The cruise

It was great, of course. Los Rochos [Los Roques archipelago off the northern coast of Venezuela?--Bill] are uninhabited islands pretty much off the beaten track. Most cruisers stop here only on route to Panama and the Southern Ocean.

This means that you have most islands all to yourself. You wake up in the morning and jump right from the boat into this vast jacuzzi of turquoise water. Then you take the dinghy and explore your own private island of paradise.

Because Santa Maria carries full scuba gear including a compressor, we could dive the waters. The fish were not shy at all, rather curious of us. We did some fishing of the boat (Tuna) and were followed by Dolphins at night.

We found "treasure" that we identified as the remains of probably an old Dutch ship. At another spot, there was just a reef around us. No land at all. So, we practically anchored in the midst of the ocean, snorkeling water shallow down to 5 feet.

The navigating was pretty tricky, we had to eyeball our way because the charts were really old. At one point we actually touched bottom. As we went slowly however, we made it in one piece.

It was great to get away for a while and clear our minds from all the flow of adventure and tech news that has dominated our life since the start of Explorers Web.

Upon our return, it was nevertheless thrilling to be updated again on all the news from Karakorum, Everest and the Polar areas. The Explorers Web team carry the torch well. The new tech site is another thrilling web place. It will keep track of all the news for adventure tech.

Well, back in Manhattan, it's pedal to the metal again; only two months remain for Antarctica. It's unbelievable how much stuff that must be taken care off for an unsupported expedition. It's just a sled and a tent  - but a zillion of details.  It's exciting though, especially the new tech that we are investigating. Well, more on that later, guys!

(..and more on Los Rochos on the Atlantic "Great Escapes" later this year).