Aug. 2nd 2000 hrs and Anchors are up.
Unfortunately we’ve got fluky light winds but are averaging 6 knots. Heading 300 degrees W., the full moon is smiling down on us.
0500hrs and we’re closing in on the Los Hermanos Islands which are 6 miles East of La Blanquilla, the tallest being 650 feet compared to La Blanquilla’s 50 feet. We’ve got dolphins playing off our starboard. 
1010hrs. We will anchor at Playa Yaque. Going into the anchorage our visibility is excellent. We found a good holding in sand. The 100nm trip took 14 hours averaging 7.1knots…
Aug.4. High States anchored off Playa Yaque .
Exploring Americano Bay with Cathy and Derek. The fossilized coral some as wide as 5 feet were absolutely gorgeous.
Rock archway.
Snorkelling under and around this rock formation was fabulous.
Another beautiful sunset after an excellent day**** Before we left Grenada friends Val and Lloyd on Puddle Jumper recommended that we take items for trading with the local fishermen such as boxes of matches, Coke. We did this plus we bought small bottles of RUM…Well, WE SHOULD OF BROUGHT MORE RUM!!!! ****
Aug. 5th
This morning one of the local fish boats came by to sell it’s fish and lobster. Getting out our Spanish book we asked “Lobster, out of Season?” They did not understand us. So, the long and short of this experience--- We traded the Lobster for you guessed it- a bottle of Rum. The lobster was not only alive but full of eggs so once the fish boat was out of sight we hopped in the dinghy and motored over to the near reef and let the lobster go. Our good deed for the day.
La Blanquilla is approximately 25 sq. miles and 50 feet high. Walking inland with Cathy I was amazed at all the small valleys…I thought we’d be able to walk to the windward side of the island…No Way…There are so many cactus we had to stay on the donkey trails and even then the soles of our shoes were full of thistles. This is one of the salt ponds.
Cathy and Derek have decided to leave to-night for Los Roques. We have decided to stay probably until Monday. We want to rest and do more exploring. The local fishermen are also using this bay. The smaller boats go fish all day and then bring their catch back to a larger holding boat. We assume once it is full it will head to Isla Margarita.
Thurs Aug.6 Our fridge is not working to its potential so fresh fruit and veggies are meeting their demise. Also, the grapefruit we purchased in Grenada is sour and pulpy. Therefore, it’s a good day to defrost the fridge and freezer. We had another great day snorkelling. The nights are beautifully serene . The fishermen are asleep before us. We enjoyed another bewitching sunset.Friday Aug 7th
Today the anchorage is really roily. We forgot to purchase a Venezuelan flag before we left Grenada so we decided to go over to the large fish boat and see if we could trade a bottle of yes, Rum, for a flag. Unfortunately the Captain said he had only the flag he was flying.
Later in the afternoon the fishing boat’s skiff with a man and young boy (maybe 12) came over and had a small flag to trade. We offered a snorkel and mask as trade which brightened up the young boys eyes, however, the man was hesitating to leave; you guessed it he wanted RUM. So, the flag has turned out to be the most expensive and smallest we have “purchased” to date, but that’s okay as each day we have been in Playa Yague we have watched the young boy out snorkelling.
Now we are getting better known with the fishermen. At dinner time one of the mid size fish boats came by to see if we wanted any fish. We say “Manana” ---"tomorrow" as I am already cooking dinner. They asked us if we had any cigarettes. “Si” we say. We give them four packages, one pack each, that we have had since our stay at Luperon, DR. We try and explain that they are old packs and may not be any good, but they do not seem too concerned. “C’est le vie”…
Today the anchorage is really roily. We forgot to purchase a Venezuelan flag before we left Grenada so we decided to go over to the large fish boat and see if we could trade a bottle of yes, Rum, for a flag. Unfortunately the Captain said he had only the flag he was flying.
Later in the afternoon the fishing boat’s skiff with a man and young boy (maybe 12) came over and had a small flag to trade. We offered a snorkel and mask as trade which brightened up the young boys eyes, however, the man was hesitating to leave; you guessed it he wanted RUM. So, the flag has turned out to be the most expensive and smallest we have “purchased” to date, but that’s okay as each day we have been in Playa Yague we have watched the young boy out snorkelling.
Now we are getting better known with the fishermen. At dinner time one of the mid size fish boats came by to see if we wanted any fish. We say “Manana” ---"tomorrow" as I am already cooking dinner. They asked us if we had any cigarettes. “Si” we say. We give them four packages, one pack each, that we have had since our stay at Luperon, DR. We try and explain that they are old packs and may not be any good, but they do not seem too concerned. “C’est le vie”…
Sat Aug. 8 It’s very windy today and again roily. Between resting we went for a nice hike and snorkel. Of coarse we were waiting for the fishermen to come by so we could have fish for dinner, having our Rum handy for trade but no one came by. Was it the cigarettes??? In fact only the large boat is here. Possibly all the local fishermen went home for the weekend. Randy continues to check the weather and tommorrow looks good for us to head to Los Roques.
1 comment:
Lynn & Randy:
We're continuing to live vicariously through you guys! We're still hoping to come down to the Eastern Caribbean on Dance Aweigh next year - so we'll have to get all the inside info from you - eg. "bring rum".
Margaret & Rich.
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