Date and Time: Tuesday, January 17, 2006, 2030 AST
Weather: Beautiful and Sunny
Air and Water Temperature: 82 degrees F
Latitude: N 12 degrees 09.27 minutes
Longitude: W 68 degrees 16.78 minutes
Location: Kralendijk, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
We made it! We had a great three day passage from the southern Grenadines to Bonaire. Last night we did everything possible to slow ourselves down so that we would arrive here during daylight hours, and when nothing worked, we sailed a little north until about 0400 and then headed south along the east coast of Bonaire. Much of the island is a nature preserve and the southern tip is all salt flats.
We sailed along the salt flats and then around the southern tip of the island and back up the west coast. Anchoring is not allowed anywhere here in order to protect the coral, so we took one of the town moorings around mid-day. I can’t believe I haven’t been in the water yet, but by the time we got settled in, went to town to check in and have lunch, explored the downtown area, and took a dinghy ride to the marina to pay the mooring fees, it was time for cocktail hour. We had met our neighbors, Lionel and Laurie from Vancouver Island, Canada, when we first arrived today and they had suggested we meet them at the local “yachtie” hang out for Happy Hour. Lionel came to our rescue when we arrived to help us tie up to the double mooring balls. We hadn’t really met Laurie, but we had heard her squeals of delight when she was snorkeling around her boat and spotted a turtle.
Snorkeling is good everywhere here. We moored closer to the north end of town where there are supposed to be an unbelievable variety of fish. I’ll jump in first thing in the morning and report on the sightings tomorrow.
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| 060117 Day 92 Caribbean, Bonaire–Arrival in Bonaire |
