Travelog Twentythree—May, 2004


Doorway, Trois Islet, Martinique



A Whirlwind Year...
Dear friends, we just realized that almost a year has elapsed since our last official travelogue and it is hard to believe that we have now been out on the high (and not so high) seas for four and a half years. VIVA turned 21 in January and we have to admit that she is holding up admirably well with all the miles, both cruising and racing. Of course over the years we have rebuilt, upgraded or replaced most of the systems aboard, but cosmetically, she is still a beauty with only a few minor “dings” to show her age. Pam & I have also held up rather well, considering we are existing together day-to-day in about 300 square feet of space! About the size of my original darkroom! And we are still speaking to each other!

The past year has been exceptionally nice for us without all the real estate problems, minimal boat repairs and we have been able to thoroughly enjoy all of these islands a little more, visiting some new anchorages and including more inland trips ashore.

In our last travelogue, we were just leaving Grenada for Venezuela , and that is exactly where we are at this time. After returning to Venezuela last summer (2003), we decided to haul out at Bahia Redonda Marina Boatyard and leave VIVA for the summer. As you may recall, we normally haul out in Trinidad to empty our wallets, so this was to be a new experience. As it turned out, we made a good decision, not only because of the drastically reduced prices, but also because of the high quality level of work performed. Over the years, we have come to dread haul out time (particularly in the States) because it usually has included some rather mediocre or shoddy work at grossly exaggerated prices.

With VIVA in good hands it was back to California for another whirlwind summer. The first order of business was daughter Lisa’s wedding aboard Bill and Dot Meier’s CARITA in San Pedro. Fortunately, she had taken care of most of the arrangements, but managed to leave Pam enough last minute details to fret over. Then it was off to Europe for three weeks to meet “new found” daughter Ramona (another story in itself), and then on to Lugano and Pontresina, Switzerland as guests of old friend Kurt Richter and my ex-brother-in-law Ruedi Mettler. We were treated like royalty and were even able to squeeze in a beautiful drive through the Swiss Alps. After all our months aboard, it was nice to see some mountains for a change. Upon our return to Los Angeles, we took a fast drive up the coast to Carmel to visit old friends Larry and Robin Martin, returning by way of San Luis Obispo , Santa Barbara and Tehachapi. This gave us a chance to link up with old friend Bernie Hartley, cruising buddies, Curt and Ali of FORCE FIVE and Bob and Connie of CHARIS. They have all decided to give up the cruising lifestyle (at least temporarily) but we always like to refresh their memories of “la Buena Vida”. We were sorry to miss so many friends on our last trip home, but hope to make up for it this summer.

VIVA was stored for three months and upon our return we were pleased to find no damage, leaks, mold or security problems. We had the usual bottom job, hull waxing, some interior varnish work, the pedestal LP’d, refrigeration serviced, some very professional stainless fabrication and the engine serviced; all at a fraction of our usual annual expenditure. Pierre, the boatyard owner/manager has a myriad of specialists all stored on his cell phone. One phone call and another specialist was knocking on our hull at 8:00 the following morning. With the economy in Venezuela so depressed, these people really wanted the work. As an added bonus we were able to rent a fully furnished condo in the marina adjacent to the boatyard for $120.00US a week. If you have experienced living aboard for over a week during haul out, you can really appreciate that luxury.


Local Artisan, Los Altos


All of the work went without a hitch and before departing the mainland, we joined a group of other cruisers for a trip to Los Altos in the mountains behind Puerto la Cruz. The scenic drives winds along the coast and into a small mountain range where numerous stops were made at local artisan’s workshops. With the small change in altitude the temperature dropped about 15 degrees, a pleasant bonus.

Bread making, Los Altos

Finally, after a week or so in the marina, it was off to visit the offshore islands of Tortuga and Los Roques .

Tortuga is about 55 miles northwest of Puerto la Cruz and is a popular spot for local Venezuelans, with three or four nice anchorages, crystal clear water, long sand beaches and several fish camps; a great place to stock up on fresh lobster. In previous years we had visited most of the offshore islands but somehow managed to miss Los Roques, the most spectacular group of all. This group of islands is about another 85 miles northwest of Tortuga and the 14 by 25 miles archipelago is made up of over 50 islands surrounded by numerous reefs. Most of the islands are pretty well deserted with beautiful long sand beaches and more of that gorgeous clear water. The entire group is a national park and a permit is required for a two week stay.

Sunset, Grand Roque

The main island of Grand Roque includes a little village with several vacation posadas, a few restaurants and a small airport to transport all the local tourists from Caracas .


A typically crowded anchorage, Los Roques


Snorkeling at the Roques


We spent our days moving from island to island and were amazed at the lack of other cruising boats.

Chimana Segunda, Venezuela

Every day or so local fishermen would stop by VIVA offering lobster or fresh fish for trade. Cokes and beer were the desired items, which brought the price of a lobster down to about $2.00. We can definitely afford this country!

Upon our return to Puerto la Cruz it was time to finish up all the minor projects and head for Trinidad . Since our guests were arriving on January 1, we planned to arrive the middle of December to take advantage of the pre-Christmas festivities.

Price wise, Trinidad was again a rude awakening after three or four months in Venezuela ; however, there are certain projects and upgrades that are definitely much easier to accomplish in Trinidad . With one stop at Isla Margarita to stock up on our duty-free booze, wine and beer supply, our first passage of the season was a pleasant surprise. The 125 mile trip is normally a windy, choppy motor sail, but this time we were treated to smooth seas and 10-12 knots of wind. A good omen for the coming year?

Over the past four years we have adopted sort of a love/hate relationship with Trinidad . We always look forward to the great food, some exceptional music (particularly before the holidays and Carnival) and a chance make any necessary upgrades; however Chaguaramas is an industrial port, located in a very hot, humid, rainy part of the island and after a couple of months in the boatyard or working down below, we are definitely ready to pull the plug on that location. This year again was an exception. Our friends John and Jo Featherstone arrived on New Years Day, which allowed us a chance to again discover some of the island’s attractions, including a few days on the neighboring island of Tobago .


Jo & Pam, trying on costumes for Carnival

We signed up for numerous pre-Carnival tours and events and were also treated to a driving tour of both Trinidad and Tobago by the Featherstones. After months aboard, it is definitely a treat to do some land exploring.

Our big project in Trinidad for the year was replacing our 12V refrigeration system and adding another solar panel and a wind generator to take over the charging duties. We had a pleasant surprise with the choice Lennox Stewart for the rebuilding and insulation of the box and Naut-T-Kol for the new compressor and accumulator. Not only did we double the size of our frig and freezer with 3” of new insulation, we ended up with a beautiful new counter top and extra storage area. All the work came in on time at the agreed price and the low power draw is easily handled by our solar panel and wind generator, which has cut our engine time by over a third. Nothing like wind and solar generated ice cubes!

Upon completion of the major projects, it was time to head north to Grenada . We had decided not to travel as far this year and instead try for a few more inland excursions.

Once again, the Gods were in our favor for the 78-mile to Grenada . This is usually an ugly overnight motor sail to weather in 20-30 knots of wind, but this year we were treated to an average of 10-15 knots and were able to sail the entire way.

After clearing customs we decided to try the quiet anchorage on the south coast at Hog Island , a quiet little lagoon, surrounded by mangroves, calm water and a good spot to finish up any small maintenance projects. We had linked up with two other cruising boats and the highlight of our Grenada stay was an around the island tour by private minibus. The road meanders along through all the little fishing villages on the west coast, around the north end of the island through miles and miles of lush green rainforests. The tour included stops at the beautiful Concord waterfall, the Grenada Chocolate Factory, a thriving operation run entirely by solar panels and finally a stop at the River Rum Factory. This small company is housed in an 18 th century sugar plantation and I’m sure they were using some of the original crushing and distilling equipment. Their production is quite limited and will probably never be heard of away from Grenada , but it is a mighty potent elixir. The final testing and hand-bottling operation is combined with the tasting area and the dozen or so employees were definitely a happy bunch, giving a new meaning to “rum rations”.

From Grenada it was another beautiful sail to Carriacou and on to the Grenadines. Luckily, we had beautiful weather for our stay in the Tobago Cays with the minimal number of charter boats.

Local Color, Tobago Cays


Sunshine and clear skies are a must for this spectacular snorkeling area and this visit was a real treat. One evening a cruising friend had arranged for a home-cooked fish dinner ashore at one of the little cays. That morning the fisherman/chef/bartender took our order to include a selection of side dishes. Upon arrival we were soon to learn that dinner was to consist of a small piece of “blackened” fish, a handful of rice and shredded cabbage, all for $12.00 a head! Definitely geared for the charter boaters.

Then, it was on to the old whaling island of Bequia , always a pleasant stay. This year was no exception with a perfect sail upwind and days of postcard weather. Since we had guests arriving in St. Lucia, we were now on a fast track to arrive a few days ahead for provisioning and some general maintenance. We had another calm trip up the coast of St. Vincent with a quick stop at Walliabou, where “Pirates of the Caribbean ” was filmed. The movies set are now a local attraction, which I am sure, pleases all the boat boys.

Our friends Pat and Dave Davis hadn’t been to St. Lucia in over 20 years and we decided to spend our time exploring this beautiful island. With a weekly mooring pass, we were able to easily move from cove to cove.

Marigot Bay, St. Lucia


Diamond Estate Botanical Garden, St. Lucia


We arranged for an inland tour to the Diamond Estate, a spectacular botanical garden and site of the movie “Romancing the Stone”. Another highlight was lunch at the Dasheene Restaurant/hotel high above the Pitons anchorage. Once again, the weather cooperated – sunny skies, minimum of rain.

Our final stop north this year was the French Island of Martinique . The first stop is always Marin on the south coast to clear in and then stock up on the good cheeses, deli items and cheap French wine. We actually had a “cheap wine tasting” aboard a friend’s boat with six other cruisers. Of course by the sixth bottle we were having a little problem with the judging, not to mention the pronunciation of the various brands. The winner was a poor imitation of Trader Joe's now famous “Two buck Chuck”!


Carnivale performers, Fort de France

We next spent a few days anchored at the capital of Fort de France, which is currently undergoing a much needed waterfront facelift. There will soon be shore side bars and restaurants with med ties for yachts, just like the Riviera . The only drawback is the Euro, against the weak dollar which makes for some expensive shopping and dining. We also had time to explore several other anchorages off the beaten track, which are haunts for local cruisers and French liveaboards. You have never seen a more motley collection of homemade steel or aluminum boats until you spend some time in these islands. The saying is that most cruisers spend years preparing their boats to sail around the world. The French sail around the world to equip their boats! Nuff said.

By this time we were ready to start backtracking to Venezuela for the hurricane season. We always enjoy the return trips since it is usually a good downwind sail. This year was no exception except for the added ingredient of numerous rain squalls and accompanying high winds. In just a few days we had arrived at Grenada , and a year later, here we are back at Bahia Redonda Marina in Venezuela , getting ready for another return trip to CA for the summer. The economy in Venezuela hasn’t improved much, which of course is a bargain when you are paying in dollars. The word has finally got out and all the marinas are now full with cruisers who normally wouldn’t have ventured into these “badlands”.

We hope to see a lot of familiar faces this summer and always enjoy some updates from the home front.

Best wishes to you all.


Steve & Pam

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