Caribbean Sea
17.28.086N
67.22.690W

Our luck held throughout the night. We passed under 3 distinctive bands of clouds and only found a light shower under one. Not enough to rinse off the boat or even its handkerchief sails.
Thankfully, our second day was much more comfortable. It was a bright sunny day with both the wind and seas diminishing. We shook out each reef one by one until we were flying full sails by mid-afternoon. Dale was starting to feel better, at least he was eating. However, we continued with our arrangement of eating and sleeping in the cockpit because it seemed easier than trying to make our way up and down a listing stairway.

With nightfall, we saw a band of clouds on the horizon, so once again, we reefed the main and jib to the first reefing point. Later, as we passed under the clouds, the winds picked up again, but with the sails already reefed, it was a non-event.

Our calculation this morning approximated a Tuesday morning arrival in Boqueron. However, as we came out of the west setting current the closer we got to Puerto Rico, the earlier in the morning it became. Dale was on watch as Puerto Rico came into view and at our 2am watch change, it was obvious we would be making landfall before sunrise.

Our approach led us up the west coast of Puerto Rico and from our last time through, we knew that our chart plotter was spot on (within reason). There were a few reefs and shallow spots to avoid so we rolled in the sails and turned on the engine. I found no problem in avoiding the hazardous areas and as soon as we spotted the channel light to the Boqueron harbor, we altered course slightly and entered without mishap.

We eased our way up to the coastline and started looking for the boats we knew would be anchored there. We could only spot one, so we selected a spot to the outside and behind it. As we were trying to anchor, we spotted a light that at first appeared to be on shore but then was clearly moving towards us. The bright light stayed on us making it extremely difficult to see but Dale was able to drop the anchor and about 80’ of chain before he headed back in my direction. I was starting to get nervous but as the bright light got closer, I could see a small blue flashing light beneath it.

I don’t recall that they ever identified themselves but assumed that they were either harbor patrol or homeland security. A male voice with a Hispanic accent asked us (in English) where we were coming from, how many people were on board, and how long we were planning on staying. Dale answered each question and soon they went on their way; heading back out and toward Mayaguez. Maybe they were Customs & Immigration looking for illegal aliens. In any event, I’m sure we looked and smelled our best at 4am and 3 days with no showers.

We went back to anchoring, letting out more chain and despite not getting a good tug when we backed down on the anchor, we put on the bridle and dropped below for a couple of hot showers before dropping into bed.

Caribbean Sea
14.49.223N
67.58.561W


We gave our hugs and kisses to Gerry & Nicky, choked back the lumps in our throats and dropped our mooring ball at 4pm. We unfurled our main to the first reefing point, as the wind was pretty gusty even in the bay and motor sailed to the end of Bonaire in incredibly deep water. We rounded to the north, unfurled the jib and set our course to Boqueron, Puerto Rico.

The wind was blowing 20-25 kts but was forecast to moderate back to the normal 15-20 kts range by Mon. The seas were supposed to be 5-6’ with a 6 second interval. I swear that more of them were in the 6-8’ range, as we were taking green water over the bow and occasionally over the cockpit. When we started seeing 26-29 kts being registered, we put a reef in the jib and continued on.

The sunset was particularly beautiful (no green flash) but once gone, conditions that had been challenging during the day became nerve racking after dark. Only the ¾ moon gave us any type of reprieve. At the 11pm watch change, we added another reef to the jib. Dale lost his favorite hat when he climbed out of the cockpit to check on the lines; there was no question that we wouldn’t be going back to retrieve it. During my 11-2 watch, I eased my grip on the jackline holding my tether and me in place, and looked back to identify the Southern Cross for the last time on our voyage. At the 2am watch change we added another reef to the main and discussed the option of turning around and heading back. Cooking was out of the question. Even hove to, I could only microwave something quickly; I’m glad I picked up that bucket of chicken. Sleeping was confined to the cockpit in case of emergency and the fact that Dale was starting to feel the effects of the nasty conditions. Going below for any reason was a challenge that we saved for the watch changes. Our bicycles that have never shifted before, were now a jumble on the forward cabin sole along with everything else that had been packed around them. Dale reasoned that if the conditions moderated as they were predicted, we would have lost 12 hours by turning back. We weren’t in any danger, the boat was handling well, it just wasn’t very comfortable. We sallied forth.

The skies lightened with the approaching dawn and with it, our trepidation. Slowly throughout the day, the winds died back to the 20-25kt range. By afternoon, the seas also seemed to be decreasing so we shook out one of the reefs in the jib and grabbed a couple of books to read. I spotted a few bright purple man-o-war jellyfish heading west during the day but didn’t want to jeopardize my camera in the boisterous conditions.

With the nightfall, we saw a line of clouds that lay directly over our path, so we put the reef back in and hoped that we wouldn’t encounter any squalls during the night. (In case you’re not keeping track, we’re back to 2 reefs in each sail.)

Kralendijk,
Bonaire
12.09.532N
68.16.895W

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we had been planning on leaving at first light tomorrow morning for our 3-4 day trip to Puerto Rico but when we radioed and spoke with Chris, the weather guru, we reconsidered and are leaving this afternoon. The winds are forecast to be 15-18kts out of the east (good); seas 5-6’ with 6 second intervals (a little choppy for me). However, showers and squalls are predicted the closer we get to Puerto Rico on Monday and Tuesday (not good). We asked about better conditions when he said that it wouldn’t be an easy trip but do-able; no better conditions are forecast until possibly the middle of May. So . . . It’s now or next month. We’ll be leaving this afternoon. I hate saying good-bye to Gerry & Nicky in any event and if the timing had been just a little different, we might have gone all the way to Australia with them.

As soon as the decision was made, Dale scooted over to the marina to pick up our mail and on the way back dropped by Orpailleur to let them know of our decision. We started preparing the boat the way we normally do, when Dale found that our water strainers for the engine and genset were filled with jellyfish. All those little practically invisible kind found their way in some how.

We met up with Gerry & Nicky in town about noon and grabbed a quick bite before heading off to check out of customs and immigration. Since immigration was closed, we had to go to the police station to check out. Dale said that the procedure was infinitely better. Next we hiked over to the customs office who cleared us out and gave us back our flare gun. I even dropped by the local KFC and picked up some chicken for dinner. It took longer to give me back change in US dollars than it did to get my order. But when I explained that we were on our way out of the country, they were kind enough to get authorization from the manager and between what they had on hand and what I had in my purse, were able to make change without involving an act of Congress.

At this point, we’ve taken the engine off the dinghy and put it on the back railing. The dinghy has been hoisted and tied securely to the arch. I’ve changed into my bathing suit/T-shirt cruising ensemble and most things that we know will shift have been tucked a little more securely into corners and crevices. Right now, we’re waiting to say good-bye to Gerry and Nicky for the last time and we’ll be heading out.

Wish us luck. We’ll catch up on the other side.

Kralendijk,
Bonaire
12.09.532N
68.16.895W

Happy Birthday Dale!

Bright and early this morning, the guys dinked over to the marina office and returned with our laundry and propane tanks. Two out of 3 is good, I guess. We’re still waiting for our mail to arrive.

They also returned with one of the marina attendants to record our use of electricity and water, so that we could check out of the marina and return to a mooring ball. Thank heavens we had elected to use the electricity to charge our batteries and rarely anything else as Gerry’s electrical bill was quite large for only 3 days. We, however, used $50 of water in cleaning and replenishment of our tanks. With that done, they dinked back over to the office and paid our bill.

On their return, Gerry & Nicky untied and kicked us away from the dock. The wind carried us toward the deeper water and when clear of the docks, we turned and headed out the narrow entrance. We turned south and made our way back toward town looking for 2 mooring balls that were close together and hopefully near a WiFi hotspot. Not finding any close to town, we headed back toward the marina and secured two spots. On the first mooring we attached to, we had no sooner tied up when the wind shifted and I didn’t care for the way we swung close to another boat nearby. So being a nice guy, Dale agreed to move to another mooring behind the guy. This time when the wind shifted, I felt we had a lot more room between boats. Orpailleur is either beside us or behind us depending upon the way the wind blows.

As we were nearing the time to run the genset again and I knew we wouldn’t be going anywhere for the next hour, I grabbed my snorkel gear, pestered Dale into joining me and then jumped in. We had been able to see that the water was crystal clear when we first arrived in Bonaire and knew that each mooring ball was designated as a dive spot. Now we know why. The bottom drops dramatically as you move away from the shore line. Where the Palace rests while swinging on her mooring lines is where the water changes from the bright turquoise to the deep blue. So right below us is where the bottom shifts from being predominately sand to coral and reef fish.

Immediately upon jumping in, I saw a turtle swimming below our swim ladder on the bottom. A porcupine fish was loitering around the blocks of cement the mooring lines were attached to, a huge trumpet fish chased a smaller one through the coral, and a trunk fish was seen heading off in the direction of Orpailleur. There were of course the usual schools of sergeant majors and chromis loitering around looking for a handout. Once again, I wished that I could find the wallet with my dive card as all of this beauty, no matter how clear the water, was too deep to truly enjoy with a snorkel. Although, over the next hour, I did my best.

When the genset was done, we followed Orpailleur into town, stopping briefly to say hello to Moon Goddess who had arrived while we were in the marina, and tied up to the dock by Karols. While Gerry checked on some parts he ordered at Budget Marine, Dale took off in the opposite direction to check about the procedures for departing on a Sunday. That left Nicky and I to do what we do best. Methodical shopping. Up one side of the street, checking every store and then down the other. That way we see everything that is available and know who has the best prices. The guys hate it. At one point I mentioned to Nicky that the guys would never believe that we had hit just about every store without finding anything we wanted. Then again, the last couple of stores had some nice souvenirs for the kids and I found an optical shop that could replace a screw that had fallen out of my glasses.

We finished the day with dinner at a place called the Rib Factory. We sat on the balcony and listened to a mariachi band playing at Karols. We even sang Happy Birthday to Dale quietly in 3 part harmony. Well . . . Maybe it was 3 different keys.

Harbour Village Marina
Kralendijk,
Bonaire
12.09.849N
68.17.088W

Today’s big project was getting some major provisioning done before turning in the car. Dale & Gerry had dropped off the propane bottles for re-filling and while in the marina office checked on laundry and mail. Nothing yet.

We took off about 9am and were able to find just about everything that we needed. I actually found bread that is good for a month. Can’t wait to try that. We also found yogurt that doesn’t have to be refrigerated; that should be interesting too. We took turns returning to the boat since the little Suzuki couldn’t hold us and the groceries.

Once we were back, Nicky needed to make a quick trip to the dentist because one of her fillings fell out during the night. All of this needed to be accomplished before the car had to be returned by noon; and we did it.

Back on the Palace I needed to take anything in cardboard out, vacuum seal larger purchases into smaller ones and put everything away. For all of you giving me a rough time about toilet paper, I did not buy any on this trip. (I’ll restock when we get to Puerto Rico). Dale excused himself and stayed out of the way due to the fact that I tend to get Touret’s Syndrome when things don’t fit; turn about is fair play and I've learned from the best. Really there was no need, I hadn’t over shopped on this trip and the only time I got frustrated was when a tube of biscuit dough burst before I had a chance to get it into the refrigerator.

Have you ever noticed that we seem to always be trying to work around various island holidays to check or check out? Bonaire is no different. The weather looks good to head north on Sunday and the holiday celebrating Queen Beatrice’s birthday is on Monday and Tuesday, which means we need to check out and retrieve our flare gun on Friday or Saturday. Since we’re still in the marina and can walk to the nice Argentinean restaurant across the harbor, we decided to celebrate Dale’s birthday tonight instead of tomorrow. Nicky and I had bought the guys gifts at the El Conquistador back in February. Gerry had to wait to get his gift until now because we figured that as soon as Dale saw it, he’d know what he got.

The restaurant was right across from our boats and we had window seats. The prime rib was excellent (we’ll be eating it for the next 2 days) and the guys seemed to like their new shirts.
We waddled back to our boats and said good night. Tomorrow we’ll leave the marina and head back to a mooring ball. Hopefully, we’ll get some snorkeling in before we have to leave.

Harbour Village Marina
Kralendijk,
Bonaire
12.09.849N
68.17.088W

This morning was devoted to multitasking. Dale and Gerry headed over to Budget Marine to pick up a bearing replacement kit for our wind generator and a few other things that he couldn’t live without while Nicky & I stayed back and worked on the inside of the boat. I borrowed Nicky’s laundry machine for my delicates and ended up having about 3 loads. So I ran a clothesline in the cockpit again. In between loads, I’d work on my blog posts.

When Dale got back, I helped him take out the anchor chain to re-mark the depths on it; then helped to put it back in when he was done. Again, between calls I’d drop back below deck and try to catch up on my typing.

At one point, Dale ran Gerry up Orpailleur’s mast so that he could put hose on the ends of the spreaders so that their sail wouldn’t catch on the spreaders.

About the time I decided that each day in my posts was sounding like the previous, the internet dropped its signal. Good time for a break.

We piled into the little Suzuki and took off for downtown. We walked through a few jewelry stores and decided that they were extremely overpriced and then found our way down the quayside to the vegetable market, when the guys spied a sign advertising a Heiniken special. That was the end of our sightseeing. We had been looking for a “Bali” restaurant but it apparently went out of business since the cruising guides were last published.

Instead, we went to a restaurant called Salsa. It’s claim to fame is that it is located where the trash dump used to be and that they are into nature and natural things. Their laminated menus were inside cedar boards and their thatched roof had plastic webbing holding it in place but they had unique table settings where carved wood blocks held the salt & pepper shakers, cloth napkins and utensils. And even though the salt shaker reflected South Africa as its origins, the waitress assured us that the salt came from right down the road and they just refilled the shakers when needed.

We had a great time and although we didn’t solved any problems in the world, we recognized the fact that some do exist.

Harbour Village Marina
Kralendijk,
Bonaire
12.09.849N
68.17.088W

What a miserable night. We are facing away from the wind, so all night waves slapped again our transom and dock pilings and the wind generators in the area seemed to buzz right in my ear. I finally got up to sleep in the salon but it was hotter in there. I’m going to have to be careful not to be cranky all day.

First thing this morning, Nicky and I took our laundry over to the marina office for the laundry service, while the guys attacked boat projects. The remainder of the morning, I spent going back over my old blog posts and adding pictures while, bless his heart, Dale defrosted the refrigerator and freezer for me.

About noon, Gerry went into town and rented a little Suzuki car. He and Nicky had lunch in town and then returned to see if we wanted to take a tour of the island.

The car was small and although all four of us could sit comfortably, whenever we saw a photo op, it was a pain to get in and out of. So we did the next best thing. The top consisted of two rag tops. One over the front two seats and one over the back two. We lowered the back one and then maneuvered the car so that Nicky and I could stand on the seat and shoot over the top whenever we wanted to take a picture. Of course, there were times when we still needed to crawl out of the car but Gerry did his best to keep us in and pointed the car at least in the vicinity of where we were interested.

It was a whirlwind tour. We started by going through the main part of town to figure out where the large grocery stores were. Then we headed south towards the airport. Past the airport to where the salt flats and the colored obelisks that directed ships to the proper loading facility were. Here and there old slave quarters were restored for historical interest.

We followed the coast looking for the famous pink flamingos that were supposed to be abundant on this island. At last we found one area that had a hundred or so. Nicky and I tried to get close enough for pictures but they are evidently shy birds and kept just our of picture range.
We continued along the east coast and found a lake that had windsurfers darting here and there but again, not close enough for pictures.

We headed back to town and started along the northern route. This side seemed to be predominately cactus covered. In fact, it reminded us of Mexico, except that Bonaire has more cactus per square foot than our memories of Mexico. We traveled past clever junk yards lined with corrugated tin painted to resemble the flags of the nations and continued north through hillsides of rock and more cactus.

What had appeared on our map to be a highway that circled around the north half of the island, ended up being more of a dead-end as it stopped being a narrow paved highway and continued to be a dirt path we would be hard pressed to get the little car down. So we doubled back and backtracked until we once again found the main town.

We dropped by one of the grocery stores we had sought out earlier and made a couple of quick purchases to get us through until it was closer to our time of departure. We couldn’t purchase much as there was no room in the little car but we did manage diet cokes for me and a couple of yogurts for Dale.

We headed back to the marina to deposit our purchases, cleaned up and then headed back out in search of dinner. Nicky had read about a place called “Richards” which was created by a cruiser who decided to linger longer when he found Bonaire. It was a wonderful restaurant with excellent food. We all ordered steak and were impressed with the quality.

We made our way back to the marina and waddled down to our respective boats at the end of the dock. We’re trying to get as much done on the boats as we can while we’re dockside and take advantage of having a car handy. Today work and fun was balanced rather nicely. Tomorrow, we’ll try to do it again.

For now, I’ll try to work for as long as I can on the internet before it disappears.

Photo 1: Our view out of our cockpit at Harbour Village Marina.

Photo 2: A new way of looking at corrigated tin.

Photo 3: Dinner at Richard's.

Harbour Village Marina
Kralendijk,
Bonaire
12.09.849N
68.17.088W

The guys cleared us into customs and immigration this morning. Apparently customs was easy but when they went to immigration, they ran into problems. Grenada had not stamped our passports the last time we were there and immigration was having a problem with that. The guys went back to customs (in the tourquise building) and got a copy of the exit document, so that immigration (in the pink building) would allow us in. It was also the first time that we had to turn in our flare guns. (We heard that you now have to turn them in Trinidad as well.)

Nicky was close enough to town to get an internet connection, so she elected to stay on board when they returned, while Dale, Gerry and I took off to check out the marina to the north of town that had fuel, propane, laundry service, showers, a pool, water and 127 volt electricity. Humm . . . That might be a problem. We’d better check out our other option at the marina at the southern end of town. Off we went across the deep blue water to the opposite end.

The southern marina didn’t seem to have an office and no one knew much about the docks. We stopped by the dive shop we found there and asked about NAUI affiliations on the island. Seems they’re all PADI. I still haven’t found my wallet that I put away for safekeeping which has my NAUI dive card in it and thought I could perhaps get a replacement copy of the dive card. Sure you can, it only takes a week to ten days.

We went back to the boat and proceeded to tear the back stateroom apart looking for the wallet. It’s got to be here somewhere. Dale said that he saw it after we took off and thought that it was in a good spot; he didn’t realize that I hadn’t been able to find it. Unfortunately, it is still in safekeeping and probably will be until we get back to unload everything.

Eventually we elected to move to the north marina, where we filled up with fuel before taking a berth along the T-dock at the end of the slips and be very careful with the 127 volt outlets. Orpailleur is about 3 feet off our stern. The rest of the day was spent scrubbing the filthy, dirty, salty, grimy boat we call the Palace. Gerry & Nicky did the same on their boat.

By 6:30 pm we were exhausted and hungry. For some crazy reason, neither one of us ate anything of substance all day long. There was a little restaurant in the marina called Vespucci that our slip neighbor suggested trying. It had excellent food. I had a shrimp and avocado salad and Dale had a lobster bisque.

We assumed that we would sleep well tonight but when we returned to the Palace, the air conditioner was already overheating. Guess we won’t be using it while we’re here. Hopefully, no damage has been done.

Photo 1: The Carribean is alive with color. This house seemed to have its fair share.

Photo 2: One of the oblisks that ships of old would be directed to by hoisting a flag with the same color.

Kralendijk,
Bonaire
12.09.849N
68.17.088W


43.8 NM
5.8 Avg.
7.3 Max.
7.35 Hrs.


We lifted anchors at 8am and unfurled our main sail for the trip to Bonaire. With only 10-12 kts from directly astern of us, there wasn’t enough speed to get us in before nightfall, so we turned on the engine and motor sailed the whole way.

Bonaire, particularly the southern end of the island, is very low and cannot be seen until you’re almost upon it. We rounded the southern end in very deep water and passed by the salt flats which had mountains of salt piled along the shoreline waiting for cargo ships to carry away. Brightly colored obelisks that once served to guide cargo ships into the loading areas still stand starkly against the blue sky. We looked for the flamingos that are famous here but didn’t see any, so we’ll have to take a tour of the island to find them.

We rounded again along the western coast and approached the town of Kralendijk. Orpailleur took advantage of the sudden onset of apparent wind by cutting the engine and sailing again, so we followed them in and waited for them to select a mooring ball. We were in the process of taking the one next to them and slightly closer to shore, when a neighboring boat called across to tell us that they had been getting some strange winds which would blow you towards shore in the night. So, we moved further down and found another mooring ball about the same distance from shore as Orpailleur. Its amazing how clear the water is here. Particularly this close to town with commercial ships coming and going. We can’t wait to jump in. Each mooring ball is designated as a dive sight.

We had just enough time to shower and change for a dinner in town. We stopped at a place on the waterfront called Karel’s Bar which had thatched roofs along a pier out over the water and a dinghy dock to the side. We tied up and grabbed a couple of cold drinks. Strangely, after the first drink we realized that we were all fading fast. We crossed the street and ate at the Zeezicht restaurant where our conversation dwindled to nothing. As I’ve said many times in the past, fresh air and sunshine will kill you; we were all exhausted and couldn’t wait to hit the hay early.


Photo of salt mountain from camera of Orpailleur.