We left Carriacou Monday evening about 6 p.m. and headed west toward Curacao. With 3-meter following seas and downwind breeze that varied from 5.5-30 kts apparent over two days, we got the opportunity to play with the twizzle rig John made specifically for the trip. In case we haven’t mentioned it before, the twizzle is two jibs, sewn together on the same luff, flown wing-on-wing, held out by dual poles, sans mainsail. The poles attach to a topping lift and downhaul but float freely without attaching to the mast. This allows them to float back and forth without inducing roll in the boat, and it’s more balanced than running a main and spinnaker. If this all sounds too confusing, we’ll post pics later.

On our way, Lara set the fishing pole and at dusk on day 1, we landed ourselves a nice little yellowfin tuna. John butchered it and it was a midday sashimi snack and a grilled dinner in La Blanquilla.

Yellowfin dinner

After 42 hours, we pulled off for a little stop off the coast of Venezuela. It’s an uninhabited sandy island called La Blanquilla, which is just shy of 1/2 way to Curaçao. After some much needed “showers” (shampoo and soap in the surf), a walk on the deserted sugar-white beaches, and a night of sleep, we were refreshed and ready to head out for Bonaire.

Ahh beach showers

Blanquilla beach

Bonaire is another 40ish hours from Blanquilla, but only about 40 miles from Curaçao. We don’t have to be in Curaçao until the 14th, so we’ll get to spend two full days in Bonaire. There we’ll finish up Lara’s PADI diving certification and relax a bit before making the 35-mile sail to Curaçao, where our long-awaited water maker will be installed. Hurrah to cleaning the deck! And on-board laundry rinses!