The sailor’s sailor is dreaming of far away horizons. (Centkievicz)

 

 

My Yacht log  2007.03.05–03.10                                      (Translated by Laszlo AA7UY)

 

 

“In the beginning they could not understand my insistence on getting away from the compass, that god of the West. But in exchange, they began to hear the why and sea talking with the boat. And when the blue tinted land appeared on the horizon, looking as it did to the mariners of old, all nimbed with mystery, a few of them felt that our rigorous techniques should leave a door open to those gods which the modern world tries so hard to exclude.”

-          Bernard Moitessier, The Long Way.

-           

 

Granada (St. George)- Testigos (Venezuela) – Tortuga (Venezuela) – Bonaire (Dutch Antilles)

 

2007.03.05 (day 163)

 

Now my laptop stopped working, so I’m typing the yacht-log subsequently in an Internet café.

 

“I have almost forgot the taste of fears;

The time has been, my senses would have cool’d

To hear a night-shriek; and my fell of hair

Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir

As life were in’t: I have supp’d full with horrors;

Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts

Cannot once start me.”

….

 

“I dare do all that may become a man;

Who dares do more is none.”

 

Shakespeare:  Macbeth

….

 

(The Hungarian text quotes a translation by the poet Lõrincz Szabó/tr)

 

Generally my breakfast, lunch and dinner are salami on bread, because I still have salami left from what I got from the Hungarian teams in Martinique.

In the morning re-installed the already glued solar panel in its place. Had it in the cabin during the night because it was raining. Went to sleep with not very pleasant smells.

I couldn’t get the frozen sparkplug out of the engine, now trying a wrench, borrowed from a neighboring ship that a German loaned to me. Even that didn’t work, possibly a more serious problem, will call for service next port.

Breakfast and lunch: chicken with rice in an eatery at the marketplace, it was delicious! Then Interneted in town a little, but it wasn’t too simple, there was no net in town until 10 in the morning…

Spent my remaining Carib dollars at noon, bought thread and needles for sail-sewing. (Paid no tax at Island Water World, had to show them my ship’s documents though). Then procured 15 liters of water to have fresh water also until the next port (I have about150 l but it isn’t fresh)

12:30 departure.

Hoisted the jib after motoring a half an hour, because it’s sufficient in easterly Bf.5 wind. (My standing rigging still isn’t taut enough, will fix it next port, need new turnbuckles).

Destination: Venezuela, the Island of Testigos (90.7nm 220° direction)

Afternoon sewed my shorts and my satchel (done it a 100 times already J)

The evening passed calmly, getting up to check the ship, sails and traffic every 15 minutes. Didn’t see any ships, the wind sometimes increases to 21 knots. Because of this I’m tired and in a bad mood by morning J

 

 

2007.03.06 (day 164)  

 

9:30 anchoring in Testigos (11-23; 063-08W)

Couldn’t turn on the computer.

In it are my maps (Max Sea), of this area I have a printed digital map only, that’s a very overall view of 1:1300000.

There’s a French ship in the bay, I wave, they come over in a dinghy. They’re very kind and helpful, took me to their ship where I could draw a map of the next island (Tortuga) and also write up the positions. They don’t speak English, forcing me to speak French, which isn’t going easy.

Afternoon: diving, I was in the water more than an hour. There are very beautiful coral deposits, and many, many schools of fishes. More beautiful than Egypt! Then getting familiar with the Island. There is no cellular telephone network on the island nor is there Internet. A few little houses and many-many palm trees, and even more cactus. 

Later, while sewing the main sail on deck, comes the Coast Guard, and invites me over to the next bay, where the village is and the Coast Guard Office. (I must register officially into the country and the island).

Evening: I motored over to the next bay while there was still daylight.

A fisherman suggested that I tie up at their wooden pier. I tried it too. Maneuvered next to it but there wasn’t enough room also another larger ship was too close…Unfortunately my port railing broke, the weak aluminum mounting and a screw L

Finally I anchored and swam ashore with my papers and clothes in a plastic bag. (There isn’t enough room for a dinghy on the ship).

The village is very small, about 60-70 thousand inhabitants, the Coast Guard Office was perhaps at the end of the 10th building. I got there at 7 p.m., luckily they were still there and still sober J) The office manager discovered in 5 minutes that my papers weren’t in order. Because the customs document was made out for Bonaire, not for Venezuela. I told him this is only a technical stop and will depart that same evening (My usual story J, then he kindly said no problem.

Swam back to Carina in the dark, bucking large waves with a heavy bag held above my head.

My watch, which I bought in the Cape Verde Islands in December, doesn’t work, got soaked L

After a little rest departed for Tortuga (126nm 260° direction).

Again used just a jib all night in easterly Bf5 winds.

It was a difficult and tiring night checking the ship and traffic every 15 minutes

(They used to torture Mindszenty in the ‘50s in Andrassy St. 60: they didn’t let him sleep. (Cardinal Mindszenty by the communist secret police, before his “trial”/tr)

Saw 2 ships at night 2-3nm away, heading for Venezuela.

 

2007.03.07 (day 165)

The wind has slightly weakened to Bf.4 at 7 in the morning, so hoisted the main sail. Sighted Margarita before noon and sailed by it all day, a long island. Didn’t tie up there because alas I haven’t the time for every island.

There was a cell-phone network there, so I wrote SMS to Dad, who sent me a few positions from Budapest (to navigate to Bonaire)…

The color of the water is green, because the rivers aren’t clear near the Venezuelan coast…

12:00 (11-10N; 063-58W)

Lowered the main sail early in the forenoon because the wind has strengthened to Bf.5 again.

Temperature: 31° (measured 41° a few days ago…)

Barometer: 1020

Visibility: 3 (you can see max 5nm)

There is a 1 knot westerly current in this area (continuance of the Canary current). Evening: the wind further increases to Bf.6.

22:00 a large ship nears to about 1nm, this is tough but luckily no problem…

The night passed calmly, but it’s harder to get up every 15 minutes,  I’m increasingly more tired.

 

2007.03.08 (day 166)

7:00 only 8nm to Tortuga.

The approach isn’t simple, must be done very carefully, the whole area is full of shoals. (I see a beached catamaran, they didn’t make it). Proceeding slowly in a great arc.

9:30 Anchoring in Tortuga (10-57.4N; 065-13.6W)

Walking on the beach. A quiet fishing village and a small airport in this westerly sheltered bay. Next to the airport is a restaurant also an Internet café, though there is no cell phone network.

József Varsányi found only a small fishing village here in 1994, a lot has changed in 13 years!!

Got acquainted with the crew of a sailboat which came from Belgium, they printed me the map of the next island, Bonaire and also gave me positions for it. They too are on a round-the-World voyage in a 40 foot ship, five of them.

13:00 departed toward Bonaire (193nm 290° direction).

Many-many seagulls and flying fish entertain me along the way…

Lunch: grits

Dinner: soup

There was no great ship-traffic during the night, at 2 o’clock a ship in the distance. The lack of sleep is already very tiring (15 minute sleep not too well over long range), so I went to sleep when the sun came up in the morning. Should keep a better watch around Caracas, heavy ship traffic and poor visibility (max. 5nm)

At night in the cabin a flying fish flew to the head portion of my bunk, luckily I wasn’t asleep

Threw it back in the sea.

 

2007.03.09 (day 167)

Sailed by an oil-drilling platform in the morning. It’s good that I didn’t encounter it at night, the ship traffic was enough for me to handle.

12:00 (11-30.4N;066-43.4W)

Afternoon a motor yacht went by me, I thought they gazed at me…

Evening 18:00 Bf.6, lowered the jib and hoisted the storm jib. The jib got slightly torn, I’ll sew that too in daylight.

After 8 p.m. the wind is already Bf.7. It was Bf.6-7 all night. Sometimes strengthening, other times weakening.

Saw only 2 ships tonight in the distance. Not sleeping much, rather keeping watch, I’m very tired already!

A wave sloshed into the cabin, got about 80 liters of salt water!!  Sleeping bag, blanket, everything is wet…

 

2007.03.10 (day 168)

The wind has weakened some to Bf.5-6 in the morning

Around 12:00 the mounting holding the forestay (the front guy holding the mast) broke. This is usually followed by masts leaning backward, crack and break…

But to my luck, I have a second, spare forestay since the Cape Verde Islands. It has caught the mast, preventing the fall and break. 

I ran forward and tried to lower the jib. Managed with great difficulty, so eased the pressure on the mast

Then took down the antenna and the two afterstays so I could pull the mast in again.

These kept getting caught in the wind generator, I worried that they’ll tear it down.

Secured another forestay and tightened it as much as I could, so now the ship is temporarily OK again.

10nm to go to the port, so I rather used the engine all the way, didn’t want to force the mast in Bf.5-6 winds.

The engine was OK now, able to make full revs…

17:00 mooring in Bonaire. Near the pier’s bar (12-09.2n;068-167W), where the daily fee is 7 USD.

Tied up near a fishing boat, they helped me. Customs and immigration are only formalities here.

Ebb tide is about 2 feet.

Sewed sails in the evening, then emptied the water from the engine compartment and the other places.

Dried the toolboxes and wiped the tools…

In the evening the fishermen fried some fish and invited me, it was excellent tuna.

Then went into town, because there is partying here Friday and Saturday night! There was an orchestra in the square, entertaining the people with local music, everybody was drinking of course.

Went to sleep at 11 P.M. because I was tired, this too was a long day.