Today, we want to tell you about two really fantastic people who are currently sailing in the south Pacific. Otto and Lili are two very good friends Alyson and I made while traveling through the southern Caribbean. Unlike us, they have their own boat named Vagabond. Its a 46′ Dix sailboat that Otto built himself. They left from South Africa on Vagabond over 3 years ago and have been sailing their way around the world ever since.

Otto, Lili, and Alyson reveling during the Colombian Independence Day Festivals in Cartagena.

Alyson and I last saw Otto and Lili in Cartagena, Colombia where we all spent several weeks enjoying festivals, playing backgammon tournaments and exploring the city. Since then Vagabond has sailed through the San Blas Islands of Panama and on through the canal. Yesterday, we received an email with some fun and amazing photos of their current location, the Galapagos Islands. We thought you guys would enjoy these!

From Lili and Otto:

“Hola amigos & amigas

Yesterday we went on a tour of the island and the attached pictures tell a story. We are incredibly impressed how things are done here – very eco friendly and tastefully laid out. Everywhere you go, there are signs carved out of wood that are very informative and loads of benches to rest ones weary feet from all the walking in the heat. We absolutely love it here – the wildlife is amazing and we are having such fun swimming and frolicking with the sea lions, especially the pups, in the water.

Today and tomorrow we will spend refuelling with diesel and then we are going to go diving in a place that is notorious for its viewing of hammerhead sharks, the following day we will take a ferry to the next island over called Santa Cruz where we will visit the Charles Darwin Scientific Research Centre and then we will just hang around for a few more days to enjoy the wonderful snorkelling and other sites. It’s so nice being a tourist again.”

At the Volcano Crater with our guide Carlos.

Benches in the Park.

Galapagos Land Tortoise.

Galapagos Marine Iguana.

Lil in the Tortoise Sanctuary.

Looking down from the Volcano

Otto, the photographer.

Signs in the Sanctuary.

More Signs.

Sea Lions doing Yoga.

Maureen making friends.

Sea Lion Pup.

More Yoga.

Playtime.

The Scenery.

Crewing with Otto and Lili is a fellow travel blogger, Ursula at Abroad Aboard. Her stories of their trip from Panama to the Galapagos are fun, insightful and hilarious. Here is a short excerpt from her post about dealing with sea lions during their second day in the Galapagos.

“A HUGE male seal stank the whole stern up this morning, and THEN he shit…. the smell was intolerable. Otto fixed a rope, lightly tied, to dangle onto the seal, like a bad itch that won’t go away, and well, he left. Maybe it is that simple to get rid of them? They are ALL OVER the anchorage & the dock & jetty & jetty pathway…. Over coffee this morning, Otto & Lili tell me that they discovered seals snort, fart, cough, whistle, honk etc & smell bad through the night, they are nocturnal! “

To read more about their adventures check out Ursula’s blog at Abroad Aboard.

Related posts:

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2. Cabo de la Vela: the Cape of Sails (Continued from previous posting): The next morning we awoke...
3. LIFE ABOARD & ABROAD Life Aboard & Abroad Since we’ve been back stateside,...

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Life Aboard & Abroad

Since we’ve been back stateside, we have had plenty of questions about life aboard a sailboat.  So we’ve decided to answer some of those questions in todays blog by describing what life aboard was like for us.  Feel free to post new questions in the comment area below and don’t forget to help us win a trip to Argentina by clicking here!

Life Aboard:  The Day Begins

The sun is nature’s Alarm Clock.  It happened every morning despite our best efforts to crawl further into the shadows of our bunks.  Still, there was no hiding from the sun once it rose high enough to shine through the open hatches.  But it was a nice, gradual way of waking up.  Nothing like the annoying screaming of my alarm clock now.  But thinking back on the size of my small quarter berth, I don’t think I’ll ever complain about having a small apartment again.

Sleeping soundly in my bunk.

Once we had crawled out of our bunks and had a good stretch it was time for a shower.  Nothing shocks you awake like diving off the boat into cool Caribbean waters.  I miss personal hygiene being this simple.  It was as easy as falling over board.  Since most bathing was done outdoors, modesty really wasn’t a practiced concept in most anchorages.  Eventually, we got used to seeing our neighbors’ bare asses …and having them see ours.

Our morning shower. Photo courtesy of www.djkphotos.com

Shave Optional:  On days that I deemed a good shave necessary I would shave with a bucket of saltwater and a dull razor.  I definitely don’t miss this.  Its unbelievable the amount of hair that gathers all over the boat.  It was a daily chore just having to sweep it all up.  So it was just easier to do all my shaving over a bucket.  Thats probably why I didn’t shave so much.  And I have no idea how Alyson managed all her shaving.

Next comes a saltwater shave from a bucket.

Transportation:  Life without a car

Its strange.  I love to drive, and I drive a lot.  My ole pick-up truck has covered a lot of ground in the past 10 years, and I would definitely rather drive 1000 miles than fly the same distance.  That being said, I didn’t really miss having a car at all.  As a matter of fact, life without a car forced us to plan better, be more resourceful and more outgoing.  Which in turn, led to new friendships and experiences we would not have made otherwise.

the Dinghy:  Our dry way of getting to shore.  Even though we got along fine without a car, there was no living aboard without a dinghy.

Going for a Sunday drive.

There never seems to be any good, free dinghy docks in the Caribbean.  Most are dangerous, falling apart, or costly.  Even though this one in Curacao was so small, it was probably one of the best kept we saw.  Trying to get a parking spot here on grocery day was a nightmare though.

Trying to find a parking spot.

We always did a ton of walking which we really enjoyed.  Especially since we didn’t have a busy schedule we could take all the time we wanted to explore on foot.  As long as we made it back by sunset.   Even now Alyson and I look for excuses to walk places instead of driving.

Going to town.

Public Transportation in the southern Caribbean and South America rocked! Although we had to learn to be more patient and arrange our plans a little better, it was still a nice way to get around. We survived off the bus systems in Curacao, and the Maxi-Taxis in Grenada are great, but no one could beat the efficiency and cheap prices of taxis in Cartagena.

We literally spent hours a day waiting for buses.

After months of travel, distance became a relative concept. It wasn’t long before walking miles for even the smallest things became no big deal.

Here we walked nearly 2 miles to get a cold drink.

And for those occasions when we needed to cover great distances, we could always rent a car or scooter.  It was on these days that we got the need for speed out of our systems.

Alyson with our rented scooter. Photo courtesy of www.djkphotos.com

The Bare Necessities

The most basic necessity of life:  Water…for coffee

Every few days (depending on fresh water showers and consumption) was water day.  This meant having to replenish the boat’s water tanks with clean, fresh drinking water brought from shore.  This experience really taught me a lot about the importance of water conservation.  Especially, since I was the guy having to haul all the water back to the boat.  Here I am topping up the tanks.

Doing laundry on a boat is all about how long can you go without having to do it.  Its a hassle.  It takes up a lot of fresh water if you do it aboard, and still doesn’t come out that clean.  And if you take it to the laundry mats ashore you could end up spending a bundle…because you’ve waited so long to do laundry that you have to wash all your clothes now.

For this reason, many sailors prefer to just stay naked when aboard.  Or at the very most they just wear a  swim suit each day.  A few times, Alyson and I were able to do some impromptu laundry during the afternoon rain showers in Curacao.

Alyson doing our laundry.

We get a lot of questions about buying food. We just went to the grocery store and purchased food with our debit cards. The same as anywhere else. Every once in a while, we would visit the open air markets to find new and interesting delicacies. The brown root looking vegetable in the photo below is a Yucca plant, and it tastes amazing when cooked like a fried potato.

Going to Market.

We ate pretty well, but most often when other people cooked.  On the days when we felt ambitious enough, we would make some pretty good meals in the galley though (including Hayashi-Chuyuka, Chicken Tikka Masala, and Po-Boy Sandwiches.)

Alyson pulling one of her homemade pizzas from the oven.

We ate a lot of seafood.  Catching fish off the boat is like having a pizza delivered for dinner.  Free food without even having to leave the house.  One of our favorite ways of preparing the fish was Sashimi style.  This eliminates even having to cook it. Bonus!

Fishing with Paul on SunRunner.

Here are three pretty Bonitas caught, cleaned and ready for the cook.

An easy supper tonight!

And on nights when cooking on board was too much of a hassle, we could just go out to eat.

Going out to eat.

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John & Aly on SunRunner

(Continued from previous posting):

The next morning we awoke around 4am.  Surprisingly, the weather forecast from the day before was correct.  I couldn’t believe the drastic change in conditions.  The howling 30 knot winds had just abated.  The seas were reasonably calm.  It seemed so unreal that weather could switch from such harsh circumstances to practically nothing in under an hour.  It was as if someone had flipped a switch.  Afraid that it was too good to be true, we didn’t waste any time.  We pulled up anchor and ‘got the hell outta Dodge’.

With renewed spirit we set off for the small Colombian village of Cabo de la Vella.  As I said before the winds had seriously dropped, and SunRunner was making only 4 knots under Genoa and mizzen.  The roughly 40 mile trip would take us a little over 10 hours, but we didn’t mind.  Better to be going somewhere than sitting in Bahia Honda.  The sun was bright.  The skies were clear and blue.  It was a nice, lazy and relaxing sail. 

Alyson tanning on deck.

By mid afternoon we had cleared the Guajira Peninsula and sailed into the nice little bay off Cabo de la Vela.  It was an interesting little place.  The village was settled by the Wayuu indians, and now the town functions as a fishing village and ecotourism destination.  Yes, now we had arrived in backpacker country.  And every year dozens or perhaps even hundreds of backpackers venture to the tiny village of Cabo de la Vela to enjoy the beach and sleep in authentic Wayuu indian houses (they are made from the hearts of cactus, you know). 

We spent a day walking around the small town looking for groceries and supplies, mostly Coca-Colas.  It was a cute place.  The dusty city street was lined with little tiendas and restaurantes.  We were surprised to find such an abundance of hostels and hotels in town.  The buildings were extremely basic.  They were made from compacted mud, rough brick and plaster.  Fishermen worked on their wooden fishing boats along the shoreline.  Dogs and burros napped lazily in the shade.  It was real picturesque.  We stopped in one small tienda to cool in the shade and have a cold drink.  The little boy running the store liked Paul’s mustache so much that he created his own from shoe polish and masking tape.  Here’s a few photos from our stay in Cabo:

Skipper Paul and his new friend.

Hiking into town

Cabo de la Vela: Traditional Wayuu houses

Hotel & Restaurante

Lil' Paul's Tienda

Checking out the action downtown.

the main road into town

Alyson posing with a dug out canoe

Shark skin drying in the sun

A local fishing boat. Can you believe they go out to sea in these?

I'm cleaning some squirrel fish we bought off a local fisherman.

more Wayuu homes

an expensive lobster dinner in the home of Senora Gomez.

Alyson eating here lobster. The couple behind her are our friends from the Dutch sailboat Kaat.

Lobster, Rice, & Fried Yucca (which is my new favorite fried vegetable.)

After a couple of days enjoying the peace and serenity of Cabo de la Vela, it was time to move on.  We had to take advantage of the good weather window and get as far as we could before things got worse.  Unfortunately, if its not blowing like stink off the coast of Colombia then its not blowing at all.  No wind is a real bummer when you travel by sailboat.  We were lucky enough to catch a gentle breeze in Paul’s giant spinnaker sail during the over night passage heading west to Riohacha, but by morning the wind had just died.  We were forced to motor the rest of the way. 

I don’t have much to say about Riohacha.  Its kind of a typical beach town.  Motoring in the water was as smooth as glass.  It rested like a mirror beneath us and sheared off a flat line at the horizon.  The water was filled with literally millions of jellyfish.  Before I realized what they were the small, little yellow orbs made me begin to wonder if a crate of tennis balls had fallen off a cargo ship during the night.

Motoring into Riohacha

Alyson on lookout

Waiting to drop anchor

Riohacha Beach

The dinghy dock in Riohacha is acutal a giant pier that requires some degree of climbing skill to get up top.  Not suitable at all for your typical cruiser.  We were only in town long enough to anchor, go ashore, find an internet cafe and then a restaurant for lunch.  Really we were only in port for a few hours.  The reason we left so quickly is that while we were eating lunch we could see our sailboat out at anchor.  The sea states had dramatically changed from the smooth, ripple free surface and into pounding, white capped waves.  The bow of SunRunner was nearly being submerged in the pitching of the brown water.  Being haunted by the memory of Bahia Honda, we decided not to stay the night on anchor.  We quickly paid our bill and left. 

Climbing ashore at the dinghy dock.

The dinghy dock in Riohacha

When we returned to the dinghy, we noticed that it was full of children.  They were riding on the rough wave action like it was an amusement park ride.  Climbing back down in while it rose and fell was a bit tough.  We wasted no time getting back to the boat and hoisting the dinghy.  We made things ready as fast as we could.  The bow was pitching so terribly that the anchor chain would jerk on the electric windlass in such a way that it kept slipping.  Eventaully, I had to resort to the manual hand over hand method to pull it in.  Soon we were back out on the water, relieved and glad to be on our way.  That evening we enjoyed a late night thunderstorm and rain shower.  New bays and new adventures lay ahead.

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While traveling throughout the Westward Antilles we’ve seen quite a lot of amazing things.  Each day is filled with breath taking scenery.  Picturesque white sandy beaches stretch right across our front yard (figuratively speaking).  We have seen dramatic landscapes with towering island mountains that drop off sharp cliffs and straight into the sea.  Living right on the surface of the world’s largest aquarium has given us the opportunity to  view an astounding quantity of tropical sea life, and during our excursions inland we have met dozens of very cool and interesting people.  Yet, on occasion we happen across something that really catches our attention.  Sometimes its something in the local culture that strikes us as different and new.  Other times its an out of place object that doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the beautiful scenery, or more often than not, it just strikes us as funny.  So here is a compilation of some of the strange and curious oddities we’ve found while in Bonaire.

A Donkey Sanctuary

Bonaire is not lacking in a large variety of wildlife beneath the water, but on land their are very few species of animals…aside from Iguanas and Flamingos.  It is, however, home to a very unique species of donkey.  This historic breed is kept and protected in Bonaire’s Donkey Sanctuary.  Here they house, feed, and treat over 300 donkeys…you know…for prosperity.  In fact if you leave Bonaire by air plane they ask if you would please donate to help save the donkeys.  

Save the Donkeys

Topless Dutch Girls

Before arriving in Bonaire, Alyson and I have really stood out in a crowd of locals.  On our arrival to the Caribbean, our pale white complexions and her bright blonde hair were a dead give away; although, with time we have tanned pretty nicely.  Since Bonaire is a member of the Dutch Antilles, there is naturally a large population of Dutch citizens.  Now we are frequently surrounded by the masses of young blonde, white Dutch residents of the island.  As a matter of fact, sometimes during trips to town I lose track of Alyson in the crowd.  Its all those blonde heads that throw me off.  Most locals even confuse her for being Dutch.  I usually get an assortment of wild guesses including Canadian, French, Italian, and once someone asked me if I was from Bangkok.  

But one thing I’ve learned and liked about the Dutch is that its not uncommon for some girls to go topless.  Even at the public beaches you will sometimes find these young women sunbathing away their tan lines.  On one occasion in particular, I was talking with the Skipper as we sat in the cockpit.  Suddenly, a small power boat came slowly motoring by not more than 20 feet from our boat.  Reclining on the bow was a young, perky dame smiling and waving to us as she passed by.  I don’t think either the Skipper or myself remember what we had been talking about previously.  That was a good day

Photo not available

US Imports

While abroad, I try to keep my eyes open for things that are imported from the United States.  Mostly, its food and cars.  While on a shopping trip to the grocery store in Kralendjik, I found this item direct from the state of Georgia in the good ole USA.  The name on the box says it all.  Does anyone know if they sell this in the US too?  I’ve never seen it.

Made in the USA!

Cut-Up Chicken Parts

Bonaire Chicken

Alabama has its share of strange cuisine, so this shouldn’t surprise me…but it does.  Bonaire chicken is Iguana.  I suppose there are plenty to go around, and its not served in most tourist restaurants so you would have to go to a really local food joint to find it.  The strange thing is though, that apparently they cook it like lobster…alive in a boiling pot of water.  I haven’t tried it yet.  Should I?  Cheeseburgers just sound so much more appetizing.

Bonaire Chicken

Rain

This probably isn’t such an oddity for most people, but for us it was.  We haven’t seen rain in nearly 3 months, so when we began getting a few short showers in the late afternoons we were pretty excited.  The boat needed it desperately.  Quercus was getting covered in a thin layer of red dust.  We washed and cleaned as much as we could, but it was a daily battle.  Also, we could only clean as high as the reach of our arms, so the mast and all the shrouds really needed the washing.  Also rainy days are good days to stay below and read.

One Boat, One Man, Eleven Dogs

After a week and a half in Bonaire, we had a new neighbor moor right next to us.  It was a very small, steel sailboat…maybe 28 feet in length.  It was manned by one old, lonely Spanish man and his ten, eleven, twelve dogs (we could never keep count).  Fortunately, we were upwind of him, but I can’t imagine the horror of what his living quarters below must have looked like.  These weren’t cute, cuddly puppies either, but all full size, viscous dogs.  Well…see for yourself.

Salty Dogs

This did a lot to disturb the peaceful tranquility of the bay.  The dogs barked constantly at anything that went by.  Anytime a boat passed all the dogs would rush on deck and begin snapping and barking.  Anytime a dog passed by on the boardwalk 100 yards away…again with the barking.  Anytime you snorkeled near his boat, dogs would jump in the water and give chase.  And always the barking was followed by the old man yelling one long and pleading “Noooooooo”.  We think thats all he knew how to say.  Apparently, he is quite notorious in the ABC islands.  Even folks in Curacao remember him with a bit of wonder.  Did he just find all those dogs, or did they find him?  You meet a lot of strange people on sailboats.  Its a lifestyle that requires you to be a little different, but even for cruisers this guy was very odd.

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The crew of Hop and Jaunt enjoying the beach.

Our next destination, as we headed west, was the small archipelago of Los Roques or “The Rocks”.  It is a group of islands that sit very low in the Caribbean Sea north of the coast of Venezuela and eastward of the reknowned ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, & Curacao).  The islands are surrounded by shallows of reefs and is kept as a Venezuelan National Marine Park.  It is reputed to be one of the best marine parks in the Caribbean.  The passage from Tortuga was pretty calm.  We left about midday and sailed throughout the night.  Our only difficulty came about a mile off shore of our approach to the narrow channel between the reefs on the southeastern side of the island chains.  As fate would have it, this was the moment when our water pump on the diesel shredded its impeller and brought our faithful Mercedes engine to a halt.  The damaged impeller (being the result of some shoddy workmanship done in Trinidad) left us floating between the winds and the reefs with nothing but sail.  Fortunately, for Quercus and the crew, the Skipper had the foresight to have installed a backup electric water pump that was connected within mere minutes.  With danger averted we made our way slowly along the channel and into the inviting anchorages of Los Roques.

This is a map of the Los Roques Island Chain. We entered through the narrow channel at Boca de Sebastopol and motored up along the reefs to Crasqui Island where we anchored.

Los Roques is really a fascinating place to see.  Beauty from horizon to horizon.  The water is deep (we anchored in nearly 25 ft) and so clear that the sandy bottom was easily visible.  The sandbars and shallows of the bay glowed with a bright aqua green in stark contrast to the dark blues and indigos of the deeps.  The land was outlined with sandy white shores and green vegetation in the form of mangroves and palms.  Our anchorage at Crasqui Island was nearly in the center of the archipelago and the islands and beaches surrounded us in nearly every direction.  It was a relatively quiet place.  There were a few small restaurants and Posadas (or inns) along the beach front.  Our only neighbors were a couple of large fishing boats and one other American sailboat.  It was so quiet and tranquil the first couple of days that at times it felt like we were the only ones there.  Having spent the past month sailing through such amazing places, I began to notice how accustomed we were becoming to the beauty of each place.  All of our conversations started sounding more repetitive and less sincere ( “Look at how pretty the beach is.”, “Look at that pretty sunset.”, “Isn’t the water pretty?”)

The beaches of Los Roques.

After spending a couple of relaxing days at anchor, we were surprised one morning to find large crowds of people on the beach.  The groups were brought in on small open pirro boats along with their beach chairs and umbrellas.  I assume that the largest island Gran Roques must have a hotel near the airport where Venezuelan vacationers come to enjoy a little holiday.  On this morning Alyson and I went up to the beach to enjoy the surf and sun.  The winds were rather still and the sun was so bright, it was a perfect day to spend enjoying the scenery and the beach.  We all piled into the dinghy and motored ashore to join the rest of the crowd.  I have to admit beforehand that this was one of my favorite days since we’ve been out.  Alyson and I walked down the white beaches (with sand as soft as flour) until we came across the perfect spot.  As I’ve said there were many people on the beach that day, and laying out on their blankets right beside us was a group of young and lovely Venezuelan girls sunbathing topless.  (Bless their hearts).  These young ladies were not shy.  They would frolic with each other in the water, rolling in the sand and the waves while laughing and bouncing.  It was some of the best wildlife I’ve spotted so far.  At one point a flock of sea gulls descended on their blanket and it sent them running around and screaming.  The bravest of the bunch attempted to shoo the birds away by running into the flock and then began barking, which was a pretty funny sight.  Perhaps the girls weren’t too bright, but they did put on an entertaining show.  Enough to distract us from the beauty of the islands, which was rather amazing anyhow.

The beach was lined with people that day.  Men in speedos and women in thongs (or occasionally topless).  In my surf shorts and Alyson in her bikini, we began to feel a little overdressed.  Mostly it was couples or small groups of friends.  Young handsome men and sexy women were everywhere we looked.  I did find it strange though that we passed one loner.  He was so noticeable because he stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the young, tan couples.  I saw him as we walked along the beach.  There he sat alone in a tiny beach chair, underneath a tiny beach umbrella.  He was pale white and chubby and looked familiarly like Andy Richter.  He looked so pitiful sitting there by himself with an awkward frown as he tried desperately to ignore the Venezuelan lovers making-out in the sand right next to him.  (The woman of course topless and in a thong).  His story was one I would have liked to known.  How did he wind up there, in such a remote place, alone amongst all those couples?  I bet he’s an interesting person.

Being in remote places can make it difficult to keep in contact and communication with the outside world.  Not only is email a virtual impossibility (without SSB) it also becomes difficult to receive updated and accurate weather forecasts.  The winds had been steadily constant since we left Grenada.  The frequent gusts in the late afternoons and early evenings gave us concern for sailing out onto the sea with no prior knowledge of the wind conditions or sea states.  In situations like this, you have to rely on the kindness of others.  Alyson and I were recruited to pay a visit to our American neighbors on their yacht Evening Star in order to find any information on the weather.  There we met an extremely nice couple, Mike and Barbara.  They welcomed us into their boat by giving us cold drinks and a tour of their 47′ Fuji sail boat.  The people you meet is usually one of the best parts of traveling and Mike and Barbara were no exception.  Naturally they asked us where we were from and I proudly told them “Andalusia, Alabama”.  I was floored to hear Mike reply, “Oh yeah, right there by Opp”.  I am beginning to lose track of the times I have heard other cruisers mention to me the internationally renowned “Andaluisa-Opp Airport“.  Apparently, my little home town holds a much more prominent position in the world than I had ever realized, and I love hearing people telling me they’ve been there.  It fills me with pride for that place and makes me a little less homesick to talk about it while I grin from ear to ear.  I also have to give credit to Lynyrd Skynyrd for making Alabama famous among the international community.  Usually telling people I’m from Alabama gets me the reply of the first chorus line of “Sweet Home Alabama”.

Mike and Barbara not only got us the weather forecasts we desperately needed, but they also educated us on how to use our SSB radio to receive broadcasts of the Chris Parker weather reports for the Caribbean everyday.  This was a big help and took out a lot of the guess work in our planning.  They were also a wealth of information on the local area.  The largest island of Gran Roques has a lot to offer the boating community.  Fuel, water, garbage collection, and groceries are readily available.  It isn’t uncommon for many yachties to spend a few weeks in Los Roques exploring the different islands and anchorages.  Its also a popular spot among Venezuelan boaters and sports fishermen.  Within days the quiet shoreline of Crasqui Island began to fill up with fishing boats and large power yachts of the Venezuelan elite.  Kite surfing is very popular here too.  We saw a few small sailboats come in with surfers who must cruise around just kite surfing along the windward islands of the Caribbean.  The protected waters and frequent winds must make it an ideal place to surf and check out the scenery.

As the week ended we prepared to pull anchor and continue on.  Alyson and I would definitely like to revisit Los Roques one day and continue to explore the reefs and isles.  Perhaps one day on a boat of our own; but at this time our tanks needed water, we needed to contact family, and I think we were all anxious for a cold drink and a cheeseburger.  (We hadn’t had much meat to eat since leaving Margarita a week and a half ago).  The weather window seemed right for making the trip, so we headed out on a Saturday, June 20.  By Sunday afternoon we would be in the Netherland’s famous island of Bonaire.

Check out some of our photos below.

These are a series of rocks and coral stacked up into towers. Oddly enough we've seen variations of this practice in various location around the globe.

This is one of the basic but inviting beach Posadas where you can cool off or get a quick drink.

Look at that pretty smile.

Here's Quercus at her anchor.

Some of our neighbors. The elite of Venezuela on their Mega Yachts came up for the weekend.

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It’s been a while since we’ve been able to get online and do we have A LOT to update about! We sailed from Grenada 4 weeks ago and today we are sitting here in a Watta Burger (not the American chain but a Dutch burger place) in Bonaire!

John and The Captain On Watch

The Fishing Village Of Los Testigos

After setting sail from Grenada we had a slightly rough 24hr trip to Los Testigos.  Los Testigos (which means The Testifiers for those smirking) are two beautiful small islands that jet out of the ocean between Grenada and Venezuela. The first thing that you notice, other than the extremely picturesque little fishing village on the sandy white beach is how crystal clear the water is under the boat. You can look down into 20-40 feet of water and you can see everything on the bottom as if you were in an aquarium. There are fish of every size and color swimming around. Another thing we noticed in a real hurry was how cold the water was! We have been spoiled by how warm the waters were in Grenada so our perception of ‘cold’ may be a bit off but it was very refreshing to say the least. Once while John and I were snorkeling off the reefs we came upon a giant Sting Ray swimming right under us! We gave it a side berth though, the stinger being longer than I am.



Los Testigos are two small islands. Thus there is little flat land, just in front of the beach where about 20 little colorful houses were the fishermen live. Across the bay is another similar but smaller island with another 30 houses, a coast guard station, a little school, and a guy’s store room acting as the grocery when the supply boat arrives. The islands have no fresh surface water on them so they must survive on collecting rain water and water makers if one can afford it.

Manta Ray

On another day while walking the beach in front of the fishing village we came upon a giant Manta Ray that the fishermen had caught earlier. It was an amazing creature with a wingspan over 6 feet long. These gentle giants of the ocean are also a delicacy to these fishermen. I would love to find one while snorkeling or diving next time, not tied up by the beach waiting to become dinner. But to these fishermen who live off the ocean for survival and eat fish for nearly every meal I can see how a rare catch like this would be a god send.



We were anchored next to two other boats while there, one with a French couple and another with a Swiss couple onboard. For the four or five days that we were there the Frenchman would bring us over his daily catch of Bonita fish. The first night was a delicacy but by the fourth night we had to toss the fish under cover of night! So I can empathize with the fishermen a little on this point! John went out with Rene the Frenchman one afternoon and came back with a few for dinner as well!

The Fishermen

However, the most amazing thing by far in Los Testigos is that there is a beach on the windward side of the island where the giant sea turtles come to lay their eggs!
To get there you must climb this steep incline of a sand dune over the island. Once you get over the hill there is this plateau of sand for about a half a mile before you get to the beach. It is on the windward side, which means that unlike the “Caribbean Postcard” side we are on this side looks wild and untamed. The wind blows the shrubs into sharp angles and the waves carve intricate and sharp shapes into the ground. There are no people either.

The Fishermen

On this dramatic background late at night the sea turtles emerge out of the ocean to begin another chapter in their cycle of life. We got there around 9pm with a couple of flashlights. There is no guarantee when and if they are to show up. Luckily within ten min. of walking up and down the beach we spy a large figure slowly making it’s way up the beach. Then another! We had two turtles!!

One was an older turtle that appeared to be crying (some say due to water pollution in the world sea turtles are now showing up with eye cancer, causing the eyes to ‘cry’ continuously and slowly blinding the great turtles). She pulls her great bulk up the beach slowly. Earlier that day we had found these great tracks on the beach and had at first thought that a truck had been driving in the sand. When she is a good 30 feet from the water’s edge she begins to dig her hole. Now out of the water these giants are slow and ungraceful. I amazed when the turtle began digging her hole with her back flipper. Even with her bulk in the way she managed to scoop out a hole in the ground with such skill and sensitivity that would have seemed impossible watching her crawl earlier. The hole is about the size of a dinner plate in width but she slowly and carefully digs until the hole reaches a good foot or two down. She packs the sand so hard that even with her weight over it never crumbles. When the hole is compete she then began digging out this chamber at the bottom. I sat there mesmerized at the skill and dexterity I saw in her flippers. I doubt many people with thumbs could have built a better underground chamber in only 20mins. When the chamber was done she moves over the hole, protecting any openings with one of her back flippers and began laying eggs into her other flipper. She would use her free flipper to gently catch the eggs and place them into the chamber.



This went on for a while and when we finally got to peek in we saw that there were around 50 ping pong sized eggs nestled into the chamber. Once done she quickly covers up the hole, and moves enough sand around that even with us standing there I doubt we could point out exactly where the hole might have been. The young one by now was about done and began heading off to the ocean to continue her journey but the older one that I had developed a liking to was having difficulty finding the ocean. Also during the whole process she was the only one making any noise, I’ve ever heard of turtles moaning but this one was definitely moaning and groaning while having her babies! Perhaps because of her age or cancer stricken eyes she would get half way to the ocean, get confused, and end up turning around towards the land. We watched this go on for a while until we were so affected that we began cheering for her and wishing her towards the sea. Finally I grabbed an empty bottle that had been washed ashore and filled it with ocean water. I would splash her with the water from the direction of the ocean and she began following it until she too was safely splashing in the waves. John and I stood there and watched her work her way out towards the ocean. I have to say that night is one of those nights that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Lobster Dinner By The Ocean

P.S. There is a little green house on a hill where Hermano and his family run a little restaurant on his front patio called the “Casa Verde.” On the last night on the island John and I treated ourselves to his lobster dinner! Fresh caught mmm~hmmm~!

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Hello to our meager but much appreciated following of dedicated readers. Greetings from the “Spice Isle”. Life here over the past few weeks has been quite nice. A few key points of which I will discuss in the following paragraphs. Alyson and I are slowly adjusting to the heat. As a matter of fact, because of the heat we are doing most things slowly now. I suppose that is just the life in the island. Its the ‘Dry Season’ right now too, which I suppose adds to the sensation of the heat. Its hard to image that its the ‘Dry Season’ since I have never been surrounded by so much water in my life. Gradually we are working on our tans so that we don’t stand out to much amongst the other sailors. We have already progressed from bright white to bright red. Hopefully, this color will permeate to darker shade of tan soon. Perhaps once the metamorphosis is complete we will post before and after photos. Just for fun. And for those of you who prefer visual imagery over reading, feel free to check out our photo section.

Quercus (our boat) is now anchored calmly in a beautiful little bay just off a small spot of land known as ‘Hog Island’. The past two weeks have been like a dream. Each morning we wake to the warm light of the sun. We usually sleep with the hatches open, so its like having an open skylight above you. Two feet above you. And at night we sleep to the cool breezes that are our form of natural air conditioning. The winds here have really picked up recently which keeps us cool in the island heat, and keeps the wind generator running. From my bunk I can see the stars and fall asleep with the gentle movement of the boat on the water.

The boat is constantly in motion. Always moving. Even though our anchorage is pretty calm, still the movement is always there. Its especially nice to sleep to, and I hardly ever notice it anymore. I was especially surprised today at how accustomed I had become to it. Everything seemed perfectly fine until I tried to cut a straight line in a piece of plywood with a jigsaw. I got it done, but the rocking just came out of nowhere, although it was always there. Actually, I notice it the most when I go ashore. Sometimes standing on the beach or on the dock I feel the urge to start swaying back and forth. I hope the transition to the movement comes as easy when we head offshore.

We all have been working pretty hard to get the boat ready to head offshore in a few weeks. Today Alyson and I dove on the boat to scrub the barnacles forming on the keel, prop and rudder. This is the second time in two weeks we had to perform this task. I’m surprised at the rate at which these little bastards form. The increased winds have made the current quite strong too. So its quite a work out having to hold your breathe, dive under the boat, swim against the current and try to pry the barnacles off the hull. We must have swam for nearly an hour today, which is giving us the exercise we were looking for. Is not a bad job. I also saw some interesting fish swim by while I worked. A strange round fish with a long snout came swimming by spinning like Woodstock from a Peanuts comic strip.

We also learned to splice a rope today in order to put a loop in the end and re-twine the line back in on itself. It seems like a handy thing to know how to do. Especially on a boat, but I love learning how to do things like that.

The people of the island and the other cruisers here have all been extremely cool. Everyone seems so nice and willing to help out a stranger in need. One day while Alyson and I were running errands in the mainland we got lost. We walked nearly a mile in the wrong direction, but then we ran into a very friendly guy who stopped to give us a lift to our destination. Last night Alyson and I took the dinghy over to Hog Island and built a little campfire to cook hot dogs for dinner. It was a pretty spartan meal, but good. While we were there a few other cruisers invited us over for drinks. We’ve met people from all over: Italy, Germany, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, US, UK and France. They have all been really generous by offering tons of food and wine from their impromptu bar-de-ques and parties. We have been trying to repay the kindness while we can. As a matter of fact as I write this from the little French restaurant over looking the bay, I’m watching Alyson help rescue a Catamaran that motored right onto a reef. She’s using our little dinghy with a 5 Hp outboard to push them off. Alyson to the rescue. It looks like they are stuck pretty good, but she seems to be making progress.

We really seem to like this lifestyle. I like waking up in the mornings and jumping off the boat for a nice refreshing swim. We take all our showers with fresh water that we carry back to the boat in jerry cans. We purchase the fresh water from marinas across the bay. For less the $1.00 we can buy 50 liters. We use a solar shower, which is essentially a plastic bag with an attached nozzle. After leaving the bag warming in the sun all day, you can get a pretty warm shower right around sunset. Most of the other cruisers shower in the nude right on deck. Its not an uncommon thing to see, especially on the European boats. Not really a common practice on Quercus though. Alyson, her parents and I aren’t completely comfortable with that yet. Though I have to admit that I did give it a try while everyone else was ashore. I kinda enjoyed it.

We have a head (toilet) on board as well, but I prefer just pissing off the side (something that Alyson seems to be jealous of). Its just nice to stand there looking up at all the stars stretching out over the water and relieve myself. A much better view than the plain bathroom wall. My evening micturition is something I look forward to. The constellations are really evident out here. The Southern Cross is spectacular.

We’ve been doing a lot of reading too. The most popular pastime here next to swimming and drinking. Every marina has a little library where you can borrow books, even without a library card. Currently I’m reading ‘A Dead Mans Walk’, one the books of the Lonesome Dove series. It reminds me of my family since Lonesome Dove is a favorite of my father. I suppose that is the hardest part. Being away from family is never easy. Especially a family that is as great as mine, but Alyson is part of my family now, and as long as we are together I feel home. If anyone has any good book suggestions, please send them my way. I’ll see what I can find on the shelves here at the marinas. My sister is a huge fan of the Twilight series. We’ve read a couple of the books but newer books are harder to come by.

It looks like Alyson was successful in her rescue attempt. The catamaran is motoring away and Alyson tells me that the owner of the restaurant if going to give us a few rounds of free drinks for her good samaritan efforts. Keep checking back to see how things are goind and we will drink one for you. Cheers!

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