Sailing Letter August 2016
August 6 was a very special day for us: we tried the water maker for the first time! Fantastic. The constant worrying for water, saving as much as possible when showering, washing clothes and dishes is now over. We do 110 l per hour at the same time as we are charging the batteries (2-3 times a week).
The last month on Bonaire was spent with fewer activities; we went in to some kind of “waiting mood”. 3 months in the same spot is long for us, we need to see new places, but anyway…. We did some small boat work, had a Boule/Petanque contest with Ellen & Martin (sy Acapella), met sailors at happy hour, read books and snorkeled/dived. Eva tried to take as many pictures of fishes as possible, since next stop (Curacao) will not have the same aquarium like conditions.
Some maintenance is always necessary: some leakages on deck were sealed and our clothes not used for a while had to be checked. There are two things that gets damaged by the weather conditions (humidity) and that is everything with leather (mildew) and zippers (oxide). Shoes and coats have not been used for 2 years now (!) but with some vinegar/ättika we solved that problem.
When reviewing our diving skills we promised each other to do some more diving before leaving Bonaire. We tested “The wall” with Ellen and Martin, and it was beautiful. A dive from 3 meter down to 22, full with beautiful corals and fishes. We were still rookies so the air did not last that long but 35 minutes was a good start. Peter and I later did a dive on our own right behind our boat. 4-24 meters slope with the same abundance of corals and fish. It is the easy access to perfect diving that is the “thing” with Bonaire.
The weather was a bit more unstable during August, which meant some rain showers, a bit cloudier and less wind, but still no way near as humid as in Eastern Caribbean.
Less wind also gave us a good sailing to Curacao, August 23. After 6 hours we anchored in Spanish Water, after having to take down the Genoa since the furling drum got stuck. So now we have checked in for 3 months (took a whole day with Customs, Immigration and Harbor authorities), and have started to check out the facilities in the area. The anchorage is huge and not really cramped with boats, there is still plenty of space left. Some people seem to leave their boats and fly “home” or live a life on land in Curacao, but we are still many sailor liveabords meeting up for happy hour, sailor’s dinner, bus ride to Supermarket etc. We still have all our Dutch friends around us, some of which we met as early as in Suriname. The city is approx. 11 km from Spanish Water and the supermarket and chandlers are half ways. There is a daily free shuttle form the anchorage to take us to the shopping area.
Curacao has approx.. 150.000 inhabitants with the capital Willemstad. Main language is Papamiento but all people also speak Dutch and most also English. The town looks like an old Dutch town, with nicely colored houses, narrow streets etc. Last Saturday we took the bus to check it out. We found a big market for vegetables on the water, The Venezuelan floating market, lots of small restaurants and shops, some tourists, but not overwhelmingly many, so we will for sure enjoy our stay here.
Until next time,
BR, Eva & Peter
S/Y Tina Princess 