Ystafell

Discovering the Islands of Venezuela

After having explored the Patagonian coast and then the eastern coasts of the South American continent, Cathy and Fanch on Ystafell reported back from one of the pearls of the Caribbean Sea: Blanquilla, some 70 miles north of the Venezuelan mainland. A real little paradise. Here’s their story...

Ystafell

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Published 27/05/2025

By Gilles Ruffet

Issue: 202

Published: july / aug. 2025

Discover this issue

Who: Fanch & Cathy
Where: Blanquilla and Los Avès, Venezuela, Caribbean Sea
Multihull: Katalu 42
Blog: www.ystafell.fr

We would like to give a special mention to La Blanquilla, as this would be our first “dream” stopover in the Caribbean Sea. We rediscovered the pleasure of swimming in turquoise water and snorkeling above the coral reefs, observing the multitude of fish that live there. It’s magical and we never tire of it. However, the island is difficult to approach. There’s a constant thirty-knot wind, and kayaking isn’t easy. You have to paddle with all your strength and coordination if you want to make headway. On land, it’s not easy either, as there are no trails to speak of, only tracks left by the donkeys amid the cacti. We spent a few fine days at La Blanquilla, but then the wind picked up, the anchorage became rough, the waves broke on the beach, and docking became difficult, even dangerous. We then set off again towards Les Avès. We wouldn’t be stopping at Los Roques, a good hundred miles further west, because the region’s new governor has changed the rules and decided to tax sailors. It now costs €2,000 for a two-week stay. For us, this was outrageously expensive, but some boating buddies we met later told us it was well worth it. Instead, we headed for the Avès archipelago, where we’ve been for the past week, alone in the world and enjoying this break among the birds in a dream setting. There’s never a dull moment on board. This morning, for example, spurred on by some incredible determination, I decided to tackle (with Cathy’s enthusiastic help, I should mention) the task of greasing the pulleys on the steering lines. Not difficult in itself, but it can be time-consuming, as these pulleys are fitted with a grease nipple, but if these are jammed up, the grease comes out of the nipple but not the pulley. There are five grease points in each engine compartment... but the real problem is that it was completely impossible for me to even try to work my way in. So it was the much more svelte and dexterous Cathy who attempted the operation after I had explained how to use the grease gun. Cathy slipped into the bowels of the ship and, after a few contortions, reached the famous pulleys. All I have to do is hand her the tools, and that’s it. Well done Cathy! So that’s an example of how we keep busy on board Ystafell; this one kept us busy all morning, but then it was back to swimming, snorkeling, showering on deck, reading, napping, swimming again... and before you knew it, the day was over. And if a boat arrives in the meantime, it’s time for a drink, an informal meal and endless discussions about the next or last ports of call. So far, we’ve had four fishing boats at anchor with us, and it’s been fun, bartering water and a few medicines for fish or lambis. The fishermen headed back to Margarita this morning and we were alone at anchor. Later, during a stroll around the island, we saw a boat arrive, which naturally joined us. We quickly hit it off, and over a coconut punch concocted by Cathy and a round of delicious crêpes, we had an excellent evening. The next day, we spent the morning making, engraving and painting a wooden board that we would use to immortalize our time on this island at the end of the world. Indeed, here on the southern island of the Barlovento archipelago, there is a museum of passing ships, where each vessel has left a trace by engraving a coral pebble, painting the ship’s logo on a wooden plank or a whale rib - anything is suitable for marking its passage. For us, it will be this board engraved and painted with Ystafell’s name.