ABC Islands to Cartagena, Colombia

Our time on Bonaire was delightful! The water was crystal cobalt blue, the clearest we´ve seen in all the Caribbean. We were able to enjoy our bikes on Bonaire, as well. Over the course of 2 days, we circled the island, and enjoyed everything from the salt pyramids & pale pink salt ponds on the eastern end of Bonaire to the flamingo refuge at Gotomeer on the west end. We rode past every dive site on Bonaire, and found incredible snorkeling as well. When we left the island after a 5 day stay, we stopped at Klein Bonaire, a flat, arid island just west. We found the best snorkeling there, a secluded mooring without a soul around. Bonaire was truly a highlight of our journey so far.

Sailing from Bonaire to Curacao was exciting as well. The winds in the ABC islands are breezy and steady. The crossing is less than 50 miles or so, and the winds did allow us to sail fast and surf the swells. Sea Child continues to impress us, with her ability to rise on the swell and slide down each wave effectively increasing our boat speed by several knots. We reached Spaans Harbor on Curacao well before sunset and found ourselves in a veritable cruisers haven!

We needed provisions and ice, as well as a good wash down after the time on Bonaire. While the islands are incredibly beautiful, the winds blow minute particles of dust across the decks and in no time did we have a build up of dirt. We were reminded of Maalaea Harbor on Maui, where our crew with Paragon needs to wash down the boats every day. This, too, is the way it is in the ABC islands. From Spaans Harbor, a local supermarket picks up cruisers every morning at 10:00 sharp. We were driven about 15 minutes to an inland center that had a very nice market along with a Budget Marine store. The perfect combination for every cruiser, and we took full advantage of our hour visit before the bus took us back to the harbor. Our time in Curacao was brief, however. Just the one day, enough time to provision and wash down, grab a bag of ice, and then onward to Aruba, 83 miles to the west.

Again, the seas were steady at 4-6´, winds easterly to 22, and skies clear. We were chasing a squall line for most of the sail to Aruba, enjoying the boat speeds that averaged well over 10 knots for the duration of the 8 hour crossing. Arriving into Aruba on a Sunday afternoon, however, was a pain. We were instructed by the port control to enter the Oranjestad Harbor at the cruise ship docks and to tie up alongside massive black tires. With just the two of us onboard and the wind gusts to 30, docking for immigration was a pain. There was not a soul around, so we waited for a few minutes until a friendly Atlantis Submarine worker came over to chat with us. The immigration officials arrived by car, taking our boat documents and passports with them as the two of us waited on Sea Child for clearance. When the process was finally completed, we moved over to the Renaissance Harbor in Oranjestad, a clean and friendly harbor that gave us a bit of a break from the steady high winds off shore.

Our visit to Aruba was very brief, less than 24 hours. We found Aruba to have beautiful water, but the island itself was dirty and the roads crowded. At least in Oranjestad, where we picked up hydraulic fluid for our autopilot. We were well provisioned for our sail to Columbia, 385 miles away.

Checking out of Aruba at 15:00, we began our journey due west, to start. The winds were steady at 25 knots, the seas were flat, then gradually started to build as we gained distance from Aruba. Our biggest gust of wind was well over 30 knots, and as the seas wrapped around the island, their direction was a bit confused. Dinner on our first night was treated by a visit of dolphins, a large group of bottlenose that played in our bow wake while we were sailing a steady 13 knots. As we neared the coastal islands of Venezuela, some 53 miles from Aruba, we were on a port tack broad reach with winds around 22 knots. Through channel 16 we were notified by the Venezuelan Coast Guard about the ´´danger danger danger´´ of the approaching small islands. There are about 3 islands, basically rocks with one coast guard outpost on them, in the Archipelago Los Monjes islands. We identified ourselves to the Venezuelans, jibed, and continued our sail to Cartagena.

Our total crossing to Cartagena was 410 miles travelled, as we needed to jibe several times for best winds. Sea Child sailed with the jib, screecher, and main in all combinations. Our 2nd night at sea saw winds increasing and the seas as well. Our largest swell, we estimate, was well over 20´and the winds averaged 15knots for the entire crossing. At times, the seas were so active that our watches had us hand-steering the entire time. And the closer we got to Cartagena, the more freighters and tankers we saw. In one 3 hour watch, we counted over 8 freighters on radar; twice we needed to divert our route to remain at a comfortable distance.

The crossing to Cartagena, while wild at times, saw Sea Child sail in exess of 16 knots on the main alone, hit 20 knots with the big screecher and main, and down to 4 knots as we neared the coast. We would jibe out to stay in fresh winds, and alot of wind it was. The crossing took us 42 hours, 2 night watches, and some mental strength. But we did it, arriving in Cartagena and making new friends at the Club Nautico Cartagena. Our adventure to San Blas, Panama begins in a few days time.

Cartagena, Colombia. Local Internet Cafe, pictures to be posted on next blog. 10°25' N, 75°33'W.