Curacao, 12:10.0N 69:00.0W
Meryon.bridges
Mon 15 Feb 2010 15:17
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Some readers have been expressing concern that, on
the map at least, we seem to be locked in the middle of the Atlantic, and
they have been enquiring kindly how our food and water stocks are holding
out. This has been entirely due to my incompetence, and hopefully a golf
tee will now move us to Curacao, off the Venezuelan coast, which is
where the boat actually is.
From Tortuga we had intended to visit another group
of Venezuelan islands called Los Roques, which are low lying and alleged to
be exceeding beautiful. However when we realised, on reading the pilot,
that this would cost us about $150 for the night in national park fees, etc.
we determined to continue directly to Bonaire in the Netherlands
Antilles. This was some 200 miles away and by the time we made the
decision a bit after 11.00, it was going to be touch and go whether we could get
there before dark on the following day. Given the new found propensity of
our GPS to show we had anchored somewhere on the land, using it to find an
anchorage after dark promised to be hazardous.
Luck was with us and we had fresh to very fresh
breezes all through the night and all next day, and the island hove in sight at
around 16.30. Nonetheless we still had some way to go to reach the capital
of Kralendijk on the west side. Once in the flat water in the lee of the
island our speed climbed until the boat was making over 10 knots as we scooted
up the coast, which we found quite impressive. Meanwhile the sun sank
steadily, dipping below the horizon at 18.20 when we still had a couple of miles
to go, so it was indeed dark when we found the entrance to the marina.
However a kind chap from a super yacht parked nearby called out to us where we
could park up for the night and came and took our lines.
Bonaire is a small and arid island which survives
primarily by exporting salt and importing tourists. Kralendijk is a
pleasant little country town with some nice restaurants and adequate shopping,
though we were led to understand that any serious supplies come from its more
developed neighbour, Curacao, 40 odd miles to the west. On our second day
we hired a car and toured the island. There's a large amount of tourist
development which is at risk of spoiling the west side, but the north western
part is given over to a national park. This is arid and covered with
cactus, accacia and other thorny bushes. Fauna seems to be restricted
primarily to lizards, iguanas, and birds, including Carribean Flamingoes and a
dramatic green parrot. It was interesting to see but there wasn't much
variety. On the east side there is a beautiful shallow lagoon with the
omni-present fabulous torquoise blue water, across which flitted scores of
windsurfers travellng at quite improbable speeds. The southern end of the
island is a dreary flat of saltpans.
Bonaire's big thing is diving as the coast is steep
to and the water is brilliantly clear. Peter H and Meryon went on a
snorkelling trip and spent a couple of hours drifting with the current along the
shore of an adjacent small island. The corals were good but unexceptional,
but the intense blue void on our right where the ground dropped steeply away
into the deep provided a wonderful backdrop for the shoals of fish of every
variety which whirled slowy round us like Autumn leaves. It well lived up
to the island's claims.
Sadly Peter H had to leave us in Bonaire, flying
out on KLM via Amsterdam. Peter M and Meryon were thus left, a deux, and
on 6 Feb had a lovely sail to Curacao. We went into a big lagoon with a
narrow entrance near the southern end called Spanish Water. For the last
several days it had been blowing hard from the east, up to F8 regularly, both
night and day. For our sail across it fortunately moderated but the wind
had climbed back to 33 knots by the time we had anchored, and it continued like
this on and off while we were there. On Sunday we went exploring in the
dinghy and at one of the yacht clubs fell in with some very friendly people,
Peter and Krissie (UK) and Arn and Leone (Aus), who told us how to get about and
where to find things, and with whom we had several beers over the next few days.
On Monday we went to the capital, Wilhelmstad, to complete Customs and
Immigration, and to talk to a boat yard.
We now have time to kill because we are really too
early for our next RV at the Galapagos on 01 Apr, and after some discussion
agreed to take some R&R before heading out into the big blue Pacific.
We therefore hastily organised some flights and arranged to leave Ares in the
yard for a lift out, scrub and antifoul in preparation for the next 6
months in the warm water of the Pacific. On Thursday 11 Feb
therefore we made a quick dash round the coast to Wilhelmstad, signed
Ares in with the yard, cleared out with customs and immigration,
grabbed a shower and leaped into a taxi to the airport. We are
booked to return on 27 Feb, when the saga will
continue.
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