Porlamar, Isla de Margarita
Just after sunrise on Saturday, July 7th, Nick once again
pulls our anchor up by hand and we head for Porlamar on Isla
de Margarita, 50 miles to the southwest. The wind blows gently
behind us and the seas are benign, making for a pleasant day
underway. On Sunday, we dinghy over to Juan Marina to see
if we can check in to the country. We're told that Juan Baro,
the proprietor is off today. We walk over to the beach area
where we find some outdoor restaurants. No one speaks English,
but we manage to locate a place that can exchange some dollars
for Bolivars (Bs), the Venezuelan currency. U.S. dollars are
not accepted in Venezuela, at least not legally. We're given
3000 Bs per dollar, which isn't a particularly good rate but
still allows us to buy beer for about 50 cents apiece.
As we wander through the beach bar area, a man eagerly calls
us over to his place. For about $5 we fill up on seafood ceviche,
empanadas, and ice cold beer. Seated nearby is a gray-haired
Austrian cruiser who tells us his sad tale. He was anchored
in St. Georges Harbor, Grenada (where we recently were) during
Hurricane Ivan. His catamaran was damaged in the storm, and
it took him over a year to repair it. Then he brought the
boat here to Margarita. One day while he was in town, the
boat inexplicably caught fire and was destroyed. He didn't
have insurance and the boat was his home. The local cruisers
took up money to help him. He now has a job and is outfitting
a small monohull with hopes of cruising again someday.
Next we stop at Pescadores, an upscale restaurant at the
marina. We sit at the indoor bar, sipping frosty beers and
enjoying the air conditioning. When Nick asks for "la
cuenta," the bartender brings the check and another beer,
which he indicates is a freebie. While Nick is sipping his
free "cerveza," another bartender supplies me with
a free glass of something sweet, pink, and frozen. Wow, what
nice folks! We decide we'd better leave before these friendly
people get us drunk.
On Monday, we submit our paperwork to Juan Baro, who acts
as an agent for checking into the country. Previously, we
have done this task ourselves, but the cruising guide says
the bureaucracy is complicated and government officials prefer
dealing with agents. Given the language barrier and our worries
about being American, we pay Juan's commission and receive
our paperwork the next day at a cost of $70. In this aspect,
Venezuela is more expensive than most other countries. It
costs another $30 to check out of Margarita, and then you
must pay to check into your next port. Many cruisers who are
only passing through Margarita choose to defer checking in
until they reach Puerto La Cruz.
Juan's "marina" is a small store with a few groceries,
chandlery items, beer, and a large covered porch. Happy hour
begins at 4:00 P.M., so you can count on a group gathering
on Juan's porch each afternoon drinking 33-cent beers. Most
of the cruisers we meet here are spending hurricane season
in Margarita and the nearby islands. The general consensus
is they wouldn't even consider going to the mainland. Once
again, opinions vary and we wonder if we've made the right
decision.
Three days a week, a free bus picks cruisers up at Juan's
for a trip to the Sigo mall and supermarket. Margarita is
a duty-free island and is a popular vacation and shopping
destination for Venezuelans. The bus takes us through some
very poor areas, and it's easy to see why crime is a problem.
A "Chavez, No Se Va" (Chavez, Don't Go) billboard
is a leftover reminder of the recent presidential election.
As we enter the supermarket, we're amazed at the assortment
of choices. No shortages or empty shelves here! The store
manager asks where we're from and welcomes us to Venezuela.
No anti-Americanism here! So far, the negative rumors are
proving false.
We're just starting to get a feel for Margarita, when it's
time to go. The weekend is bringing mild weather and there's
a slip waiting for us in Puerto La Cruz.
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Anchorage at Margarita. The distant mountain
was always shrouded
in a cloud.
We bought diesel from the fuel boat for about
33 cents a gallon.
Compare this to Eastern Caribbean fuel prices of about $3.85
a gallon.
The fuel boat sputters through the harbor under a cloud of
black
smoke, leaving behind a shiny diesel slick. An EPA nightmare!
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Isla Coche
The island of Coche is just 15 miles southwest of Porlamar,
so there's no need to get up at the crack of dawn for this
trip. The winds and seas are moderate as we round the southeast
point of Margarita. It's a lovely, relaxing sail. As we approach
Coche, the wind suddenly kicks up and the seas get choppy.
This is the "Coche Blast" we've been warned about.
Coche is a flat, brown island with a long pristine sandy beach
on the western (leeward) side. In the lee of Coche, the wind
blows full strength across flat seas making for excellent
kite surfing conditions. A resort on the northwest end of
the island caters to kite surfers, while a second resort on
the other end of the beach brings in wind surfers. A few years
ago, there were some dinghy thefts and a boarding here, so
cruisers have shied away from this lovely anchorage. Only
two other cruising boats join us for the night. After dropping
the hook, we check our latitude on the GPS: 10° 48'. We're
officially out of the hurricane box and fully insured should
a named storm suddenly appear on the horizon. Sounds like
an excuse to celebrate!
We take the dinghy about a mile or so to town for an early
dinner at El Bohio's. As we tie up to the dock, a young boy
approaches us. Although we can't understand him, we gather
that he intends to watch our dinghy for us even though it
is in full view from the restaurant. We're the only diners
at this hour, and we have a delicious meal of fresh fish,
plantains, slaw, and arepas (like a thick corn tortilla and,
to be honest, a bit hard to digest). The meal, accompanied
by ice-cold cervezas and including the standard 10 percent
service charge, totals just $12. Back on the dock, the bored
niño is twirling our dinghy painter (rope) through
idle hands and waiting for his tip. This is a common dilemma
for cruisers. On one hand, you hate to reward locals for performing
meaningless tasks. On the other hand, you're afraid not to.
We hand the boy our change--hopefully enough to satisfy him
but not enough to encourage his pursuit of this line of work.
Back on the boat, we "lift and lock" the dinghy
and prepare for an early bedtime. As the sun slips beneath
the blue horizon, the evening breeze brings a refreshing chill
to the air. There's nothing quite as peaceful as sunset on
anchor. This is our last night at anchor for several months.
We savor the moment. Tomorrow's trip to Puerto La Cruz will
be the last passage of our freshman cruising season. We've
successfully concluded this chapter of our cruise; it's time
to turn the page.
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Kite surfing is the favorite pastime at Isla
Coche
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