This is what you come to the offshore islands for. This is what we’ve been missing for so long, a nearly mile long, white sand beach, clear water and only 4 boats, one of which is FRUKO. Paradise. Friday night (my birthday) we celebrated with a birthday cake and potluck on Salt and Light with Fruko. That was nice. This is the second year I have spent my birthday in a Spanish country and I really love it! Last year was Ocean World, this year a spectacular beach with new friends!
Saturday morning we were reminded of how close we were to the mainland. Apparently this anchorage is very popular on the weekends with powerboats from the mainland. And they came. Nearly 30 powerboats arrived by mid Saturday, some small, a few sport fishing, several luxury yachts and one mega yacht. About midmorning, a helicopter arrived, somehow setting down on the narrow strip of island, and delivered some guests to the luxury yacht called DRAKKAR. Nice!!
The anchorage was soon hopping with jet skis, dinghies, people waterskiing, and kids on the beach. It was fun!! Dennie got out the wakeboard and Tristan and Tessa had their first experience wakeboarding. They loved it, but were soooo tired the next day. That night, the anchorage was very colorful with the lights from the fishing boats, and Dan and I sat on the bow for awhile taking it all in; the moon reflecting off the white sand causing it to glow, a streak of white on a blue canvas, the water so clear even in the moonlight you can see the bottom, its turquoise shade leaving you aching to jump in, the stars seeming so close giving a sense of protection, again thanking ourselves for going west instead of north.
A little after 4 am we weighed anchor for our sail to Isla Tortuga. It ended up being a motor, not even a motor sail as the wind was so light and we arrived mid afternoon. A bright spot was our catch of another Mahi Mahi! The first night we stayed at Playa Caldera, a beautiful beach with fisherman shacks and a small airstrip. The next morning we across the island, and stumbled upon a restaurant/bar, painted in the most striking color of blue I have seen. Along the beach was another Coast Guard office, though we did not check in. The water on this side was shallow and bright turquoise. Tessa, Liam and Tristan spent some time swimming while the rest of us beach combed for treasures. Of course it was hot, but it was beautiful. Too soon we headed back to the boats to motor to Cayo Herradura, a small island part of Tortuga, a few miles away.
We left Margarita on Tuesday morning for a short 20 mile motor to Isla Cubagua. The area was well known in earlier times for its pearl beds. Christopher Columbus was the first to make this discovery and as a result, fifty fortune hunters arrived and founded the first European settlement in America in 1492. The Indians were taken as slaves and forced to dive for the pearls. According to the guidebook, at the height of the pearling industry, the amount of pearls harvested provided Spain with a wealth almost equal to that of the gold transported from the Inca lands. In one year Cubagua exported 820 pounds of pearls. Of course this came at a great cost to the local Indian population, and hundreds died at the hands of brutal fortune hunters.
The enslaving of the local Indians to do their bidding, the wiping out of entire cultures due to their brutality, this is pretty much the legacy of Christopher Columbus and the Spain in all the islands we have come through, yet in the United States we celebrate him as a hero. Never in our history are we told about the consequences of his discoveries in other lands. It’s very sad.
But the island is nice. A small beach area and the remainder are covered in large cacti.
One highlight is a sunken car ferry, and once we had the anchor set, Dan, Tessa, Dennie, Michaela, and Liam went to snorkel and Tristan went to Salt and Light to play with Ethan. I stayed back and went for a quick swim off the back of the boat. I had just gotten out of the water and was rinsing off, when a pirogue (Venezuelan boat) circled by once and then came back and stopped off our stern. They said something to me in Spanish and pointed to the sign on their boat “GUARDACOSTA”. Coast guard. The guidebook didn’t mention any coast guard here. I couldn’t understand what they wanted, and finally heard, “Solo?” which meant alone. I told them there were 4 of us. I asked them to wait a moment while I got my Spanish translation book, but it was still no help. They wanted to tie to the boat, so I asked them to wait while I got bumpers. They were very nice and I felt so bad I couldn’t communicate better.
Meanwhile, the guys have seen the pirogue pulled up to our boat and make a hasty dash back to see what is going on. Through a group effort we realize he is asking how long we are staying and we reply only till early the next morning. They tell Dan and Dennie they need to check into the Coast Guard station, and then they leave. The guys get their paperwork and head to the “Guardacosta”, awakening the man on watch, who is currently in his underwear. He seems curious as to why they are there, doesn’t check the paperwork and quickly sends them on their way. Who knows if you really have to check in, but it’s nice to know that in this remote area, we do have the Coast Guard.
