Sunset over Cartagena

Sailing along the coast near Cartagena

Some of the people at our welcome party. Liquid Courage

brought over a bottle of Don Julio tequila

We really enjoyed Bonaire. We met a lot of nice people, celebrated Thanksgiving, Liz's birthday, Christmas and New Years. It is a great place and the water is clear and warm.







We left Bonaire the week after New Years and headed back to Curacao to provision for the San Blas Islands. There is not much in the way of grocery stores in the San Blas. We rented a car and provisioned like mad - food, wine and booze.







After waiting for a good weather window we headed for Aruba. Aruba is a great place if you are staying in a big hotel. It is not so fun if you are staying on a small boat. The ride in our little dinghy from the anchorage to the dinghy dock was death defying and wet. nuff said. We did enjoy Aruba tho.







We were in Aruba for about 10 days when we got the all important weather window to make the dreaded passage to Cartagena, Columbia. This is listed as one of the 5 worst passages in the world - the waves and wind can be huge. So, with butterflies, our convoy including Makai and Liquid Courage headed into the big blue sea. It is around 400 and some odd miles to Cartagena. We had 25 to 30 knots of breeze and 8' seas when we left Aruba. By nightfall the wind and seas had died way down and we actually had to motor sail. We had such a benign trip, we motor sailed at least half of the way. Oh well! We passed the also dreaded Rio Magdalena which can be quite nasty with logs and debris floating down the river from inland. We only knew we were there because the water turned brown. Ho Hum! We stopped in a bay called Punta Hermosa and anchored for the night so we would sail into Cartagena in daylight. We did indeed sail into Cartagena in day light and what a beautiful city. There is just an energy in the air - we could feel it in the anchorage. Several boats that we had met along the way were here and High Five and Solange came over to welcome us and we ended up feeling very welcomed!

More about Bonaire

New Year's Eve

We spent New Year's Eve in Bonaire - we went out to dinner with several other cruisers at Paradise Moon - one of our favorite places. We dinghied back to the boat around 10:30 pm and hung out. At midnight there was a fireworks display that was unreal. We have never seen anything like it. The islands is like a wide horseshoe and from one end to the other there were about 10 different displays of fireworks that were even better than Disneyland's. We did not know where to look - of course, there was lots of music coming from shore. We took the bean bag pillows and went up to the trampoline and just watched in awe. It was really something.

Turtles

We are still in Bonaire - we have been having alot of fun and doing alot of snorkeling. We have met some really nice people. Red, on Katana, volunteers for the Turtle Conversancy and she was able to set up a trip for 3 of us cruising ladies to go with the head guy, to see if a nest was ready. We walked all around the island looking for nests and found one that was ready. We dug down and uncovered the babies. So exciting - they were just waking up. We got them started on their way to the sea. When they would go the wrong way or flip on their backs we would pick them up and help them. When they get to the coral it is very difficult for them - they pile up on one another and flip upside down - again we would help them. Then when they reach the surf line - they really get flipped around. We counted 148 babies - it was one of the most exciting things I have ever done.

Baby Turtles

Wow! made it to the sea

two babies

leaving the nest

There were 148 babies altogether

Trying to get to the sea

The coral is bigger than the turtles

Liz holding a newborn

Bonaire

Liz & Kathy on Makai - Thanksgiving

Sully, a young whale stranded himself in Curacao - the cruisers take

turns babysitting him. They hope to release him back to sea - so far

he follows the ship back to his pen instead of following the other whales.

Our friend the Iguana

Our home

The solar panels - we can play the stereo all night!




Craig & Gerhardus installing solar panels - Curacao

More pink flamingos - Bonaire

Pink flamingo - Bonaire

Craig hoping for bigger surf - Bonaire

Craig ready to snorkel

Craig, Kathy & Fred - Bonaire

We sailed from Curacao to Bonaire about 3 weeks ago. We had a great sail.

Bonaire is one of the best dive spots in the world. The water is very clear - although our friends tell us it not as clear as it was several months ago. There is a bit of a surge going.

We had a great Thanksgiving on Makai - Turkey with all the trimmings.

We did an island tour by car and had a blast. There are great snorkeling and diving spots all around the island as well as wildlife - huge iguanas and lots of pink flamingos.

More Pictures

This was the "happening" bar on the island of Tobago, Trinidad

More underwater statues in Grenada.

Mother and baby swiming along side theboat while we were sailing along.

Craig holding a big snake in Curacao

Craig diving in Grenada

Another beautiful beach in Costa Rica

Surfing in Costa Rica






The land crabs we saw while walking thru the rain forest to the beach in Costa Rica.

This is a picture of the front of our hotel in Costa Rica. This same family started the bar at the Isthmus in Catalina - also called Harbor Reef. We enjoyed both places.

Back in the water - Curacao

Friday, October 23rd and Salida is back in the water. It is very nice. We will stay in the marina at a dock for several days. Then off to Boniare for some snorkeling - can't wait.

Our Christmas tree, we celebrated in Bequia with a great

group of cruising friends. We had a great buffet on Salida.

Underwater statues in Grenada

Underwater sculptures in Grenada

Well, it has only been about 6 months since I have updated this blog.

We have sailed from Puerto Rico to Curacao, flown back to the states, spent a month in Jackson Hole, Wy, spent 2 weeks in Costa Rica, and the several months visiting friends and relatives in California and Arizona. We are now back in Curacao and will put the boat back in the water in a week or so. We don't know if we are going to head for Jamaica, Panama or Columbia.

I am going to go back to almost a year to November 2008 and Grenada and then work forward using pictures.

Carnival in Grenada

Guadaloupe, Dominica & Martinique

On June 10, 2008 we left Antigua and headed for Guadaloupe. Guadaloupe is the first of the French islands. It is like being in France - they use the Euro, speak french, and have great food, wine, cheese, bagettes and pastries. There is no import duty so the prices are really good. In the mornings one can go to an internet cafe and have pastries & cafe au lait - yum!

The first of many great meals in the French Island

In Dominica, Kathy, Fred, Craig & I took a jungle cruise up the river.Craig & the guide who rowed us up the river.

The landing

And of course the bar

AND MORE

The airport on the Island of Saba - pretty short runway.

Still moving South - June 2008

We were moving quickly down island to get to Grenada by July. We sailed from Guadeloupe to Isle des Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Bequia, Tobago Cays, Union Island, Carriacou, Isle de Ronde. We arrived in Grenada on July 14, 2008. We spent the hurricane season - almost 5 months - in Grenada.

Boat boys - Soufriere, St. Lucia

View of the Pitons from the Hummingbird Restaurant St. Lucia.

Pizza anyone?


The bar at the end of the jungle ride - Dominica

Craig sailing us out of St.. Lucia in the early morning

The harbor in Soufriere, St. Lucia with a view of the Pitons

The turtle sanctuary - Bequia

Saline Bay, Mayreau

Snorkeling - Mayreau

Righteous Robert's Rastafarian Restaurant - Robert loves to dance - as soon as we took our last bite, he had the stereo blasting and all of us on the dance floor. The Island of Mayreau only got electricity about 5 years ago.



Janti's Happy Island just off of Union Island. Janti wanted to open a bar and clean up the beach in Union Island - so he took all the conch shells left by the fishermen on the beach and built Happy Island. You can dinghy over and snorkel and he makes great rum drinks. We got pretty happy there.

Coconut drinks on Salida - Tobago Cays

The "car" - our only way to get to shore

The Tobago Cays are a few very small deserted islands with crystal clear water. There are no houses, stores, bars etc - so at night it looks like you could reach up and touch the stars. The water is beautiful. The snorkeling is fantastic.

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