Waiting in Aruba

Waiting in Aruba

We arrived in Aruba to stay at the Renaissance Marina with no idea of how long we might have to wait for calm weather to continue west.  Fortunately, this rather small facility in the heart of Orangestad is an easy and friendly place to hang out. Checking in and out in Aruba requires a stop at the official dock in Baracardo -  before we could proceed to the marina.  We had left Curacao at dawn to allow for the extra time in daylight to clear in with the officials and still get to the marina before dark.  With the swift westerly current in the area between Aruba and Venezuela we made excellent time and even completed the customs & immigration dance in short order. A flock of fast fishing boats returning from a tournament in Bonaire kindly assisted us with our lines and we were soon on our way to the marina in record time. (Aruba has a reputation for not being very cruiser friendly, but we found the officials very helpful and no less efficient than any other islands.) Since the marina office is not open on Sundays – when we arrived, we were also lucky that our neighbor, Kas, jumped out to catch our lines and get us into our slip -  assigned via e-mail.  Hans, in the office, was a wealth of information on everything from local hardware stores to the best car rentals. The Market Place next to the docks had a convenient bar set to show the Super Bowl game on a giant screen so we were able to relax and watched the game in comfort. 

working to get the power on

super bowl party 2020

Our stay in Aruba was extended to nearly 3 weeks as we waited for some calm weather to make the jump over to Columbia – Santa Marta. While we waited, Steve got in a dive – although it was less than spectacular it did get him more exercise than our car tour!

Tourist Tours

famous but underwhelming

The Renaissance maintains an “island” get away with exclusive beaches and a short nature walk.  We had a “pirate” breakfast there before walking the beach paths. This area is heavily popular with time-share visitors and northern tourists seeking relief from winter weather.  The island ferries are packed from early in the morning and the beaches are teeming with happy sun worshipers.  

launch to island from lagoon inside mall/hotel

people were as interesting as the birds

extra fee to rent a private cabana on the water

The streets of Orangestad were also busy – especially when the cruise ships were in town – it was a rare day that no ships were on the dock and most days there were two or more.  This influx lasted from early morning until late afternoon or some days into the evening. Perhaps the crowds account for the American style restaurants which proliferated – everything from McDonalds to Starbucks peaked out among the crenelated old Dutch style malls. In contrast to the tourist stalls along the beach front the Renaissance Mall sprouted every high-end brand from Gucci to Louis V.  The show at the Museum gave us a glimpse of the local culture through music and dances, plus great food to munch while we were entertained. People watching was a popular pastime!

                                      

A favorite tiny restaurant

Steve managed to get in!

a bargain at $750

As it turned out we had prime opportunities to see the action with several of the major Carnival Parades taking place just opposite our dock.  The most spectacular was the Lighting Parade which was held at night – the elaborate costumes were lit with hundreds of tiny lights. (sorry few photos turned out)  The parade supposedly began about 7 or 8 but it did not reach our location (which Steve staked out with chairs earlier in the day) until after midnight. The parade included relief stations (porta-potties on trailers) and rolling refreshments – some on trailers and others in shopping carts - even a pizza delivery cart.  Clearly most of the participants had been keeping well hydrated during their long walk.   The marchers and floats continued for over an hour and a half – although we had retreated well before the end. The ear-splitting music finally faded about 2AM.  

saving a space to wait and watch

The children’s parade was more civilized and was held during the day – although it also took more than 4 hours to reach our viewing spot. While carnival may not be as elaborate here as places east and south, the significance cannot be minimized – schools are closed and there is a national holiday “hangover day” declared for the day after the final parade.

Parent Powered

refreshment station upscale

comfort station on wheels

and these are the CHILDREN's costumes!

Using all our resources – several weather apps, emails, and experienced friends, we had our eye on a weather window which fortunately held, giving us the 48 hours needed to cross into Colombian waters. It was worth the wait as the only unpleasant “minutes” were fairly mild – and shortly before we pulled into the marina at Santa Marta 44ish hours after leaving Aruba.

nice tasty tuna

dolphin escort

no stress for Teddy a true boat cat

Curacao

Curacao - heading west

Curacao is a close neighbor of Bonaire, but an entirely different country.  Bonaire chose to remain a part of the Netherlands, but Curacao became independent. The winds had abated a little, but the seas were not smooth – 5ish foot waves rolled through on the 4-hour trip from Bonaire to the anchorage behind Klein Curacao.  The anchorage was far from flat, but with both of our floppers – roll stabilizers – deployed, we managed. One big beam wave did rearrange a few cupboards just as we rounded the island and we now have chips on a few of our dishes ☹

In the anchorage we found our friends on SV Faith – they saw us coming and decided to spend another night. A night dive was planned to visit the reef and hopefully see the creatures that come out after a full moon. Steve reported the dive a little underwhelming after Bonaire, but interesting nonetheless.

In the morning we launched our kayak and paddled to shore before the big tourist boats arrived.  We pulled her on the beach and walked to the lighthouse ruin and over to the eastern shore to see the remains of a few ships that failed to miss the reef. 

Waves were still crashing on shore but fortunately our trip on into Spanish Waters was a little protected. We dropped the hook in AREA B and scuttled to shore with the crew of SV Faith to locate the customs and immigration offices in Williamstad. This involved walking to the roundabout to catch a bus – 6A which took about half an hour to reach the heart of the old town.  From there we had to locate the temporarily relocated customs office – only had to ask a few times – it was down a narrow, deserted street in a seemingly abandoned building.  Then we completed the computer forms to be cleared through customs.  Paper work in hand, we back tracked, crossed a floating bridge and walked on the other side of the river even further than the walk to customs – at a guard gate we entered the dock and walked on and on again passing derelict warehouses to finally arrive at the immigration office. Paper work here was speedily completed and we had only one more stop – to the Harbor Inspection office where we paid for our 3-month anchoring permit - $10 – the only fees so far. Thankfully this office is located next door to the immigration building. We had been told that the process of checking in could take 2-3 hours. With the Harbor office closing at 4, we walked through the door at 3:45 -, so catching the bus at 1:15, we completed the process in record time?

Unfortunately, those air-conditioned buses do not run frequently – about every hour and a half, so after a brief refreshment, we hoofed it back to the bus stop and headed back. We did make it in time to join the cruisers who enjoy a “Captain’s Dinner” special on Thursdays at The Pier restaurant – this is a great deal - $10 set meal and happy hour price drinks.  We got to meet a few of the other cruisers many with years of experience in these waters. - in many ways the cruising community is very small. Among the group in Spanish Waters was Kim who is a moving force in the Caribbean Security and Safety Net (CSSN). She along with other volunteers - like our dock master at Peakes - help keep cruisers informed and safe while boating in the these waters.  Hats off to this crew and it is always nice to put a face to a name.

Our stay in Curacao included as much tour on land as under the water.  Williamstad is a UNESCO heritage site and deservedly so.  Big cruise ships call here frequently – some days there are three loads of visitors, but the quaint narrow streets make the crowds disappear.  Great little “Art” shops are abundant as well as the usual tourist trinket vendors.   The market stalls were interesting – more than souvenir items, also food and even a notions store, plus the people were very friendly rather than pushy. The core of the city is very pleasant to stroll through and outdoor cafes offer great places to relax and soak in the atmosphere. Curacao is indeed DUSHI - sweet!

We stayed late one night to enjoy the town under the lights, especially the famous pontoon bridge.

Our harbor cruise/tour from the Maritime Museum gave us a glimpse of the industrial side of the island as well as more details on the history of this very secure hurricane hole.

At the Chobolobo plantation house – home to the Curacao Distillery, we were educated on the finer points of manufacturing this handmade liqueur in its distinctive bottle. Of course, the tour included a few samples – required in the name of research!

With our friends on SV Faith, we visited the Curaloe farm and wandered through a self-guided walking tour of the aloe fields. We also made a stop at Tugboat Beach – an easy access shore dive with interesting on shore amenities.  The Beekenburg Fort tower lured us up for a few scenic shots of the surrounding area.

Steve dove with Andy and KK to the east end when the winds dropped as well as a few shore dives. While not as easy or convenient as diving in Bonaire, he managed to have a little fun and keep busy.

There were also walks and bus rides to the local grocery stores and marine shops and delicious meals at numerous eateries.  It is easy to understand how boaters make this their base coming back year after year after year.

On our way to out of Curacao, we spent a quiet night in Santa Cruz bay which shortened our run to Aruba. The very polite Coast Guard came to check our papers and make sure we were safe through the night. Always comforting to know there is a friendly voice at the other end of the VHF channel 16.