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November 19, 2007
Kralendijk, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
As the day progressed, we realized that we had cut almost 15 hours from our time at sea. In fact, it was looking quite a bit like we would make landfall before dark, a full day ahead of schedule. We talked about whether we would risk finding a mooring buoy in the dark. The moon had been bright enough the night before that we decided that it was a risk worth taking.
We had turned on the radar to track a series of squalls around us, and Judy spotted the island about 15 miles away. Strangely, the radar wasn’t picking it up. Truly a Twilight Zone moment.
We rounded the northwest tip of the island and came along side a large oil transfer station. We later learned that they use the island to “launder” oil. Bonaire buys it from the “bad” countries, then sells it as “good country” oil.
We approached the mooring field in front of town and picked one up just before the sun started to set. Opting to clear customs and immigration in the morning, we put everything away on the boat, and settled in for a lovely dinner and early to bed.
Bonaire is most famous for its snorkeling and scuba diving, rated some of the best in the world. The island is like no other I have ever visited in the Caribbean. It is quiet and clean with freshly painted buildings and well-paved roads.
For the history of the island, click HERE.
Posted by dave at November 19, 2007 02:27 PM