Leaving Bonaire

BARONESS
Jim & Christine Lister
Sun 6 Mar 2011 14:55
We have finally left Bonaire, after spending a very nice couple of months there. We left yesterday, and are now on our way to Panama. We are currently at 12.57.61N 74.08.78W. It is 10.30am our time, and we currently have 7 knots of wind, which will pick up as we have some rain clouds following us. We can feel the dampness in the air. The sails are goose winged and we are making about 6 knots because we have the engine on to charge our batteries. We currently have no wind or solar power as our regulator box has packed up on us. Not to worry - we hope to have a nice new shiny one in Panama.
 
It is hard to think that we arrived in Bonaire on 1 January 2011, and stayed until the 4 March. We had a very nice time whist we were there. We got to meet a lot of nice people, and enjoyed the swimming and diving, as well as what we saw of the island. Our original plan was to leave Bonaire for Obaldia in the Sanblas Islands, and work our way west to Colon. That we didn't do this was in part that we were having a great time, and that during this great time, I needed some not so great time dental work to be undertaken. In the end I had three teeth removed, which put paid to my diving for a while. Christine was able to keep going in the water, and not only helped a friend to retrieve mooring lines, but also worked - yes, I did say worked - when she used quite a few tanks of air cleaning the hull our marina owners Beneteau 43 power cat. The payment covered a week in the marina, and all our water since we arrived there. Very well worthwhile, but I couldn't help with the hard work because of my dental work. Did I miss out?
 
Having our own air compressor is proving worthwhile in places like Bonaire, and we hope to get a lot of use from it. The diving and swimming in Bonaire has been great - so much sea life, and just off your boat or the shore.
 
So now we are off to Panama, and the Pacific Ocean awaits; but first we hope to navigate this stretch of the journey and arrive safe and sound in Panama.