The Sun Sets on Curacao: Getting Ready for a New Adventure

     

The sun is slowly setting on our time here in Curacao. The winds keep blowing and we are making progress. The past few months have brought a sail, boom, and visitors.  Life is definitely good.

The sail that was supposed to take a month to arrive, finally arrived!  Now we have two new sails.  We moved our one year old forward sail aft and put our new one forward.  I just love the sound of crisp, new sails.

When Jon arrived in Curacao he mentioned a small dent in the aft boom. After taking off the aft sail, the diagnosis was a little more serious

But, luckily, there was a very capable welder near the marina who fabricated a new boom in a week.  Since the previous 2 inch tubing failed, he was able to use 2.5 inch and still maintain the size, shape and form of our original boom.

Since we were still at the boatyard, and a garden was growing below our waterline, we decided to splash on some bottom paint.  Our original plan was to remove all the old paint and switch from ablative to hard paint, however that process would have dragged on and we were not willing to wait.  We were expecting company.

And Ian arrived!  He had not been down to visit since St. Martin so, of course, we had to celebrate!

And he wanted to see the island. We headed to Shete Boka National Park, where we hiked the out of this world terrain.

This spot on the rocky, wave exposed north coast, is an example of the rugged, desert-like land that covers most of the island.  There are 6 small inlets where waves fill underwater caves and outcroppings and explode into beautiful plumes like theses at Boka Tabla. 

 Ian had to head back to the states for work, but he would be back very soon. 

While Ian was at work, Maggy came to visit.  We explored the ruins of Fort Beekenberg, built in 1703 from stones salvaged from the ballast of sunken ships.  This fort was built to defend Spanish Waters, which was (and still is) easily accessible from the sea to land.

And while Jon completed some projects, Maggy and I enjoyed some beach time at Kokomos.

Before we knew it, Ian was flying back.  On our way to pick him up at the airport we visited Hato Caves.  Escaped slaves used these caves as hiding places, and lived in them for months at a time. Even before the arrival of the slaves, the Arawak Indians used them for shelter, and left behind cave drawings that are over 1,500 years old.  Many see faces of pirates, turtles and Jack in the Beanstalk.  What do you see in this formation?

Now that the whole gang is together it's time to go sailing. We are lucky enough to have two merchant mariners at the helm.  Looking forward to someone else doing the driving! Next stop, Aruba!