hurricane season venezuela or curacao

[Foxy]

Hi all
Want to hop out for hurricane season in Venezuela or Curacao but am having trouble getting mail addresses for the marinas. Can anyone help out or give any other suggestions. I have some prices for Trinidad and Greneda already and to lift out and store a 40ft yacht in a cradle with the mast down seems to be about 4k dollars..... YOIKS! We would have considered keeping sailing but have the option of 6 months work to top up the coffers so she has to come out for a bit.

Cheers all!
P&S

 

[Sea Devil]

Venezuela is Puerto de la Cruz... Several lift out yards there and cheaper than Trinidad. Good workmanship in the yards if you need that. Marina and stern to. Good place. Curacao has if I remember rightly a big anchorage in an enclosed lagoon but I do not remember lift out storage places.. Could be there but I have no memory of seeing much...

As an alternative to Trini Puerto de la Cruz is favorite in the southern Caribbean I think..

 

[jeremyshaw]

Puerto La Cruz has various yards and marinas. The marina most favoured by cruisers is Bahia Redonda.

Curacao has two yards for yachts. Opus and Curacao Marine. I hauled out for several months at the latter and it's an excellent yard with an onsite chandlery and engineering shop, though I was a bit disappointed with their gardiennage. I think they may not be able to haul very deep keeled yachts (they use a special trolley with a tractor - works well). I've had good reports of Opus, but have not been there myself.

You could also leave the boat for a few months at Harbour Village in Bonaire - in the water. I have done that and a liveaboard there does a great job of keeping an eye on the boat.

All these places cost about the same as Trinidad. Curacao is the safest in terms of personal boat and weather security. None is up to the standards of Chaguramas Trinidad for boat fixing skills and materials. Curacao has the advantage of doing business European-style (or as close as you ever get in the Caribbean).

Though I would not care to do that personally (and it can invalidate insurance) cheapest of all would be to leave it at anchor in Spanish Waters, Curacao, provided you could find a realiable person to keep an eye on it. There are plenty of people there in hurricane season - over 100 yachts even at Christmas.

At Bahia Redonda there is accomodation in some flats on site. In Curacao if you don't want to stay on the boat you'll need to find an apartment and almost certainly rent a car (US30pd).

Note that Bahia Redonda has now been banned by the local government from selling diesel to cruisers. So make sure you tank up in Margarita. Diesel in VZ is the cheapest you'll find in the Caribbean (a few cents a gallon) whereas in the ABCs you are paying top whack.

Noonsite.com has contact details for the places I've mentioned.