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.