Waiting to get to Bonaire, crossing and enjoying Bonaire

PHOTO LINK –>> St Croix, awaiting weather window

We are still here in St Croix

awaiting a weather window to cross to Bonaire and Curacao. How long has it been? Well we arrived in St Croix April 22^nd and it’s May 13^th. Finally we think that this Friday 15^th will be the magic day as all looks good for the weather to moderate.

As previously noted in last month’s rambles, we started off in Fredrickstad where we enjoyed a week, met some new friends and walked the byways. Our new friends are Pam and Andy off of Grace. They are new to the cruising world having just left St Thomas where they had purchased Grace and spent 5 months getting her ready to cruise. Pam is an artist who would spend time ashore painting, lovely, small, oil paintings of the landscape. So fellow cruisers if you see Grace, give Pam and Andy a shout.

Christiansted instead

The weather started to blow from the southeast and as this causes an uncomfortable roll in Fredickstad so we decided to go to Christiansted instead. There we anchored in our usual area off of Gallows Bay, thinking it would be for just a short while, but here we still are to be found.

Many odd chores have been accomplished. John has fitted a new electrical 12-volt outlet in the cockpit for his iPad and iPhone so he can now charge and use them while underway. He has installed a new bilge pump, we now have 5 installed.

He put a new water pump in the engine; a new through hole in the lazaret/garage as the other was cracked, and accomplished many other odds and ends. We purchase 2 full sets of scuba gear ready for the diving in Bonaire. Meanwhile I worked on all my photos, website pages, sewing repairs, tidying cupboards and such, and also did odd repair jobs.

Most days we would get off the boat and walk somewhere, be it around the town, to the shops or just through the small grungy parkland next to the anchorage.The highlight of the walk in the park was finding a wild peacock with a beautiful plumage, just sitting in a tree.

Chico

passed the time in his usual fashion, being very involved with the engine work by insisting on checking the engine compartment, climbing into any new opening, grabbing any loose bits to roll them down the drains or to fly over board. Yes, his favorite game is to pick up loose receipts, post its, anything small and light, (even $ notes of any value). He carries them usually onto the deck and enjoys chasing them while they fly off in the breeze. Invariably these objects end up in the water, he then looks over the side, shrugs his shoulders and proceeds to go down below to root around for more. He has stripped the notice board, been caught with a $5 note and lost most of his toys. I normally look for feathers when we go ashore and bring them back for him to let fly. This just makes his day!! As mentioned if the object is round he will play golf. He learned some time ago how to pull up the mesh over the drains in the cockpit with his front claws. He then taps the round object around the cockpit until, ooooppps into the hole it goes. He will then proceed to stick his leg down, peer down and look almost proud of his accomplishment. One evening we had friends onboard. The guy Joe who opened a bottle of red wine gave the cork to Chico to play with, well before I even finished telling him what would happen Chico had that cork down the drain hole! Gone just like that! No one there could believe their eyes.

Anyway John put a halt to that game by screwing the mesh to the hole.

Our first Friday night in Christiansted was a Jump Up.

This was to kick off the International Captain Morgan Ironman 70.3 that was being held. “The swim begins on the beach at the Hotel on the Cay and follows a large triangular course. It’s a loop through Christiansted Harbour with a finish at the wharf area. The crowning feature of this race is the legendary climb on the bike course, appropriately named “The Beast.” Once you’ve conquered it, you’ll never look at a hill the same way again.“ This race offers 30 qualifying slots for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.

We went to the Jump Up and met up with Pam, Andy and Joe for a short while. We walked the streets, watched a pan band, the fire dancers, the Mocko Jumbies. We enjoyed a roti and John had his favorite drink, rum with freshly squeezed cane juice, I enjoyed vodka with freshly poured coconut milk. It was a fun evening.

Captain Morgan Ironman

We watched the Captain Morgan Ironman race on the Sunday, well we missed most of the swim as they started at 6am and although they were swimming not far from the boat it really was not easy to see. Anyway we followed the bikes and the runners. It was unbelievable how fast the professionals were! I have never seen anything like it. They bike like maniacs, jump off barefoot at a run pushing the bike to the enclosures area to grab shoes and dress and are off at a full paced run. The winner was Matt Chrabot from USA; he completed it in 04:09:57 and was in way ahead of the second placed fellow Richie Cunningham also from USA. These guys weren’t even tired when they finished!!

We hired a car

A really fun day was when we hired a car and did an island tour. 1st heading to

Salt River Bay

where we hoped to visit the remains of a fort and a village, but all we found was a car park, a beach, a National Park sign and lots of trash.

Our route then took us along the North Shore scenic road. There are some lovely beaches and the view from the road across the bays was excellent. Cane Bay was very beautiful.

The Treball Trail and Tide Pools

Upon reaching the very end of the road we found the Turtle Bay Beach Resort where you can get access to the famed Tide Pools. The guard at the gate directed us to the pathway called The Treball Trail. This trail actually starts behind the car park above the resort. It winds its way uphill, downhill along ledges above cliffs and finally comes out at a rocky beach. The trail is 2.7 miles long and we took 50 minutes to reach the rocky beach. It is a very enjoyable trail to hike as it is shaded and has some fantastic viewpoints where you can see the shoreline for miles.

At the rocky beach, which itself is just beautiful, wild and rough, we walked to the far end wondering where are these tide pools? John disappeared across the rugged rocks at the end and around the corner, when I finally caught up I found him floating in a beautiful lagoon/tide pool. It took little encouragement for me to strip off and join him.

The pool was wonderfully refreshing after our hike. We were fortunate to be the only ones at the pools, we had passed a few groups that were hiking back from the pools and we had the pools all to ourselves. After our dip we set off back the way we had come making the return 2.7 miles in just 42 minutes, quite a fast pace considering the rugged terrain and steep up hills.

Point Udall

From the tide pools we drove to Fredricksted for lunch, having a very nice lunch in Polly’s. After lunch we drove towards the eastern end of St Croix. The road leads right to the very end of the island along the northern shoreline. It is all wild scrubland and small sandy bays, quite lovely. At the very end we found Point Udall, which marks the easternmost point in the United States. We could see that there were some great hiking trails at this end of St Croix, but the day was getting late and we were quite tired so back to the boat we headed.

Crossing to Bonaire

PHOTO LINK —>> Crossing to and in Bonaire

After checking out in the morning we started out on our passage to Bonaire at 2:00pm 15/05/15, but only made it as far as Fredricksted, St Croix. Why? We both agreed that it was better to wait one day as John felt the weather for our arrival there would be more settled on the Tuesday than the Monday. Plus there was very little wind, which would mean a very slow start to a long trip.

Fredricksted

Fredricksted is a lovely anchorage, that evening there was a jazz concert ashore so we were able to spend the evening enjoying the sounds of music from the shore while reading and relaxing.

Off we sped from Fredericksted at 12:00 16/05/15. We had gone ashore in the morning and stretched our legs, enjoyed the waterfront and had a brunch at Polly’s. It is a very nice restaurant on the sea front.

1st 24 hours

I was just pleased that the first day was out of the way. I hadn’t been sick, but nor had I been comfortable. The beginning was relatively easy with steady winds and moderate seas. The evening brought swells that were more behind us and winds that were lighter plus a current against us so it was slow and very uncomfortable rolly polly, like being in a washing tub and not a wonderful start.

John relieved me early for his midnight to 4am shift and then he let me have another extra hours rest. That was lovely of him as really sleep was neither easy nor deep. He had snoozed through the time, as it was so quiet, so he said. What he meant was there were no ships. There was just nothing about. The first ship was spotted at noon today, so 1 ship in 24 hours. There have been some birds, lots of flying fish, but no whales or Dolphins.

2nd 24 hours

Passed quicker and seemed much better. I felt only tired and supposed that is to be expected. My 8pm – 12am shift again was cut short by John coming up around 11:30pm. I was very relieved as my eyes kept shutting. The shift went well, only 1 ship that passed very quickly some 3 miles off our bow. I listened to my audio book “The Stolen Dog” which as books go is ok, but for something to do other than read it is great. Once I had gone below the weather deteriorated so that it was much rougher and windier for John. I was being thrown around on the bed, but being so tired I slept even while being tossed around. At one stage I was thrown across the “bed” but just went back to sleep. Poor John had a hard night watch as he had to try to be comfortable, stay awake and monitor everything too.

Today was a lovely day. From when John called me at 5:30, (he let me sleep longer again), through the morning it was a peaceful sail. The seas were about 4-5 feet and the wind averaging 15-20 knots. We just slid through the water. It meant John got a good rest for most of the morning. We only have 80 odd miles to go! Yippee!!

3rd, 24 hours

These 24 hours were even easier. The night watch for me was a breeze, I listened to my audio book looked out and time flew by. I had smooth seas and wind of 15 – 20 knots, which on a beam reach is very smooth. The weather later on that last night was at times very windy on John’s watch and he had to reef the jib. However I slept through it all, as it was smooth, fast sailing. Actually John had to try to slow the boat down as the speed reached 9.3 knots.

We could clearly see Bonaire at dawn and arrived at the perfect time. Our sail into the Kralendijk Harbour was amazing, smooth and fast we were attached to the mooring by 10:00am. Remembering what a HUGE obstacle this crossing represented to me as I had never done more than 2 nights in a row…..well not any more……I’m up for anything now, well nearly anything.

Kralendijk Bonaire

Bonaire is very different from what I expected. The main Harbour is where you get a mooring and the only place. There is no anchoring, as it is all National Park Reserve. The water is clear, clear, clear, crystal clear. The moorings are just off of the front which runs along the shoreline of Kralendijk. The bottom is all sandy and at about 50 feet from shore the reef starts, its quickly slopes off to deep blue where the reef wall runs all around Bonaire. Kralendijk harbour is one long sea front where there are colorful homes, restaurants, stores and such. The swim clubs practice right there along the shoreline in the Harbour. One can see Parrotfish swimming along the shoreline reefs on the front, sea birds of all types flying, baitfish jumping and all right around and in the mooring field.

The feel of the island so far is very European, it is Dutch, with a distinct Spanish/Venezuelan influence, but there is a distinct French flavor too. Plus you have the West Indian mix added as well which makes a real potpoui. The food reflects this with amazing breads, cheeses, ice creams, wines, savory sausages, meats and your regular peas and rice and cassava dishes too. The little stores are so very European to look at, but colourfully Spanish and Caribbean.

We have managed to explore a small part of the town, walked to the all-important grocery store, checked out the marina area and made inquiries about diving. We are both very impressed with Bonaire. The only negative is the dust. It is a dry, dry, island with winds normally blowing over 20k and blowing directly onto the mooring field sooooo, ruddy/bloody dust is constantly collecting everywhere. However this is a minor inconvenience in life, we tell ourselves.

We are looking forward to our summer explorations of Bonaire.

I had been experiencing a problem with one of my teeth and so visited a local Dental Clinic. Amazing, the consultation, x-ray, with super modern equipment and young staff only cost $49.00. Then the 2 prescriptions were and added $11.79. Just incredible I would be paying a good 4xs that at home! Anyway as my jaw was too sore to dive we hired a scooter for the day.

Scooter for the Day

We headed south, (flat side of island), along the “roadway” that took us by the salt pans. This salt operation is massive!! It has to be seen to be believed. There are huge ponds that are systematically farmed/raked for salt. The salt is then in massive piles ready to be exported on ships overseas. The salt farming was started way back in the 1600s when everywhere was totally dependent on salt to preserve food. The Dutch started the saltpans in Bonaire after they were driven out of Venezuela by the Spanish.

Bonaire was known as the White Hell as the criminals; rebellious and or runaway slaves were punished by being sent to Bonaire. These slaves would have to stand in the concentrated salt water with bare feet all day working the saltpans. After a full day’s work in their salty wet clothes they then crawled into primitive, self-made huts of leaves. Upon looking sat the sparse foliage John and I couldn’t imagine what they had used. It truly was HELL! The stone slave huts, which still stand today, were only built 13 years before the abolition of slavery in 1863. Looking at those huts for the 1^st time I was truly saddened to think people had to live/survive in them.

The salt ponds/pans were divided into sections and each section had an obelisk of a different colour on the shoreline in order to be identified by the approaching ships. They were the colours of the Dutch flag, red, white and blue. The obelisks too still stand today. The slave women would crouch down while 2 males lowered a fully laden basket of salt upon their heads. These women then had to walk along narrow planks of a platform to the waiting ship. There 4 men would be required to raise the basket onto the ships deck. Incredibly the women used to sing, “Man pa maket’i Maria” which translated means: Give a hand to the basket of Maria. It is now a lullaby.

The salt ponds/pans today are owned and run by Cargill an American company they stretch for miles, way off into the distance. Their colours vary from beige/mustard, pink, to white to pale bluish hues, starkly contrasting to the deep turquoise and blues of the sea close by.

Wild flamingos

We stopped to see the wild flamingos whenever we saw them in the salt ponds along the way. They are wild and Bonaire protects them, this is reflected in their numbers, which have steadily increased. Flamingos really are beautiful to see in the wild wading in the shallow waters or soaring overhead.

Lac Bay

Further along the southwestern shore is an area reserved for the kite boarders. They were out there flying around on and above the water. There must always be action cause it is sooo windy here, all the time. Riding along the eastern shore we reached an area called Lac Bay. This is a shallow bay where the wind surfers practice their sport. Again the wind surfing athletes were flying around. This area also has a large mangrove reservation, which is managed by the park service.

We cut across the island and went for lunch in Kralendijk. Driving across the interior there is just the occasional “homestead” set back in the thorny, dusty, dry wilderness. I for one could not live there.

Washington-Slagbaai Park

After a very nice lunch along the front we set off again this time for the northern end where the “highlands” are seen in the distance.

We rode along the western shoreline, which took us along a very narrow lane, right at the rocky shoreline. It is quite lovely, really more like a desert landscape, cactus, thorny plants and brush, a rocky hillside riddled with caves with the beautiful turquoise sea at its other side.

We reached the end of the line at BOTEC, an oil storage facility where we could see 2 massive oil tankers were either dropping off or picking up oil. This northern end has the Washington-Slagbaai Park.

The highland peaks reach about 800 feet. There are also massive salt pond lakes. We could not enter as you would need a jeep or truck to deal with the tracks, but we could look across the area and it was amazing. Such a contrast of colours, textures and incredibly wild, quite surrealistic. Again we saw flamingoes, there were all types of birds everywhere I even saw a pair of the local parrots. The park is alive with wildlife despite it being so dry and inhospitable for people. We could see excellent hiking trails and look forward to exploring further this summer.

Rincon

Rincon was the next brief stop. This is the original settlement and has the old architecture from days gone by. Again looking at the “homesteads” and “farms” which they are said to be, I could not imagine chipping out a life there. They farm goats, cactus for liquor and aloe. It must be an incredibly hard way of life.

We had an excellent day touring Bonaire. There is still more to see when we return

Diving at Klein Bonaire

Finally we, rather I, had my 1^st dive with the new gear. We took the dingy to Klein Bonaire loaded with our gear. It was a rough crossing and not to be repeated on windy days. Really we need to take Aeeshah. I admit I was very nervous as putting on allll that gear in the rocking, rolling, bouncing dingy is quite challenging.

Anyway geared up we went in and it was fabulous. The water is so clear, visibility is brilliant, and the corals are abundant, flourishing and plentiful. All types and colours of fish were to be seen. The dive sites start off of the sandy shallows by the beach, about 10 – 15 feet and then slopes steadily down to deep depths off a wall which reaches 200 – 300 feet. It really is quite amazing!! I enjoyed the dive tremendously and am looking forward to more. And there are 100s of dive sites all around Bonaire and Klein Bonaire. Lots to be done this summer.