Leg 018

"Columbus & his pearls"

Wanda on the tranquil Gran Roque ramp, ready to be pushed into position.

I expected to find a party scene in Gran Roque and I was not disappointed!  There are no traditional nightclubs on this little island, especially since it has a limited number of tourist visas available each day; however, that doesn't stop the party from happening under the moonlight on the fabulous beach that sits under the Posada Bequeve hotel.  With the exception of Haad Yuan Beach in Thailand, I can't think of a nicer all-night mixer in the sand than this.

I spent three wonderful nights on the warm sands of the Gran Roque north shore, never once making it to bed before sunrise.  At one point, as I lie on my back watching the stars, I placed a mental bookmark on this location, as undoubtedly my trip will take me to many environments without sunlight and with huge mountains of snow and ice.  On those dreary nights I will look back to this moment, hoping to find mental sustenance and inner warmth.


Ready to provide air service for three paid jobs to Margarita.

Today I slept in until 13:00.  I took a cool, cleansing shower, put on a fresh change of clothes and found a little lunch table near the marina.  During my meal I checked the jobs board for Los Roques and found three pieces of interesting cargo (2 human) to transport to my next stop, Margarita Island.  The FBO here, Ave del Paraiso Aviation, humorously advertised the jobs as 1 Son of a Son of a Sailor, 1 Tourist Covered with Oil and 1 Lost Shaker of Salt.  If you are uncertain as to why that is funny, I suggest you google Jimmy Buffett.

While polishing off my last bite of mango cake, I booked the jobs and took a look at the weather along this afternoon's route.  Without any element of surprise, the weather is sunny with moderate headwinds and unlimited visibility.

I threw a couple of dollars on the table, weighted them down with a seashell, and took the short walk over to the ramp.  I paid my tie down fees & met the passengers a few minutes ago.  Now I am wiping the perspiration off my forehead as I watch the FBO tug driver position Wanda at the 'boarding gate' located at the foot of the SVRS tower.

Passing 800 feet by the end of the short runway, admiring that Catamaran.

Although we're loaded above 80% of max gross weight, the 2,700 foot runway 7 is plenty long for a strong bird like Wanda to get off the ground.  We'll be taking off into an 11 knot headwind, further adding to the margin of safety, so as long as the run-up looks fine, there isn't much to worry about.

Once the passengers are loaded, I start the engines and cross the threshold of runway 7 to position myself on the west ramp for engine run-up.  I take my time testing each component and find everything to be in tip-top shape.  The tower gives me the nod to line up and wait, so wasting no inches of precious runway, I position Wanda with nose into the wind on runway 7.

Within a few moments we're cleared for takeoff.  The process is so mechanical for me: feet off brakes, power to 1,000 RPM, mixtures enrichen, tap prop levers to ensure forward, eyes to engine instruments, advance throttles slowly to full power, keep centerline using peripheral vision, 60 knots cross check, eyes on runway, pull gentle back pressure, nosewheel off, pitch to hold blue line, tap brakes, retract gear.  By the time this routine has happened, we're at 800 feet in altitude, passing the runway 25 threshold and a gorgeous little reef.

Los Roques was an idyllic layover.

The quick climb up to 3,500 feet gives the Parrotheads (re: Buffet) and I spectacular views of the many little cays of Los Roques, which literally is translated as "the rocks".  Even though we're battling a 15 knot headwind today, it is blissfully smooth as silk.  Feeling cozy with chill memories of the past three nights on my mind, brilliant blues in my eyes and calm waters below, I settle in for the 95 minute trek across open water to Margarita.

Out of respect for the man himself, I listen to Jimmy's "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" album and make a promise to myself that as I get into the dark depths of the northern hemisphere winter, I will not let my attitude decline from my current 'island-deluxe' vibe.

Passing to the south of Isla La Orchila.

Fifteen minutes airborne we pass Isla La Orchila.  In the late 1500's the Spanish explorer Alonzo de Santa Cruz described the island: "...to the east of this island [Tortuga] for eight leagues is another joy, Orchilla, eight leagues long and seven wide, with two islands to the south of it; this name was given because there is a lot of Orchilla, of which we speak long in the islands of Canaria General Islario..."   I read that there is a large naturally-occurring beach of vivid pink sand, but we are not flying near enough to see it. 

And this is for good reason:

Since 2018 Russia has stationed a battalion of TU-160 supersonic bombers on La Orchila, which also came with a giant no-fly zone for civilian traffic.  I'm a bit salty about my legal inability to get close to the pink beach, so I'll assuage my annoyance with an insult directed at Russia: your TU-160's are half the airplane of the B-1 bomber they are so desperately trying to emulate. 

(take that, Red League)

(and also, google its performance...it is really a terrible airplane by all measures)

The mountains of Reserva de Fauna Silvestre Macanao coming in to view.

For the next 30 minutes we cruise smoothly along as the album floats past my ears.  I pull up the charts for SVMG and wait to hear the ATIS broadcast.  As expected, the winds are steady from the east, so I plan a visual approach to runway 9L.  While the chart only shows runway 9, there are, in fact, two runways still in use.  The former 9L now acts as a taxiway, but aircraft under 5,000 kg can land on it upon request.

About 30 miles from the airport, rugged Margarita comes into view.  The first noticeable feature is the dark brown mountains for the Reserva de Fauna Silvestre Macanao.  I plan to spend my off days driving up to San Francisco de Macanao, which is a small town nestled in among the peaks for this range.  For now, the mountains are a nice piece of scenery to admire from afar.

Playa Boca Chica - did Columbus find pearls there?

Christopher Columbus visited Margarita Island in 1498.  Upon his arrival he found the beaches to be littered with pearls, which he seized and pledged as a tribute to King Ferdinand.  Over the next two decades, Margarita Island was fortified against the increasing threat of pirate attacks, and some fortifications remain today. It was the center of Spanish colonial Margarita Province, established in 1525.

As we descend down to 1,500 and fly past the south coast, I wonder which beaches Columbus stood upon and seized the natural resources.  My mind, still focused on the approach mostly, takes a moment to ponder how it is possible for a small group of men to completely dominate a large island territory, all in the name of politics.  My intense Libertarian streak begins to rear its agitated head, so I turn my attention back to my approach, all while Buffett's final album track, "Landfall", appropriately fills my headphones.

Isla de Margarita, Isla de Coche & the north coast of Venezuela.

We make a very smooth touchdown on runway 9L (I was granted permission, as there were no taxiing airliners at this hour) and pull into a 'national arrivals' gate at the main terminal.  The flight was smooth and quite enjoyable.  My plan is to take an extended break in Margarita to explore the various landscapes, discover its unique geographic features and, with luck, to find a pearl or two as a souvenir.

As I make tie down arrangements at the local FSEconomy FBO desk, the attendant gives me a hard time that I've previously visited 2 Margaritaville Air terminals but have not flown a single passenger. 

"They weren't going my way" I tell him. 

"What's your way?" he asks. 

"Trinidad and Tobago" I say. 

"I'll see what I can rustle up for you" he says.  "Check back in a couple of days."

OK, that's my plan.  I'll enjoy the island, look for Columbus' pearls and keep my fingers crossed for some nice paying jobs to my next destination: Trinidad & Tobago.