Log 44I - Medregal Village

 Hi Folks,


It has been a while between logs, as I have not had good access to the Internet. Chavez has good plans for Venezuela to have the whole country wired for WiFi, but with the poor level of other services with frequent power cut offs, and even water shut-offs for days at a time, such good intentions may not be realized.

We are now in a comfortable marina here in Puerto La Cruz where we should have good access to WiFi, and other comforts of the marina including free electricity, water, swimming pool, showers, as well as laundry services, and many boating related services as we hope to make a new hard bimini for Veleda, with canvas sides, possibly a new stern pulpit and arch for all our antennae, stern light, flag pole and support for our wind generator. We will see how successful we will be.

We are enjoying Venezuela, and plan to come down here for the hurricane season next year. We have had some fantastic scenery in our anchorages, and more bird life than we have ever seen in one place, as I will comment upon in my next log. This is a relatively short one about Medregal Village in the Golfo de Cariaco, a good place to anchor as a base location for the Golfo.


All the best,

Aubrey


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Log 44I Medregal Village

Written at: Muelle de Cariaco, Golfo de Cariaco, Venezuela

Sept. 15, 2007


Medregal Village (10 31.91N, 063 43.00W) is a most pleasant resort, very friendly to cruisers anchored off. The shoreline is too shallow for marina slips, but a long dock with a gazebo at the outer end is for the use of dinghies from the anchored boats.

 

There is a vast but almost empty boatyard, with well organized power and water stations. The travel lift is one that goes down a ramp into the water to let the boats float into it, then with the boat securely supported by the slings then proceeds up the ramp to dry land.


While we were there both Avalon V and Gypsy Blues, a fairly large 42 foot Jeanneau, were hauled out. Cruisers are welcome to make free use of the pool, book exchange, pool and ping pong tables, and free hot and cold fresh water showers. The bar is accessible and works on the honour system, whereby each boat keeps its own tab and pays at the end of the stay.

The manager, Jean Marc, who speaks English, French and Spanish, is very proud of his cuisine at the restaurant. His chateaubriand is tasty and tender, prepared with a variety of sauces including a pepper and whiskey sauce, a wine sauce or a roquefort sauce (cost 36,000 B's or about $9.50 Canadian). The daily menu is only 22,000 B's or $6.00 Canadian. In addition to grilled prawns, his most expensive dish, costing 58,000 B's or $15.00 Canadian, he also offers grilled fish in meuniere sauce, as well as chicken in wine sauce or tarragon sauce.

The office has a computer with an unreliable phone line for access to the internet. In several tries we were able to properly hook up only once or twice. Very frustrating! However when it came time to pay our bill for over two weeks there, with four meals each in the restaurant and our bar tab for many drinks (at Happy Hour every evening), and two trips into Cariaco, it was only 596,780 B's or about $160.00 Cdn.


We have had an interesting time trying to get U.S. dollars from our Canadian bank wired down to a certificate broker in Miami to get Bolivars at the international rate. We have a couple of Canadian friends who tried to send money to us via their banks and were prepared to accept our Canadian checks which they would deposit back into their bank accounts when they return to Canada later this month. However for a variety of reasons, including poor telephone, fax, and WiFi connections, as well as the complications of wiring funds from a Canadian account for the US equivalent to a bank in Miami, for us a third person, to be picked up by Jean Marc for us, has proved inoperable so far.

We have exchanged US dollars with Gypsy Blues for our Canadian dollars as they are returning to Canada shortly. But, to get enough Canadian dollars converted to US dollars and exchanged at the international rates by certificate dealers to last us for the next month, including building a hard bimini, and other maintenance we need to do in Puerto La Cruz, we will need more. We have two options left. One is to give Ross and Beverley from Raft our Canadian checks as they are going home next week and they will be able to directly wire the money to the Miami certificate dealer. Failing that, we hope we can use our financial advisor in Toronto to wire the money down. Nothing is ever simple. If we can use the certificate dealers and large businesses here to exchange money, for $1000.00 US we would get 4,000,000 Bolivars. If we have to use our Visa card for a money exchange we would get only 2,150,000 Bolivars. This is a significant difference!

There were about 17 boats at anchor off the resort. There are more cruisers ashore than guests staying in the air conditioned rooms. The palm thatched roofs, and open concept of the bar, and restaurant, with palm trees, and gazebos scattered throughout create a pleasant comfortable tropical ambience. Even the power and water stations in the boat yard, suitably marked for 110 and 220 volt systems, have thatched coverings.

This is becoming a notable cruising destination towards the end of Golfo de Cariaco on the north shore. We met not only our friends Dwight and Stephanie on board Stephanie Lynne, but several other Canadian boats we have met over the past two years since returning to the Caribbean, including Avalon V, Gypsy Blues, and Raft. There were a few other Canadians on other boats as well.

Medregal Village is a good cruisers' anchorage not only for the friendliness of the resort, but also for the haul out and repair services available. Our friend Dwight works there as a good mechanic, electrician and technician. We had him fix several things including our starter motor, alternator hook up, and the battery charger (which was damaged at Navimco a few days earlier).

Jean Marc operates twice weekly trips into local towns so the cruisers can replenish supplies.

The location is also ideal for "gunkholing" to the end of the gulf, where we are at present at Muelle de Cariaco, and up to Laguna Grande and several other glorious anchorages along the north coast of the gulf (more about these anchorages in later logs). The city of Cumana is only a five hour sail, at the entrance of the Gulf, and the sailing Mecca of Venezuela, Puerto La Cruz, is only a day's sail from the Gulf. We are seriously considering this area for next year's hurricane season.

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