CURACAO

To think that outside this lagoon the waves are five feet high, with white crests, leaves us a little bewildered about an anchorage in the Caribbean, since most anchorages are quite rolly. This anchorage, Spanish Water in Curacao, is more like being in a lake. Indeed the entrance from the sea is only about fifty yards wide and is nearly half a mile long between conglomerate rocks surmounted by mangrove bushes. The winding channel is sometimes forty feet in depth and sometimes only eleven feet and some fair sized yachts, (up to 70’) seem to make it into the anchorage.

The ‘lake’ consists of a considerable number of low sided fjords,( 20 to 30 feet high) each about a third of a mile long by 150 yards wide, surrounded by beautiful low rise houses. Each of these has a lake frontage of about 100 feet and usually has a concrete walled, painted, Dutch style, house perched just above the water, with a dock to the front. We are fortunate enough to be tied to one of these docks at the invitation of Cor and Marjolein Von Aanholt who live here and who have been very hospitable. We met Cor in Antigua two years ago when Will and Cor served on the international jury together for Antigua Sailing Week.

While Cor and Marjolein and their four children were away on holiday we have been looking after their three dogs, two Red Setters and a Jack Russell Terrier. Of course the Jack Russell rules the pack! Now that Cor and Marjolein have returned from their months holiday, we no longer walk the dogs, which is a shame.

. The buildings look Dutch because indeed they are. Curacao is part of the Dutch Antilles and, although independent of Government , still operates under the crown of Holland, and has done so for four hundred years. The main town, Willemstad, has a very Hanseatic League feel to its water front and was a great trading port and slave entrepot during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It has a wonderful floating bridge which is pulled aside when one of the many tankers or container ships wishes to pass a mile inland to the huge oil refinery and Freeport contained within a large lagoon in the interior.

There is an excellent museum here dedicated to the sophisticated and war like nature of African Culture during the eighteenth century, as well as to the abhorrent slave trade. Fortunately the slave trade is no longer with us, but Africa still seems to be at war with itself. Perhaps it is about time that mankind realised it is much more profitable to educate, and live by consensus, than to maim and kill. Perhaps our younger generation can do something about this. Certainly our present politicians appear to be ignorant of the fact.

The people of Curacao are every colour people could be. Although Curacao was a large slave market, not many Africans were slaves on the island, the past population being mostly Dutch or Dutch Jews escaping from persecution in Europe. Willemstad has the oldest practising synagogue in the Caribbean or South America. (275 years old). The Government of the country therefore appears quite balanced, although some of the Opposition parties talk of total independence from Holland. This has a number of the population wondering whether there will be any further money from the European Community for roads and infrastructure, and other things. They are right, there wouldn’t be, which is probably why the population voted in a recent referendum for autonomy for the island under the Dutch crown, and they are still discussing the money! Sensible people on Curacao! We have just had a power cut which seems to happen with great regularity. Perhaps the European Community isn’t putting the money in exactly the right places!

Curacao is a beautiful island about 35 miles long by 5 miles wide. The sun shines most of the time and the puffy trade wind clouds, and occasional thunderstorms, flow by overhead. The winds are almost always between 10 and 25 knots from the east, although very occasionally the Tropical systems and land mass in South America cause a light south westerly airstream for a few days. There have only been two hurricanes near here in the last hundred years which apparently puts it out of the hurricane belt. Certainly none of the cruising yachts here seem to be concerned. There are perhaps two hundred cruising yachts either at anchor or in the small marinas around Spanish Water. At least half of them are local boats, including one dragon, Deva, which sits in a marina.

There are over a hundred optimists, originally inspired to race by our friend Cor, and thirty sunsails (a bit like an older longer laser) of which Cor used to be World Champion. The inland water is ideal for small dinghies and there seems to be a considerable amount of coaching going on for the weenies! No wonder Cor’s daughter has just become Ladies World Champion in the ‘Splash’ Class (a little bit like a more modern, smaller, laser). It really seems that Spanish Water in Curacao is almost idyllic from a yachtsman’s point of view. Some people stay here on their yachts the year round.

We are allowed 90 days stay by immigration without seeking an extension to our welcome, but we are in fact leaving on Friday. We are going to Bonaire for the diving (it is apparently one of the best dive islands in the world) and although we will return here it will only be for a day on our way back from the east, westward towards Aruba and Cartagena. We have been reading about cruising the coast of Columbia and, in fact, how safe it is since 2005, when a new President came to power there. Both the American and the Columbian Coastguards patrol the coast, and as long as they know you are there, they keep an eye on you, which is very gratifying when one is a stranger to such a region. They are more than happy for you to submit a passage plan to help look after you, but it is not obligatory! Sounds good, and we will probably call in on the Columbian Coast on our way to Cartagena. More of that another time.

The snorkelling on Curacao is very picturesque.

We have seen trunk fish, pipe fish, cuttle fish mating (they flash with silver stripes when they get excited), squid, drum fish, surgeon fish, doctor fish, blue tang, barracuda (small ones!), angel fish, four eyed butterfly fish, sergeant majors (some in blue because they are mating), tarpon, jacks and blue wrasse. Also squirrel fish and spanish grunt and a host of parrot fish which have beaks like parrots to feed on the coral.

Margaret has even stroked a nurse shark and been kissed by a sea lion, although this was in the Sea Aquarium, where they also train dolphins and have children, some adults, and handicapped people, swimming with them.

We even have a loggerhead turtle that swims off the boat here.

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Bird life (the feathered variety) on Curacao is myriad. The national bird is the yellow oriole which is about the size of a British starling. It is yellow all over with a black chest and black wings and tail. A very pretty bird, even if its call is more like a caterwaul.

The yellow oriole has a most unusual nest.

A much more melodious call wakes us every morning at present. It is from the troupial, which is like a large British blackbird, but has very orange markings along its side and neck and over its rump. It is much more common than the yellow oriole.

It is the first time we have seen parakeets properly. They make a screeching racket as they fly away from our presence, mostly in pairs, but sometimes in flocks.

There is only one type of parrot on the island but we haven’t seen this yet. The major raptor on the island is the caracara Bird ( dear one,dear one!) Which doesn’t look at all dear! It has a fierce red face with a large buff bill and black crown over a pale nearly white neck, with body and legs brown and black and similar to a young British buzzard, whose size it is comparable with. It does a lot of strutting, a bit like the Griffin in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as he takes Alice to hear the Mock Turtles story.

The american kestrel is a pretty bird and quite small, about the size of a merlin. It can be seen perching on top of the cactus waiting for its prey. Of course we have the magnificent frigate bird flying overhead with the occasional brown pelican flopping into the water for its lunch.

Believe it or not, we have the common house sparrow hopping about the restaurants trying to cadge a crumb or two. It was introduced as a caged bird here (as an exotic!) about thirty years ago and has escaped its captivity. No doubt one day it will take over the Caribbean and South America! The pink flamingo is indigenous here and can be seen in a number of the shallow lagoons. They are very graceful as they sift the water for krill and other small crustacean. There are always two or three on the outskirts of a flock who are not feeding, and who have their heads out of water watching for danger.

Most vegetation here is scrubby and low with the occasional manchineel tree standing to perhaps 60 feet in the lee of a bluff or cliff although generally much smaller. The manchineel tree, or bush is poisonous, and brought Margaret out in a rash on her elbow as she brushed past one in the wet one day, when we were walking the dogs. Fortunately the blisters didn’t last long, but the trees/bushes are all over the place! The fruit is also poisonous.

Mangrove trees abound around the five lagoons. Similar places to Spanish Water. They used to make a lot of salt on the islands and some of the original salt pans are still to be seen. They still make salt in this way in Bonaire, our next port of call.

The higher ground (up to 300 feet!) is dotted by the long high cacti similar to the ones seen sometimes with John Wayne in his Westerns, although the high bushy type, rather than the two armed variety, which we believe is Mexican. The birds and parakeets are particularly fond of the cactus fruits.

Overall Curacao is a particularly civilised island and puts out a very friendly welcome to visitors. The exception is perhaps the bus drivers who seem to be as arrogant here as they are in London. Do not take a taxi here, the cost is exorbitant. Despite these small drawbacks we have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and can recommend Curacao to anyone taking a diving holiday, or even a holiday on one of the occasional beaches. Provided of course you speak Dutch, English or Spanish. They speak all three here, constantly and fluently!

We hope you like the pictures.

Love Atlantia.