We made it to Isla Chimana Segunda, then El Occulto, Mochima in Mochima National Park, Laguna Grande, and then Medregal Village in the Golfo de Cariaco.
Laguna Grande is especially beautiful, a huge protected bay with hillsides that remind us a lot of the American Southwest. It is very desert-like, full of cacti and other desert plant life, with red hills. It was a beautiful vista when we hiked up to the top of the hill by our anchorage.

The most recent show- stopper for us now is the sea water cooling pump on the diesel engine. We had a friend bring some parts back from the States in October, a plate, gaskets, screws, new impeller, to try to stop a leak from the water pump. It didn't work, and we now think we need a new pump. Trying to get one delivered from the States to get us going again is proving to be a real challenge. And - making sure we have the correct pump. Yanmar original pump costs almost $500 in the US, and about $600 here (plus about 20 days to deliver it). However, another model will fit and work, we have been told by several Yanmar service department employees, and cost about half that. Now we just need to figure out how to ship it here and get it without paying an arm and a leg for customs and shipping.
Meanwhile, there are worse places to be "stuck" and the Debonair is peacefully bobbing in her slip.

We finally installed a solar vent in the galley. It is a Nicro solar vent, designed to run on solar power when the sun hits it, and a switch to use 12 Volt DC house power at other times. I think I would choose another model Nicro vent, one which has a battery to store solar power instead of switching to 12V DC, and have a simpler system. It was bedded with Dow Corning 795, which we have been using for all through-deck bedding and like very much. Here are views from the outside and inside on the galley ceiling headliner.

We are also taking some time to have fun, too, of course. In October, Andy from Oma - Opa, Peter and Sylvia from Trade Wind, and Larry had birthdays. Andy's was her 70th birthday. So we had a wonderful birthday dinner and party for all of the birthdays in Peter and Sylvia's apartment.
Last night, we went out downtown to Paseo Colon with Trade Wind and had a great time looking at the sights, buying some locally crafted jewelry, and dinner at El Sultan, a local Arabic restaurant.

Work on the PortaBote is finally complete. We drilled new holes in the bow for a new coated stainless lead for locking and a painter. The fiberglass mat and epoxy job on the seats took over a week of work, and lots of epoxy, but they are very sturdy now. I sanded and painted the seats, both for UV protection and to make them look better. We used Venezuelan epoxy and fiberglass, and marine duro paint from Venezuela, which is a two-part paint.

Meanwhile, work continues on the Debonair. Varnishing (Cetol) on some pieces, and Semco sealant on most of the exterior. Most of that work is done now. Our fresh water system pump broke. It is a Shur-Flo, and the third one since we started cruising. They only seem to last a year and a half to three years, even with being very careful with it. This time we can't get a new pump, parts are not available in Venezuela. So we had to get our hand pump working. We have a foot pump in the head. The hand pump in the galley is a Fynspray, made in New Zealand. After not being used for over 10 years, it was a job to take it apart and put in new gaskets. We had to bend it a bit, but it's a hardy piece of gear and works just fine now. We're not sure, but it seems that Shur-Flo can't make a pump that lasts very long, so we may try a new company for the replacement pump. We thought about taking out the pressure system, but we like our water filtration system, which only runs through the pressure system.

Meanwhile, projects continue on the Debonair. The dinghy, an 8-foot Portabote, is getting a facelift. The seats were crumbling, its leads for the painter and lock were falling apart.
To start, we used new grommets for all holes through the sides, using the new grommet tool we ordered from Sailrite while we were in the States.
Then the seats, which were falling apart, all plastic parts cracked, needed complete rebuilding. We considered making new seats out of plywood, but wanted to preserve the ability to fold them up. They were being held together with Gorilla tape - which worked very well for almost a year. Then the seats were reinforced with fiberglass mat and epoxy, which took almost a week for the two seats. I found a great worksite here at Bahia Redonda, in an out of the way spot in the shade, where everyone walking by could look at my progress and offer comments. Finally, I painted them with marine paint. I'll add some seat covers the next time the sewing machine is out.

We took a bus trip up into the Andes, to Merida, Venezuela. The bus itself was the worst part of the trip - comfortable enough to look at, a double decker with reclining seats. But - like all buses in Venezuela, they crank up the air conditioning to frigid levels and make all the passengers freeze. It felt like a meat locker for 18 hours, even with all of our cold- weather clothing on and a blanket. Just another Venzuelan idiosyncrasy - when we complained we were told that's the way it is.
Merida itself is a beautiful city up in the mountains, at about 1,700 meters. The teleferico (cable car) was not running, and would be out for another year (!) Here are the idle cable cars, complete with a poster of Hugo himself below.


We took a city bus to a small town (Jaji) one day, and a tour with another cruising couple staying at the same posada as we were (Gioia's rooms). The hikes in the mountains, especially in the national park, are spectacular. Every turn in the path reveals a new vista, sometimes resembling northern California, sometimes Minnesota woods, or like the Appalachians or Rockies. Since it is so near the Equator at about 8 degrees north, the tree line is much higher than the Rockies, and people farm up at 3,000 meters in altitude.







Here we found a farmer plowing a steeply sloped field using oxen, probably much like his ancestors did hundreds of years ago. Potatoes and even bananas are grown up near Merida.

Venezuelan Red Tape
Venezuelan bureaucracy is not for the faint hearted.

Our latest encounter with government regulations began several days ago with a surprise "raid." More than a dozen red shirted officials from the government tax and customs agency descended on our marina. They proceeded to attach large stickers to every non- Venezuelan boat which meant those boats were impounded or seized until Customs decided otherwise. Apparently there has been a problem in this country of people buying boats/yachts in the U.S. and elsewhere, then bringing them to Venezuela under that foreign flag thereby evading customs tax.
To prove we were legitimate non- Venezuelan owners of our boat, all the boaters staying in this and other marinas were required to make an appearance at the main Customs office in another town with our necessary documents: boat registration, passports, etc. It would seem to have been a simple matter for the officials who put stickers on everyone's boat to just ask to see our papers and settle any questions on the spot. But that's not how things are done in Venezuela, where officials like to show their power by making things difficult for you and at the same time creating more paperwork for their already slow-moving department.
A few days later a busload of us foreign boaters was shuttled from our marina to the Customs office. The marina, Bahia Redonda, provided the free bus ride and arranged for us to be accompanied by independent agents who know the customs procedures. Marina management wants to minimize these kinds of government intrusion so that boaters will not become disenchanted with Venezuela and sail elsewhere in the Caribbean.

Soon we arrived at the gleaming new office complex that is the area head- quarters for Venezuelan customs and taxation, known here as SENIAT, Servicio Nacional Integrado de Adminis- tración Aduanera y Tributaria.
We've noticed here that shiny new buildings and modern offices do not guarantee efficient or even minimal service. Even with experienced agents representing us, there followed a two hour wait when everyone tried to find out what we were supposed to do. The Customs people did not really know what our document inspection was all about. There was even talk of a new tax being levied at the rate of 1% of the value of each boat.

Finally we were called together and everyone's papers were collected, although not the same documents we had previously been told were required. This meant leaving our precious passports and original ownership documents in the hands of unknown clerks and an unpredictable bureaucracy. It made us all nervous but we had no choice if we wanted to comply with this vague new regulation. Then we were told to return to the marina and wait to be notified, of what...we weren't sure.

Sending us away seemed a strange thing to do since we understood that the main purpose of going to the customs office was to verify everyone's identity in person by matching faces with passports and other documents. But who were we to question? So it was time for everyone to leave the customs office, but, surprise, our bus had gone missing. Now we waited some more while our chaperones made urgent cell phone calls trying to locate the bus and order it back to us. Finally the wayward vehicle was found and we were all returned to our boats at the marina to await further developments.



The next day we were summoned to our agent's office at the marina for the latest twist. Customs now wanted an arrival-in-country document which they had previously not cared about. This kind of unexplained reversal of procedure happened often, as when we were first told that only original documents were acceptable. Then it was fine to submit just copies, but wait, no, never mind, they want originals after all. You could not escape the impression that these government officials were making it up as they went along.

Another newly minted rule that applied to us was that only five boats would be processed per day. There were over 50 boats waiting for processing just in our marina alone, some needing their paperwork urgently so they could leave the country. Since the paperwork inspection for one boat could surely take no more than 15 minutes, the 5-a-day rule also seemed arbitrary, an ad-hoc way to ensure that Customs officials would not be overworked by this sudden influx of strenuous document shuffling.

Two days later our ship's papers were returned to us safely, but we still needed the official document making us legal and giving permission to peel the impound sticker off our boat. This was no small matter since a boat at another marina that tried to sail a short distance without this document was stopped by Venezuelan troops with machine guns. One of the worst things about bumbling, unprofessional bureaucracies in other countries, and ours too sometimes, is their eagerness to enforce rules that are haphazard or even incomprehensible. Anyone who objects or has had enough of their nonsense may be looking at fines, jailtime or down the barrel of a soldier's gun. A frustrating experience like this helps you appreciate well-run government operations when you see them.

The following day we did receive our Acta de Liberacion, allowing us to go back to life as usual before this latest fit of craziness began. We shouldn't complain much since we had many good people helping to resolve these problems and the whole business lasted only one week. And it could have been worse, as it is for people around the world stuck in bureaucratic nightmares with a lot at stake. What we went through concerning our boat, which is our home, was enough for us, thank you. We don't recommend it, so keep your papers in order and hope for the best.

Our next big project is the engine on the boat. We have a Yanmar 3GM30F, a trusty and reliable diesel. But - we came back to the boat after leaving it to sit for four months, and the raw water was not being pumped through to the exhaust. The engine is cooled by two methods: an enclosed fresh-water and coolant radiator, similar to a car's cooling, and also by sea water, pumped in past the engine by way of a heat exchanger. If you don't see sea water pulsing out of the exhaust when you turn on the engine, there's a major problem.
First Larry dove down on the boat to check out the through-hull, which was free of barnacles or other crud. Then we started our way back, taking off hoses to check the water influx through the strainer, to the engine. The most likely culprit is usually the water pump on the engine. It has a rubber impeller which needs to be changed as a regular maintenance item. We had last changed it in St. Martin, about a year and a half ago. Here's the water pump. But - it all looked OK.
So, then we started back through the parts.
We enlisted the help of a diesel mechanic at that point. Jose had the official-looking coveralls, but we found out later that he was not the authorized Yanmar dealer and mechanic. No matter, he did solve our problem. He also had no English, but we managed to communicate just fine.
A stray odd plug of Styrofoam had lodged in the exhaust system "el tubo de escape" - we still don't know how it got into the system, as the exhaust is well above the water line with floating debris, and the rest of the system is sealed. We're just relieved to have it fixed and be ready to leave.

Not very exciting, but I wanted to let you know about the kinds of projects we are involved in. Our propane gas control system that came with the boat was made by Xintex, and had two propane (LP) sensors, one placed below the propane heater, and one below the gas stove. The sensors began to fail years ago; we bought one eight or nine years ago, and then when another failed, we had to override the sensor to get the gas to work. How this system worked is, if propane was sensed in the air, the system would not allow propane to enter into the cabin. Gas was shut off by a solenoid at the tank in a separate compartment in the lazarette in the cockpit. Our spare propane is in a tank outside in the cockpit.
The sensors were failing regularly and we knew we needed to do something to get the stove to work when we needed it. So we ordered a simple LP gas control switch from West Marine when we were in the States this spring. It came to over $100 with shipping. We carried it back to the boat in our luggage, and I took out the old, failing unit and its sensors and installed the new switch. I turned on the gas at the electrical panel - and it promptly blew the 5 amp circuit breaker. No gas from the stove until we figured it out. We had a friend who is an electrical engineer over to help understand it - and as we were learning, all we really needed is the circuit breaker and the solenoid, to be able to shut off all gas in the cabin easily.
So, after much investigating, trials, and telephone calls over Skype to the company (Trident Marine) we found we did not need this expensive switch - it really is only an on/off switch. The problem - how to return it from Venezuela? Just then a friend in the marina had a father who died unexpectedly. I made some hurried phone calls to West Marine, and they honored the return, some FOUR MONTHS later, with a prepaid Fed Ex sticker. I gave the switch with a copy of our invoice and packaging to my friend to deposit with FedEx back in the States.
The bottom line - West Marine refunded my credit card, with no problems, and was wonderful to deal with. I did not need the replacement part. Trident Marine, which does sell some great LP sensor systems, sells this little "LP Gas Control System" which is no more than an expensive on/off switch. To their credit, the folks at Trident Marine were very knowledgable on the phone.
Just one week out of many in our exciting life with boat projects!

Since we have been back on the boat, here in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, it has been a very busy time with many small and large projects on the boat. We had new parts we had brought back from the States to install, and things to fix that had broken while we were away, as well as the to-do list we had put aside while we were away.
We had a leader for the jib halyard made by a rigger here, which Larry installed. We found it before we unfurled the jib (thankfully) before we set sail from Margarita to Puerto La Cruz in February. A trip up the mast is much easier on a calm day in the marina. And it's quite a view from up there.
Larry dove on the boat and scraped four months of growth away, which was less than we had thought it might be. All of the through- hulls and the speedo had new residents which needed to be dislodged, too.
We had two workers, Jose and Luis, on the boat to sand all the bright work in preparation for new coats of sealant. They were great workers and it was the first time someone else had done all that sanding!
We have been finding time for some fun too; here we are with our friends Sylvia and Peter from Great Britain, having dinner at a Chinese restaurant down on Paseo Colon, after looking at all the small vendors and sights on the walkway by the waterfront in downtown Puerto La Cruz.

All good things must come to a close, so on July 5, after finally being able to get our plane tickets from Miami to Venezuela, we took the train from Charleston to Miami. We had another great journey with Amtrak. Our mound of luggage in the Miami train station does not even include a box of books that we collected in Miami, but it's still pretty impressive. We got on a city bus with all this luggage to get to Miami Beach, where we stayed at a hostel/hotel (Lombardy Inn) on the North Beach.
We took buses around the city, down to South Beach, and in to downtown. We also went swimming every day, being only a block from the white sand and turquoise water of the beach.

From Raleigh, we took the Amtrak train to Charleston. We had a great trip on the train and much preferred it to flying. Charleston was all about seeing many friends and exploring old favorite haunts, including the Ashley Marina where we had our boat for almost five years. Since we didn't expect to stop, Charleston was a wonderful visit. The beach at Folly, the new bridge, downtown, Circular Church, and many other places beckoned.
The pastor at Circular joked with us that most folks would not visit Minnesota in March and then go to Charleston in June. It was warm and steamy, to get us ready for the tropics.