Aves de Sotavento,

Venezuela
12.01.230N
67.41.031W

The problem for me when I read, is putting the book down when it’s good story. Last night, I read until 3am to finish what I had started earlier in the day. Considering that the swell we first noticed coming in rocked the boat most of the night and the fact that there was no wind which made it too hot to sleep, it ended up being time well spent.

Late morning, we dinked in to a small sandy beach to go snorkeling with Gerry & Nicky. We walked around to the eastern side of the small island and found mountains of conch shells. No wonder we haven’t seen very many on our trip; they’ve all been eaten. We donned our gear and swam the nearby reef. Again, it was amazing. Clear water, abundant coral and great fish. This time we saw larger specimens of reef fish.

We saw several huge midnight parrotfish and large blue parrotfish, as well as the normal assortment of fish in the coral heads.

We were nearing the end of our snorkel when a large Venezuelan power boat came in and anchored outside of our beached dinghies. This, in and of itself, didn’t cause any concern but when they set up their beach umbrella 2 feet from our dinghies, we decided to call it a day.

Recent rumors abound that Chavez has shut down fuel to any foreign flagged vessels. We’d heard this before regarding the mainland but learned that some of the outlying islands still had fuel for purchase, you just couldn’t pull up to the dock to get it (jerry can only). We purposely made the decision not to refuel in Venezuela but we know there are those who wait to fill up on the cheap fuel that can be found there. Since you never know what the Venezuelan people think themselves and their president have likened Americans to cockroaches, we’ve decided to keep a low profile while in their waters.

By mid-day there were 3 power boats in the same little anchorage, blaring their music for all to enjoy. I did a little salsa in the galley while I made some banana nut bread and then started a pork tenderloin for dinner.

Tomorrow we’ll leave for Bonaire. The outlying islands of Venezuela have beautiful crystal clear water and a bountiful array of coral and sea life. I hope the next time we’re this down this way, tensions will have eased and we will feel more comfortable about lingering a while and enjoying the views. There is so much to enjoy here.