12.09N 68.17W Three days with no wind – so we had to motor the entire way from Union Island to Bonaire – which amounted to one and a half tanks of diesel.  That is the downside of being tied to timescales on a Rally – there are deadlines to meet so sometimes to meet them you just have to bite the bullet and motor, even though you know you would rather wait for the weather to turn…….. there are so many upsides though it is a small price to pay.  With Michael and his fishing expertise gone with him we haven’t been very successful!  Two fish on the line but on each occasion the lure missing!  We finally arrived on the coastline of Bonaire at midnight 11^th January.  Zippy were in constant touch on the VHF and being quicker than us (bigger engine) and had already tied up on their buoy so they talked us all the way in and even lit up their strobe light on the top of their mast – we felt like homing pigeons!!

Daylight confirmed what a pretty anchorage it was with sea clarity so good we could see the bottom – but no time to waste, we had to refuel and shop as it was Saturday and everything shut at lunchtime. Bonaire has a really lovely little marina, the staff so polite and helpful and fabulous supermarket – fresh meat and produce – mouth watering vegetables and fruit and such a choice.  We met up with yachts Lucille, Shaula III, Tapestry, Spectra Canapus and Kaimin – the others had just left so we will catch up with them in San Blas. 

Today we woke early and with Zippy cooked and packed a delicious picnic and set off in a canary yellow Willys jeep for the Washington Slagbaai National Park;

By the end of the day we were exhausted – we set off at 8.00 am and finished at 1700 having driven miles and miles across stark, barren land and very bumpy it was too -but the amazing thing was the Cactus plants – I have never in all my life seen anything like it.  Forests of cacti – you know the little ones we struggle to keep alive in England?

Cactus fields………

Cactus fences……..

Everywhere a cactus…….

And flamingos – pretty salmon flamingos on the salt lakes - which apparently owe their lives to the fact that their beautiful feathers fade to white when plucked – so there is no value in them…

What a sight……

And iguanas….. hundreds of them…..and so inquisitive…..

David having a close encounter…..

And a whale which became impaled on a ship and has been painstakingly reconstructed ….

Tomorrow at dawn we will head off for San Blas.  The wind has picked up and we heard on the SSB today that a few of the other yachts have had a pretty tough passage.  We will stow and hope for the best………