ARRIVE AT BONAIRE IN THE DUTCH ANTILLES MARCH 2006
This page describes our time spent in Bonaire, Curacao and launching from Aruba to Columbia.
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ARRIVAL IN CURACAO SPRING 2006 CLICK ON ARRIVAL CURACAO 2006
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CURACAO FALL 2006
FOR OUR ARRIVAL IN BONAIRE MARCH 2006
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Leaving the wonderful wildness of the Aves in Venezuela was a difficult task, but new adventures in another country were beaconing. A magnificent daybreak departure introduced our 48-mile downwind sail to Bonaire. Of course we fished and of course we made r/o water; the normal routines. Ghosting up the lee of Bonaire our first sightings were of the salt industry. Mountains of white salt ashore, and an ocean freighter loading, spoke of their thriving solar salt industry.
Slaves were introduced to the island in the 17th century. Four people slept in their tiny slave huts after a days work in the blistering saline flats. Slavery was abolished in 1863. Bonaire, a Dutch possession, lies only 50 miles north of the Venezuelan coast, is 24 miles long and 5 miles wide.
Klein (little) Bonaire is nestled off it’s west coast. The 13,000 inhabitants are a mixture of African, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese Brazilian Jews. Today the tourist industry thrives on diving and snorkeling. A truck was the only way we could tour the rugged east coast and northern Washington Slagbaii national park. Bouncing along weathered volcanic ridges and miles of cactus skirted dirt tracks we viewed breathtaking vistas and original Amerindian encryptions. Salina ponds housed beautiful flamingo flocks while the towering cactus were home to small green parrots and geckos.
Our daily snorkeling sessions were rewarded with every fish in the book-all sizes and colours. Coral was wonderful right underneath our mooring. Large purple hornpipe coral stretched up at us. Anchoring is not allowed in Bonaire as one may damage the coral.
Below you can see the rugged west shore of Bonnaire. Many caves were formed along here as we explored and climbed around them.
The
moorings were a bargain at $10.00 a day, although the welcome
ashore wasn’t overwhelming. There is only one dinghy dock to leave
the dinghy for any length of time and no showers available for
cruisers. We did appreciate garbage disposal sites.
April 1st 2006
we slipped the mooring for a gentle passage to Curacao.
A tour of Klein Curacao en route was enough. It
is a small atoll with a sandy beach and two mooring buoys for
tours out of Curacao proper. Note that this is the light
house we viewed as we rounded the south east tip of the Dutch
Antillian Island of Curacao.
The swells nudged us on to
the comfortable protection of Spanish Waters in Curacao.
Checking into customs and immigration is quite the procedure
complete with anchoring permits for each anchorage one intends to
visit. A day’s job well done when complete! Spanish Waters is
about 5 miles from the capital of Willemstad, which is configured
in two areas. Punda (papiamento for point) is
the historic site and Otrabanda (the other side)
are separated by St Anna Baii, the entrance channel to Willemstad.
Baroque and Neoclassical architecture are outstanding on both
sides of the bay and restoration is very colourful. A Venezuelan
floating market in the central part of Punda is delightful.
Among the many friends we
met during our stay we met very special dutch patriates Frank
and Hennie who were building their retirement home on a knol over
looking the ocean and Spanish waters. A tour by car
familiarized us with the bays and entrances on the lee shore. The
island population is 140,000. It is 37 miles long and 9 miles wide
at the widest part. The highest altitude is 1,800 feet
precipitating an arid climate. As with the other Dutch islands its
inhabitants provide a mixed culture. The prominent language is
Papiamento. I can understand some of it with Spanish. Dutch will
definitely be a challenge!A short cruise to St Martha Bay
was wonderful sailing west, but a beat coming back. Here we sit
until lay up time.
So far we have had a
delightful snorkel in Caracasbaii, hiked to the
fort here, and toured the slave infirmary. Caves and a natural
bridge on the north of the island at Shete Boca National Park were
rugged and fascinating. We are anchored just off Sarifundy’s
Marine. They provide water, food, happy hours and much more, but
only have a dinghy dock, so we are all at anchor. Sera Boca Marina
is in another arm of the bay of Spanish Waters and is booked solid
in June of this year. This may be an indication of many boats
vacating Venezuela. Andromeda has caught up with us and we all
plan to haul at Curacao Marine within the next few weeks. It is
strictly a haul out yard as well. Our haul date is April 26th and
we fly home to Sarnia on May 1st.Thinking of our work ahead we
have spent several days here touring the forts and snorkeling with
Fia. Dave and Judy are long time cruisers with lots of info
for us.
Now it's back to Canada for the Summer. 2006
Summer 2006
In May, 2006 my mother Margie’s life was celebrated with
a wonderful memorial in Oliver. Marshes, McConachies and
Coates with offspring, whom we hadn’t seen for years, attended. It
was a very warm occasion. Mom would have thoroughly enjoyed the
sentiments, the grand music, children and babies and, in general,
seeing her genes pouring through.Brian’s dear mom, Aleta, turned
90 in March. We had a grand celebration at Beacon Court with
standing room only. What a remarkable woman.
Courtney and Madi came for a great July visit at Beacon Court. In
her lovely penthouse apartment overlooking Sarnia Bay, our good
friend Karen Warner, hosted a 40th wedding anniversary afternoon
for us. It was so nice to visit with dear friends, In October, Rod
, Titania, and Wilde spent a week with us. It was great fun
celebrating Halloween and Xmas together. It even snowed on us at
the animal farm. Just before our December departure, we had grand
news arrive. Courtney and Greg are expecting again in June. We
love our grandma and grandpa roles.
Back to
Curacao in the Dutch Antilles for Christmas 2006
We flew south in early
December, spent 3 weeks readying Tundra for the water and launched
the Friday before Xmas.Curacao Marine is the
cleanest yard we have found yet and very secure. Water and
electricity are expensive, and the whole island is on R/O water.
Tundra was in fine form. Cruisers, get your propane from
Sarifundis. We tried to do it ourselves from Curacao Marine and
learned the hard way
Otrabanda
(the other side) across from Punda (the point) in Willemstad the
capital city of Curacao has many interesting historical
attractions. One of our favourites was the Hulanda Museum. This
museum depicts the era of the slave trade in the Dutch Antilles
and although at sometimes depressing it was a real eye opener for
us. Here are a few pictures that give you a small sample of
the museum contents. It takes an actual visit before you can
truly experience the real impact of it's contents.
Spannish Waters in Curacao, Netherland Antilles, is our home anchorage for the next couple of warm months. Local residents speak Papiamento which is a combination of Dutch, English, and Spanish. Most understand English. Our backyard is a riot of colour with red, orange, yellow, and green homes competing for space on the surrounding hillsides.
Construction of new homes with Spanish and Dutch flare is remarkable in this south west side of the island.Traffic jams are commonplace. The harbour is filled with sailing families of all nationalities. Most are waiting for weather windows to go north, south, east, or west. And, yes, we are content. We have met friendly folk ashore and are enjoying being part of the stable cruising community here. That means dominoes on Sundays, calling the net on Fridays, hiking ashore, snorkeling, shopping, trying out new cuisine. Bami and nasi goreng are popular Asian dishes. Tricia and Peter on Skysong, who have become special British friends, are sailing for the Virgin Islands tomorrow. Tricia treated us to a delicious meal of nasi.
The highlight
of the holiday here is massive fireworks. Some say they are
flushing out evil spirits of the previous year. If that is the
case, they are doing a topnotch job! Next door to Sarifundis (our
cruisers home ashore) a massive display waschoreographed to music.
Colours, shapes, and sounds knew no bounds! I even wore my
sunglasses! Phenomenal!
On January
2nd 2007 we had a special treat. My
Dad and friend, Kathie paid us a visit via the Sun Princess cruise
ship. Yes another remarkable couple, aged 97 and 96. Their time
ashore permitted a cruise bus glimpse of our end of the island and
a quick cup of tea at the Guveneur House. It was indeed wonderful
to see them, however short our time was together. Next stop for
them was Isla Margarita.
On the 22nd we are expecting Courtney, Greg and Madi at Limestone Apartments for a 10 day visit. In anticipation we plan to have Tundra anchored out front within swimming distance.One can visit Limestone on the internet via <www.Limestoneholiday.com>
Early January
2007 found us thoroughly enjoying the island and its
local residents. Friends, Frank and Henne, are building a house in
Jan Thiel. One of our favorite hikes takes us to check out their
progress. They have very kindly showed us where to shop, told us
of their heritage, culture, and island politics over a welcome cup
of coffee. One highlight was up island at an Ascension church
service. It is part of a Landhuis (plantation). Afterward, island
music, crafts, and food were a real treat.
Casey
and John Anthony (originally from St Thomas, On.) have lived here
for 10 years. John took us hiking up the phosphate mountain and
kept us abreast of local events as well. Rain was quite plentiful
in January with water collection providing extra laundry water.
The climate is arid so R/O water is at a premium on the island and
all pay dearly for it. It is becoming quite a hardship for some
residents. Tip: use 2 capfuls of ammonia in a 5
gallon bucket and wash to your hearts content with no rinsing
needed. The ammonia evaporates when you hang your clothes.
Much to our delight
Courtney, Greg, and Madison arrived on the 22nd. They stayed at
Limestone and we moved into Kima Kalki Marina
just a stone’s throw away. We explored several of the island
beaches enjoying the warm water and snorkeling. We loved every
minute of their company. Madi is a real water baby. Shopping in Punda
gave them a taste of the Papiamento-Dutch flare. Park Tropical in
Santa Rosa is a great petting zoo for children and adults alike.
Courtney, Greg and Madi went to the aquarium one day. Ten days
went all too quickly. Greg helped Brian dismantle the stern davit,
which we bent while hauling the dinghy in jostling harbour
conditions. It went off with a local welder to return 6 weeks
later! Their departure on Feb 2nd 2007 came all
too soon.
Residing in the harbour for this long has precipitated a realization that charts need to be accessed for going west, in particular. Charts from Aruba to Cartagena to Panama to Belize are now available at Xerox. Call Erno Martis at 667 7166 (cell) or Xerox main line at 733 1415Ken and Carole of Columbine were favorite hiking companions. We toured the saline pond observing the bird life, flamingos, in particular. Brian and Ken worked at installing C map electronic charts with the help of John on Queen of Hearts. John and wife, Ria, detailed provisioning and routing for sailors going west. Also they hosted a delicious Indonesian dinner. John and Diane on Dream and ourselves were the lucky guests.
Carnival was the 11th to the 18th of February 2007. There were children, youth, adult and equestrian parades. Costumes were bright and imaginative. Music was loud. The man who won the musical tumba and lyric rendition automatically became King of the Grand Carnival parade. The equestrian parade featured magnificent quick stepping horses, a breed called "paso fino". An effigy of the King was burned at midnight sharp and the partying ended promptly. The Lenten season is here. The winds have been strong during February and March with a noticeable drop in rainfall. We’re enjoying showers ashore at Kima Kalki. In anticipation of moving on soon, we’ve got the Spanish books out and studying is in our routine again. We found a great teacher from Majorca. Charry and her husband Luis are on a sailboat, Sidoba 111. She is patience plus.
Now it is soon time to be off to Columbia South
America. To follow us go to the next page COLUMBIA or CLICK
below on
Page updated Nov 22 2019