Our view from Arashi Beach.
Our last few days in Aruba were spent in a northwest anchorage called Arashi Beach near the lighthouse and a pretty public beach. While the anchorage was still rolly, we really appreciated the beach setting where we could alternate between dips in the clear water, cool beverages at the small bar and strolls along the tourist strewn sand.
Captain was extremely happy here as she would swim then roll in the sand to her hearts content. Plus there were SO many people who gave her love and attention that she really did not want to return to LIB!
Captain is quite the ambassador and because of her we met people all along the beach. Since there is no cruising community to speak of in Aruba, Captain’s introductions to new friends was even more welcome than usual.
Captain amid her friends Pam, Tiff, Chris and Lisa.
We ended up meeting several groups of visitors but we really connected with two groups and since both expressed interest in our sailing life, we invited them to come visit us on LIB.
John, Mark, Zachary, Gerry, Frank, Lisa and Chris…. the youngest at the helm?
Once again, I forgot to pull out my camera, so I don’t have pictures from the day Becky, Tanya, Jeb and Shawn went sailing with us, but both days were really fun. Our guests soon became friends and I can only hope our paths will cross again. Thanks for trusting us to share part of your vacation time guys. It was a pleasure meeting each and every one of you!
Eight large boats and a couple of small ones.
Aruba tourism is huge as evidenced by the number of day boats taking people to various snorkeling spots. Just count the number of boats in the pictures above and below this paragraph. These were to the port and starboard side of LIB as we motored away from Arashi Beach.
Just another six day boats!
I mentioned already on our boat FB page that the checking in and out process for Aruba leaves a LOT to be desired. The docking is especially poor as it is set up for very large tug boats or cruise ships and small sailboats or motorboats do not fit well against the dock. The people in and about Aruba are delightful, but the Customs and Immigration people were much less helpful, in our experience. I get it though; we cruisers are small potatoes and little revenue compared to those who arrive by plane or cruise ship….
Sailing against the trade winds is no fun, so this calm day was perfect!
We set out for Bonaire on a fabulously calm day with winds of less than 4 knots and seas that were calmer than our Aruban anchorages!
Venezuela is right there!
If you look closely, in the distance of this picture, you can see Venezuela. It is easy to forget that Venezuela is only about 25 miles from Aruba. Many large, private fishing boats have come from Venezuela and are docked in Aruba. I assume this is to find a safe refuge since Venezuela is in such a sad plight.
We anchored in a small bay on Curacao overnight, then motored on to Bonaire. WHAT a welcome back to Bonaire we had. Our friends Josee and Andre whom we met in the Dominican Republic were already in Bonaire and had scouted out a mooring ball in case we needed it. (You guys ROCK!)
Kathe and Gary of s/v Tribasa Cross, whom we met waaaay back in the BVIs in 2015, were on a mooring ball and Gary was in the dinghy to greet us when we arrived. How fun is it to bump into people you met years before?!
Plus we were able to reconnect with Kathi and Tim of s/v Two Oceans; fellow Puerto Rico refugees!
Needless to say it is awesome to be back in a cruising community where we can reconnect with familiar friends (notice I did not say “old”) and new friends are just a mooring ball away.
The reefs include more color than you can imagine!
Now that we are back in Bonaire, once again we are diving daily. We find the diving here fabulous! By early afternoon, we are very hot and ready to drop our body temperatures. Scuba diving and being underwater for an hour is an excellent way to cool off and explore at the same time.
Here are just a few pics from diving in Bonaire…
Who knows what might pop out from a crevice?
My favorite “find” so far was this octopus!
This doesn’t do justice to the myriad of colors.
Loads of fishies!
This eel was fast…. or was I hesitant to get too close??
Nature reclaiming man’s waste and making it pretty-ish.
It is really nice to be back in Bonaire where we are surrounded by other cruisers and we can enjoy the water that surrounds us. There are good grocery stores and we can find most things we want and everything we need. The winds are returning this week, so we look forward to finding a good kiteboard spot soon.
Happy Thanksgiving to our U.S. readers. As usual, thank you for stopping by.
Ticket to Ride 