It's the start of our third cruising season!Before leaving Trinidad we took a quick trip to Tobago to arrange the sale of a piece of land we have owned there for ten years. It's a long slog in Argo at 6 or 7 knots so we took the 'fast cat' ferry which made about 38 knots and got us there in 2 1/2 hours. We stayed at a somewhat dilapidated little beachside resort which once was a plantation and still has great landscaping which attracts tons of birds. Once again we met the mot-mot
lots of hummingbirds
and bananaquits (known as sugar eaters all down the island chain).Lapin made good friends with the resident parrot.
But at last we did manage to emerge from one of the black holes of the cruising world. We've met boats which stayed years in Trinidad!
A good forecast and we headed for Los Testigos off the Paria peninsula of Eastern Venezuela - an area known for piracy. Unable to find a 'buddy' boat which wanted to leave on our schedule we did it alone but carefully - running north away from the coast for 30 miles before turning west for the islands. We also cranked up the speed since fuel is cheap in Venezuela (the boat uses much more fuel at higher speeds). We left Scotland Bay at 2 am and made it into Playa Real in Los Testigos at 3 pm - plenty of time for a nap before dinner.
The next morning C took a bottle of 2 Euro Martinique rum to the local Guardia Costa to ensure they would be happy to let us over stay the 2-3 day limit usually allowed then we went to explore the sand dunes which you can see from 10 miles out to sea.
We stayed for four days - enjoying the beach and the peacefulness but not swimming much due to giant pink jellyfish!
On the fourth night the wind came up a little and the anchorage started to roll - so we headed on to Puerto La Cruz via Isla Margarita. It took two days and we are once again in a marina - the ONLY safe way to see mainland Venezuela now. We are told not to walk outside the guarded compound even to the marina next door. Taxis to the town are safe. Do this; don't do that. We are still gathering advice while waiting, waiting, waiting for the local agent to clear us through customs, immigration and the port captain - something you cannot do for yourself in much of Latin America, though we could in the islands.
Below is the story of Argo's first two cruising seasons.
