Coche - Bonaire

Leg on Google Earth

After kitesurfing for a week on Coche, it is time to explore further Venezuelan islands. On Blanquilla Nila and I have a very friendly encounter with the Coast Guard: We are inquiring for a shop to buy some eggs, but there is no shop on the whole island. Instead, they are inviting us to their station, treating us to coffee and fruit juice and giving us a dozen of eggs! Freshly equipped, we sail to Tortuga, where we spend a few wonderful days on Cayo Herradura – a 1km long and 100m wide sandbar off the main island. The first day we are almost by ourselves. The following days the bay is invaded by close to hundred Venezuelan yachts that spend carnival there. Most are them 60-100 foot long power boats – shall anyone say there is no money in Venezuela! A few days later we have the bay back to ourselves and I enjoy some great kite surf sessions.

From Tortuga we have a beautiful night sail to Los Roques, which we enter through the reef passage of Sebastopol with the first light. The entrance is with wind and waves between two reefs and thereafter we can then sail fully protected between two reefs the few miles to Gran Roque –absolutely fantastic sailing. Whenever I am sailing Blue Bie, I am awed how easily and fast she is sailing. She is just a fantastic sailboat. We are exploring for two weeks the many islands of the Los Roques archipelago. Sailing is quite demanding between all the islands, islets and reefs and it doesn’t help that the charts are usually half a mile off! But the islands are great, offering beautiful nature above and below the water and great kitesurfing. In Gran Roque we can even buy flour, honey and milk, which are otherwise hardly available in Venezuela. The Los Roques are so far my favourite cruising destination.

Being Swiss, I would like to properly clear out from Venezuela and so we head hundred miles south to Puerto Cabello on the mainland. It is again a beautiful night sail and towards the morning I can smell moist mountain air on board for the first time since I left Gibraltar more than a year ago. Puerto Cabello nearly overwhelms me – I am no more used to the buzzing of so many people and cars. It is also the first time that we moored in a marina for over a year. After two days we have seen enough and explore the Morrocoy national park. It is beautiful with many mangrove islands and channels, but we are missing the advertised bird life. Continuing to Chichiriviche, we are anchoring in front of the 300m high cliffs in the Golfo de Cuaro. The caves have been used by the Arawak Indians more than 1500 years ago. It’s also a very impressive place to play my mountain horn with a beautiful echo!

After nearly two months in Venezuela, we are looking forward to the European flair of Bonaire and a good steak. Bonaire is a cute little place and a world class dive spot. We enjoy espressos on the sidewalk, the dining in al fresco French restaurants, diving some of Bonaire’s reefs and preparing Blue Bie for the visit of my dad, who will sail with us the next three weeks.