The A and the B of the ABCs

13/1/2023

Bon times in Bonaire

The so-called ABC islands are the physical group of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, the three westernmost islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. These have a shared political history and a status of Dutch underlying ownership, since the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 ceded them back to the Netherlands from 1815. They are a short distance north of the Venezuelan mainland and surrounded by Venezuelan waters. Aruba and Curaçao are autonomous, self-governing constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while Bonaire is a special municipality of the Netherlands.

The ABCs

Back in the day the Dutch were a great nation of explorers and seafarers, “discovering” and colonising countries on many continents including parts of Africa, South America and South East Asia. Indeed, Australia was once called “New Holland”, and Tasmania is named after Abel Tasman, the Dutch explorer. Nowadays the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao – the ABCs – along with Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten, are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Hopefully that will you will be able to use this information in Pub Trivia!

Flags ready for arrival

After an uncomfortable week in Venezualan waters, half anticipating another boarding or even a pirate attack, it was a relief to lift the anchor and cross the 45nm distance to Bonaire. We were keen to spend some time in a country where the rules are clear and unlikely to change at a minutes notice. Hoisted the main with one reef and goose-winged the genoa, making good speed and the crossing was uneventful. Turned on our AIS about halfway across, having had it off in Los Roques and Los Aves – which did nothing to stop the officials finding us.

Kite Surfers on the southern tip of Bonaire

Bonaire is quite low and difficult to spot from a distance. As we came to the southern tip of the island we harden up, and see the tell-tale spectacle of kite surfers, which is a sure sign of a compression zone – strong winds and flat water. We get a kick along from that breeze. There is a solar salt farm on the southern end of the island and we can see huge white peaks of salt reminiscent of icebergs. Will we see flamingos here??!

Our mooring block

Anchoring is not allowed in Bonaire as it’s a marine park. We find a buoy in the front row, closest to the town wall. In fact its two buoys with 2 lines off either side of the same mooring block. That is the first time we have seen this configuration, we attach one to each hull. We check in at the Port Authority, it takes less than 30 mins and there is no charge (official or otherwise, that comes later...) and English is well spoken. We get internet for the first time in over a week - great to catch up on our junk mail!

Our mooring buoy is in a wide bay facing, and very close to, the town pier. There is a narrow shelf before it drops off into very deep water. There are lots of people promenading along the waterfront so after morning activities we decide to join them, so lovely to stretch our legs and look around the small town of Kralendijk. In the afternoon I go for a snorkel in front of the boat to check out our mooring block. The water is incredibly clear despite being right in front of the town quay and am blown away by the sea life. There is better coral on our mooring block than we saw at Los Roques. I saw a sea snake, an octopus and an eagle ray. Wow!

Some fellow cruisers (Laura and Chris from Zephyr) drop by and welcome us, they have been here for quite a while enjoying the diving etc. Bonaire is a popular place to spend hurricane season as it is out of the zone, but still subject to “reversals” which see heavy rain and strong storm surge from the south. During these events everyone leaves the mooring fields and rafts up in the marina. It’s a very social place for cruisers although most of those who stayed for the season have now moved on. We are only passing through but we are fortunate to meet and socialise with several lovely couples and families who are heading in the same direction as us. We are (mostly) all heading towards Columbia, Panama, through the canal and on to the Pacific. It’s great to connect and share information and know that we will be able to keep in touch, catch up along the way and help each other out.

Underwater fun

We spend our time in Bonaire checking out the various snorkelling spots along the coast. There are dozens along the coast north of the mooring field, with many within easy dinghy reach. They are marked with yellow sticks, a bit like the YA markers in Sydney harbour, and each spot is named. There are a lot of colourful fish around the dead coral closer to shore before it drops off to a steep wall, which is the domain of scuba divers. We also see plenty of turtles and large tarpon as well. There is a spot called “Something special” which is just outside the marina. It wasn’t that special but ok. Popped over to the pier near Sand Dollar resort and same found the same sort of thing.

Further along the coast we find Andrea I & II and stop there. There is a steep drop off and we see divers passing below us. The coral is quite good here and a little more colour but it’s too deep for snorkelling. Closer to shore the coral is dead but quite a lot more fish grazing. I also follow a turtle for quite a while. To the west of us there is a small sandy island called Klein Bonaire (little Bonaire). The Beach is popular with day day trippers and we tie the dinghy off to a buoy as someone leaves. Again there is a steep drop off and some quite big and colourful fish. We swim to shore and take a short walk along the beach before swimming back to the dinghy.

Beach at Klein Bonaire

Marina sunset

There are some good restaurants here and we enjoy a few nights eating out, which is a welcome change for the on board chef. We also have a few pub sessions watching the lead up games to the World Cup, including Australia vs France (1-4 to France). Haircuts and provisioning also feature in our land-based activities. It was fantastic to be invited to a soiree on Voodoo for a traditional American Thanksgiving! What a lovely evening eating the most amazing gourmet feast, including some incredible desserts. Of course we had one or two wines as well and chatted late into the evening. Fortunately we made it back to ITIKI without too much trouble…

Bonaire Road Trip

Flamingo in Ghot Meer

We hired a car for the day to see the rest of the island and do a final provisioning run. Headed north along the coast. The roads are narrow and not in the best condition after the rainy season. Along the way we pass some of the dive spots that are accessible by land as well. We leave the coast come over the crest of the hill for a great view of Ghot Meer (which I think means big lake) and drive alongside it for a while before finally spotting some flamingos! We stop for photos. Result! It’s apparently a saltwater lake, not sure how that works... Further on we have to drive across a flooded section and again stop for photos of the rocks with warning messages on them. We stop briefly at Dos Pos where there is a windmill and the start of some walking trails, but it’s been wet and they are closed. Then we head down to Rincon which is the other large town of the island. Not much happening here so we head up to the national park. This is also closed due to rain but we can check out the museum and outdoor exhibits. These show the early industries on the island like Aloe and lime extraction.

Slave hut: "... and you will get a nice condo overlooking the ocean..."

Grabbed some lunch at a double decker bus on the headland near the airport before heading across to the lake and down around the southern end of the island, where there is a huge solar salt farm. We seem to be the only ones driving anti-clockwise around the point and there is a steady stream of golf buggies and buses coming the opposite way. Hmm, I am sure I didn’t see a “One Way” sign… We saw the lighthouse that welcomed us on arrival as well as the tiny slave huts along the water front before heading back into town.

My kingdom for an egg

Wherever we have been so far, no matter how small or primitive a place, we have always
been able to get eggs. There are regularly chickens running around the streets even. But here in the Dutch island of Bonaire it is somehow very difficult. You can’t just walk into an shop or supermarket and see a shelf full of eggs. Today the big supermarkets have nothing, and tell us to come back between 3 and 4?! After we drop the car back the guy takes us via couple of convenience stores he knows and as it is just after 3:30 we finally find some eggs on the third stop. We make one more supermarket before heading back to the boat and I get chatting to an English couple are looking for eggs…. So what’s the story? Well it seems that there used to be frequent boat traffic between nearby Venezuela and Bonaire, with fresh produce and eggs being imported from close by. But when US/Venezuelan relations soured, US allies including the Dutch were expected to severe ties as well. Not much of an impact in Amsterdam I imagine but the effects locally have been significant. All produce now has to be imported from further afield, at much greater expense, and carbon footprint, and local egg production is struggling to ramp up!

Off to Aruba

Aruba flag

Well all good things must come to an end so it is time to leave Bonaire, bypass Curacao and head 106nm westward to Aruba. Its an awkward distance, a bit too long for a day sail, and so we decide to do it overnight. Checked-out in the morning and said our farewells to a few fellow cruisers, some of whom we will see again soon! Its been raining on and off all day and it is sad to leave when the weather is dreary. Little did we know what excitement was in store for us on this short passage. You will have to wait for the next instalment to find out what happened on the way to Aruba!

Meanwhile check out some scenes from Bonaire!

0 Comments

itiki blog