First impressions - arrival in Bonaire
Seaduced
John & Jane Craven
Sat 7 Dec 2013 22:01
Fishing was also largely uneventful. I did hear the line go at one stage, but nothing, however when we brought the line in later, we realised that we had had a bite as the lure had been bitten through - and it was a new one as well! Suzie Too also had little luck despite having had their line out nearly all the way - all they caught was a barracuda, which they then let go.
The route into Kralendjik, the main town in Bonaire, is via the south of the island. You can't actually see the south of the island until you are quite close as it is very flat, in comparison to the slightly more hilly north where the national park is. The south is largely salt pans, the second most important industry on the island after tourism. You can see the heaps of salt as you approach the island. Also, clearly visible are the old slave huts dotted around the salt pans.
Our slightly blurry first sight of the lighthouse.
The famous salt pans.
The small orange buildings are old slave huts near the salt pans.
Having rounded the southern tip of Bonaire it was time to get the sails up again. This part of the Caribbean is known for fantastic sailing, good steady winds and calm waters. As we approached, we started to look for the mooring field. Although we knew from reading the guidebook that the moorings were close in, we hadn't realised just how close, we are about 30 metres off the shore! The mooring block we are tied to is in about 3 metres of water, but the stern of the boat, no more than 18 metres back, is hanging over the edge of a 30 metre ledge - it is no wonder they don't allow anchoring here, it would be impossible!
This gives you an idea how close to shore we are!
The view along the shore form the boat.
We finally tied to the mooring, you have to pick up two strops and attach one to each side of the boat, which is easier said than done when they are all tangled - I ended up jumping in and untangling them, not a bad job really, the water was lovely! After that, we did a quick boat clean, sailing largely downwind means less water coming over the sides and front, and we went ashore to check in and treat ourselves to lunch!
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