November 21/05 -- On the Way at Last

We spent ten more days as illegal aliens in Venezuela waiting for suitable weather. We heard that our friends made it safely to Grenada after a stormy week in Los Testigos. Finally we got a good forecast, and left the anchorage at dawn. The seas were large and uncomfortable and we considered turning around yet again after a couple of hours, but we persevered and the conditions improved. When we reached Los Testigos, we anchored, had a swim and made dinner, then set out again into the night on our way to Grenada. As we looked back and said our final goodbye to Venezuela, we breathed a prayer of thanks that we had been kept safe for three years in that beautiful, exciting, and sometimes dangerous country.


November 22/05 -- Motoring into the wind, rain, and current on a pitch black night is a little scary, but by midnight the conditions improved and the moon rose to shine a little light on our path. Having radar is a great comfort. We were all alone on the ocean and didn't see one other speck on the route until about 6:00 a.m., when a freighter appeared 12 miles out, on a collision course, of course. We turned a bit and passed a half mile apart. Cliff stayed awake most of the night while I dozed, then after daylight I watched while he had a sleep. Conditions were very gentle and, except for the first few hours, we had a great crossing. Here we are in Grenada at last, almost a month after leaving Puerto la Cruz.