The past month Solitude and I have been around The Netherlands Antilles with a short visit to Bonaire and two visits to Klein Curacao which is a small uninhabited island about 10 miles from Curacao with a beautiful white sand beach.
Kristine from Denmark came in the beginning of April and stayed for a couple of weeks. We did some scuba diving, beer drinking and a lot of relaxing.
Two very good friends from Copenhagen, Mads and Thomas have just left Curacao after two weeks on Solitude. You all know when friends meet the beer most flow and so it did… my head still hurts… J
Mostly we were just anchored up in Spanish Water and got really local in Sarifundy’s, the local waterhole for sailors. When we decided to set sails for Klein Curacao I had some problems with the heat exchanger on the engine and had to get that repaired before the trip.
The sea was fairly angry the morning we finally pulled the anchor up from Spanish Water and the two land sharks, Mads and Thomas didn’t say much on the 3 and a half hour trip when the waves washed over the deck and sea spray was hanging in the air but they were in for a treat when we got to the white sand beach on Klein Curacao. The trip was well worth a little seasickness.
We moored up on one of the five buoys and stayed for two nights. At night the stars came out and even though I have seen it many times before I’m still amazed how many there are. Snorkling, more beer drinking and a walk on the island, yes life is really nice when you are sailing but Solitude was rolling a bit too much and after two days we had enough and I had to get the boat out of the water on Curacao.
The sail back to Curacao was the best sail I had so far, the wind was perfect, very little waves and two happy not seasick friends. We pasted Spanish Water and got to Sint Anna Bay where we had to get the floating bridge open. A big container ship was about to enter the bay, on the VHF radio I was told to follow behind it.
What a feeling to sail by the waterfront of Willemstad on your own ship. Thomas was steering pretty much all the way, when we got to Curacao Marine we moored up beside a boat from Canada. “Fai Da Te” with Find and Diana from Denmark, a couple we been hanging out with a lot in Spanish Water and Bonaire were already there.
The next day Solitude was suppose to get hauled out but an English boat with John and Denise had some problems and couldn’t move their boat and that affected some other boats and Solitude. Not until 5 pm we got to the slip a thing I haven’t tried before so I had a bit too much speed but some other sailors helped us out, Solitude only got a little scratch on portside and a laughing captain. What can you do but laugh, no reason to cry about it. The next morning we got hauled out with no problems.
I was staying on Solitude for a week in dry dock where the power and water was unlimited and the bilge didn’t have to be checked for water once in 24 hours. No dinghy rides out to the anchor spot, the only obstacle was the ladder up, life was almost too easy.
I packed the boat, covered all the winches and hatches so no dust would get inside and the sun wouldn’t destroy too much. All there was left now was a farewell to Solitude, a really weird feeling to leave it here but also kinda nice to get off the boat and look back at an incredible adventure. I was looking forward to go back to Denmark and see friends and family but I’ll bet that no more than a few weeks in the old country and new adventures were pulling me again. The urge to travel is uncommonly huge.
Landing in Amsterdam after 8 and a half hour flight from Curacao almost felt like teething and way to easy. During the flight I had looked at the Atlantic Ocean below thinking that one day I would cross it. Travelling with planes was nice and easy but no adventure until I got to customs, immigration, baggage claim and another customs. Was all this checking of luggage and passenger really necessary? It was a pain in the neck to travel with planes and I already missed Solitude.
A 10 hour transit wait in Amsterdam had to be made before my next flight and finale destination, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Solitude and I are meeting again in December or January for another season in the Caribbean area.
