Our new flock of guests Jim and Renee have arrived to visit us on the Dutch island of Bonaire and Don and I are so glad to have them. What a wonderful feeling to make contact again with friends from the long ago past, sharing memories and enjoying new adventures. Jim, a restaurateur from Berkeley and owner of the famous Mexican restaurant Picante delighted us with fine cuisine, delicious wine, and introduced us to the pleasures of good balsamic vinegar and Don Julio tequila. Thank you Jim, we never knew what we were missing!
Renee is an old friend of mine from nursing school and I am so excited to have reconnected. She discovered the fun of scuba diving and we very much enjoyed blowing bubbles together, reminiscing about the hell that was nursing school, and enjoying Jim's fabulous cooking. She also brought chocolate, our favorite kind of guest!
Bonaire is not all crystal clear water and pristine coral reefs. There is plenty of stark desert beauty as well and a road trip allowed us to explore all of the bounty this tiny island has to offer. Cactus trees, century plants, and agave plants are the main flora and Bonaire has produced a cactus liqueur called Caduchy meaning sweet cactus. Cactus has long been harvested by the local population and used in soups, teas and breads and has now made its way onto the tourist market. An enterprising couple from Holland, now making their home on Bonaire, are attempting to create a market for this unique liqueur and they have branched out with flavors based on the different Dutch Islands. Cactus lime (green) for Bonaire, Spices of Saba (amber), Calbas of Curacao (purple) and many others. There is even an orange liqueur for the Royal House of Orange, the ruling house of Holland. Jim and I did some experimenting and came up with a new favorite ship's sundowner. One part Cactus Lime Cadushy liqueur, two parts Grey Goose vodka, the juice of two limes, and LOTS of ice for blending. Add one martini glass and you have a wonderful concoction now forever known as a Lime Popcicle. I definitely think we will be adding it to the onboard guest menu! Checkout their website www.cadushy.com.
 |
|
Cactus fences keep out the local fauna of wild donkeys and goats brought to the island by the Dutch and Spanish sailing ships of the past. Driving can be hazardous and we had to be constantly on the lookout for rogue trespassers.
An off road led us to the huge coral formations that are found on the moonscape of the eastern coast. Looking like they had dropped from the sky or placed by a giant hand in random sequence, ancient Indians used the position of the formations to keep track of star constellations.
Passing the huge pyramids of salt that provide the industrial mainstay for the island I was excited to see the pinks of the salt beds that mark one of the many types of salt found here.
Returning to our floating home and another incredible sunset that this island has continuously gifted us with, Don and I are so glad to have finally made it to this incredibly diverse spot. Bonaire, an interesting study in contrasting ecosystems existing side by side, both above and below the water.
After our week of desolate islands the crew was delighted to hang out in beautiful touristy Bonaire, known for its incredible coral reefs, crystal clear water, and world renown dive spots. The entire coastline of the island is part of the Bonaire National Marine Park whose boundaries extend from the high water mark to 200 feet below the surface.
The Park maintains public moorings as there is no anchoring allowed so as to protect this beautiful yet fragile environment. Nick and I immediately signed up for some diving with a local dive company while the rest of the crew spent their first days becoming open water certified so they could join us. Meanwhile the Captain has spent his shore leave trying to figure out how to have a new autopilot shipped in with our next round of guests due to arrive in another few weeks. Repair in exotic places....the mainstay of the cruising life!
Being dive certified is not a necessary requirement for enjoying Bonaire. These underwater photos were taken snorkeling directly under the Starship in less than 20 feet of water.
Made up mostly of soft corals, the reef drops off at a 45 degree angle to the seafloor, with visibility up to at least 80 feet and so much sealife my camera has been in continuous use.
This French angelfish, one of my favorites, came right up to my camera begging for a picture and conveniently posing for the best angle!
What to do after a week of diving? Road trip!
Bonaire being only 24 miles long and 3-7 miles wide made it an easy one day scooter ride encompassing the entire island.
Loaded with road trip supplies and ample amounts of sunscreen all hands set out to see what beauty was above the waterline.
The island of Bonaire has been settled by Spanish, Dutch, as well as the British throughout history and finally after 1814 remained a Dutch settlement, populated by slaves brought in for the salt trade. While the official language is Dutch, Papiamentu is spoken by most of the locals. Papiamentu is an interesting creole mix of Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, and West African dialects, sounding harsh yet musical with an occasional familiar word or phrase. Of course being a tourist mecca and a popular European vacation spot, everyone speaks English as well.
The leeward side of the island is calm and beautifully turquoise and this is where most of the dive sites, beaches, and resort areas are located.
Setup for shore dive excursions, there are pathways and stairways leading down to the tropical warm water and coral reefs.
In contrast the windward or Eastern shore is harsh and rough, dotted with cactus, donkeys, goats, and fossilized coral and limestone.
Driving along the wind swept southern shores where the many salt ponds are located we were lucky enough to spot the famed Bonaire flamingos at rest bathing and grooming themselves.
Saying goodbye to our youthful crew is difficult, Don and I have enjoyed their exuberance, sense of adventure, and boundless energy. Thank you Shawn, Chase, Dylan, and Nick.....you are welcome crew anytime!
Now time to strip the bunks and make way for the next wave of company arriving in a week. We need more rum!
The Starship and crew has spent five incredible days in the paradise of Los Roques and Las Aves, Venezuela.
While difficult to leave we are starting to run out of fresh food, we have scoured all the available beaches, and I am sure the rum stores are low.
Our onboard fishermen Shawn and Chase during our early morning departure to Bonaire hooked up some delicious breakfast barracuda and a yellowfin tuna for later in the day.
Sashimi in five minutes! Marinated with sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger and wasabi, this treat was melt in your mouth incredible.
The seas picked up a bit on our passage to Bonaire giving us an extra push towards our destination and an exciting run for the dudes.
A flat, coral island Bonaire is a mere 112 square miles made up of beautiful coral reefs below and cactus above. So flat we didn't even see the island until only a few miles offshore.
Rounding the southern most tip we spied these interesting triangles and tiny perfectly symmetrical buildings on the shore. In days past Bonaire was known for its many grades of salt from the salt ponds that comprise a large part of its terrain. When a cargo ship wanted to load salt, they anchored offshore from the pyramid that symbolized the grade of salt available at the site. White salt, pink salt, orange salt all stored in small buildings near the shore for easy transport to the rest of the Caribbean and Europe.
The crew of the Starship has arrived in Bonaire!
Cold Beer, fresh veggies, and a new island to pillage and plunder!
