Until I return to Daisy in June, I'll be in Ohio with Danni, working on testing my recipes for my book, going to Detroit for Edi's graduation, and birthday celebrations with Nicolette.
So my blog will be quiet for a few weeks, please check back in July for more news of Daisy at sea!
Thank you for your interest and kind comments.
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Monday, May 10, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Almost Goodbye Daisy!
A few weeks ago back in March, Danni and a friend came to stay with us during their spring break. It turned out that the friend wasn't a sailor, didn't like deep water and was terrified of anything that might be in the water. Every time we moved the boat she had to lie down because she felt sick, so Bob and I did our best to make her as comfortable as possible and only sail very short passages, and anchor or pick up a mooring only in calm bays...
We decided to take the girls to Anguilla and the little islands around it, Dog Island, Sandy Island and Prickly Pear. Sandy Island is like something out of Treasure Island, this tiny sandy spit in the ocean surrounded by beautiful clear calm water. Anguilla is an expensive island to visit, to stay in the island waters for just 2 days cost us $171. However we felt the girls would enjoy it. We sailed over to Sandy Island first and picked up a mooring.
Normally we would swim ashore, but as Danni's friend had such a phobia about things in the water that might gobble her up, Bob decided to take both girls to shore in the dinghy, where they could have fun on the beach, and play in the surf.
While Bob was taking them ashore I was hand feeding this rather large, and incredibly friendly Cowfish off the stern of Daisy. When he returned we both decided to swim off the boat and hand feed the fish.
Now this is where I have to tell you, that Bob is always telling me he is not a strong swimmer, and likes us to stay close together when snorkeling off the boat, his legs cramp up sometimes and so he doesn't have the confidence he should have in his swimming ability.
So we're both happily snorkeling around feeding all the fish, we hadn't swum very far from the boat, when we looked up to see the bow of the boat (mooring still attached), and we both thought "OH she's just swung around in the wind". A little later we looked up again to see that we were looking at the stern, but quite a bit further away than we thought we had swum. The third time we looked up, Bob said "I think we should swim back to the boat, we seem to have drifted quite a long way". I looked up and saw that we were indeed a long way from the boat, so we both started to swim towards it. I was swimming hard and fast but each time I looked up I didn't seem any closer, it was as though I was still in the same place.
I continued to swim this time looking at the ocean floor to see whether I was covering any ground, I thought perhaps I may have been swimming against strong current, but no, I was definately moving forward, when I noticed Bob suddenly take off like a torpedo, I kept swimming as hard and fast as I could, my heart was racing and pounding in my chest, and I was out of breath, but I had to keep going, just when I was about to give up, thinking I couldn't possibly swim any more, I just managed to grab hold of the back of the dinghy, which was tied to the stern, Bob was already on board.
I looked behind for the first time and saw that we were a very long way from the island, and the mooring field. "What the hell happened" I yelled at Bob, who was at the helm with the engine running. His reply, "The mooring line broke".
There I was thinking that all the money we paid to use the moorings here, they would at the very least be maintained!
We moved the boat back to the island and dropped anchor.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
St.Eustacia, Hiking up the Quill
Sunday 25th April 2010
The sea bass last night was delicious, but I couldn’t stand the movie choice so I went to the guest room and watched Julia and Julie again. We were up early this morning to head into customs and then a brief sight seeing tour, which took all of 5 minutes, before our cab driver dropped us at the foot of the hiking trail to the Quill.
Armed with mosquito spray, and other motorized deterrent's, bottles of water, sun tan lotion and a change of clothes for when I get all sweaty, off we went. The trail zigzag’s gently up the side of the volcano, until you eventually reach the rim (about a 45 – 60 minute climb), at which point I was knackered, so Bob continued on alone, descending into the crater to see the rain forest growing within. I waited with the company of a very friendly rooster who didn’t leave my side until Bob returned.
Exhilarated by the rain forest Bob then decided to climb even higher to the other side of the crater rim, about 100 feet, the rooster and I stayed put. Bob returned about 30 minutes later and we began our descent, at this point the rooster went his own way.
My legs were shaking like jelly, and I seriously wondered whether I would actually make it to the foot of the volcano, without the help of a team of paramedics. As it happens I did make it, but then there was the walk back. There were no taxi cabs waiting, so we walked, and walked, and walked and walked and walked… OMG… eventually with me limping like a cripple behind Bob.
We came across a Spanish bar where we stopped for a welcome beer. Feeling mildly refreshed we started out again, I felt better but was still limping badly. Eventually we came across another bar The Gin House on the front where we stopped for 2 beers… this is getting better, I think I can now make it all the way back to the dinghy, funny how alcohol confuses the brain.
Back on the boat, a shower, a snack and a couple of glasses of wine, and I’m ready to go out for dinner, Blue Bead Restaurant, here we come… But, Mother nature had different plans, it rained, and it rained, and it rained… I'm sure you get the picture, anyway it eventually stopped and off we went, a little later than we would have liked.
We had a pleasant meal, the menu was a little limited, and not very adventurous especially considering the prices, but we enjoyed our evening and would go there again.
St Barths to St.Eustacia
Immediately after breakfast we cast off, and motored around the head to Gustavia where we anchored and Bob went ashore and cleared us out with customs.
We set out for St.Eustacia around 11:30. It was a lovely clear day but not much wind, so we motored half the way then raised the sails and enjoyed a very peaceful 3 – 4 knot sail across, eating lunch as we went. I know this is not exciting, but I love it when there’s only a little wind as it’s so gentle, peaceful and quiet.
As we approached the island, there were several tankers and large cargo ships anchored off the island. We pulled into Gallows bay looking for a good spot to drop anchor.
We’re too early in the year for the flamboyant trees to be in bloom so there’s not a lot of color along the front right now, although it has to be said the aquamarine water deepening to peacock blue is crystal clear, with visibility straight to the sea bed.
Bob took the dinghy over to the customs building at 4:45 as they’re advertized as being open till 5pm, but they had all gone home already, typical laid back island life…
Tomorrow we're going to hike up the Quill, St. Eustatia's dormant volcano
Tonight I’m cooking sea bass, and this better be good after last night’s disaster with the tuna.
We set out for St.Eustacia around 11:30. It was a lovely clear day but not much wind, so we motored half the way then raised the sails and enjoyed a very peaceful 3 – 4 knot sail across, eating lunch as we went. I know this is not exciting, but I love it when there’s only a little wind as it’s so gentle, peaceful and quiet.
As we approached the island, there were several tankers and large cargo ships anchored off the island. We pulled into Gallows bay looking for a good spot to drop anchor.
We’re too early in the year for the flamboyant trees to be in bloom so there’s not a lot of color along the front right now, although it has to be said the aquamarine water deepening to peacock blue is crystal clear, with visibility straight to the sea bed.
Bob took the dinghy over to the customs building at 4:45 as they’re advertized as being open till 5pm, but they had all gone home already, typical laid back island life…
Tomorrow we're going to hike up the Quill, St. Eustatia's dormant volcano
Tonight I’m cooking sea bass, and this better be good after last night’s disaster with the tuna.
Swimming with Sharks!
Friday 23rd April, 2010
I was woken by the most glorious sunrise, up on deck the water in the bay was as still and clear as glass, and I could see straight to the bottom, I got a little bread to feed the Remora’s under the boat, there were 8 this morning. The mega yacht that had been so noisy last evening pulled out early this morning, they didn’t even bother to snorkel.
After breakfast Bob and I went snorkeling, I covered his ear as best I could with waterproof bandages, and in we went. We swam over to the shore where we saw the beautiful Angel fish again, a Trigger fish, Cow fish and many other fabulous, colorful species, then we swam back out over the grass beds to watch the turtles, and rays, we were enjoying our swim so much we must have been in the water over an hour, when I told Bob that I needed to go back to the boat as I was getting tired. As we approached the boat we spotted a couple of large shadows lurking on the sea bed directly under Daisy, on closer inspection the shadows turned out to be two 6’ -7’ Nurse sharks. We swam quietly above them for a few minutes while Bob took photographs.
Nurse sharks are usually sluggish during the day, keeping most of their activity between the hours of dusk till dawn, when they are actively feeding. Common in tropical waters over inshore coral reefs, nurse sharks are the most frequently spotted sharks by divers and snorkelers in the Caribbean. They are usually harmless unless provoked, this statement confuses me, as I’m interested to know exactly how do you define “provoked,” obviously I’m not going to swim up and poke it in the ribs with a sharp stick, but could swimming around it while its sleeping be considered provoking? I think it best to simply keep a safe distance.
Two people from another Oyster in the bay came over to introduce themselves, and we invited them on board for a chat. As soon as they left I was back in the water again to watch the sharks. I swam quietly above them, fascinated, and amazed that I wasn’t nervous being this close to them. I was quietly floating there watching them and taking more photographs when Bob called me to swim back closer to the boat, as I started to swim both sharks moved off the bottom and began to swim in my direction, its funny how fast one can get out of the water when motivated, even while wearing flippers… It turns out they only moved about 10 feet before settling down for another rest, but I had watched them for long enough, this was a good time not to exercise provoking!
After lunch I was back in the water again, this time the sharks had gone, and there were two beautiful stingrays, and the Remora’s under Daisy had grown in numbers to 10. I swam for about 30 minutes, watching the turtles and the rays, one of the turtles swam very close to me, stopping to peer at my mask, I could have reached out and touched him, but I’ve seen how sharp their teeth are so I kept my arms close by my side, the turtle only took a quick look then circled around me before surfacing for air and descending again to the grassy beds below.
The afternoon was spent with me relaxing and Bob completing unfinished jobs on board, like the broken nav light, and bumpy TV lift. It’s very, very hot today, and I think I may have burnt my back again with all the snorkeling…
Bob and I waited until 5pm when it was a little cooler to take the dinghy ashore and walk and swim off the beautiful beach before returning to Daisy for the ritual sunset cocktail.
Turns out I did get a little carried away with all my snorkeling today, because tonight I have a bum like a baboon! With all the heat that goes along with it, this brings a whole new meaning to “hot seat!”
It’s Tuna for dinner tonight and maybe another movie (hopefully better than the crappy one last night! )
The tuna turned out not to be good, so I fed the remoras and made an omelet instead, too tired to watch a movie I fell asleep immediately after dinner. I really must be getting old!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Columbia Bay, St.Barths, April 2010
Gorgeous morning, I was up before Bob and while I was feeding the remora’s under the boat I spotted what appeared to be a reef shark circling below them, I called Bob, but by the time he came up on deck the shark had disappeared. I continued feeding the remoras there were 4 of them now a couple of large fish and a shoal of smaller ones in a feeding frenzy. We spotted several rays on the seabed, as well as turtles.
After breakfast we took the dinghy all the way around to Gustavia, about a 20 minute very choppy dinghy ride. Bob did the customs and immigration while I shopped and had coffee at Le Bar De L’Oubli.
Bob joined me at the bar for a cappuccino after he had finished with customs, then we both walked around town window-shopping, ST.Barths is beautiful but very expensive so we tend not to do much actual shopping here. Bob found some new earplugs at the sports shop, as he has mislaid his others.
We arrived back at the boat at 10:50 to go snorkeling, again with turtles and stingrays, I came back to get lunch ready, I was cooking the tuna we caught yesterday with a salad.
I was preparing lunch while Bob was diving under the boat cleaning the hull, when he called me up on deck as he was bleeding from one ear. We think it must have been caused by the new ear plugs, as he has no pain or discomfort, I said it would probably best to stay out of the water for a couple of days, which is such a shame as we came to this bay specifically for the snorkeling, OH well we had two sessions at least.
St.Maarten to St.Barths, April 2010
Wednesday April 21st 2010
Simpson Bay Lagoon, St Maarten
We have been in St.Maarten since the beginning of March this year getting work done on Daisy. Bob was back for a few weeks and we intended to get out and have some fun, the plan, St.Barths, in particular Columbia Bay.
We woke early ready for our busy day ahead. Bob and I set about getting the boat tidy and secure ready for our sail over to St. Barths. At 8:30 I drove Bob in the dinghy over to the customs office, while I went to do some quick last minute provisioning at The Garden Market, I Collected him an hour later and we headed back to the boat. There were still a few jobs to do before we could set sail, but by midday we were underway.
The weather was beautiful to the South, and the seas calm, we had around 12-14 knots of wind, and were able to raise the sails and enjoy a very pleasant sail, eating lunch on route. We zigzagged a bit and came very close to another yacht at one point, but enjoyed the sail without any unfortunate incidents.
Bob put the fishing line out and we caught a small tuna, I cried as I poured the vodka into its gills, but sure enough it killed the little fish quickly, and I like to think without too much pain. Bob gutted the fish, and then I cleaned it, wrapped it well and packed it in ice to be eaten later.
Arriving at St. Barths we picked up a mooring in Columbia Bay quite close to shore, and just as before we spotted turtles in every direction. We immediately put on our costumes and went snorkeling. Within minutes we spotted several turtles and circled quietly above watching them feed on the grassy bottom. We also spotted a couple of stingrays. Following our swim we enjoyed cocktails on deck as we watched the sun set. Its so beautiful here, I love it, this has to be my new favorite location.
Unfortunately a couple of idiots off a mega yacht came speeding into the bay on see-doo’s, acting like complete morons and doing doughnuts (this is against regulations in a marine park, and anyone with an ounce of intelligence knows that) fortunately someone (not us, although I would have liked to) reported them and the authorities arrived to drag them and their see-doo’s out of the bay, how embarrassing with everyone stood on their yachts watching.
For dinner I cooked lamb shanks with onion gravy, sautéed peppers, mushrooms, and baby carrots, followed by creme brulee, and then we spent a lovely evening on deck watching the stars and listening to music.
This has been such a wonderful day, the kind of day dreams are made of, with no disasters, no breakages in fact no problems at all…
End of the Trip
Tuesday 25th August 2009.
Danni leaves today! Our morning was spent getting the boat ready for the sail back to Curacao, before our (or rather my) tearful goodbyes. Bob drove Danni to the airport, and the minute he returned we cast off and set sail for Curacao. The return trip was easily my worst experience yet on Daisy, our sail back to Curacao was about as rough as it could be, into the wind and current, with huge swells. The trip took us 15 hours and I was sick for most of the way. I didn’t think I would ever want to get back on a boat again.
Funny how short a memory can be, by the time we came alongside in the Curacao boat yard I was already mentally planning our next trip.
This entry is the last for this trip. I will be posting more recent adventures over the next couple of weeks.
The Flamingos and the caves
Monday 17th August.
Julie’s last day with us, we rented a car and once again took off around the island; we took the girls to the California lighthouse and the caves, two stops we had both previously very much enjoyed with Angie, Niki and Edi. It was a fun day with lots of other interesting stops along the way. Danni is very sad at the thought of Julie leaving tomorrow, but I suspect, a little sadder at the thought of being alone with Mum and Dad for another week.
Armed Invasion
Friday 13th August – Sunday 16th August
We spent Edi’s last vacation day’s visiting the island, sunbathing, swimming, working out at the gym and just enjoying everything Aruba had to offer. After we dropped Edi off at the airport we left the harbor and sailed around the island to snorkel off shore. The sea breeze was so nice we decided to stay overnight on our anchorage.
Blissfully enjoying a peaceful sleep I was startled suddenly by blinding light, it streamed through the bedroom portholes, I thought the aliens had landed, I screamed, “Bob”, and he jumped up disorientated and confused. The blinding light continued to focus on us as I grabbed the sheets to cover myself and Bob jumped out of bed and ran up on deck. By now I could hear the low rumble of boat engines. My next rather more rational, but none less scary thought was “Pirates”. Then I heard voices, “OH God” they’re going to rob and murder us, I thought! My mind raced back to the books I had read on piracy on the high seas. The light had now moved away from the bedroom and I could see the boat alongside us. Peering through the porthole I could make out about five men aboard, they were armed! At this point I almost fainted, I could hear voices, they were talking to Bob. It took a while for my eyes to adjust from the blinding light, and my little brain to control the panic and decide upon the best course of action. The conversation on deck continued, but I couldn’t work out what was being said, then I heard the boat engines rev up and take off, leaving us bouncing around in their wake. Bob came back to the bedroom to announce “Coast Guard”. I looked at the clock it said 2:30am. “What the hell”! I yelled. “It’s 2:30 in the bloody morning”! I was not amused; they had scared the living daylights out of me.
“They were just checking on what we’re doing out here, we’re anchored about a mile off shore, it probably does look suspicious”. Bob said shrugging his shoulders, as if it was no big deal. But I was furious, I couldn’t see why they couldn’t have checked on us during daylight, or at least a civilized hour, and I was still fuming about them shining that spotlight through our bedroom window.
Apparently the Coast Guard around Aruba is very strict, and especially vigilant about keeping drugs off the island. Thankfully Julie and Danni had slept through the visit, I think they would have been scared to death too had they seen five armed men alongside in the middle of the night.
We spent Edi’s last vacation day’s visiting the island, sunbathing, swimming, working out at the gym and just enjoying everything Aruba had to offer. After we dropped Edi off at the airport we left the harbor and sailed around the island to snorkel off shore. The sea breeze was so nice we decided to stay overnight on our anchorage.
Blissfully enjoying a peaceful sleep I was startled suddenly by blinding light, it streamed through the bedroom portholes, I thought the aliens had landed, I screamed, “Bob”, and he jumped up disorientated and confused. The blinding light continued to focus on us as I grabbed the sheets to cover myself and Bob jumped out of bed and ran up on deck. By now I could hear the low rumble of boat engines. My next rather more rational, but none less scary thought was “Pirates”. Then I heard voices, “OH God” they’re going to rob and murder us, I thought! My mind raced back to the books I had read on piracy on the high seas. The light had now moved away from the bedroom and I could see the boat alongside us. Peering through the porthole I could make out about five men aboard, they were armed! At this point I almost fainted, I could hear voices, they were talking to Bob. It took a while for my eyes to adjust from the blinding light, and my little brain to control the panic and decide upon the best course of action. The conversation on deck continued, but I couldn’t work out what was being said, then I heard the boat engines rev up and take off, leaving us bouncing around in their wake. Bob came back to the bedroom to announce “Coast Guard”. I looked at the clock it said 2:30am. “What the hell”! I yelled. “It’s 2:30 in the bloody morning”! I was not amused; they had scared the living daylights out of me.
“They were just checking on what we’re doing out here, we’re anchored about a mile off shore, it probably does look suspicious”. Bob said shrugging his shoulders, as if it was no big deal. But I was furious, I couldn’t see why they couldn’t have checked on us during daylight, or at least a civilized hour, and I was still fuming about them shining that spotlight through our bedroom window.
Apparently the Coast Guard around Aruba is very strict, and especially vigilant about keeping drugs off the island. Thankfully Julie and Danni had slept through the visit, I think they would have been scared to death too had they seen five armed men alongside in the middle of the night.
The Fashion Shoot...
Wednesday 11th August
While Edi was sitting up on deck this morning, a lady on the dock approached and asked him whether we would consider letting her use Daisy for a fashion photo shoot. We all thought that sounded like fun, so after discussing the rules (no shoes, no smoking etc) we agreed to let them perform the shoot. Bob insisted that Edi was in charge and had to keep an eye on things. The arrangements were made and we agreed they would perform the shoot the following morning.
That afternoon Danni filmed Julie’s ‘Daily Motivational Challenge’ right there on the end of the dock overlooking the ocean. Julie does this every day in an effort to motivate people to get fit and maintain a healthier lifestyle. You can watch Julie’s Daily Motivational Challenge on www.youtube.com search ‘Julie Wilkes’.
Danni, Julie and Edi went over to the Island gym for a workout in the afternoon, while Bob and I went snorkeling.
We had a lazy evening on board playing Mexican train and drinking cocktails. I cooked my delicious Creamy Crab with seashells Pasta for dinner.
Thursday 12th August
The fashion shoot troupe arrived mid morning, with hairdresser, make-up artist, photographer, photographer’s assistant, fashion director, models, magazine representative, the list just goes on…
Edi and I turned on the air con below decks as everyone arrived; fabulous clothes were hung in the saloon, two gorgeous models (one male one female) boarded, and Edi and I stood back and watched, we made pitcher after pitcher of iced water for everyone to drink.
Bob, Danni and Julie went over to the island to get out of the way for the shoot, while Edi and I stayed on board. It was fascinating watching the proceedings; all the work involved with getting a photograph just right, the shoot ran for most of the day. Bob, Danni and Julie arrived back after lunch and the shoot was still in full swing. We all kept as low a profile as possible not to interfere with their work.
Once the shoot was complete we all got our cameras out and enjoyed photo opportunity’s with the models and crew.
We enjoyed a lovely dinner out at one of the resort’s chic restaurants that night.
While Edi was sitting up on deck this morning, a lady on the dock approached and asked him whether we would consider letting her use Daisy for a fashion photo shoot. We all thought that sounded like fun, so after discussing the rules (no shoes, no smoking etc) we agreed to let them perform the shoot. Bob insisted that Edi was in charge and had to keep an eye on things. The arrangements were made and we agreed they would perform the shoot the following morning.
That afternoon Danni filmed Julie’s ‘Daily Motivational Challenge’ right there on the end of the dock overlooking the ocean. Julie does this every day in an effort to motivate people to get fit and maintain a healthier lifestyle. You can watch Julie’s Daily Motivational Challenge on www.youtube.com search ‘Julie Wilkes’.
Danni, Julie and Edi went over to the Island gym for a workout in the afternoon, while Bob and I went snorkeling.
We had a lazy evening on board playing Mexican train and drinking cocktails. I cooked my delicious Creamy Crab with seashells Pasta for dinner.
Thursday 12th August
The fashion shoot troupe arrived mid morning, with hairdresser, make-up artist, photographer, photographer’s assistant, fashion director, models, magazine representative, the list just goes on…
Edi and I turned on the air con below decks as everyone arrived; fabulous clothes were hung in the saloon, two gorgeous models (one male one female) boarded, and Edi and I stood back and watched, we made pitcher after pitcher of iced water for everyone to drink.
Bob, Danni and Julie went over to the island to get out of the way for the shoot, while Edi and I stayed on board. It was fascinating watching the proceedings; all the work involved with getting a photograph just right, the shoot ran for most of the day. Bob, Danni and Julie arrived back after lunch and the shoot was still in full swing. We all kept as low a profile as possible not to interfere with their work.
Once the shoot was complete we all got our cameras out and enjoyed photo opportunity’s with the models and crew.
We enjoyed a lovely dinner out at one of the resort’s chic restaurants that night.
Julie & The Suitcase!
Sunday 9th August
Niki left today, we drove her to the airport and said a tearful goodbye. Edi can now move into the double guest room, and I have to get the bunks ready for Danni and Julie who arrive the day after tomorrow.
I often stress the first time we have visitors, as people who have never taken a yachting vacation before have no idea about the limited storage space on board, even a boat as big as daisy has very limited storage. So, with that in mind I always write and explain as clearly as I can that they should bring only soft sided collapsible bags, and just a minimum of clothes, bathing suits, shorts, t-shirts, something smart incase we eat at posh restaurant, one pair of shoes, sandals and flip flops are all that is required.
OH Boy was I ever un-prepared for Julie!
Let me explain, Julie is about 5’1” a petite, beautiful, fitness instructor, who is always immaculate, even in work out gear. A tiny little thing that would take up no space at all on the boat, or so I thought.
Tuesday 10th August
I was out on the dock feeding my iguana friends; when out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed this huge black object being pushed along the dock towards me, barely visible behind the large black wheelie object were two heads, Danni and Julie. Bob was some way back looking less than amused.
“Hi” I said running towards them excitedly to give hugs and kisses, “what’s this? Did you bring your own boat?” I laughed, really hoping that the gigantic suitcase they were pushing was in fact just an act of kindness and that it really belonged to a large family of 12 that were somewhere behind…
“No” Danni said smiling at me, “this is Julie’s suitcase”. I stood openmouthed staring at the enormous suitcase wondering if she was serious, and where on earth we were going to put it if she was. I looked across at Julie and immediately realized Danni wasn’t kidding.
“I’m so, so sorry”, Julie said looking genuinely embarrassed. “I tried to pack light”!
“Um, OK, well I’m sure we’ll find somewhere for it” I said not too convincingly. Julie’s suitcase was so large she had to unpack on deck, we managed to just squeeze the case into the boson’s locker which had space available as fortunately all the fenders normally stored there were in use.
As soon as Julie and Danni had finished unpacking I served cocktails and Hors de Ouvres on board, before we all headed over to the little island to snorkel.
Cocktails and dinner on board tonight:
Further exploration of Aruba, with Edi & Niki
Thursday 30th July
Edi arrived for a two-week visit, and Bob rented a car, another version of the yellow peril, but this time it was lime green, how lovely! It did however have great air conditioning, and unlike the yellow peril it didn’t squeak.
We all piled in and set off around the island with me as the experienced guide, having recently gained extensive local knowledge following two days in a car with Angie! We headed west towards the California Lighthouse, and I proudly pointed out the exclusive hotel where Angie and I made our infamous escape. I told Bob to drive past quickly, while I ducked out of sight in the pretense of picking something up off the floor. I’m really hoping that the hotel isn’t looking for the women in the yellow car that made off with free drinks from their bar. Just kidding!
I was hoping we could have lunch at the lighthouse, unfortunately when we got there the restaurant was closed for a wedding, so we wandered around, took some photographs and then headed back this time following the road inland.
We drove around until we came to the natural bridge. This is a very popular tourist attraction where you will normally find busloads of tourists, and we did! There’s the usual gift shop, ice-cream bar, and café, called the ‘Thirst-Aid Station, but what was not so usual was a sign on the premises that read “NO FARTING”. It makes one question the type of clientele they are accustomed too here, I couldn’t help but wonder what happens should you accidently, um, well, you know, let one out! Fortunately none of us did so I guess we’ll never know! Anyway back to more intellectual matters:
The natural bridge was one of Aruba’s most popular attractions. The bridge was a formation of coral limestone cut out by years of pounding surf and was one of the largest of these types of spans in the world. It stood 23 feet above sea level and spanned more than100 feet. The bridge collapsed on the 2nd of September 2005; fortunately it fell down in the middle of the night, (as so many things do,) so no one was hurt.
Just a few yards away nature is already carving out another natural bridge. We took lots of photographs, before getting back in the car, and heading out again.
We arrived at the Bushiribana Gold mine, or rather the ruins of the gold mine. A rock heap and a crumbling stonewall is all that now remains of the Aruba Island Gold Mining Company. The views from the gold mine are spectacular, it’s fun to explore, and offers some great photographic opportunities.
I was interested in the original building techniques used here, as the building was originally constructed using a dry wall technique, where rocks are fitted perfectly together without the use of mortar. Most of the original houses in Aruba were built using this method; they had slanted roofs and tiny windows, which kept the dwellings cool inside while allowing the heat to rise. This technique is no longer in use today, but examples of these early structures can still be seen throughout the island, and of course at the Bushiribana Gold mine. We climbed through the ruins taking photographs as we went.
The Aruban economy was boosted by the discovery of gold in 1824, when a young boy found a couple of nuggets in the dry valleys on the northeast coast; which with excavation, eventually yielded 3 thousand pounds of gold for the island.
From the Gold mine we headed on to the caves. There are three caves; all located within close proximity to one another, on the southeastern side of Aruba. Guadirikiri Cave, which stretches for approximately 150 meters, is famous for its two chambers, illuminated by the sunlight streaming through the holes in the ceiling of the cave. One has to climb stairs, and pass through two corridors to reach the large open cavern. A flashlight would be advisable if you plan to visit this cave, as the footing is very uneven and it’s almost pitch black at times.
The other two caves are Baranca Sunu (also known as ‘the tunnel of love’) and the Fontein cave; which is the most popular of the caves as it is the only one with original Indian drawings on the ceilings.
Niki, Edi and I found the caves fascinating; although Bob wasn’t as keen to venture in, as the exploration of the caves involved almost having to crawl at times, and the heat became really intense the further into the cave you went, so he waited outside while Niki, Edi and I followed our guide through.
The guide pointed out some paintings from the original Indians on the island. Unfortunately, a few visitors to the caves felt the need to display their ignorance to the world with graffiti; which has defaced parts of the caves, and now makes it necessary for Guards and gates, to ensure the continued protection of the caves and their drawings.
From Fontein cave we drove out through the Arikok National Park. The park has recently been reopened, and now has new roads with proper drainage for the run off from the unexpected rainfall. Rocky outcrops between the formations in Aruba have created microclimatic conditions that support the flora and fauna here. There are a few different varieties of wildlife, some indigenous to the island such as; The Cascabel (Aruba’s rattlesnake) which is the only venomous snake on the island, and can be found in the Arikok National Park. This protected variety of snake now has less than 500 of its species left on the island, due to its decreasing habitat.
Also the Santanero (Arubas cat eyed snake) is another that is unique to this island, as are the kododo blauw (whiptail lizard) and two bird species, the shoco (a burrowing owl) and the prikichi (the parakeet found only in the ABC islands).
From the park we continued south to San Nicolas. We still hadn’t eaten and I was getting grumpy and quite desperate to locate a restaurant. As we drove south we passed nothing that was open other than the occasional gas station, I’m under the impression that no one eats lunch on Aruba.
We were all feeling quite miserable from hunger when we quite accidentally drove past ‘The Flying Fishbone” a restaurant that Angie and I had searched and searched for the previous week without success. This restaurant has a wonderful reputation on the island for it’s fabulous fresh fish, and was somewhere I really wanted to try. We parked the car are walked in, but to our dismay it was closed, as apparently they only serve dinner.
There were a couple of guys cleaning so we asked if we could look around. The Flying Fishbone is a truly delightful restaurant that literally spills out onto the beach, the tables on the beach go right down to the shore and each table has a rack for shoes so you can wiggle your toes in the sand and the surf as you eat. We immediately decided that this was where we wanted to eat dinner tonight. One of the staff gave us a menu to look over. The food was definitely not cheap, but the menu was adventurous and inventive, we all decided this was it, so we reserved a table for 5:30pm, (do remember that we hadn’t eaten in almost 8 hours).
Still starving and miserable, but optimistic at the thought of a wonderful dinner in three hours we headed out again.
We eventually arrived at San Nicolas, and parked on the beach. A little beach bar was serving food, which was such a welcome sight. I was so hungry I would have eaten anything. The beach was beautiful, and the water clean, clear and turquoise with gently rolling waves. Unfortunately the oil refinery rather overshadows the beach here, which is such a shame as it would have been truly magnificent otherwise.
The New Jersey based Oil company LAGO established the oil refinery in San Nicolas in 1924, bringing real prosperity to the island of Aruba. Unemployment dropped and the island flourished. Unfortunately as world demand for oil decreased in the late 70’s early 80’s the refinery was forced to close in March 1985.
In 1991 the refinery was re-opened by another company Costal El Paso Oil, but sold again in 2004 to the Valero Oil Corporation, who are today the main distributor on the island.
We all enjoyed our beach lunch of shrimp and fries, just enough to keep us going until 5:30. After lunch we paddled in the water for a while, before all piling back in our little motorized lime, to continue our exploration of the island.
Dinner on the beach at The Flying Fishbone was spectacular, our table wasn’t quite on the shore, those tables are reserved for two (usually honeymooners).
However, we were able to wiggle our toes in the cool sand as we ate. It was one of the loveliest meals I have shared with my family; I just missed Danni and wished she could have been with us. The food was good, the service friendly and the setting breathtaking. This restaurant is another on my list of “Not Too Be Missed” if not for the food, absolutely for the atmosphere and friendly service.
For the rest of Niki’s stay we swam every morning, shopped, relaxed on the topless beach among the flamingos, worked out at the island gym, tested cocktails at the local bars and generally had a wonderful time.
One afternoon as we were packing up getting ready to return to Daisy from the island; Niki spotted a shark, “Mum look, a shark” she called to me pointing at the water, I spotted the fin above the water swimming slowly towards the bridge, but as the rest of the people on the beach started running towards Niki the shark turned and swam away.
We all stood watching for about 20 minutes to see if it would come back, but it never did. Niki swore it was a lemon shark, she said she recognized it from the discovery channel. On the way back to the marina I asked the boat captain whether the resort ever had sharks, “OH yes”, he said enthuasticaly, “We get Lemon sharks here all the time, they’re harmless, so you needn’t worry”.
Every day after that we looked for the shark but we never saw him again. The next afternoon Niki found a large living conch, definitely not the most attractive of the sea’s creatures, in fact I would go so far as to say it was really quite ugly, poor thing was like a gigantic snail, and quite slimy, I don’t think I’ll ever eat conch again. We put it back in the water hoping it would work its way out to sea instead of ending up on a dinner plate somewhere.
Niki also found countless hermit crabs, and some fabulous shells (uninhabited, of course) for my collection.
Edi arrived for a two-week visit, and Bob rented a car, another version of the yellow peril, but this time it was lime green, how lovely! It did however have great air conditioning, and unlike the yellow peril it didn’t squeak.
We all piled in and set off around the island with me as the experienced guide, having recently gained extensive local knowledge following two days in a car with Angie! We headed west towards the California Lighthouse, and I proudly pointed out the exclusive hotel where Angie and I made our infamous escape. I told Bob to drive past quickly, while I ducked out of sight in the pretense of picking something up off the floor. I’m really hoping that the hotel isn’t looking for the women in the yellow car that made off with free drinks from their bar. Just kidding!
I was hoping we could have lunch at the lighthouse, unfortunately when we got there the restaurant was closed for a wedding, so we wandered around, took some photographs and then headed back this time following the road inland.
We drove around until we came to the natural bridge. This is a very popular tourist attraction where you will normally find busloads of tourists, and we did! There’s the usual gift shop, ice-cream bar, and café, called the ‘Thirst-Aid Station, but what was not so usual was a sign on the premises that read “NO FARTING”. It makes one question the type of clientele they are accustomed too here, I couldn’t help but wonder what happens should you accidently, um, well, you know, let one out! Fortunately none of us did so I guess we’ll never know! Anyway back to more intellectual matters:
The natural bridge was one of Aruba’s most popular attractions. The bridge was a formation of coral limestone cut out by years of pounding surf and was one of the largest of these types of spans in the world. It stood 23 feet above sea level and spanned more than100 feet. The bridge collapsed on the 2nd of September 2005; fortunately it fell down in the middle of the night, (as so many things do,) so no one was hurt.
Just a few yards away nature is already carving out another natural bridge. We took lots of photographs, before getting back in the car, and heading out again.
We arrived at the Bushiribana Gold mine, or rather the ruins of the gold mine. A rock heap and a crumbling stonewall is all that now remains of the Aruba Island Gold Mining Company. The views from the gold mine are spectacular, it’s fun to explore, and offers some great photographic opportunities.
I was interested in the original building techniques used here, as the building was originally constructed using a dry wall technique, where rocks are fitted perfectly together without the use of mortar. Most of the original houses in Aruba were built using this method; they had slanted roofs and tiny windows, which kept the dwellings cool inside while allowing the heat to rise. This technique is no longer in use today, but examples of these early structures can still be seen throughout the island, and of course at the Bushiribana Gold mine. We climbed through the ruins taking photographs as we went.
The Aruban economy was boosted by the discovery of gold in 1824, when a young boy found a couple of nuggets in the dry valleys on the northeast coast; which with excavation, eventually yielded 3 thousand pounds of gold for the island.
From the Gold mine we headed on to the caves. There are three caves; all located within close proximity to one another, on the southeastern side of Aruba. Guadirikiri Cave, which stretches for approximately 150 meters, is famous for its two chambers, illuminated by the sunlight streaming through the holes in the ceiling of the cave. One has to climb stairs, and pass through two corridors to reach the large open cavern. A flashlight would be advisable if you plan to visit this cave, as the footing is very uneven and it’s almost pitch black at times.
The other two caves are Baranca Sunu (also known as ‘the tunnel of love’) and the Fontein cave; which is the most popular of the caves as it is the only one with original Indian drawings on the ceilings.
Niki, Edi and I found the caves fascinating; although Bob wasn’t as keen to venture in, as the exploration of the caves involved almost having to crawl at times, and the heat became really intense the further into the cave you went, so he waited outside while Niki, Edi and I followed our guide through.
The guide pointed out some paintings from the original Indians on the island. Unfortunately, a few visitors to the caves felt the need to display their ignorance to the world with graffiti; which has defaced parts of the caves, and now makes it necessary for Guards and gates, to ensure the continued protection of the caves and their drawings.
From Fontein cave we drove out through the Arikok National Park. The park has recently been reopened, and now has new roads with proper drainage for the run off from the unexpected rainfall. Rocky outcrops between the formations in Aruba have created microclimatic conditions that support the flora and fauna here. There are a few different varieties of wildlife, some indigenous to the island such as; The Cascabel (Aruba’s rattlesnake) which is the only venomous snake on the island, and can be found in the Arikok National Park. This protected variety of snake now has less than 500 of its species left on the island, due to its decreasing habitat.
Also the Santanero (Arubas cat eyed snake) is another that is unique to this island, as are the kododo blauw (whiptail lizard) and two bird species, the shoco (a burrowing owl) and the prikichi (the parakeet found only in the ABC islands).
From the park we continued south to San Nicolas. We still hadn’t eaten and I was getting grumpy and quite desperate to locate a restaurant. As we drove south we passed nothing that was open other than the occasional gas station, I’m under the impression that no one eats lunch on Aruba.
We were all feeling quite miserable from hunger when we quite accidentally drove past ‘The Flying Fishbone” a restaurant that Angie and I had searched and searched for the previous week without success. This restaurant has a wonderful reputation on the island for it’s fabulous fresh fish, and was somewhere I really wanted to try. We parked the car are walked in, but to our dismay it was closed, as apparently they only serve dinner.
There were a couple of guys cleaning so we asked if we could look around. The Flying Fishbone is a truly delightful restaurant that literally spills out onto the beach, the tables on the beach go right down to the shore and each table has a rack for shoes so you can wiggle your toes in the sand and the surf as you eat. We immediately decided that this was where we wanted to eat dinner tonight. One of the staff gave us a menu to look over. The food was definitely not cheap, but the menu was adventurous and inventive, we all decided this was it, so we reserved a table for 5:30pm, (do remember that we hadn’t eaten in almost 8 hours).
Still starving and miserable, but optimistic at the thought of a wonderful dinner in three hours we headed out again.
We eventually arrived at San Nicolas, and parked on the beach. A little beach bar was serving food, which was such a welcome sight. I was so hungry I would have eaten anything. The beach was beautiful, and the water clean, clear and turquoise with gently rolling waves. Unfortunately the oil refinery rather overshadows the beach here, which is such a shame as it would have been truly magnificent otherwise.
The New Jersey based Oil company LAGO established the oil refinery in San Nicolas in 1924, bringing real prosperity to the island of Aruba. Unemployment dropped and the island flourished. Unfortunately as world demand for oil decreased in the late 70’s early 80’s the refinery was forced to close in March 1985.
In 1991 the refinery was re-opened by another company Costal El Paso Oil, but sold again in 2004 to the Valero Oil Corporation, who are today the main distributor on the island.
We all enjoyed our beach lunch of shrimp and fries, just enough to keep us going until 5:30. After lunch we paddled in the water for a while, before all piling back in our little motorized lime, to continue our exploration of the island.
Dinner on the beach at The Flying Fishbone was spectacular, our table wasn’t quite on the shore, those tables are reserved for two (usually honeymooners).
However, we were able to wiggle our toes in the cool sand as we ate. It was one of the loveliest meals I have shared with my family; I just missed Danni and wished she could have been with us. The food was good, the service friendly and the setting breathtaking. This restaurant is another on my list of “Not Too Be Missed” if not for the food, absolutely for the atmosphere and friendly service.
For the rest of Niki’s stay we swam every morning, shopped, relaxed on the topless beach among the flamingos, worked out at the island gym, tested cocktails at the local bars and generally had a wonderful time.
One afternoon as we were packing up getting ready to return to Daisy from the island; Niki spotted a shark, “Mum look, a shark” she called to me pointing at the water, I spotted the fin above the water swimming slowly towards the bridge, but as the rest of the people on the beach started running towards Niki the shark turned and swam away.
We all stood watching for about 20 minutes to see if it would come back, but it never did. Niki swore it was a lemon shark, she said she recognized it from the discovery channel. On the way back to the marina I asked the boat captain whether the resort ever had sharks, “OH yes”, he said enthuasticaly, “We get Lemon sharks here all the time, they’re harmless, so you needn’t worry”.
Every day after that we looked for the shark but we never saw him again. The next afternoon Niki found a large living conch, definitely not the most attractive of the sea’s creatures, in fact I would go so far as to say it was really quite ugly, poor thing was like a gigantic snail, and quite slimy, I don’t think I’ll ever eat conch again. We put it back in the water hoping it would work its way out to sea instead of ending up on a dinner plate somewhere.
Niki also found countless hermit crabs, and some fabulous shells (uninhabited, of course) for my collection.
Niki in Aruba
Thursday July 23rd
Bob and Niki arrived today; I had cocktails and some delicious nibbles waiting for them. Once Niki had, had time to relax and get settled, Bob and I showed her around the resort, and I introduced her to the iguanas. Later on she met the finches that she comically named Philippe and June, it wasn’t long before another finch showed up that she named Fernando.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking, we’re all a little weird, that’s probably true, but in a good way! We’re a family of animal lovers, so giving these friendly little creatures names is not really all that strange.
Every morning at 7am Niki and I went to the hotel pool to swim, well I pretty much just splashed around while Niki swam 40 laps. I have to admire her stamina; I did manage a pathetic 10 laps, with a break to grab a coffee half way through.
We toured the shopping areas, and local stalls on the seafront, looking for gifts for Niki to take back for her friends. I couldn’t resist buying her a cute skirt from the designer shop Ralph Lauren, but we decided against the $680 gold flip-flops from another designer shop; that shall remain nameless!
We took Daisy up along the coast towards Palm Beach to do some snorkeling, the water was very shallow, and there were so many shoals we had to anchor about 1 mile off shore. The wind is lovely this far out, such a change from the sheltered, airless slip we had in the marina. We made the long, wet and very choppy ride in to shore in the dinghy, then walked up and down the beaches, stopping for a cocktail at one of the beach bars. The beaches were teaming with people, and there was practically every type of water sport underway, it was very busy, a veritable hive of activity.
Aruba is ideal for water-sports, the water here is absolutely perfect, calm flat and shallow, and because of that Aruba attracts tourists in the ten’s of thousands; great for the islands business, but not what we were looking for… We decided to snorkel off the boat, instead of the beach, preferring the peace and quiet further off shore.
Bob and Niki arrived today; I had cocktails and some delicious nibbles waiting for them. Once Niki had, had time to relax and get settled, Bob and I showed her around the resort, and I introduced her to the iguanas. Later on she met the finches that she comically named Philippe and June, it wasn’t long before another finch showed up that she named Fernando.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking, we’re all a little weird, that’s probably true, but in a good way! We’re a family of animal lovers, so giving these friendly little creatures names is not really all that strange.
Every morning at 7am Niki and I went to the hotel pool to swim, well I pretty much just splashed around while Niki swam 40 laps. I have to admire her stamina; I did manage a pathetic 10 laps, with a break to grab a coffee half way through.
We toured the shopping areas, and local stalls on the seafront, looking for gifts for Niki to take back for her friends. I couldn’t resist buying her a cute skirt from the designer shop Ralph Lauren, but we decided against the $680 gold flip-flops from another designer shop; that shall remain nameless!
We took Daisy up along the coast towards Palm Beach to do some snorkeling, the water was very shallow, and there were so many shoals we had to anchor about 1 mile off shore. The wind is lovely this far out, such a change from the sheltered, airless slip we had in the marina. We made the long, wet and very choppy ride in to shore in the dinghy, then walked up and down the beaches, stopping for a cocktail at one of the beach bars. The beaches were teaming with people, and there was practically every type of water sport underway, it was very busy, a veritable hive of activity.
Aruba is ideal for water-sports, the water here is absolutely perfect, calm flat and shallow, and because of that Aruba attracts tourists in the ten’s of thousands; great for the islands business, but not what we were looking for… We decided to snorkel off the boat, instead of the beach, preferring the peace and quiet further off shore.
Iguana's & Finch's...
During my week alone in Aruba I spent most of my time on the private island practicing being a professional beach bum. I became friends with the guys running the helicopter tour business at the end of the dock, I made friends with people I met on the island, and I became familiar with a whole bunch of iguanas that gathered by the helicopter booking office. I started taking them lettuce every morning, they were so tame they would eat out of my hands, they were obviously used to people feeding them, one of my neighbors on the dock would also take them a lettuce each morning, by the end of the week the iguanas would come running towards me as I approached the dock, one of them even climbed onto my lap. I quickly became very fond of them, and was able to identify some of them individually.
Back on the boat I had two little finches that flew inside the main cabin each morning and hop around the salon looking for food, I was quite relieved that Nicho-san was back in Ohio, or it could have been bloody.
I started putting a little basket of food on deck, to discourage them from coming inside the boat, it worked like a charm, but then I found that I had crumbs all over the cockpit and decks, and they would land on the table while I was eating and want to share my food, it was very cute but not terribly hygienic. “Bob’s going to kill me”, I thought.
As the week went on the finches became so tame they would land right next to me, showing no fear at all. I was also spending more time than I would choose cleaning up all their little pops all over the deck.
Submarines and Flamingos
Over the rest of the week Angie and I made a few more trips to the island to visit the Flamingos, soak up the sun, swim and just relax, it was quite simply wonderful.
As a thank you gift Angie treated me to a submarine ride. I have to say when she told me she had booked the trip as a surprise I was quite worried, I sometimes suffer with claustrophobia and the idea of being enclosed in a small space with 50 people 130 feet below the surface scared me to death. However, Angie had spent a lot of money on the tickets, and it was actually something I had always wanted to do, I just never had the guts to go ahead and actually do it, this was my chance, and as it turned out the trip was fantastic.
We managed to secure seats right at the front next to the pilot or captain or whatever he’s called, so we had windows to our left and in front. Once we were all aboard and the hatch was sealed we slowly started our descent to 130 feet, then proceeded to crawl along beside a shipwreck, before turning and coming back the same way, ensuring everyone got a really good view of the reef and the wreck. The marine life and coral reef were stunning, and I saw some of the largest barracuda I have ever seen, I was so mesmerized by the reef I totally forgot about where I was.
The submarine excursion was a thoroughly enjoyable trip, and I would recommend it to anyone visiting the island that is interested in marine life. For more information go to www.atlantisadventures.com/aruba/atlantis-submarine-expidition/
I was quite sad when it came time for Angie to leave, we had enjoyed so many fun times together during the week.
Now I have a week alone before Bob returns with Niki.
Heather & Angie's adventure in the "yellow peril!"
Illustration by Nicloette Morgan
Thursday 10th July
My dear friend Angie arrived last night for a 7 day stay, weary from travel but very happy to be here, and I was excited because If there is anyone who knows how to have fun, it’s Angie
The two of us had a great time exploring some of the local stores, and visiting the hotel’s bars, restaurants and other wonderful facilities. The Renaissance has two beautiful pools overlooking the ocean this side of the harbor, and also operates a complimentary boat from the dock for guests to travel across to the private island resort.
We packed our sun tan lotion, snorkeling gear and reading material and headed over to the island. The island provides complimentary beach towels, and sun beds. There are two beaches on the island, a family beach with a restaurant, and a topless beach for couples. 7 Flamingo’s reside on the topless beach, and are extraordinarily tame; they are amusing to watch as they strut along the beach between the sunbathing tourists.
We found some fish food and the flamingos happily ate out of our hands. Aruba is famous for its iguanas, many of which can be seen by the boat dock as the hotel feeds them at midday.
Bob had to return to the States on business for a couple of weeks, so it was great having Angie to keep me company.
We both wanted to see more of the island so Angie decided to rent a car for a couple of days. The plan being to set off up the coast to Palm Beach.
Now I said car, but a more accurate description would be multi-shaded, luminous yellow, wobbly tin box about the size of an armchair, that rattled and squeaked, loudly. A delightful attention grabbing idiosyncrasy that we would happily have done without, having said that the squeak perfectly suited the personality of the vehicle, and I use the word vehicle with reservation.
However never one to look a gift horse in the mouth; Angie wanted to look at the time-share apartments within the hotels, she had rented the car, and she was driving, so I just went along for the ride.
Eager to get started I grabbed the door handle and it came off in my hand! Good start, I wonder what else is going to fall off before we’re done. Angie opened the door for me and I got in and threw the handle in the glove box, at least I don’t have to worry about locking the door when I get out!
It was a lovely sunny afternoon in Aruba as the two of us squeaked and rattled our way up the coast. The resorts at Palm Beach were all extremely busy, crowded with literally thousands of tourists, and the beaches much too busy for my liking. I have been thoroughly spoilt by all the beautiful, isolated beaches I have become accustomed to since living on Daisy, I don’t cope that well with crowds anymore. Similarly unimpressed, Angie decided we should move on, so we made our way back to our little yellow peril that we had left hidden in the back far corner of the parking lot.
We had no idea where we were going so we just headed further up the coast. We stopped along with coach loads of tourist’s at the California Lighthouse, which towers above the craggy Noordpunt, on the hilltop of Hudishibana. The views across the island from this location are absolutely stunning.
Angie and I decided to have lunch at the Italian restaurant next to the lighthouse, La Trattoria el Faro Blanco. There are spectacular views over the ocean from the restaurants outdoor terraces. Both the upper and lower terraces are roofed, providing diners with welcome shade. There is also a garden terrace, but with the blistering heat in Aruba I wouldn’t imagine the garden terrace gets much use during the day.
We both enjoyed a delicious lunch at our table overlooking the garden terrace and the ocean beyond. After lunch we set off around the island again. We managed to get lost more than once, but we did come across the Ostrich farm, the donkey sanctuary, and the beautiful Arikok National Park, which was getting ready to open in a couple of weeks. We saw many of Aruba’s famous divi divi trees, bent by northeasterly trade winds, they look like natures signposts, all pointing southwest.
That evening we drove back up the coast to Palm Beach looking for somewhere to have dinner, we stopped at an absolutely fantastic hotel, with marble floors, magnificent floral arrangements, uniformed doormen, and incredibly expensive décor. WOW, we were impressed, we hid the little yellow devil behind a small bush then casually waltzed through the lobby looking as bored and expensive as it was possible for us to look, “act like you belong” Angie always tells me when the two of us are tricking our way into places we’re not supposed to be.
We walked casually around the hotel stopping to read all the menus displayed outside the row of elegant restaurants within the hotel. There were no prices listed, it may as well have read, “You can’t afford to eat here so piss off”. So we held our heads high and made our way to the terrace. “Cocktails” Angie said, “lovely” I replied.
We found a table for two overlooking the hotel pool and manicured gardens below, with ocean beyond. Perfect timing as it was approaching sunset, we both sat back in our comfy chairs as the waitress approached and asked what we would like to drink. “A glass of Chardonnay, please” Angie said, “Merlot for me please” I added.
Within a couple of minutes she was back with our drinks. The wine was outstandingly good, and we looked wide-eyed at each other over the rim of the glasses as we took our first sip. I could almost see the dollar signs reflected in Angie’s eyes, “I think this is going to be expensive,” I said. “You think “ Angie laughed. Well the damage was done so we just decided to sit back enjoy the wine and the sunset, and wait for the bill.
Unfortunately the bill didn’t arrive, but the headwaiter and the bar manager did. “May we see your wristbands please,” Asked the waiter. “Wristbands” I repeated stupidly. “Yes, your wristbands, you are guests here at the hotel aren’t you”
Dumbfounded, Angie and I looked at each other, “no, we just came in for a drink, is there a problem?” Angie said. They looked at each other open-mouthed. “You’re not supposed to be here this is an all inclusive hotel.” The bar manager said. “OH well we didn’t know, I’m very sorry. If we could just pay for our drinks we’ll leave.” I smiled at them while reaching for my purse, but they didn’t smile back. “We don’t take cash, only the hotel casino takes cash.” I noticed that they were both starting to look angry as well as frustrated. “Well can we pay the casino?” I enquired. Again, more confused, angry looks. “No, the drinks came from the bar here.” The waiter said. “Well the drinks are in our stomachs now, so what would you suggest we do?” Angie said with a touch of sarcasm. The waiters continued to stand there looking at each other in bewilderment. “Well if we can’t pay you, perhaps we should just leave quietly,” I whispered picking up my bag and standing up. Angie did the same, and the two of us moved swiftly, but elegantly towards the exit, without once looking back; upon reaching the foyer we ran giggling like schoolgirls out to the yellow peril, lurking where we had left it behind the little bush, we jumped in and made a hasty if somewhat noisy getaway.
Aruba here we come!
Tuesday 7th July
We pulled out of the boatyard at 6:30am and had a quiet sail with a mere 14 knots of wind, and a rolly sea. We motor sailed with just the jib out, and arrived at Oranjestad at 4:30pm, only to be told by the customs and immigration that we had to go back to Barcadera to check in.
Bob was concerned about us running out of daylight, as we had to come alongside in the Oranjestad marina, somewhere we were unfamiliar with. However the customs would not give in so we turned around and motored back to Barcadera, where we were directed to come along side in a space about half the length of Daisy.
We circled around for about 20 minutes, looking for a possible space to pull up, with the customs officer waving his arms the whole time and yelling at us to pull into the tiny space, I don’t think he appreciated Daisy’s size.
Eventually we pulled up next to a fishing boat, and rafted alongside her with the help of the fishermen. Bob climbed from Daisy into the fishing boat and ashore to the customs office to check in.
Each port offers it’s different challenges, and this one is no different. I gave the fishermen a beer each as a thank you for their help, they were all very happy chattering away to me in rapid Spanish, I didn’t understand a word so just smiled and laughed when they did, for all I knew they were laughing at me, but as long as we were able to check in I was happy to be the butt of their amusement.
While I waited for Bob I was entertained by the antics and aerial acrobatics of a small flock of gigantic frigate birds circling above the fishing boat. Watching these incredible birds so close I was amazed at their shear size, some of them must have had a 6 to 7-foot wingspan.
After customs and a friendly goodbye to the fishermen we headed back out, eventually arriving back at the Renaissance Marina also known as Seaport, with less than an hour of daylight left, and came alongside with the help of Sanders the Marina manager.
We were right on the end of the dock alongside the resorts casino. Fortunately for Bob I’m not a gambler, so there's no danger of the casino drawing me in.
Aruba is the smallest of the ABC islands at a mere 19 miles long and 7 miles across at its widest point; it’s safely located on the southern edge of the hurricane belt, and enjoys almost perfect weather year round. The northwestern side of the island is made up of pristine white sandy beaches that rank as some of the most beautiful in the world. The turquoise blue sea is calm with visibility in some areas up to 100 feet. In contrast the craggy northeast coast is wild and rugged, with huge waves crashing along the coast throwing spray into the air up to 50 feet and more. The interior is desert-like not dissimilar to Bonaire with cacti, scrub and rock formations.
Aruba is well known for Aloe, which was introduced to the island in 1850 from the Mediterranean, the plant thrived so well in the dry climate that Aruba became one of the largest exporters of aloe in the world. You can buy aloe products from a large variety of shops throughout the island.
Once we had secured the boat we both showered and changed, and walked through to the shops and restaurants. We enjoyed a very pleasant meal and a good bottle of wine.
The prices here are similar to those in the States, unlike many of the islands Aruba does not appear to be expensive. However, if you are looking for designer fashions stores, and diamonds, this is the place. Aruba has a bounty of up-market, duty-free goods, with dozens of stores along the sea front.
We pulled out of the boatyard at 6:30am and had a quiet sail with a mere 14 knots of wind, and a rolly sea. We motor sailed with just the jib out, and arrived at Oranjestad at 4:30pm, only to be told by the customs and immigration that we had to go back to Barcadera to check in.
Bob was concerned about us running out of daylight, as we had to come alongside in the Oranjestad marina, somewhere we were unfamiliar with. However the customs would not give in so we turned around and motored back to Barcadera, where we were directed to come along side in a space about half the length of Daisy.
We circled around for about 20 minutes, looking for a possible space to pull up, with the customs officer waving his arms the whole time and yelling at us to pull into the tiny space, I don’t think he appreciated Daisy’s size.
Eventually we pulled up next to a fishing boat, and rafted alongside her with the help of the fishermen. Bob climbed from Daisy into the fishing boat and ashore to the customs office to check in.
Each port offers it’s different challenges, and this one is no different. I gave the fishermen a beer each as a thank you for their help, they were all very happy chattering away to me in rapid Spanish, I didn’t understand a word so just smiled and laughed when they did, for all I knew they were laughing at me, but as long as we were able to check in I was happy to be the butt of their amusement.
While I waited for Bob I was entertained by the antics and aerial acrobatics of a small flock of gigantic frigate birds circling above the fishing boat. Watching these incredible birds so close I was amazed at their shear size, some of them must have had a 6 to 7-foot wingspan.
After customs and a friendly goodbye to the fishermen we headed back out, eventually arriving back at the Renaissance Marina also known as Seaport, with less than an hour of daylight left, and came alongside with the help of Sanders the Marina manager.
We were right on the end of the dock alongside the resorts casino. Fortunately for Bob I’m not a gambler, so there's no danger of the casino drawing me in.
Aruba is the smallest of the ABC islands at a mere 19 miles long and 7 miles across at its widest point; it’s safely located on the southern edge of the hurricane belt, and enjoys almost perfect weather year round. The northwestern side of the island is made up of pristine white sandy beaches that rank as some of the most beautiful in the world. The turquoise blue sea is calm with visibility in some areas up to 100 feet. In contrast the craggy northeast coast is wild and rugged, with huge waves crashing along the coast throwing spray into the air up to 50 feet and more. The interior is desert-like not dissimilar to Bonaire with cacti, scrub and rock formations.
Aruba is well known for Aloe, which was introduced to the island in 1850 from the Mediterranean, the plant thrived so well in the dry climate that Aruba became one of the largest exporters of aloe in the world. You can buy aloe products from a large variety of shops throughout the island.
Once we had secured the boat we both showered and changed, and walked through to the shops and restaurants. We enjoyed a very pleasant meal and a good bottle of wine.
The prices here are similar to those in the States, unlike many of the islands Aruba does not appear to be expensive. However, if you are looking for designer fashions stores, and diamonds, this is the place. Aruba has a bounty of up-market, duty-free goods, with dozens of stores along the sea front.
Curacao to Aruba, the last leg...
Thursday 25th June 2009
Bob and I spent twelve days at Curacao Marine, cleaning, varnishing, provisioning and generally getting Daisy ready for her trip to Aruba. It was extremely hot and dusty working at the boatyard, but the staff were extremely helpful and always on hand when needed. The Budget Marine store on site also proved very useful.
The supermarkets in Curacao are almost as well stocked as the ones on mainland America, so it’s not usually a problem finding fresh ingredients that are often hard to come by throughout the rest of the Caribbean.
Some people we had come to know at the marina, who were also on their Oyster 56, invited us for dinner, which was lovely as we had both been so busy throughout the day with our preparations for sailing, I hadn’t had chance to even think about dinner. They made delicious pasta with mushrooms, which they served with some wonderful wine. We had such a lovely evening.
Bob and I spent twelve days at Curacao Marine, cleaning, varnishing, provisioning and generally getting Daisy ready for her trip to Aruba. It was extremely hot and dusty working at the boatyard, but the staff were extremely helpful and always on hand when needed. The Budget Marine store on site also proved very useful.
The supermarkets in Curacao are almost as well stocked as the ones on mainland America, so it’s not usually a problem finding fresh ingredients that are often hard to come by throughout the rest of the Caribbean.
Some people we had come to know at the marina, who were also on their Oyster 56, invited us for dinner, which was lovely as we had both been so busy throughout the day with our preparations for sailing, I hadn’t had chance to even think about dinner. They made delicious pasta with mushrooms, which they served with some wonderful wine. We had such a lovely evening.
Hurricane Omar, Bonaire 2008
Tuesday 14th October 2008.
We were still alongside in the Village Harbor Marina, Bonaire. Bob had returned to Daisy a few days ago following 2 ½ weeks back in the States working. We were both very busy cleaning, polishing and doing general boat maintenance in Preparation for the trip back to Curacao, where Daisy was being hauled out of the water for a few months for her annual maintenance checks and repainting of the hull.
The weather was typically fabulous for the Caribbean this time of year and being in what is reputed to be an area well out of the hurricane zone, thoughts of tropical storms and hurricanes were not exactly at the forefront of our minds. Bob had noted a small tropical wave headed our way, but it was nothing to cause us concern, as it hadn’t formed into anything resembling a storm, with obviously no patterns resembling a hurricane, because you don’t get hurricanes this far South! Or do you?
In the early hours we were woken from our sleep by a light sprinkling of rain coming through the open hatch in our cabin.
Following the usual manic scrabble to secure all the open hatches and portholes, we returned to bed. Within no more than a couple of minutes the wind had reached near gale force proportions, and the gentle sprinkling of rain had turned into a torrential downpour.
Unusually the wind appeared to be coming from a Westerly direction. This was not the first time we had been caught unaware by these unusual wind changes. We quickly donned our foul weather gear and braved the weather to check on the security of the lines. Once we had satisfied ourselves that everything was secure, we put out extra fenders and then retreated below to comfort and shelter from the storm.
Daisy shifted uncomfortably in her slip throughout the night as the surge increased. The wind continued to howl and the rain hammered down relentlessly. It proved a good test for leaks, which we were happy to discover we didn’t have. However, I couldn’t help worrying about the dinghy that I had carelessly left tied only by the painter to the side of the boat.
At first light we braved the weather to once again check the lines and the dinghy, which was bouncing around noisily. I was relieved to see it miraculously still tied alongside. Bob had deliberately left enough slack for Daisy to rise with the surge, but the poor little dinghy was half submerged and completely full with water.
The wind and rain had eased a little, enabling me to make a precarious climb in and bale out without getting thoroughly drenched or washed overboard in the process.
The wind continued to blow strongly from the West pushing Daisy hard against the concrete dock, and she was moving considerably with the surge. Bob decided we should check the lines on the unoccupied boat in the slip alongside us. It was a much larger and heavier boat than Daisy and upon inspection we discovered to our horror that her lines were stretched dangerously taught, and were close to breaking.
One of her deck cleats had also been partially pulled out, the situation did not look good. Bob was extremely concerned for the security of the boat, as the surge had raised the level of water in the marina so much that her lines were actually sawing down through her deck. It was only a matter of time before she broke free, which would send her crashing into us.
Despite our best efforts we were unable to ease the lines as they were pulled so tight we could not free up even the first ¼‘ of wiggle room. We knew that if left to its own devices, either due to the lines severing or the attachment points breaking free as the deck disintegrated, the 70 ton vessel was quickly going to become an oversized bull in our very small china shop! And we were first in line for a visit.
In poor light, as the wind howled and the rain stung our eyes and blurred our vision, we set about adding more lines in an attempt to ease the tension on the current lines. Our crazy scheme was to create enough compressive forces on the yacht to haul it down against its buoyancy and enable us to loosen the piano wires that once had been braided shorelines. We ran a line under the dodger to the winch in the cockpit. We looped a line around the main mast, we tied another from the anchor windlass to the dock, and finally one more to a large powered winch that ran the line through what looked like hefty spinnaker pulleys aft of the cockpit.
We were both very aware of the danger, a wrong move or loose loop of line that trapped a hand, foot or limb between the fixed dock and the writhing giant would cause severe injury even amputation. I had to keep silently reminding myself of how much I love boat life! Finally, cold, wet and tired and having run out of both ideas and suitable spare lines, It was time to see if we could overcome Samuel Plimsols theories about how low a vessel was meant to float in the water. To our immense relief the arrangement appeared to be working! The winches inched the vessel over, probably tilting in the water more than pulling it lower, but who cares about the accuracy of the science, we were finally able to exert enough tension to ease the pressure on the original lines and much to our relief able to loosen them to prevent further carnage to the deck.
We set about re-organizing the lines to enable immediate release of the pent up destructive forces and also to have the ability to compensate for further surge in the water level. Relief flowed over us and no vote was needed to decide the next move. We slipped and splashed our way back to the security of our boat knowing that once again we could leave the elements to do their worst, while we would be secure in the warm dry confines of our floating refuge. Throughout the rest of the day the skies remained as dark as night and the near gale force winds blew incessantly. The harbor was quickly filling with boats previously on moorings in the bay, as well as other boats in the vicinity seeking refuge from the storm. The marina staff were busy squeezing boats into every available space, rafting one boat to the next. The scene was one of frenzied activity.
At eleven pm Omar officially became a category one hurricane.
Wednesday 15th October
After yet another restless night we awoke early to stormy skies, black with rain. We watched with disappointment as the wind and rain continued its relentless abuse. Concern for the security of our neighboring boat, which had posed such a threat to us, forced us back up on deck.
While Bob checked the other boats lines, I once again baled out the dinghy, a thankless task knowing only too well that it would be full again within the hour. Through our large cabin windows we could see the masts of the boats in the harbor swaying to and fro dangerously close to one another.
Always the alarmist, visions of masts crashing into each other, tangled lines, broken spreaders and torn off boat parts, being hurled about like missiles in the wind, were vivid in my mind. There was nothing more we could do but stay below out of harms way. I busied myself baking scones, drinking cups of tea, and watching an entire series of CSI on television. Murder and intrigue proved to be an effective distraction from the mayhem taking place outside.
By nightfall, the wind was still blowing, but with much less ferocity than during the day. For the first time in almost 36 hours I didn’t have to worry about being crushed by the neighboring boat coming to pay a visit, or being smacked in the head by flying debris when I ventured up on deck. The rain had finally abated and it wasn’t long before we were able to open the hatches and let some air back into the boat.
Thursday 16th October.
At last, an uninterrupted nights sleep. Through our cabin hatch we could see beautiful blue sky. There were one or two black clouds on the horizon, but nothing that looked threatening. As the day progressed, the weather improved bringing with it brilliant sunshine. One almost had to wonder, had there really been a storm?
Looking back I realize it wasn’t the weather that scared me, so much as the very real threat of being crushed by our neighboring boat. Fortunately we all survived Unscathed with a few lessons learnt, and plenty of material for my journal.
The water around Bonaire’s coastline was murky and angry looking with debris floating everywhere. The pier where we had previously spent so many happy cocktail hours had been totally demolished; all that remained were a few broken concrete pillars. There was substantial damage to the roads with large craters full of water, and uprooted trees all along the sea front. but the clean up was already underway.
At the end of October 2008, Bob and I took Daisy back to Curacao; to the Curacao Marine boat yard, where she was taken out of the water to have her hull painted and other maintenance work done.
At the beginning of November we both flew back to the States for a few months.
Bob visited the boat many times during her stay at the boatyard, to do work on her, but I didn’t return to Daisy until June 2009.
Picnic in the park
Friday 19th September
Niki stayed on board, while Bob drove me to the supermarket. I shopped while he went to immigration to check himself and Nicolette out, as they both fly back to the States on Sunday. He called back for me and we loaded the truck and I took the groceries back to the boat in the pouring rain while Bob returned the car. Later that afternoon we moved Daisy back to the Village Harbor Marina, and came alongside with ease. We managed to get tied off just before the rain poured again.
Saturday 20th September
Bob had arranged for another car today, and we left early to get to the park. I packed a small picnic, and we still had loads of drinks in the cooler. We took the short route through, which was bumpier (if that was possible) than the long route we had taken on Thursday.
We drove out stopping first at Wayaka, where we climbed down to the beach with our snorkel gear. The water didn’t look as inviting as it was a small lagoon and it was quite shallow, so we decided to go on to Slagbaai. When we got back to the car we met two Danish people on mountain bikes, I admired their stamina and fitness, cycling through this park they have to be fit. They asked Bob for directions and then we drove on to Slagbaai.
There were a couple of other cars and families there, so we went to the far end of the beach where it was quiet. Niki and I collected shells for a while before swimming. The snorkeling was wonderful, and we saw so many fabulous fish, particularly parrotfish, we spotted some large spectacular species, also a lovely spotted filefish. We ate our picnic lunch at one of the tables in the shade, before packing up and returning to Daisy for a shower and change.
We drove through town and out past the airport to look at the houses along the sea front. We walked around and looked at a new construction that was amazing, it had the most incredible views over the ocean, and a massive patio, the start of a small pool was being installed, this would truly be a dream house when finished, I tried to talk Bob into finding out if it was for sale, but nice as it was he wasn't interested, OH well, I can dream!
We drove back into town and had a cocktail at Salsa. We had planned to take Nicolette to Mona Lisa for dinner, but unknown own to us they close on weekends, so we went instead to La Gurelana on the front, and had a really lovely dinner watching the sunset. We returned to the boat after dinner so Niki and Bob could pack.
Sunday 21st September
I got up at 4am to take Nicolette to the airport, and then drove Bob at 6:30am. I returned to the boat to spend the day doing laundry and cleaning. I’m alone here again until Bob returns on October 8th.
Back to Bonaire, & a day out
Wednesday 17th September
In the morning Bob and Niki returned the rental car while I prepared the boat for sail.
Bob decided to fix the problem with the auto helm before leaving this morning. It took way longer than expected to fix, and was approaching mid-day before we motored out of Spanish Waters.
The sail back was lovely, we were into the wind, and fortunately Daisy likes it that way. We arrived back at Bonaire just before sunset, and easily picked up a mooring in the bay.
We went ashore for dinner to one of the local Chinese restaurants, the food was OK but not great, but it was lovely spending the evening with Niki. I just wish we had picked a nicer restaurant.
Thursday 18th September
Bob hired a car; we loaded the cooler with drinks, and set off around the island. We drove through Rincon (Spanish for corner), Bonaire’s first permanent settlement founded in the late 15th century. Spanish settlers chose the location deep in the island’s interior as a safe haven from pirates.
Later under the Dutch, Rincon became home to many slaves that worked on the plantations. Today Rincon is a cluster of pastel cottages, small stores and street side café’s/restaurants, and the birthplace of many of the islands political and business leaders. There is not much to see here other than on festival days, which occur with amazing frequency. On market day dozens of booths are set up along the main road, selling locally made handcrafts, fish, fruit, vegetables and locally made foods.
Our first stop after Rincon was the Bonaire National Marine Park. The park encompasses the entire coast of Bonaire including Klein Bonaire and Lac. This area is about 2,700 hectares, and includes coral reef, sea grass and mangroves.
Parrots, Flamingos, Parakeets, iguanas are only a few of the many endemic species that live within the park. The beaches inside the park are important nesting grounds for all four species of sea turtles found in the Caribbean.
We stopped to look around the little museum at the entrance to the park before heading out. I found the history of the development of the island to be of particular interest.
We took the long drive around the island, stopping first at Salina Matijs a large lake where we saw many Flamingos. We were able to get quite close and take photographs. Playa Chikitu, was our next stop, a rocky cove backed by sand dunes and a nesting ground for turtles. Boka Chikitu followed that, and was a treasure chest of fossil shells and coral. From there we drove on to Seru Grandi, a high terrace about one million years old, Niki and I built a “spirit hut” each by piling little stones on top of each other, something thousands of visitors before us must have done, as there were literally thousands of “spirit huts” everywhere we looked. Bob had trouble pulling us away from our building projects.
Suplado the next stop better known as ‘The blow hole’ proved to be a bit of a disappointment as the sea was quite calm, so there were no spectacular splashes to be seen. Poor Niki had the most dreadful headache, and we had nothing to give her. We drove out to Malmok the most northern point on Bonaire, and climbed up to see the lighthouse. The lighthouse is no longer in use and has been concreted to prevent people from entering, however the view from the top definitely made the climb worth the trouble. The scenery was quite spectacular.
We saw a multitude of colorful lizards and birds as we drove around the island, occasionally stopping to take a closer look. We drove on to Pos Mangel where we parked the car and followed the trail on foot, Niki spotted a very large bees nest in the trees, buzzing with activity, so we moved hastily along. We eventually came to Pos Mangel, which, probably due to the very dry weather had shrunk to no more than a large puddle. I was concerned about the possibility of mosquitoes so we didn’t stay very long their either.
A very large and inquisitive iguana approached us, obviously looking for food, feeding them is prohibited, so again we made our way quickly back to the car. We drove on past the beaches of Boka Bartolk, Boka Katuna and stopped to look at Plays Benge, a dive site with a white sandy beach, it appeared to be a difficult climb to reach the beach so we drove on. We passed the dive sites of Playa Funchi, and Bise Morto to stop at Wayaka, it was also not an easy access so we hurried on to Boka Slagbaai, we had to get there quickly as the park rangers move you out at 3:30, and it’s about an hour drive back to the entrance of the park. Niki’s headache was so bad now, and she was feeling sick. We stopped at Slagbaai, where there was a bar open and a few people around. We asked if anyone had anything for headaches, and an older English gentleman obliged with 3 aspirin.
Slagbaai was a beautiful beach, with historic buildings and picnic area. The snorkeling looked great but we didn’t have time as the rangers arrived to move everyone on. So we all piled into our vehicles and headed back. The roads around the park are not so much roads as clearings through cactus forests, huge boulders and rocks, potholes and dead cactus branches littered the path, it was an unbelievably bumpy, rough ride, that shook the car violently and caused us to be thrown out of our seats, this did not help poor Nicolette’s headache at all and we had to pull over several times for her to get out as she felt so sick.
Eventually we reached the exit. We stopped in Rincon to try and get Niki something to eat, but the only place we could find that was serving food the server didn’t speak any English, and I wasn’t very happy about the food on sale, so we left and hurried back to the boat. By the time we got back Nicolette was feeling better.
Day out in Curacao
Tuesday 16th September
I got up early to write my journal, and Bob arranged for a rental car at 9am.
Today we explore the island.
Curacao has the reputation of being the ugly industrial sister of beautiful Bonaire. The difference is that Curacao has the infrastructure that is missing from most of the South Eastern Caribbean Islands. The bays on the western coast of Curacao have white coral sand beaches and crystal clear water for snorkeling or diving. In fact Curacao is rated as second in the world for snorkeling, even above Bonaire. I intend to ignore all the negative comments I have heard recently about this island, and explore it as if I have heard nothing.
The driver picked us up at 9:20 and drove us to the rental store. Then we headed out around the island. Our first stop was Willemstad, where we parked the car on the seafront.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1977, Willemstad is the capital of Curacao. Its older area is made up of distinct districts, with their architectural styles reflecting the 17th century Dutch colonization of the ABC islands. Sint Annabaai, a channel linking the sea to the inner harbor, divides the central city into Otrobanda, a primarily residential area, and Punda, the commercial area.
One of the major landmarks in Willemstad is the floating pontoon Bridge, named the Queen Emma, it spans the channel and swings open to allow passage for ships.
We visited a couple of local market gift stalls that were set up on the front, Bob bought me a necklace handmade from coconut. Our next stop was to visit Customs and Immigration, an interesting procedure, with the offices being on opposite sides of the water.
The Queen Emma bridge swings back and forth to let people cross and boats through, while the bridge is closed a ferry goes to and fro from side to side, always full of people. I couldn’t believe how many people cross from side to side continually. We stopped at one of the waterside café’s and had a coffee while we watched all the people and boats.
A man carrying two quite large iguanas on his shoulders, paraded up and down alongside the café’s, stopping occasionally to chat to the tourists. We waited for the floating bridge to reopen then walked across to find the immigration, which turned out to be a tiny booth at the entrance of the cruise ship dock, Bob stopped to ask directions only to find, the booth was it. Once the officer had checked all our documents he directed us through the security gates to the office to get the passports stamped. It was quite a long walk, and uncomfortable in the intense heat, but we eventually came across the offices.
Unfortunately we forgot to visit the Harbor Authorities to get our anchoring permit, but as we will are leaving tomorrow, we’re hoping it won‘t matter. Once we were finished with immigration, we walked back into town, and again stopped at one of the waterside café’s for a cocktail and some lunch. It was quite pleasant sitting there watching all the boats go past, one huge cargo ship passed that was almost as big as the town itself, providing quite a spectacle for all the tourists.
After lunch we visited the Curacao Marina, where Bob is hoping to have the boat hauled out, unfortunately they don’t have room for us until November. The marina was nice, and it looked to be very safe. When we left the marina we drove around for a while before eventually returning to the boat.
For dinner we took the dinghy across to a little restaurant right on the water in the bay. The food was quite nice, and the setting lovely.
After dinner we went back to the boat and played Mexican train…
Bonaire to Curacao
Monday 15th September
EDWARDS 25TH BIRTHDAY
We called Edi at school early this morning, to wish him a happy birthday. Then we spent the rest of the morning getting the boat ready for sail.
We weighed anchor at 11am, a little later than we had hoped to leave, but we should still arrive in Curacao well before nightfall. We had good wind 18 - 25 knots, and the sail down the side of Bonaire was lovely, calm seas and good wind, but once we cleared the island the seas became quite rough and choppy, we continued our sail at a steady 8 knots.
As we approached Curacao the waves became larger and the wind stronger, it was quite a rough sail for about 30 minutes until we had cleared around the island.
Curacao is the largest of the Netherlands Antilles islands; off the coast of Venezuela. We started our approach through the entrance to Spanish Waters, with no buoys to guide us in we approached with caution. We dropped anchor in one of the bays with lots of other sailboats.
Curacao is not what I expected. I had been unsure of visiting this island, having heard so many tales of the high crime rate, drugs and general lack of security. Curacao was after all a center for pirates, in the eighteenth century, as far as I had heard, not much had changed, However, upon approach I was amazed by the expensive villas and houses lining the entrance and surrounding the harbors.
The Curacao yacht club looked very swish and expensive, although it’s only available to members. The craggy cliff face’s that towered either side of the harbor had an almost prehistoric appearance. Other than the cliffs, the land was very flat. The abundance of cactus tells me this again is a very dry island.
So far the island looks beautiful, further exploration will reveal the truth I’m sure. I’m quite excited, albeit with a little trepidation about exploring this island.
I made a curry for dinner and we watched another movie.
Day at the Aves
Friday 12th September
The coastguard arrived just after breakfast, a group of five very pleasant, and polite young men. It was difficult communicating with them as they didn’t speak any English, and as we spoke no Spanish, however we managed eventually to complete all the paperwork.
The coast guard were all extremely helpful, and very friendly, they all seemed quite comfortable on board and in no hurry to leave, they were keen to see Daisy and Bob graciously gave them a tour. I gave them all soft drinks, and couldn’t help the feeling that they were making themselves comfortable for the day.
Eventually the coast guard left, and we made preparations to go snorkeling. We took the dinghy across to the closest island but there was no easy landing where we could pull the dinghy ashore and leave it safely, so we set the anchor and swam off the dinghy.
The snorkeling was good but not the best, we saw some lovely species of parrotfish, damsels and trunk fish, but nothing quite as spectacular as Bonaire. The sun was intense today, and it was like a furnace outside. The water was actually hot, and we had to get out to cool off with a cold shower.
We returned to the boat for cocktails and Moroccan lamb for dinner. After dinner we played Mexican train, fortunately Nicolette seems to enjoy the game as much as I do.
Bonaire to Aves de Sotavento
Thursday 11th September
Bob went ashore at 8am to clear customs and immigration; we set sail as soon as he returned. We had a reasonable crossing but not good wind, so we were unable to set the sails. We arrived at Aves De Sotovento around 5pm, and dropped anchor alongside one of the tiny islands.
These islands are all very small, and extremely remote, there’s mature mangroves and scrub, but not much more in the way of vegetation. No inhabitants other than a small Coast Guard station, and a handful of fishermen that live there for about three months of the year. The tiny islands are absolutely covered with mounds of thousands of conch shells left by the fishermen; this area is rich in King Conch, as all the empty shells demonstrated.
Las Aves Archipelago is comprised of two reefs known as the Windward and Leeward Aves. They are located between Los Roques to the East and Bonaire to the West.
The name of the islands derives from the numerous birds that either live or migrate there. The Aves are well known as a bird sanctuary. Las Aves translates to “The Birds” in English.
The Aves are also very famous for shipwrecks, one of the most famous being a fleet of 15 French warships intercepted by the Dutch on their way to attack Curacao in 1678.
I tried to find out as much as I could about these islands before we started our trip, but it appears that not a great deal has been written about them, so I had to rely mainly on blogs written by previous visitors.
I can’t wait till tomorrow to go snorkeling and explore the tiny islands.
If anyone reading this knows where I could get anymore information on The Aves, please let me know, Thanks.
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