Next message: Rick Bradshaw: "Re: [world-cruising] gulf of cariaco"
hi everyone
chrissi here on naga
just thought i would share some of the lovely things we have found
while cruising to and inside the gulf of cariaco, venezuela.
after leaving porlamar, isla margarita, we sailed southwest to
isla coche- this island has an all inclusive resort that caters
mostly to day vacationers coming via ferry from margarita. best
feature was tame parrots at the bar. poor and unprotected anchorage
here, ok for daytime only, with east wind. in the south west corner
of coche, there is a well proctected bay called el saco- there i
discovered a half-mile stretch of flawless and unbroken sea shells,
a treasure trove for a shell collector or jewelry maker. you couldnt
take a step without crushing a perfect spiral.
next was isla cubagua, just west of coche. we anchored right over a
bed of shellfish called pepitonas, a type of clam. ashore we gave a
local fishing family some powdered milk and kool-aid, in return they
gave us a couple tons of shucked and steamed oysters, also a small
cup of tiny but beautiful natural pearls. also found a type of
scallop- feasted gloriously on the bounty of the sea for the three
days we stayed there.
windless on the trip south to gulf of cariaco, motored nearly the
whole way, but, when a pod of dolphins came to say hello we were
able to see them pefectly in the flat calm water, we could make out
every feature and scratch on their beautiful bodies, and watch as
they dove down deep under the boat.
inside the gulf-
puerto real, muddy, buggy, villagers looked at us like we were
aliens from outer space.
laguna grande- good anchorage but not much to see unless you like
bleak desert landscape, but even the desert has a special beauty.
medrigal village- one of the best kept secrets in venezuela, an
oasis in the middle of nowhere, medrigal village is a tiny resort
that welcomes cruising sailors, offers hot showers, laundry,
swimming pool, restaurant and bar, cable tv and couch in an air
conditioned tv room for the travelling couch potato, pool table,
ping pong, table hockey and volleyball. weekly rides to the market
in town (approx 1 hr drive) and weekly rides to the big city of
cumana (2 hr drive) all along the shore near here, i was able to
find clams by just sitting in the surf and feeling for them in the
shallows. mussels and oysters were only slightly deeper.
cariaco river- awesome! we picked our way deep into the head of the
bay until we couldnt bring a 4 ft draft any further, then anchored
in good bottom, well protected in the mangrove lagoon. then we
paddled the kayak into the river- about this time a heavy tropical
downpour began, but still we kept going. beautiful jungle, scarlet
ibis and hawks, lots of other birds, truly awesome.
punta uriaco- lush and green, palm trees and mangroves, a few small
houses belonging to fishermen, nearby we discovered an abandoned
copra plantation, old wattle buildings falling in on themselves, a
multitude of fruit trees- bananas, sugar apple, mango, paw paw,
guava, and i dont know what else, very overgrown, most of the fruit
had already been picked by the locals.
carinero- very nice protected anchorage, surrounded by small houses,
curious children paddled out to say hello.
best thing about the gulf of cariaco- we have heard of NO INCEDENTS
of theft or piracy. we saw dolphins every time we moved the boat.
nearly predictable weather, windless in the am, rains and blows
around mid day, wind shifts then blows gently until pm. very hot
this time of year.
now we are in cumana at marina cumanagoto, anchorage is said to be
unsafe. 2 marine chandleries nearby, internet cafes, good shopping
for basic provisions, good security in the marina, good public
transportation into the city.
price of diesel= 48 bolivars per liter
price of gasoline (unleaded)= 97 bolivars per liter
water and electricity free w/docking
38´trimaran pays 27000 bolivars per day,
dockage rate decreases the longer the boat stays
official exchange rate = 1600 bolivars to $1 US
black market exchange rate = 2500 bolivars to $1 US
hope some of you found this interesting.
my heartfelt condolences to those who suffered losses from the
hurricane. i hope it doesnt discourage you from the cruising life.
peace and serenity
chrissi
trimaran naga
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