Curacao to Cartegena

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We're on our way to Colombia. Left yesterday morning. Not too bad a sail. About 22-25kts of wind and a little rolly overnight. We were all hanging on the bow to oow and awh at the dolphins putting on a show on our bow when a low flying Netherlands Antilles twin-prop Coast Guard plane swooped over us to have a look. They were on their typical drug interdiction run, making sure that the dolphins were not offloading to the mothership. A couple more days till we make Cartegena.
Paul

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Bye Bye Bonaire

A very Bonairian road sign

After using up almost all of our allowed 90-days within 180 days visa, we left Bonaire for a quick stop in Curacao. Chris figured that since her family ancestors were from Holland and that she’s blonde she should be able to stay as long as she wants. Bonaire was a really great stop – fantastic water and easy living for a cruiser. It was all I could do to stop Chris from putting down a down payment for a townhouse here.

     Cruise ship season has started and Bonaire does get a bit too many now. Here’s the ‘Explorer of the Seas’ demonstrating that safety always comes first.

  Our friend/crew Bill came down from San Fran to sail to Cartegena with us. Here he is looking for bats during our tour in Bonaire’s Washington-Slagbaai Park.

  One last good-bye to the Flamingos before we left.

It was an easy, slow sail over to Curacao. We left about 8:30am and were anchored in Spanish Wells about 5:00pm. Our friends from El Salvador, Rose and Jani on s/v Lovely Lady, have their boat in the yard here for some serious repair work. Detailed on their blog http://www.sailblogs.com/member/svlovelylady46/?xjMsgID=338429

They’ve rented a place near the Curacao Yacht Club. We anchored and headed over to their apartment for a great red snapper dinner. Today we head into Wilemsted to check in and check out of the country for a day’s stay. When the rain stops (the rainy season is now here in earnest), we’ll do a little sight- seeing. Then in the morning it is off for a 3 or 4 day sail to Cartegena, Colombia.

Paul

The Last Underwater Photos

We were snorkeling one of our favorite spots and spotted this green turtle in about 20 feet of water. She was under these corals and busily scratching her back. First on one side and then on the other. Its important for a girl to keep her shell clean.
On the way up from taking this picture I looked in the view screen of my camera and at first I thought I saw the horizon. Then I realized that the case was half full of water. Another ruined camera. I’d like to do a big DisLike for Ikelite brand cases. This is the second time I’ve had this expensive case fail and ruin a camera.

    This is what the insides of the Nikon camera look like after they have been fried by salt water.

A school of blue tangs painting the underwater sea blue.

A well disguised scorpion fish sitting on the rocks in shallow water- don’t step on me.

An octopus way back in its cave keeping an eye on the collection of shells by the opening of his lair.

Another underwater cruiser, a busy little trunkfish.

Goat spotting. A couple of goats cruising along the low cliff where we were snorkeling.

A spotted moray eel out and about with a couple of damsel fish friends nearby.

A little more UW color.

A small parrotfish slowing down for a picture with a couple of small, juvenile yellow wrasses hanging close.

This is the biggest rainbow parrotfish I’ve seen, probably a fully grown male, 3-4 feet. It was a little shy about picture taking and headed into the shallow water to make the studio shot tougher.

Paul