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hi everyone
chrissi here on trimaran naga.
we arrived safely in cartagena 2 days ago. last time i wrote i think it was from
puerto la cruz, venezuela. after leaving puerto la cruz we sailed to tortuga,the
south shore has a very nice lagoon, a small fishing camp was the only thing there
besides us. beautiful coral reef outside the lagoon, great snorkeling and spear
fishing inside the lagoon along the low cliffs, lots of tumbled boulders with big
snapper hanging around. anchorage affords great protection, but mosqitos in the
evenings. next stop was cayo herradurra, awsome crescent beach, powder white
sand, several small fishing camps, favorite hangout for venezuelan power-boaters.
and their jet skis. too bad, but it is their country. next stop, los roques. we arrived
in gran roque on a saturday and missed office hours, so we slipped by without
paying the park fee, which we heard was on the high side. sailed to smaller island
in the group, and enjoyed watching the large population of giant parrot fish
inhabiting the reef there. i was a good girl and kept my spear gun stowed, park
regulations try to keep the fish life abundant. very sad to see mountains of baby
conch shells. just 2 days there, then we sailed to las aves de barlovento, the
most magnificent spot i have been to since cuba south shore. barlovento is small
group of islands and coral reefs, abundant bird life, particularly boobies. babies in
the nest look like giant cotton balls with beaks. this is a place you must stop at
when cruising the area. good light needed for navigating between the reefs. we
stayed a week. only a handful of other cruisers, and everyone in their own little
bay, so good privacy. feasted on fish and penn clams the whole time. las aves
sotavento approx 12 miles west was nice but very different, we found a mangrove
river that snaked into the main island, nice kayak trip. palm trees and sandy beach
on the west end by the coast guard station, east end mostly mangrove. tricky
navigating, water not so clear. next stop, bonaire, just overnighted there to hit a
restaurant for a meat fix, no anchoring allowed, you must pick up a mooring or go
to the marina. the reef was looking much better than last year when we were there,
lots more fish. next stop, curacao. we had planned to stay a couple weeks but the
boat anchorage is very inconvenient, far from town, far from grocery store, far from
internet, insane prices for laundry, high priced everything. we left after two days.
sailed to cartagena and here we are! inexpensive food and services, club nautico
marina is great for cruisers, both at the dock or anchored out, they provide a
wealth of services, no hassle check-in, friendly staff, downtown cartagena is
beautiful. couple incedents of piracy in the area but i dont want to write about that
now. discussing it alters my serenity, and i am having too nice of a day to change
it. i will tell you about it another time. political situation seems stable, cartagena
has been known as a neutral zone for a long time with all the warring factions
agreeing pretty much not to kill and kidnap people inside the city. venture out at
your own risk. thats all for now, i am off to work (making a dinghy cover for my
neighbor) plenty boats here, and it seems everyone needs some canvas work or
sail repairs, so i expect to stay very busy.
fair winds
chrissi
ps
loved reading the input on how much anchor chain, i must put my 2 cents in too-
on naga, 38 foot high performance trimaran, we have a 35 pound fob anchor with
50 feet of chain and approx 250 feet nylon, thats the primary anchor, seconary is a
25 pound cqr with 40 foot chain and approx 250 foot nylon. more nylon in reserve
for deeper anchoring. we have NO WIDLASS, i am the one who pulls up the
anchor, any more chain than what we are now using and we woulnt ever get the
hook up. on my old sailboat (34 foot monohull sloop) i had a 60 pound cqr with 100
feet of chain, but this was my OH MY GOD!!! ANCHOR that i only put down in the
most servere of conditions, and no way could i get that big monster out of the
water without help. no winlass on that boat either.
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