May 2014 St Croix, USVIs to Curacao

Driving day out around St Croix includes a visit to the Cruzan Rum factory where for the princely sum of $5 each we get a whistle stop tour, 2 large cocktails and 4 samples of rum each. As Mr G is driving I get to line ‘em up!

Pics: loads of barrels of ageing rum and a huge vat of naturally fermenting rum

Then pretty Friedriksted, sadly just another cruise ship destination town

Then sublime to ridiculous, the LEAP mahogany “shop” and workshop (complete with ferns growing from roof)

And, of course, no day would be complete without a bar complete with beer drinking pigs!

        “All gone!”

St Croix to Bonaire

We didn't find St Croix particularly attractive and also didn’t feel at ease there. Mainly because of the numbers of "white trash" around! Lots of drunken Americans who have gone there from mainland to drink themselves to death, living on boats that may last them out, but its doubtful. Dinghies barely inflatable with surfboards underneath to keep them afloat. With every intention of leaving as early as possible, it is 12.45 before we get away, mainly due to a supayacht blocking us in who wasn’t going to be leaving till noon. A 3-night trip to Bonaire has its usual fare of anxieties for Kate!

Very small dolphins joined us around sundown to play before bed-time!

Exceptionally strong west going current for part of today at around 3.5kts, much stronger than usual.

Bonaire

Beam reach all the way with the wind between 10 and 25kts. Timed arrival Bonaire for first light, so a slow sail down the East side in darkness. Rounding the point at the bottom of the island Mike gets to see a large flock of flamingos taking off. We tie up to a buoy having covered 362nms. A bit of “feng shui” and off to Customs and Immigration to clear in, who charge us nothing, how refreshing. Mike repairs the jammed reefing line and the outboard which, suddenly this morning, decided to start revving extra high!

 Pic: The salt piles

Today yet another Hilarious Mikeism –

Me: “We’ve got enough money in our savings account to pay for this years insurance and some left over”

Mike: “Good, we can put that towards a new mainsail fund”

Me: “I think most of that will go on the girls for the California trip”

Mike (absolutely in earnest): “What’s more important – a new mainsail or the girls?” I give withering look!

Walked round the town (Kralendijk, pronounced Crawlendike!), which didn’t take long, even the Tourist Office lady said there was nothing happening on the island that we shouldn’t miss! Had to have locally made jewelleryset for a belated birthday presie

Pics: They even have a comfortable men’s corner outside the shop while I debate the merits of different colour jewellery – now get in here and open your wallet!

I seem to have spent the entire morning sticking silver reflective tape to the back of our curtains to try and protect them from sun rot and to keep the boat cooler. Some curtains beginning to show the signs of sun damage after 5 years out here. Great snorkelling round the boat in very clear unpolluted water

We were doing so well until 13^th when my elbow decides to inflame again so we set off for Bonaire hospital, on my part – without much confidence, and came across great A&E department who spoke excellent English, didn’t charge the earth and seemed to understand what was going on. So, blood and yukky stuff samples taken after lancing “Alan the Alien” and we wait a couple of days for results whilst chucking antibiotics down me. Meanwhile, UK surgeon wants me back home so we plan to leave for Curacao on Wednesday. We use the time by hiring a car to see the national Park and the rest of the island. Didn’t take long but a lovely day out!

Pics: Beautiful Bonaire and hilarious roadsign!

Pics: Of course the Kadushy distillery, where they make cactus liqueur, is open Mondays and Wednesdays and Fridays, because we went on a Tuesday!

 Cactus hedge and the windward side of the island

Iguana, Iguana!

Lizard – got a t-shirt that colour!      Yellow Bird                                          Grey bird

 Pink birds                                                                       Lesser spotted brown bird!

Fossil rock                                                                      Really old rock

Salt Lake

Photo to annoy son-in-law Mr Bond!                                  Somebody obviously spent a busy afternoon

 Spent a while getting pic of donkeys out of Mr G’s car window, settled back to find this one out of my window!

Desolate                                                                      Slave huts for salt workers

Disembodied kites of kite-surfers                                                Salt pans but why is the drying water pink?

Great meal out a restaurant appropriately named “It Rains Fish” completes a lovely day

Bonaire to Curacao

Great fast sail to Curacao, downwind in 20kts of wind. We have no plotter charts for Curacao so spotting the entrance to Spanish Water is and interesting exercise not to be attempted after sun down! Huge flying-fish most of the way, flew so long we thought they were birds until they descend again.

Rounding the Southern end of Curacao                              Spotting the entrance to Spanish Water

Resort just inside the entrance

Spanish Water Curacao

In to Willemsted, with Jim and Carola from Australian boat Coza, showing us the ropes. Customs, Immigration and anchor permit taking only 2 hours in total! Changing my flight took longer but, $250 later, achieved!

Pics: Pretty Wilhemsted, the floating bridge just closing and the right way to spend the afternoon while you wait for a bus on Curacao!

Kate leaves today for UK, so happily hands log-writing over to Mike!

A trip to Island Water World to buy some very over priced antifouling which, with a discount, was much the same price as in duty free St Martins.  Methinks there is a bit of price fixing going on with the large chandlery chains out here.

Although I have plenty of time I start checking through the boat and stowing gear, ready for a three month lay up.

Kate has surgery on her elbow again, flushed out and sewn up. After bug results, she starts a course of antibiotics. I get a visit from the coastguard who put two divers down to inspect the bottom of the boat. (It’s a good thing that I used the week at anchor to get rid of the drugs I had hidden under the boat!) Nice to see them on the job but they need to be a bit smarter if they really want to catch smugglers.

Total this month only 396 miles. Since leaving Ramsgate this trip 5710