Klein Curacao

Anastasia
Phil May and Andrea Twigg
Sun 2 Nov 2014 23:43
11:59.1N 68:38.7W
 
Klein Curacao is a little uninhabited island 15 miles east of Curacao.  The free cruising guide says it is not worth a stop, which is utter rubbish.  It is a beautiful island with crystal clear water and friendly sealife.  The anchorage is just down the lee of the island, so if you are overnighting then you need to tuck in close to the beach to get out of the waves.  Close in it is still 4m deep, with good holding in sand over coral.  You will have Curacao tripper boats for company until sundown, then they will leave you in peace.
 
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Approaching Klein Curacao, you see the lighthouse designer had a sense of humour
 
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Like many Caribbean lighthouses, the light still shines, although the buildings are derelict
 
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It didn’t help this ship...
 
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Andrea loves the clear water
 
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Not much in the way of coral, but there are many species of fish.  Here a Sharptail Eel meets a Spotted Scorpionfish. 
 
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There is vibrant pink algae colouring the ponds on the salt flats
 
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Andrea was washing a shell and this baby turtle was convinced it would be good to eat, until it tried biting a piece off 
 
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The island is also home to several species of bird.  These are some kind of curlew, migrated down to enjoy the winter sunshine.