back to normal. However, our favorite piece of equipment, our ENGEL freezer is not freezing. It will freeze on 120V not 12V??? More trouble shooting for Rand...We are now told our dinghy should be here Wednesday the 27th or Thursday the 28th.

With all these recent repair challenges that Randy is working on, I decide to take advantage of being at the dock and start a major “spring cleaning”. I am pulling apart every “nook and cranny”--- washing everything with vinegar…this should really help keep the boat clean from mold when we go home for June…..Joy you would be so proud of me.



Of coarse we still have time to have a few happy hours with our new friends Ash and Sue (S/V Osprey)























With Ashlie one of our favorite barmaids hamming it up for us.





















HAPPY BIRTHDAY'S to our son Sean who turns 25 this year, our cruising friends Marie France & Yvon & our dear friend Kate.

Along with HAPPY ANNIVERSARIES to our brother Dave &sister-in-law Brenda and our dear friends Jim & Toni and Glen & Shelley.

Mi Hacienda

Sue and Scott on Enee Marie invited six of us to try the restaurant Mi Hacienda with its serene panoramic views not only of Grand Anse Beach but the surrounding beautiful country side.

Val and Lloyd (Puddle Jumper)

Kathy and Kerry (Bellagio)

The building was in fact built only five years ago to look like an old plantation house filled with gorgeous antique furniture and crystal. We were invited to make ourselves feel at home and tour the whole house.

We had the whole dining area to ourselves as there were no other customers. Not being rushed we took advantage of the setting and thoroughly enjoyed each others company making for a very memorable evening.

MARCH--LADIES DAY, A NEW STAINLESS ARCH, & HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASH

MARCH HAS FLOWN BY !!!!

Organizing a LADIES DAY our first stop was Laura’s Herb & Spice Garden.

Loraine our guide, took us on the ½ km walk sharing her knowledge of the many herbs and spices along the path. Unfortunately, I cannot begin to remember all the amazing information she shared with us.

This Tamarind tree is full of edible Indian fruit. It’s young fruit is very sour and acidic, often used in many a savory Indian, Asian & Caribbean dish. The ripened fruit is somewhat sweeter and not as tart. Tamarind can be found in Worcestershire and HP sauces. We have tried Tamarind as a preserved candy.

Tamarind medicinal uses are the leaves in a herbal tea for reducing malaria fever along with being used for gastric and /or digestion problems, and cardioprotective activity.

Coolie Pawpaw….(A type of Papaya).

Poor man pork Basil is a low growing herb tasting similar to anise with a strong, sweet pungent smell. There are many types of Basil with distinctive essential oils and here we saw a number of different plants.

Both Basil and Oregano contain large amounts of E-Beta-caryophyllene which have been used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases and arthritis. Scientific studies have established the compounds in Basil oil to have potent antioxidants. It is traditionally used in India as a supplementary treatment of stress, asthma, and diabetes.

Big Thymes. A good source of iron.

Thymes medicinal use includes being an antiseptic. It is the main active ingredient in Listerine mouthwash. In the past thyme was used to medicate bandages. It has shown to be effective against the fungus that commonly infects toe nails. Medicinally, thyme is used for respiratory infections. Infusing the herb with water can be used for cough and bronchitis.

Albe - Part of the Forget-me-knot family

Unfortunately, I cannot remember the medicinal benefits....Possibly memory??

Hope and Marie France

Kathy, Paula & Hope

I just loved this plant. Looks like a thistle , but again I can not remember its name or benefit.....Maybe this plant was good for memory loss.

Herb Drying Room

Then on to the Bel Air Plantation for lunch.
This tranquil setting is on a four acre Cliffside Park with 11 private Villas and Cottages.

One of the cottages.

I particularly liked this Infinity Pool rock wall.

And the pool.

Bel Air Plantation over looks St. David’s Point

We all really enjoyed lunch. The food was not only delicious its presentation nice but I also made a number of new friends.

March 15th. So, after being very disappointed with the stainless company out of Prickly Bay we have had a completely opposite experience with Francis and his company F & G METAL FABRICATION SERVICES. Francis was very professional. We received a quote in writing which included two days moorage at Port Luis Marina in the Lagoon, St. Georges. We arrived on the weekend so we enjoyed exploring the Carenage by dinghy.

Everything is closed on a Sunday in St. Georges.

Our home for a couple of days will be beside the huge yacht where the cat is.

Randy with Francis. There was a couple of power issues they had to solve but other than that all went well.

Fitting all the pieces together and tacking in place before Francis takes back to the shop for the final welding.

Bringing the completed welded arch back by dinghy.

We are very happy with the outcome. We are able to stand on the sugar scoop and raise the dinghy higher than before.

Always time for a break, we met Kathy, Kerry and their guest Barb for a walk through town and then lunch.

March 18th. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASH

We are taking advantage of being tied to the dock having access to fresh water giving High States a real good scrubbing top side and hull.

Mar. 20. Couldn’t pass up access to Port Louis’ pool during our stay.

Going to the local market we purchased Sapodilla. This small fruit looks like Kiwi but not fuzzy and we were told it tasted like Rootbeer. Randy in fact thought it tasted fishy and I found it really sweet.

March 21st. Kathy and Kerry invited us on a day trip up near Sauteurs for lunch at "Almost Paradise". Kathy’s sister Barb was in Grenada for a visit and wanted to see some of the island. We would meet them in St. Georges and take a local bus. Well, the bus that picked them up at "de Big Fish' offered to be our bus for the day as he said we may have trouble making regular bus connections. Agreeing on 35 EC each he not only took us up to the northern point of the island and then waiting for us to enjoy our lunch, but then he took us down the East coast road crossing the middle of the island up through the rainforest.

The restaurant is perched on a high cliff with beautiful views our towards Carriacou. There were high winds and seas.

Sure a gorgeous spot.

March 25th On one of our last trips to the local market we visited with one of our favorite local ladies who sells spices. Her name is Therese. I mentioned how I heard there was a “vegetable” that is dried and made into Loffah sponge. She knew exactly what I meant and said she had them growing in her back yard. She explained her son was planning to go into agriculture and was growing them. I said I would be interested in buying a few so I could dry them myself to understand the process. Well, the long and the short of it was she said she would bring a few for me free. We explained, no we were more than willing to purchase them, so she finally agreed to a donation for her sons education. Unfortunately the ones she brought were already in the drying process so all I had to do was clean out some remaining seeds.

These are the loofahs. The loofah grows as a flowering annual vine and is in fact a type of gourd. The loofah can be used to clean anything that can not be scrubbed with steel wool. The loofah is shredded or powdered and added to the local soaps. I have read the flowers and fruits are soft and edible when young and are sometimes eaten like spuash or okra, but do so at your own risk. The flowers have a flovour similar to celery and cucumber.