Passage to Bonaire

Passage to Bonaire

While this will include our stay in Bonaire, the title is a thank you to the 2012 blog from Mar Azul that helped us plan our crossing.  We had read many accounts of this two-and-a-half-day trip but none were more helpful and full of useful data than Bob’s. I feel like I know him since his blog was recommended by our good friends on Hobo.  These two boats met back in 2012 in Bonaire! 

Back to the crossing. The trick is to guess the westward current boost so arrival is in the daylight.  Our normal speed should have allowed a late day departure for two nights and then an early morning arrival. However, numerous bloggers told of having to slow down or circle waiting for daylight.  We opted to depart in the wee hours of Jan 1, 2020 – pulled anchor and were on our way out of Prickly Bay, Grenada before 4 AM.  Since we had arrived there in the dark and had entered and exited several times, we had clear tracks to follow.  This dark exit was not a stressor.  Like many previous boats we experienced a swell and somewhat rolly seas for the first 12 hours or so.  From that point on, it was manageable and ever calmer (although never flat!) The first quarter was slower than expected and we began to doubt our planning, but true to predictions, the current kicked in and we flew – for us – averaging 7.8+ across the 450+ statue mile trip. These calmer conditions also made fishing a little easier and like the folks with Mar Azul, we caught a freezer full of Mahi and a sail fish that was released to fight another day.

We came into sight of the harbor in Bonaire just after 1:30 PM and were tied to the dock and off to customs and immigration shortly after 2PM. The checking in process in Bonaire is free and relatively painless – we walked into town from the marina to stretch our legs and then sat and waited for the officials to do their magic. A short line and few officials, did result in a wait, but we were legally entered before 6 PM. The customs and immigration offices are in the heart of the old town and provided a nice entry to this quaint little community.  The cruise ship and its mobs were still wandering the square so the vendors were also out and flogging crafts and local specialties like the famous Bonaire Salt!  I was drawn to the glass artist and her hand-blown beads!

Bonaire’s waters are protected and no anchoring is allowed so we opted to book a few nights in the marina to “recover” from our overnights on watch, and then we hoped to move to one of the state park moorings in the harbor.  Since we could see many were available, we made the move early Monday morning.  Steve did go out in our dink and reserved one with a fender. In the end this one turned out to be rather close to a local boat. As a result, we practice hooking up to a mooring again and moved a little closer to the dinghy dock at Nautico Marina – made for easier trips into town and no worries bumping into other boats. These moorings cost $10 per night and all the funds go to the park system who maintains the rigging. Steve still dove ours to double check.

There is a courtesy van twice a week that picks up boats and takes them to the wonderful Van den Tweel grocery store where amazing Dutch treats and all manner of fresh and packaged goods are available. There is also a Tops grocery story a short walk from the dinghy dock that has essentials but much fewer fresh items. Restaurants abound in this tourist town as do cute shops with tempting goodies – mostly aimed at cruise ship passengers.  In one shop I noticed some handmade sea glass jewelry and offered to bring the artist some of my stash.  In return for some of my pickings of sea glass, she kindly made me a necklace and earrings set which nicely match one of my few dresses!

dive site marker

The big draw in Bonaire is the diving, and Steve took advantage – giving his gear and tanks a constant workout. He managed to visit by dinghy some of the most highly recommended and well buoyed dive sites on the leeward side.  With a dive guide recommended by our son, Paul, he also made one trip to the windward side – before the winds kicked up and made diving over there dangerous. (I held the fort and continued to knit on a very frustrating “twisted stitch” project!!!! – besides the ever-present chores!) To be fair, Steve also had a few little fixes to attend to that required several trips to the local Budget Marine and Kooyman’s Hardware stores. 

Besides underwater park dive sites, we rented a golf cart and bounced around on the so-so roads. One stop included a couple mile walk in the national park.  This was especially a treat since for most of the walk there were no people to be seen. Finally, as we paused to view the impressive blow hole – blowing violently due to the extra strong trade winds, we noticed a few cars off in the distance.  Unlike the rest of the island, the park was peaceful and mostly empty.

Seeing a small break in the prevailing and extra brisk trade winds, we revisited the fine folks at customs and immigration and got our “zarpe” to depart. We were hoping to spend a night at Klein Curacao on our way into the anchorages of Spaanse Waters (Spanish). Fingers crossed – it can be a rough spot when strong winds blow.