I just re-read the last letter we sent out and realize that I’ve left you all hanging, with great anticipation I’m sure, regarding our attempts to secure diesel fuel for our continued windward passage through the Venezuelan islands. Well, be assured that we did indeed procure 50 gallons from the supply boat “Luciano” the very next day and were able to fill one of our two thirsty fuel tanks.

We left Gran Roque immediately but spent another three nights in a couple of beautiful and secluded anchorages before deciding it was time to make our way to Isla de Margarita, via Isla Tortuga. The deciding factor was being very low on provisions (we learned a long time ago to appreciate, but not depend on, the bounty of the sea) and, even more scary, being critically low on beer. It was an overnight sail to Tortuga, arriving the next morning. After six weeks in the beautiful Aves and Roques, Tortuga doesn’t have much to offer (however, for those traveling east to west, coming from Trinidad and Margarita, I’m sure it looks like paradise).

We spent a restful night at Cayo Herradura and the next morning traveled along the north coast to the eastern end of Tortuga at Playa Caldera. We found the huge crescent beach as lovely as advertised but the anchorage was crowded and rolley. After listening to the weather that afternoon and hearing that these relatively calm conditions would soon disappear we decided that we would rather handle another overnight passage than be stuck here for several days. It was just getting dark as we pulled up the anchor and headed back out to sea. As most of our destinations since leaving Curacao have been directly upwind, and especially since running low of fuel, we have gotten quite used to making long tacks and actually sailing the required zig-zag course to our goal. This night was no exception and we actually had a fast and gentle sail all night long. However, when the sun came up the wind died down and we motored the remaining 30 miles to the small island of Cubagua on an increasingly flat sea.

About 14 miles out we were visted by old friends that we hadn’t seen for a long time, a large group of dolphins. They swam with our boat and played at our bow for quite awhile and we watched them in the bluest and clearest water we’d ever seen any of them in. A few miles later, as we neared Margarita, we must have crossed some line and the clear blue water became murky, semi-clear, more-green-than-blue water. We’d seen Venezuela’s best and for us it was over (for now) but our dwindling supplies carried us on. We overnighted at Cubagua, a tiny sister-island just off Margarita’s south coast, and next day sailed another upwind, zig-zag course to Porlamar, Margarita’s largest and busiest town.

We were pleased to find our Texas friends, Bob and Susan from “Sunrise”, who we hadn’t seen since leaving Martinique in the spring. They’d been in Margarita for about two months and were ready to leave for points west and south but we had their company for a couple of days and got to take advantage of their local knowledge. Porlamar is certainly a different and interesting place. It is a duty-free zone and the most popular holiday destination for Venezuelans which accounts for the many high-rise condos and the many opportunities for all kinds of shopping, which is a definite plus when one’s stores are as low as ours had become. Eating out has seldom been more enjoyable and inexpensive (the latter foretells the former when on a cruising budget!), especially the local dishes of fish, plantains, arepas, empanadas, etc. One of our favorite spots was the 4D Heladera Italiano. I’m not sure the significance of “Italiano” but the helados (ice cream) is muy bueno! The grocery stores here are among the largest and best stocked we’ve seen anywhere, including the U.S.

Our friends, Al and Runa from “Runal”, are back in Trinidad and had been planning on meeting us here in Margarita and we’d then go explore the mainland’s Golfo de Cariaco before we both headed north back to the Virgin Islands, Bahamas and then Florida. But, Al got word from his son that he and his wife will be flying to the Virgins in mid-December for a visit so that schedule has changed our plans. We left Margarita Thursday morning (yesterday) and made it to Los Testigos last night. We plan to leave here in the morning for the 120 airline-mile (it will be more like 180 zig-zag miles) trip to Union Island in the Grenadines. “Runal” plans to leave Trinidad in the morning for the same destination, so we’re looking forward to getting back together with them while we make our way slowly back to the U.S.

David and Claudia
aboard “Ma’alahi”
November 17, 2000