Boatyard Deja Vu

 

On our way to the Manzanillo Marina Club boatyard.

When we left Manzanillo Marina last year returning there was the farthest thing from our minds. After having stayed in Cartagena for months and traveling after our work was completed we greatly anticipated moving on to Curacao and Bonaire for awhile before continuing to other Caribbean ports.  At that point our plan was to continue on to the eastern Caribbean. 

The work begins.
 

While in Curacao we began to view our plans differently. Our Caribbean circumnavigation plan had been developed 10 years ago. Then when our plan met reality we spent 2 years in Guatemala we didn't plan on. 3 more years in Panama and now another year in Colombia more than we planned.  So now we're several more years older than we planned to at this point so we discussed our plans and decided that maybe the best thing for us was to head back to Panama, So we loosely planned a return sometime in the Spring via a route undetermined. Then while enjoying Bonaire I noticed that our holding tank was leaking and we cut our trip to that island short and returned to Curacao to contemplate our next move. 

The floor of the forward salon with the teak strips removed being lifted with wedges to break the glue. The green tape marks where the wood floor was cut. 
 

The double green tape marks the wood floor cut in the main salon. It was a seam so it cut easily and nicely. 
 

Some of the wedges and strakes used to lift the floor. 
 

We discussed the options. We really didn't need a holding tank in the Caribbean but it would need to be replaced in the future. So we could do it now or where would we do it in the future? We knew we could get the work done in Cartagena for a reasonable amount and having decided to go back to Panama, it was on the way. So if we committed to the holding tank replacement, we decided we should do the water tank as well as the water system seemed to be getting jammed almost daily with tank detritus. We had already planned on getting a new bottom paint in Cartagena anyway so a stop there would be productive. 

 

The floors were stacked on the settees.

The two cabins with the wood floors up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After looking at the options and scoping out the work we contacted the Maurice the marina manager at Manzanillo who worked closely with us on last year's rehab. In retrospect, we probably should have done the tanks last year but we already had a huge job. I was in touch with our friends in Cartagena before we even left the ABC's. Our slip at Club de Pesca was available for us and Maurice was happy to talk to us.

My daily lunch routine at Milady's. A local lunch source for many workers in the area. Service was excellent. Each day the menu was a surprise. 
 

When we arrived in Cartagena we met another IP 420 who we knew through the internet, Innuendo who was there for the same purpose. They had contacted several marinas and contractors about the work but hadn't reached and conclusions. Just 3 days after we got back to Cartagena Maurice came to our boat with a fiberglass and a carpenter contractor and we met to review and discuss the work. Innuendo then came over to discuss their work. 

A buried treasure. Underneath the floor in our cabin were coils of very heavy gauge wire that apparently got left there during the construction of the boat. At today's prices it was hundreds of dollars worth of cable. I traded it to my electrician for his bill. 
 

We had solid proposals with several options just a few days later. So we visited the boatyard for further discussions and less than 3 weeks later Amekaya was on its way to Manzanollo. Since we couldn't live on the boat we had to quickly find an apartment for the duration that was close to Club de Pesca with easy access to Manzanillo so we wanted to remain in the Manga neighborhood of Cartagena where we stayed last year and where CDP Marina is located. In the better areas of Cartagena real estate is not cheap for what you get and at the last minute pickings are slim. Especially because our time we were looking for included some key holidays, many places weren't available as the weekends were booked far in advance. We also didn't have a firm end date.

First view of the holding tank with the framing intact. 

View of the old water tank with some framing still intact. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the last several days before we went into the yard we wrapped everything we could in plastic film. Some things we put in garbage bags and many things we put in the aft cabin or the heads and put plastic over the louvers to keep them free of the dust. During the work days everything was closed up and at night I opened the louvered doors to allow air in to prevent mold and mildew. Opening things at night did allow some dust but there was no mold from being closed up. Our settee cushions remained in place with plastic wrappers and came through undamaged.  When we arrived at Manzanillo on Monday 13 April. Innuendo was already there. Tuesday morning the carpenters arrived and in a day they had the wood floors up. Wednesday they had the fiberglass subfloors up over both tanks. Thursday they had the old holding tank out and Saturday they had the water tank cut up and out. 

Our holding tank in the cockpit with a hole in it that they used for leverage to lift it out. Our holding tank is rated as 60 USG. 

 The spot on the bottom that leaked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Removing the floors was easier than I thought. Lifting the teak trim around the edges revealed screws holding down the floors. The trim pieces were held on by small finish nails so they popped right up. The wood floor over the holding tank required two cuts. One of 3 inches and the other of 12 going through a floor access. By doing that the floor damage was minimal and easier to restore. In the main salon, there was a seam that ran from the front of the port settee to the bulkhead that was exploited and would be easy to reseal. 

The larger portion of the water tank being removed. The smaller portion can be seen still in place.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once cut, using wedges and metal strakes that were driven in to loosen the glue, each floor came up in one piece.  

 

 

The condition of the tanks outside the boat. The tanks were sold to salvage after all the useful information was extracted. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fiberglass subfloor was simply cut by a sawzall around the edges.  In the main salon there were support members between the side bulkheads that had to be cut and there was a PVC conduit between the two sides that had to be cut. The conduit was for sending wires across without going through the bilge. 

The boat after the tanks were extracted. The large light splotches are the old fiberglass mounts that held the tank. Those were chipped out to get back to the basic fiberglass. The long light brown thing was the old sewage hose from the aft head to the holding tank that was replaced. 
 

Removing the holding tank required removing a side bulkhead. With that removed and all the other bracing it was a simple task to pop up the tank. It came up in one piece. To remove the water tank it was cut in half and then each half levered to break the bonds and then lifted out. In the process of cutting the tank in half the underlying holding tank hose was nicked.  

 

Views of the bulkheads with the holes for the hose to the holding tank as installed by the factory. There was ample room to put the new house through the cutout for the shower sump.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Without the floors and tanks the boat looked empty, hollow and dirty. Not the usual beautiful bright wood sheen we were used to, but a series of deep pits and openings revealing parts of the boat that were never meant to be seen. 

The bilge looking back under the engine and cockpit. 
 

With the tanks out over 20 years of dirt and water stains appeared where beautiful wood had been. So we made our first project to clean away the dirt from the tank removal. Every time we opened a hose or seacock water drained into the bilge and we began an almost daily ritual of cleaning out the bilge. 

The cleaned and repainted bilge without the new hose. 

The cleaned bronze holding tank valves. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the tanks out we got a great view into parts of the boat we would normally never see and access to all of  it. As we scraped away the residue my mind drifted on to what improvements we could make and what repairs did we need to make now that we could do them.

An unplanned project was new cockpit cushions. They're a slightly different hue than our old ones bbut are much lighter and firmer.  

The first obvious repair was we needed a new bilge pump. While we were in Curacao the old one slowly went out of business. Fortunately, we had the manual bilge pump that worked so we could keep the bilge water low. 

Working on the new water tank. 

The new holding tank. 

The new water tank under construction. 

The next thing I looked at was how I could reroute the head hoses to a more practical routing. That also included replacing the hoses. It seemed like every time we moved hoses more water came out. I think for the first 2 weeks we were cleaning up water everyday. Now that I knew the challenges involved in rerouting hoses it took a great deal of thought to evaluate all the options. 

The holding tank being lifted up to the deck with he marina's forklift. 
 

I ultimately decided to replace the aft head hose in the same location where it was with the only hose we could find in Cartagena. The very basic white hose. My thinking was thus. We never use the aft head and when we have it went straight overboard. If at some point in the future someone wants to upgrade the hose it's easy (easy being a relative term)  to do. The hose runs under the water tank, through a wide tunnel under the mast step and then through open area up to the holding tank. We had replaced this hose is 2015.

The new holding tank in place with the new bulkhead and the new support members in place. The new head hose can be seen on the left running through a newly accessible space. 
 

The forward head hose took some thought. The original configuration for the forward head hose was: from the head it ran through holes in 2 bulkheads that were not much bigger than the original hose then under the holding tank and up to the selector valve. The big challenge with that was the large rise from the bilge to the diverter valve put lots of back pressure into the head. After doing some measuring I decided that I could run the hose from the floor hole by the head through the cuts in the bulkheads for the shower sump, then over to a hole in the bulkhead on the front side of the holding tank that I could cut, then through holes in the 2 bulkheads behind the holding tank so the line would be nearly level for the duration. Ideally, sewage lines should be on a downward trend but minimizing all the grades was the next best option. 

This is the food-grade gelcoat used to coat the inside of the tank. It's a 2 part epoxy compound. We have a Certificate from the manufacturer that it is food-grade. 
 

The next major improvement was to replace the bilge pump. Installing it was relatively easy. Getting it in timely was not. Because there were false signals on when the tanks were going in I tried to rush a pump from Defender Marine only to have it sit in Miami for weeks. So, I ended up buying one of Amazon that they would deliver and we got it quickly and I installed it. The manual bulge pump worked great until debris started getting caught up in it and I was cleaning it. Right now it doesn't work but I have parts to try to fix it. The pickup and everything in the bilge is fine.

Evolution of the floor over the holding tank. The blue tape X is where the new access panel will be going. 

 The finished subfloor. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also replaced he macerator pump while we had easier access so that our entire sewage system was completely new. I used the new pump to evacuate the holding tank after we filled it to check it.

The main salon ready for the water tank. 
 

The big project was cleaning and painting. With so much access we cleaned everything multiple times and painted using Bilgekote everywhere. Even up into the bilge under the cockpit. We scraped off all the loose paint and hosed it all thoroughly before painting. I also sprayed insecticide up into the back bilge since this was the only time we might get access to this.

The new water tanks ready to be lifted onto the boat. The pipe sticking out is for the inter-tank connection. 
 

With the tank out I had easy access to my nemesis through hull that had been installed for the generator when we had it installed when we bought the boat. The through hull was deep in the bilge and working the handle was usually blocked by lots of other impediments.I worked to lubricate the through hull and see what improvements I could make. One day I had an epiphany. Replace it with an elbow and move the handle vertical instead of horizontal. So we did that. It took some luck to find all the pieces. The elbow itself was used, being gifted to me from another boat and required some cleaning but it looked as good as new. Now the handle moves easily and is easy to reach without any interference. 

The two water tanks in place being joined. 
 

A short while after we had gotten to Curacao we began having generator problems. Not so much mechanical but electrical. The generator failed to produce consistent voltage. A technician there diagnosed it as a problem in the rectifier. Because Curacao didn't have 120V current we could never check if the problem was the generator or the devices so it had to wait until we returned to Colombia.

 

The water tanks joined, gelcoated and support stringers in place. 

Before we got back to Cartagena I contacted the mechanic that had worked on our generator before. The week we got back he came over and removed the entire electrical part of the generator. Several days later he gave me a parts list to order from the States. While we were in the Boatyard I tried to top off our fuel tank one day and didn't realize that in removing the parts of the generator he had to disconnect the fuel lines. As I was filling the tank it was taking way more fuel than I thought it should. When I went back into the boat I saw a large amount of fuel in the bilge. I tracked it down to the generator. He had closed the incoming fuel line but the return line was hanging and fuel was running out of it. Cleaning up that mess took several hours. The bulk fuel we could recover I filtered and have in a tank to be filtered again and put back into the main tank. 

The service connections for the tank. The old service plate was removed from the old tank. New pickups were built. Extensions were needed for hoses. A new vent line had to be added because of the two tanks. We bought a new gauge because the old one had lots of corrosion.  
 

With the work being done on the boat we were living in an apartment in Cartagena. Every day I took an Uber to and from the yard. I left around 8 in the morning and get back 5,6, or 7 at night. Everyday I was the lone gringo across the street in Milady's tienda having the typico lunch with local workers from neighborhood.businesses. They daily typico lunch consisted of a bowl of soup, a plate with usually a meat, some type of salad, rice often a type of beans and some form of plantains all for about $ 3.75. The new lady's working there got to know me and were very friendly. I ate lunch there everyday last year when we were in the yard. Lunch was often the highlight of my day at the yard.

Ready for the subfloor. 

Like our previous 2 years in Cartagena I had a helper. The helper I had last year was helping on another boat so he told me his son could help me. His son was in his first year of college and needed money so we started working around his class schedule. He really didn't have any experience so managing him was difficult. I could only give him menial tasks and it was difficult to instruct him in Spanish because he spoke no English. But, still we managed. Much of his work involved washing and polishing which is a never ending job on a boat. Especially once we got the tanks out there was lots to do. Unfortunately, when the journeymen were working inside there wasn't much for him to do. Some days I loaned him to others to help so that he would be productive. His doing menial chores was helpful allowing me time to catch up on other tasks.

Subfloor in place.
 

Maurice presented several options for the tanks. The basic was fiberglass and then there were several grades of stainless steel. We opted to have both fiberglass tanks. There were many factors to consider in the choice of tank, but we opted for both tanks in fiberglass. Fiberglass is much lighter than stainless and stainless will corrode at some point. The holding tank could be put in as one unit. It was removed as a unit and was replaced as a unit. On the other hand, the water tank would have to be installed as 2 pieces. Innuendo chose 316 stainless and reduced the size of their tank to have it installed in one piece. It was heavy to install. We wanted to keep the original water tank size as well because we believe that is a key cruising feature of our boat.

The forward cabin sole with the new access panels cut out. 
 

Installing two tanks for water required some sort of bond in the middle. With stainless tanks they would have to be welded which has many issues being done inside the boat. Fiberglass on the other hand can simply be glassed together forming a secure bond. The two-part tanks wouldn't be symmetrical so getting the compound shape correct was essential for the boat balance. 

Installing the main salon sole. 
 

For whatever reason there seemed to be unduly delays in getting our tanks completed. The holding tank was not as big of an issue as the water tank because the water tank had to be coated with a food-grade gelcoat to be used with potable water. Getting the right gelcoat and the warranty from the manufacturer took some time, Then applying the gelcoat cleanly without dust residue in the final coatings took more time than originally anticipated. During this downtime we worked on various projects around the boat but soon our outside projects were limited.

A first coat of non-ablative paint. Last year we put on a new epoxy barrier coat and a coat of red paint that wore well. Now we need a signal coat under our traditional red paint. 
 

The tanks had to be installed the same way the original ones were. They were cemented to the hull with a fiberglass cement. The holding tank was framed into the box of bulkheads it came out of and the bulkhead that had been destroyed was rebuilt. Once the frame was in the subfloor was laid over it and glassed in all the way around. Then the fiberglass was gelcoated. The water tank was similarly installed. The wooden cross members over the tank were replaced with fiberglass and then the subfloor was glassed in and gelcoated. 

The hull waxed, new bottom paint and new accent stripes. 
 

Once the fiberglass work was done the wood floors were laid down with massive amounts of 5200 adhesive and screwed down. Heavy weights were set on the floor to force it to a clean bond. Then the seams were finished, the wood trim applies and then the wood floors refinished. In the end, the floors don't look like they were moved at all.

Finally going back in the water. 
 

We took advantage of the  opportunity to have some areas of teak refinished and we had two new access panels installed in the floor of the forward cabin. 

The finished inside. 
 

We are now sitting back in Club de Pesca working to get the boat ready us to leave it for our annual trip back to the States. All the projects and repairs we identified during our trip to Curacao have been completed. The generator is working, our tanks are in, the electronics have been repaired, new pumps and new tanks. Before we replaced the water tank I had to deal with a cantankerous water pump. So far it has been working fine. 

Leaving Manzanillo
 

We continue to enjoy everything about our boat but now I'm working on a new list. 

 

 Home

 

 

  

 

  

QT on the ABC's

The Queen Emma Bridge between Punda and Otrabanda across the sea channel is one of the iconic symbols of Curacao. When we entered it had already been opened and we wondered where it was.
 

When we made our long-term cruising plans about ten years ago, we planned on spending maybe a year in the ABC islands before heading north to Puerto Rico and then down the eastern Caribbean. But, when we made those plans, we planned to be at this point probably 5 years ago. As always, life got in the way. We spent more time in the Rio Dulce because of another back surgery. We spent 4 years in Panama due to Covid and our engine issue, then our lengthy stay in Colombia to do work and travel. 

The entry way into Curacao

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, here we are now at the point in our travels where we had to decide our future course. For the first time in ten years we have decided to change our plans and pivot to an entirely different set of adventures, We have decided to turn around and head back to the western Carib. The eastern Caribbean has always seemed to us to be crowded, expensive and touristy. On the other hand we find the western Carib to be less crowded, inexpensive and more friendly. From Panama, we can do more traveling through South America that we thoroughly enjoy. Because new issues we are also forced to head back to Colombia to have more work done. Cartagena is the best spot to get it done.

Welcome to Curacao with it's lively colored buildings that are a World Heritage Site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A month before we returned to Cartagena in September, a boat 3 slips from us was struck by lightning. We tested everything and everything worked well. The trip to Curacao presented no problems. But, after a while electrical issues began to develop. We can't be sure if they were a result of the lightning or just coincidence, but we need to get them fixed. Foremost at this point is the generator that we had rebuilt in Cartagena. It was working fine until we began having issues in Curacao. We replaced the voltage regulator but it still failed to produce consistent current. The tech that worked on it can't be sure of the issue but needs to pull the generator core out. But, to do that we need to be on shore power. The electricity in Curacao and Bonaire is European at 50 hz and it won't work on our boat. So, back to Cartagena for that. 

In addition to the generator some other electrical issues developed after we got to Curacao that we are running down.  

We didn't know it at the time but this would become our favorite beach hangout. Kokomo Beach wasn't the top beach in any category but we like it because it was close, it had facilities and we could get a table at the restaurant and not have to rent beach chairs. 
 

The other major project was a sleeping concern since we bought the boat but it has now awakened. Island Packets for many years were built with aluminum tanks. No doubt for their light weight and durability. Unfortunately, the downside of that is that they corrode. The number one issue is the holding tank. For the time until we left the States in 2016 our holding tank worked fine. For the past 10 years we haven't used it because there are no pump out facilities in most of the Caribbean. However, Bonaire requires their use so we complied. Shortly after using it we found it leaking. So, we left Bonaire and I have been cleaning up the seepage daily using Kitty Litter. So add replacing the holding tank to our work list to be done in Cartagena. We are also considering replacing the water tanks at the same time. Big jobs to be done in Colombia.

 

Santa Cruz Bay

Curacao 

Enough about our issues and back to the story.

After our super pleasant passage to Curacao we spent our first night at anchor in the northwest end of Curacao in Santa Cruz Bay. Santa Cruz was a very beautiful anchorage with smiling blue water. But, after our passage it was time to take stock of any damage. I cleaned the primary fuel filter on the engine to remove water and dirt that had accumulated during the trip and noticed an oil leak in the engine. A discussion with friends revealed a boatyard in Curacao that could do the work so instead of heading to anchor, the next morning we headed into the boatyard.

When we arrived in Curacao some old friends, Mark Mitchell and Delana Nelson on Starship II, that we haven't seen since our Rio Dulce days in Guatemala were there so we got to spend time together. Here we are when they introduced us to Kokomo Beach. 
 

If you've never been to Curacao it is an interesting place. The main port is actually on an internal salt lake with a channel to the sea. The cruise ship dock is outside on the shore. But, all the cargo passes inside. The Curacao harbor was also home to the largest oil refinery in the Caribbean and South America. It is defunct now but during World War II Curacao was heavily fortified and guarded because of the refinery. The refineries product was Venezuelan crude oil which dried up under the government of Hugo Chavez. Tourism is now the industry on this island with the hulk of the refinery rusting away.

My 75th birthday kind of came and went and we had just gotten to town and didn't know much so we did a birthday lunch at Governeurs. Just a view from our table. The Queen Emma Bridge is open here with an inbound ship.  

Across the port channel is a wooden footbridge that needs to be moved every time a ship passes through. The boatyard we were going to was inside the port so we had to go through the bridge. The marina had contacted the Port Authority and they were expecting us and the bridge was open when we got there. In fact, we were looking around for this bridge that we knew was supposed to be there. Coming in we didn't see it until later when we saw it in place that we realized where it would have been.

Another beach we visited, Daaiboi. 
 

The oil leak got fixed in a few days. Then the air conditioner became an entirely different saga that I won't recount. So, while waiting on parts I decided to have our outboards worked on to finish repairs started in Cartagena that were done incorrectly.  Our old original engine ended up being scrapped and we had to buy a new engine. Our newer engine went in for repairs and took 3 months until we got it back.

Some assorted views around Punda. The City of Willemstad is divided into smaller villages. On the east side of the channel is Punda and on the west side it is called Otrobanda. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ended up being in the marina for a month. Much longer than we had hoped. We met lots of new people, mostly Europeans and some old friends that were there. From the marina we could walk into Punda which is the downtown with shops, bars and restaurants. We also rented cars a few times to get around the island and find places to shop and enjoy many of the beaches.

Our boat on the mooring in Spanish Waters Lagoon after leaving the Boatyard.  

After a month we moved out of the boatyard to the main anchorage known as Spaanse Water or Spanish Water. While we were in the boatyard the weather changed. It was no longer the nice calm we came in with as the early trade winds began to come up. The short 4 mile trip from the commercial channel to the entrance to Spanish Water took several hours as we had to tack to avoid beating directly into the wind and waves right on our nose.  

Sunset on Thanksgiving. 

Spanish Water is another inland salt lake connected to the sea with a narrow channel probably no more than 50 meters wide at its mouth. On the east side of the channel is a large Sandals resort. On the other, a scrub bush park and rock ledges that come out into the channel. Shooting the channel with winds, waves and shoals on each side is exciting. Even going through it with tracks is a bit puckering. 

Ruins of Fort Bleekenburg which were close by our anchorage. A Dutch Colonial Fort to protect Caracas Bay. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the summer when boats flock to Curacao from the eastern Caribbean to avoid hurricanes the anchorages are packed with boats. During that time there are many cruiser activities like beach bonfires, parties at local places, trivia, karaoke and other things. Now, it's quiet and not crowded except for the jet skis, excursion boats and party boats. Spanish Water is pretty much where all the pleasure boating activity on Curacao occurs. There is kite surfing everyday, day trip excursions outside and many restaurants around the bay.  

The beach at Caracas Bay. 

There are 4 commercial ports on the island in addition to the cruise ship port. The major commercial one is where the refinery is and they have several docks for container ships inbound and docks for inter-island cargo. There is another port in Fuik Bay that exports limestone from a quarry nearby. Across the road from Spanish Water in Caracas Bay are two docks for ships coming in for repairs or waiting work. Further up island is an oil terminal where oil products come to the island and confiscated oil from the world "shadow" fleet is also being stored. This business is controversial. The Dutch government doesn't want Curacao to be involved and the local tourist businesses don't want the oil business to get a rebirth for fear of driving away tourists. However, the government sees it as a way to increase revenue and provide jobs to help the local economy. 

Caracas Bay also has 2 commercial docks where there are often ships berthed for repairs or storage. Many of the ships were deep sea oil drilling rigs like this one. At night their lights kept away the darkness. Many of them involved in drilling around Colombia, Venezuela and Aruba.  

Curacao is a very developed island. The roads are bad and traffic is horrible. There are many grocery and large hardware stores along with smaller stores and shops of every type. Most things can be found here. But, unlike in the US where businesses are clumped in shopping areas, one can find a store anywhere. Even in a residential neighborhood. 

Another beach in Caracas Bay is Tugboat beach. Complete with an oil service rig at the dock. Tugboat has a wreck and is a nice dive and snorkel site. 
 

The island appears to be booming with commercial and residential construction everywhere. Curacao appears to be the escape place for the well-to-do Dutch. Bonaire also seems to be benefiting as well.   We have met many people from the Netherlands that have moved here and there are many Dutch flagged boats everywhere. We have also met many young students who are here doing internships with local businesses. Seems they get to do a six-month tour in Curacao as part of their education. They lived in shared apartments and all were very happy to be here. Seems like a six-month party.

Another beach, Klein Knip that is located almost to the west end of the island. 
 

Besides the boat work that we had to do and the routine we got to enjoy many of the beaches of Curacao and I got to do a few Scuba dives. Linda and I also snorkeled most of the places we visited. Curacao is also home to flocks of flamingos, parrots, tropials and other birds making walks and drives fun experiences. 

One afternoon a visit to the Curacao Aquarium. The setting was beautiful with fresh ocean water naturally flowing through the compound with many display tanks and many of the animals were rescued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before we left the marina we discovered an opportunity to have a mooring in Spanish Water rather than needing our anchor. We were able to use the mooring until we went to Bonaire. The mooring was nice because we didn't need to have our ground tackle exposed to the vegetation that grows in the nutrient rich water. I still dove on the boat once a month to clean the growth off the hull.

Sunset from El Gaucho Argentinian Steak House. We ate there twice with excellent food. 
 

Right after we left the marina and came to Spanish Water we went back to Santa Cruz for 3 nights. Curacao requires that you get an anchor permit and there are only a few places where you can anchor. In Spanish Water the permit is good for 90 days. In the other anchorages, like Santa Cruz it's good for 3 nights. 

 

We had a visitor on the boat one afternoon. A beautiful young parrot stopped by.

We had a great sail up to Santa Cruz Bay, but coming back was not the nice pleasant trip we had when we first came here. Then when we got to the mooring it was really difficult to get back on it. I ended up getting in the water and feeding the line through the pennant. As a result, we never left the mooring again until we went to Bonaire. 

Celebratiing Linda's birthday at the Wine Cellar. Another excellent restaurant we visited multiple times.
 

One Saturday night I got a text from some sailing friends in our old sailing club. They were coming to town the next day, Sunday, and would like to get together. We didn't have a car and it was too late to make arrangements for one so we planned to take the bus. The bus was only a half-hour late but we met our friends, Dave and Laurie Albert for lunch and visited for a few hours. Then, we took a cab back to the boat. 

A surprise visit from friends from previous adventures. Dave and Laurie Albert surprised us showing up in Curacao on a cruise.  
 

Just before we left Curacao for Bonaire we visited the Hato Caves. A very interesting adventure with stalactites and stalagmites and geological abstractions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonaire 

The  "B" in ABC is Bonaire. Bonaire is another former Dutch colony that is about 25 miles east of Curacao. Bonaire is a renowned dive colony and regarded as one of the best dive locations. 

Leaving Curacao
 

After 3 months on our mooring in Curacao we finally got our engine back from repairs and got the boat ready for an offshore passage and went to Bonaire. There is always a lot of work to do to get our boat ready for a passage because we live in the boat everyday and there's a lot to do converting it from comfortable home to a sailboat for an offshore passage securing anything that can move.

 

 

 Scenes of Klein Curacao

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After securing everything we left the security of our mooring and Spanish Water and went out in heavy winds and seas opposing us. Our first destination was Klein Curacao.

The Klein Curacao Lighthouse 

About 12 miles off the east point  of Curacao is a small island named Klein or little Curacao. It is essentially uninhabited although we found a watchmen there. Klein is the destination for many of the day excursion boats from Spanish Water. Once we got there we discovered that many of the tour companies had built complexes for the pleasure of their guests that almost made it look like a small town. There was also a lighthouse on the island that we found still works at night. 

First views of Bonaire 

We arrived at Klein in the early afternoon and all the excursion boats were there. We looked for a place in the center of the island to anchor but we couldn't get our anchor to catch. So we went to the south end of the island past all the excursion boats and tried to anchor and the anchor caught but the location had a lot of roll. After we had a bite of lunch I wanted to take a look at the anchor and also see if there was a mooring we could grab after the other boats left. When I swam on the anchor I saw that it was caught on a piece of coral that wouldn't hold. I then found a sturdy mooring that was now vacant and we moved over to it for the night. There was still a bit of roll but it was just a gentle rocking. 

A nightly scene was the excursion boats out for a sunset sail.  

We enjoyed being alone for the night under the starry sky while the lights of Curacao gave a large penumbra that still diminished the constellations.    

Next morning we dropped the mooring lines and beat our way to Bonaire. 

A few days after we got to Bonaire we found a nice restaurant to celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary.

It wasn't long before we saw the island outline of Bonaire begin to rise from the sea. As we got closer we were in touch with friends who had gone over a week or so earlier and they helped guide us in and helped us pick up a mooring in Bonaire mooring zone. As soon as we got ourselves together we dinghied in to check-in with Customs and Immigration. 

We borrowed a car on day and drove around the island after chores. First stop was for lunch at the Blue Cactus for their famous Lionfish Tacos. A food truck parked near the airport with a steady stream of customers. 

 Looking back at the town from the Blue Cactus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonaire is an island that as a diver I've heard about for years. Many of our cruising friends have also hyped it so it had a big image to live up to. After we got all our check-ins completed we needed to make reservations for our anniversary dinner that was coming up on Tuesday. One restaurant was recommended and we attempted to make reservations.  What we didn't know was that most restaurants are closed on Tuesday so this one that was open was booked up. We were, however, able to get a seating when they open at 5 so long as we were through by 7. It was a bit early but we did it and the dinner was really excellent. 

World famous Bonaire Salt Flats with the pink salt mounds in the distance. The salt works has their own freight terminal and is an operation of conglomerate  Cargill. 

The attraction in Bonaire was the diving. Our boat sat right over the reef so it was very easy to go off the boat and go straight down 90 ft. I swam along the reef and Linda snorkeled above on the surface In all, I did 7 dives. All but 1 off the back of the boat. The other one was from the dinghy on a close by site. The weather really limited where we could go. 

Another major point of interest was the Slave Cabins where the slaves brought to harvest salt lived during their time at the flats. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Most of the dive sites required that we either take our boat or take a car and do a shore dive. Either one presented logistical challenges so we didn't do it.  

Along the southern coast of Bonaire were colored obelisks of different colors that would denote the grade/type of salt loaded at each site. Ships arriving for that grade would anchor and load baaed on the obelisk. 

 The Southern Point Light on Bonaire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many years ago we frequented the Honduran Island of Utila. Also a big dive island. In fact, diving was all there was. There are some big difference between Bonaire and Utila. One thing that stood out was the cruise ships. Utila doesn't get any cruise ships so it's not as developed or commercialized. Most of the divers and people we saw were much older than the crowd in Utila. Bonaire was more of a winter resort for Europeans, mostly Dutch. When we were on Utlila, it didn't seem like the winter haunt for lots of people.

What would be more Bonaire than Flamingos and Donkeys wild and everywhere.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We only stayed in Bonaire for 3 weeks. We originally planned to stay longer but we had an issue. Bonaire requires the use of holding tanks for sewage. We hadn't used ours in almost 10 years since we left the States. Last year in our projects we worked the valves and looked at the tank and it seemed to be in good shape. But, after using it we found it was leaking. So we had to leave. I am still cleaning the leak using kitty litter to absorb the liquid and the smell. Hopefully, it will end soon and we are returning to Cartagena where we will have it replaced.

Ruins from the Karpata Plantation on the road to Rincon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to the dives, we did dinghy over to Klein Bonaire one day to No Name Beach for snorkeling. The snorkel was very good. But, with the wind blowing so hard we were limited in the sites we could reach by dinghy.

              View looking down on Rincon

We visited the Cadushy Distillery in Rincon, Bonaire where they make spirits from Cactus juices. They had rum, gin and vodka that we tasted. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So we cut our Bonaire time short and headed back to Curacao to wait for a weather window to go back to Cartagena.

Some friends from back in the States visited with us in Curacao. We had lunch and hung out at Kokomo Beach. At Kokomo with Jim McElheny and Cookie.  

Return to Curacao

We had a quick uneventful trip back to Curacao. The wind and seas were up so we didn't even think about going to Klein Curacao. We got back to Spanish Water to anchor this time and our anchor caught right away. 

One last look from the heights over Spanish Water. 
 

By our slip in Seru Bocu Marina the last night in Curacao's Spanish Water.
 

Our time back in Spanish Water was spent doing our normal chores, spending some beach time, doing a few dives and getting ready for our sail back to Cartagena. The big time job was watching the weather. Winds were mostly over 20 kts everyday with a few days over 30 kts. With the wind blowing like that it was difficult to do lots of things. 

Passing Punda and Otrabanda with the Queen Emma Bridge visible. 

 
 One of the things we liked about Curacao over Bonaire, and in fact over many places we've been, is the wonderful grocery shopping. The stores carried lots of American products as well as European products that we like. Because the ABC's are desert islands, not much is grown on them. There was some local produce but much of it was shipped from the US or Europe. It was expensive and its useful life was short. But, we were able to find products we wanted that we  haven't seen anywhere else we've been. 

Final view of Curacao as head off into the sunset. 
 

Shopping for other things on Curacao was also good. There were several large home products stores that carried well-known brands. We always had shopping lists for the large hardware stores and weekly stopped at the marine stores. There were also some liquor stores that sold a large variety of products not normally found in cruising places. One store, Bottles, had a nice selection of wines from South America and Europe. Before we left we stocked up because the wine and liquor choices in Cartagena is limited due to the customs and tax laws in Colombia.

Passing Aruba. 
 

In the final week in Curacao we were able to meet up with some friends that were passing through on a cruise ship. Jim McElheny went to the same high school I did, although he was several years before me. We met them at Kokomo and enjoyed an afternoon of visiting.

A beauty of night passages offshore is the ability to see forever into the night sky. We got really good views of the Southern Cross as it traversed the night sky.  

We began seeing signs that there might be a break in the weather that would allow us to go west. For a sailboat many would think that big winds from behind would be good and since the waves would be from behind that they didn't matter. But, from our experience watching this area and talking with others that have passed through the forecasts are not to be believed. Before we left Cartagena heading to Curacao we talked with an English sailor who had come from Aruba. He said the forecast was 20-25 kt winds with 3 meter waves. But, halfway through he had 40-50 kt winds with 7-8 meter waves. Forecasts fail to account for the acceleration in the zone from the topographic features and the resulting increase in wave height from the higher winds against a higher current. So our preference, having gone through there twice now is minimal or favorable wind. 

The second day began with flat seas and no wind as predicted and we had hoped for. While we can't sail it, it's better than the alternative.
 

Such a forecast was appearing for the time around 20 March and the forecasts seemed to be holding. But, to be sure, we hired a weather router to help us in our trip and maybe give us a little more confidence in our reading the weather and also possibly some valuable advice. With everything looking good, we hauled anchor on Wednesday the 18 of March and went into Seru Boku Marina for a night. We needed to clean our anchor chain from being down in the water for several weeks, we could walk to checkout of the country and at one point it seemed like I would need to clean the bowlight but that was unnecessary. We cleaned the anchor chain and friends picked us up to drive us to Customs and Immigration to check out and then we had a final happy hour with them.

Mountains in the eastern range of Colombia with snow covered peaks. 
 

Thursday morning we left the marina and had a nice sail to Santa Cruz Bay where we spent the night. I brushed clean the prop and bow thruster along with other parts of the hull. On Friday 20 March we left Santa Cruz at 0745 heading for Colombia.

The penumbra of Santa Marta reflecting off the mountains as we passed by in the early morning.
 

Happy to say the passage was uneventful. We motor-sailed the passage because we wanted to get through it as quickly as possible. The first day the wind was dead behind us, the next morning there was no wind and we were fighting current so we were going slow.

Our first sunset back in Colombia at Puerto Velero.
 

Later in the day we found a dissipating low pressure area and once on the back side of it wind from the west-northwest filled in nicely. It wasn't enough to sail, but with our sails gave us good lift against the opposing current we were able to keep up 7 kts.. The wind held up until early Sunday morning when it moved further behind us and died for a short while before returning heavily later.

Cartagena coming into view.
 

We went into Puerto Velero for the night. The same place we left from on our trip to Curacao. We had a steady breeze all night and the next morning headed to Cartagena. We crossed through the Boca Grande channel and into our marina. After refueling we were in our slip by 1600. It was the same slip we were in when we arrived in Cartagena in May of 2024.

Almost back.
 

Our 6 month trip to the ABC's was over and we were back from where we started. We now have emergent work to do and then on to Panama.   

Back in our slip in Cartagena