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The Orinoco, Bandits, Emily, and Puerto La Cruz, Part 8
all smiles and handshakes. But, four hours later, after a squall with Ventura II dragging and many conversations with officials, we had accomplished exactly nothing. There was little else to do but work through an agent and, later that day, we had a representative "working" for us.
We were advised by the Port Captain that it was not safe to remain at anchor. He said that we needed to go up the Rio Caroni a couple of miles to the Club Nautico small boat marina. The Rio Caroni is a black water tribuary of the Orinoco. By black water it is meant that the water is stained with tanin from tree roots, but it is otherwise clear water. While there Roy organized a truck to deliver diesel fuel. The short form of that story is that fueling had to be done by siphoning fuel from barrels on a truck to our beached boats. During the 8 hours, yes, eight hours of fueling that continued well into the night we suffered through a torrential rain and had fuel all over us and the boats' decks. The long form of the story is much worse and you don't want to know.
After four days, we still did not have our clearance for continuing upriver. But about noon on the fifth day, the agent's driver arrived with our papers and the bill. The agent's bill for each boat was over $600 US dollars. We all went ballistic. Roy (en Espanol) argued and the charge was reduced all the way down to a little over $300 USD. I suspect that was the amount the agent expected he was going to gouge us for in the first place.
At that point, and with Francesca looking a sight, Joan and I had reached the limit of our patience, cash, inconvenience, mud, flies and mosquitoes. We apologized to Roy, but said that we were heading back down river regardless of the fact that our clearance was to Puerto Ayacucho, 650 miles further upriver. Roy said he understood, but that he was going to continue.
I know this is getting too long, but hang in there, it gets worse yet.
Going downriver was a treat for Francesca. We made 10 knots most of the time and were back near the Warao villages on the Macareo the second day. Our informal Macareo guidebook suggested that trading with the Warao was the thing to do and that they were gently, lovely people. Our first experience was with a single cayuca and it was a pleasant
Puerto Ordaz. Note the black river (Rio Caronia) merging with the Orinoco.
Niko on Ventura II
