Badger

Badger

Iron Bark II

Iron Bark II

About Me

My photo
I first crossed the Atlantic in 1975 on 'Stormalong', a 28ft Wharram-designed catamaran. Back in the UK, Pete and I bought an ex 6-metre racing yacht, 'Sheila', living on her for 4 years. Wanting to do more and go further, we built 'Badger' - the best boat in the world - sailing her 110,000 miles, to the Arctic and the Antarctic, around the Atlantic North and South and into the Baltic. She had junk rig - the only rig I will ever now cruise with. Pete wanted to build a 38 ft junk-rigged catamaran, 'China Moon' - which he designed. But before the project was finished, we went our separate ways. A year later I joined Trevor Robertson aboard his 35ft 'Iron Bark'. We explored the Canadian Maritimes, crossed the Atlantic twice, wintered in Greenland and crossed the Pacific to Australia and New Zealand. I fell in love with NZ and jumping ship, bought my own boat while Trevor carried on voyaging. I put a junk rig onto ‘Fantail’ and, having decided that N Island offered better cruising opportunities than S Island, sailed up there in 2012. Looking for a boat to see me out, I built the 26ft 'FanShi' and now live on board her, pottering about, generally around the Bay of Islands.

Monday, 30 April 2007

AVES DEL BARLOVENTO, VENEZUELA

Approach

There are more coral patches than charted in the approach to the obvious anchorage, NE of the light tower. These are easy to avoid in good light, but a serious hazard in overcast conditions.

Anchorage

Anchor in 4 to 12 m, sand.

The anchorage is used by fishing boats. There is a shallow well in the middle of the island, with fairly brackish water. It is situated about 300 m W of the light tower.

An alternative anchorage is in the lee of the reef, further E or behind the most W sand cay.

The channels among the mangroves are home to hundreds of red-footed boobies. Many of these were nesting, when visited in March, with chicks in all stages of development. Non-breeding birds also roost in the mangroves. The island is worth visiting if only to see the boobies.

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