Our due date to return from Spain and UK to Venezuela was 20th January. Unfortunately Yvonnes’ father died shortly before our return. He had been ill for some time and we had visited during our stays in UK. He had a good life, we'll miss him.

We arrived in Venezuela on 9th February. We stayed at our friend Paul’s house in Puerto De La Cruz for a couple of nights to recoup. then back to Medregal village and haulout yard.

During our time in Spain as planned, we did manage to overdose on the good restaurant meals, my belly being that much larger now proves the point. The Chinese restaurants are particularly good and cheap. What with all the Christmas fayre, meals out, no excercise and some Engish meals which are huge, expensive and fried!!! It’s no wonder we gained a few pounds.

Now we are back in Venezuela, our house is fine apart from a new occupant living in the beams. Our neighbours have already started bringing us some lovely freshly caught fish and Jean Marc has been producing some absolutely excellent meals in his restaurant, he must have swallowed a cookery book, they have all been very good meals at affordable prices for us ‘Gringos’.

During our time in Europe we managed to continue to follow the ARC, Atlantic Rally for Cruisers despite  Vodafones useless broadband connexion. Hopefully some of these boats will venture down to Venezuela and ignore the rumours being spread about it being unsafe. Our daughter Susie has heard all these rumours and after her visit here, realises that the people that write these things have probably never been to the areas where most cruisers visit. The wealth of family fun and friendly atmosphere is all around, everyone is welcoming. Of course Caracas and the big cities are bad, but we don’t cruise in those places. All countries have their problems Las Vegas, New York, just as bad I’m sure if you are in the wrong part. Look at the terrible things that seem to be happening in UK and the rest of Europe targeting women and children.

For the benefit of the ARC boats reading this, come and see Venezuela, read up on some blogs, check out Bahia Redonda, Medregal Village, the islands of Los Roques, Margarita, Testigos. There are nearly 1800 miles of coastline and more than 300 offshore islands and islets with good safe anchorages. Yvonne and I crossed the Atlantic with the ARC in 2006, we have cruised the Eastern Caribbean, visiting all the Windward Islands from Martinique south, the further south we went the better and less expensive living became. We have sailed from Venezuela to Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, Curacao, and back to Venezuela, you can see more of these visits on this blogsite. Our favourites, Trinidad,Cuba, DR, Jamaica was very good, and Ille La Vache (Haiti) is eye opening with beautiful safe anchorages, but Venezuela holds the number 1 spot, because it has it all, good climate, good sailing, mountains, snow, plains and falls, Amazonia and Orinoco, and the coastline is the real Caribbean as it used to be.

The photos show one of the healthier meals we had in Spain, though this was only the first course; then Chaser2  returning to the water with a nice clean bottom. So nice to have a clean bottom, the difference it makes. And a photo of our first sunset back afloat, while enduring a shot of our favourite rum, which I can tell you has recently gone up in price to nearly 20US$ for a case of 12 bottles. We have to endure these things, together with the long sultry nights. The downside is  ---- well, there isn't a downside really apart from we miss our family, but we will see them again very soon. Flights are cheap for us US$ holding foreigners and we plan to venture more back and forth to Europe and to travel more inland in South America.

It's good to be back here and see some old faces and new, (though some we could do without seeing). So our itinerary, a little unknown, we plan to sail to Puerto De La Cruz this week for a few days with a couple of Island stops en route, (taking Captain Ron with us of course). Then back to Medregal Villager and maybe a drive inland to Cuidad Bolivar on the Orinoco River, and possibly the gold mining town of El Callao. Our son James may come and visit in March and after that who knows. Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, UK and Spain are on the agenda.

Sundowner time, adios!

These pictures were sent with Picasa, from Google.

Try it out here: http://picasa.google.com/ <<...>> <<...>> <<...>> <<...>> <<...>>