We had a splendid downwind broad reach from Bonaire to Curacao. Coming up towards the entrance to to Spanish Waters, our supposedly sheltered anchorage area, we were welcomed by the sight of “Tafelberg”.
The main town of Willemstad, which is a half hour minibus ride away from Spanish Water, is a mix of decayed and restored buildings and has a decidedly Dutch feel with canals, bridges and Amsterdam like buildings.
At the entrance to Willemstad, is a swing bridge with a difference – an operator motors it open (a quarter or full depending on the size and volume of traffic).
Willemstad hosts many Venezuelan Boats that bring excellent fresh produce across from the mainland and sell it in open markets or directly from the boats.
Our dingy landing point in Spanish Harbour was a laid back pub/restaurant called Pirates and there were some present too ….
We had mini-bus rides aplenty and were twice driven by a delightful lady, Marilyn, who spoke English, Spanish, Dutch and Papiamentu and very kindly went off her bus route to drop us back at the dingy dock both times. Thanks Marilyn!
We visited lots of beaches and watched this exhibition at one – note to self to try this sometime.
Near our anchorage, there was an old fort that was weirdly juxtaposed with a Floatel and other oil drilling equipment. Made for a good walk and views though.
Sunsets and iguanas are givens in this part of the world.
We had pleasant visits to the smaller and almost deserted beaches on the western side of the island.
We visited the Landshuis that houses the art works (no photos allowed unfortunately) of a very colourful local artist and also saw her work around Curacao in shops and in murals.
Liz particularly liked the Rasta Car Wash, which also doubles as a youth rehabilitation project.
We had a good walk on the wild side – the windward side of Curacao.
This sea exposed cave was quite something.
There is a wonderful synagogue in Willemstad. It has a very interesting museum (no photos allowed unfortunately). It is famous as the longest continuously operated synagogue in the New World.
Anyone needing the care and advice of a Dermatologist should consider visiting Dr. Roxanne Gouverneur in the St, Elizabeth Hospital on Cuaracao. She really knows her stuff and is forthright with her opinions and advice. Liz had to have a biopsy which was professionally executed and we received the (good) results very promptly via email on the boat. Roxanne gave us a stern talking to about slapping it on so here goes …
Our weather routing and departure planning showed that a departure from Spanish Water would mean leaving at night which is seriously not advisable due to the intricacies of the water ways and the very strong winds.
We therefore decided to stage up to Santa Cruz Bay in the North west of the island and overnight there for an early morning departure for our 2.5 day crossing to Santa Marta in Colombia.
This was a delightful stop and a fine last memory of our pleasant visit to Curacao.
Windward Ahoy! 