51-52. Aruba puts the “A” in the ABCs!

    Goodbye, Bonaire

As you know, we loved Bonaire.  That left very big shoes for Curacao and Aruba to fill.  Here’s how they measure up.

We were so sad to leave Bonaire.  We pulled away at 5:30am, leaving Take Two behind, sleeping soundly.  We enjoyed the sunrise and soon heard the call from our friends who had caught up with us and quickly passed us.  They were headed on to Columbia while we planned to see the rest of the ABCs.  Our 9 hour ride to Curacao was fairly uneventful.  We had some belt squeaking from the alternator but we sailed most the day so it didn't slow us down.  The sea state continued uncomfortably following us until we were in the lee of the land.  We quickly got our hook down and were excited to head into town to see what there was to see.  Our friends aboard Passion Rebel were anchored next to us so Andrew headed over to get the scoop on transport to town, customs and immigration, etc.  They gave us everything we needed to know to catch the bus and head into town.  We were ecstatic to have a dinner of Subway and Starbucks, something you probably won't understand unless you’ve been missing them for a really long time :) 

    Floating bridge, Christmas ready.

We saw the infamous floating bridge and all of town was lit up for Christmas celebration.

    Paige enjoying the view w/ some Starbucks.

It is not a particularly beautiful town, more industrial than our liking but it is always an adventure to use public transportation so the night was a fun excursion.  Our outing also showed us where Napa was so Andrew could get on the belt issues before they became a problem.

    Boat projects in exotic places :)

    Andrew showing us how he really feels ;)

This is something that would easily be handled stateside but it seemed the belt we needed was a bit elusive and after 3 trips to Napa (via bus and some hitchhiking) he found what we thought would work but promptly broke as soon as we were underway to Aruba.  We spent a few hours relaxing and swimming at the beach before leaving Curacao behind and hitting the open water again.  Maybe we didn't give Curacao a fair break because we were coming off such a high in Bonaire; but, because of its industrialness and lack of pristine swimming areas near our anchorage, Curacao ranks at the bottom of our ABC scale.

We had a beautiful night sail to Aruba.  We all witnessed the green flash as the sun set and had a meteor shower (my first ever).  Around 3am during Andrew’s watch we were surprised by the Aruban Coast Guard cruising up to our side rail.  They had been traveling in complete blackout until we were within 25 yards of them and they throw on the floodlights, that will wake you up!  Now for those of you who have never done a long passage aboard a private vessel let me just explain that at most times we are wearing as few clothes as possible because it is hot and sticky and you may be jumping in the water or be sprayed with water at any minute (our friends always radio over and say “tell Summer to put pants on, we’re coming over” :) So a sneak approach like the Coast Guard’s found Andrew in only his boxer briefs, I’m sure they had a laugh about it later!  We radioed back and forth the info they requested and they made sure Aruba Port Control knew we were coming in before leaving us very awake and with enough adrenaline to finish the last 3 hours no problem!

    Rainbow greeting at the immigration dock!

Customs / Immigration was very friendly and welcoming to us and we found a nice anchorage to call home.  We were treated to more Starbucks, Subway and wifi, always a treat.  We quickly got the lay of the land and made some plans for our Christmas celebration.  I mentioned in the Bonaire blog that we did our first Christmas aboard Take Two.  That was our big shindig.  We had a great meal of lobster linguine with apple crisp for dessert.  We decorated Christmas cookies,

opened presents and played a super fun game that we all highly recommend.  Here it is:

All you need are some small treats or prizes, a main prize and some saran wrap.  You put the main prize in the center and begin wrapping with the saran wrap, adding in little prizes as you go.  You could make the ball as big as you want.  We only used one box of saran wrap and it offered plenty of entertainment.  Sit in a circle and one person begins unwrapping the ball (no ripping) while the person next to them tries to roll doubles on two dice.  You keep any candy unwrapped during your turn but when doubles are rolled, he passes the dice to the next person and you pass the ball of fun to him.  Continue until the center prize is unwrapped.  We had 7 kids and 4 adults playing and everyone had a blast!

Our Christmas in Aruba was a little more low key but just as special.  Santa found us in the Renaissance Marina and was very good to us.

Boat Christmas is very much about less being more and we really like it that way.  After a lazy morning we headed to the kite beach to make some memories!

Andrew kitesurfing, Paige & Sky windsurfing and me supervising made the perfect afternoon of fun.

 

    Selfie proof I'm there too ;)

Andrew even met a friend who took him to the other side of the island the next day for an even better session.  

Some of the perks of staying at the marina meant full access to the resort pools as well.

We spent many a morning doing school poolside

and playing bingo in the afternoons.

 

    Sky's winnings!

We had lots of visitors while we were trying to get work done, I guess the snacks we brought were a hit :)

Our Christmas was pretty memorable and puts Aruba in second place in the ABC race :) 

So to recap for anyone planning a trip to the ABCs:  Bonaire- loved it!  Beautiful water and sea life, great food and town life, and some of the best people we’ve met.  Aruba- great vacation spot, lots of amenities but all the crowds that come with that.  Friendly people, beautiful beaches.  Curacao- great for the Dutch town experience but beaches were not convenient to the free anchoring position.  Either get the permit to move around or plan on bus trips to town if you want to see anything.

This is our one year anniversary aboard Abby and what a year it has been!  We could not even imagine all the amazing things we would see and do or the beautiful people we would meet when we pulled through the fog into St Augustine at 11:30pm last Christmas Eve.

    Christmas Eve 2015

    Christmas Eve 2016

Now on to wondering what the next year will hold!

Things learned aboard this week:

If you have one horrible, awful, really bad passage, every subsequent passage is a vast improvement!  Our tolerance level is pretty high now, I guess.  I still don't like them but it's definitely not that bad.

One year can change everything.  We knew we were embarking on a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel the Caribbean.  We knew the scenery would be spectacular and the experiences unforgettable.  We did not know that it would wreck us - in a good way.  Slowing down the pace of our life to truly see each other.  To learn what matters most to us.  And to see each other through challenging times so we could celebrate the strength and growth on the other side.  Not all the discoveries were what we expected and not all were pretty.  But we not only survived an entire year on a 37’ boat but we came out loving each other and loving this simple life more than we ever imagined!

    These two make us laugh!

Our next blog will update you on some big changes in our plans as we move into 2017.  Hope you had a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

53 - 54. New Year, New Plan

49-50. Bonaire Makes Everything Better!

 

 

    Beautiful sunset as we head out to sea.  Photos taken moments apart.

Why do passages have to be so difficult?!  I’m not a complainer usually and I understand that if I want to see any new place via sailboat that I will have to sail there.  We’ve only done two other long passages, Bahamas to Turks & Caicos and Turks & Caicos to Puerto Rico.  They had their moments of beauty and awe but as a whole i’m just not a fan.  And after 11+ months aboard my opinion has changed little and I knew the passage to Bonaire from St Lucia would be our furthest to date.  I was prepared for this passage to change my mind.  I did all the prep work; we were stocked with quick easy food and plenty of snacks, the boat was clean and secured, we planned our weather window and were super excited to meet back up with our friends on Take Two in Bonaire.  So you can understand the anticipation in the air when we pulled away under a beautiful double rainbow!

Our friends had given us info about their passage, how confused the sea state was when pulling away from the island chain and where to expect some rough seas due to underwater terrain so we knew there would be some rough water but we thought we were ready.  We were not!

The 4 days at sea all blur together due to the monotonous rocking and rolling and ever increasing sleep deprivation :)  Twelve hours into our journey the seas had chosen their state and we weren't about to turn back so we pressed on, every night willing it to be different in the morning.

    The photo doesn't do the waves justice!

Andrew and I could only manage two hour shifts because the waves were too much for our auto pilot and we were hand steering the entire first 36 hours.  Our boat’s max hull speed is 7 knots, which means that is about the fastest she should ever go.  But on my watch on evening two, the wind and seas picked up so much that I wave surfed four waves in a row at 11 knots before calling Andrew up to help slow us down a bit for safety.  So one bright spot of the uncomfortable passage is we were making great time!

    Notice the time stamp!  That is a 7am beer after a long night on duty :)

Up to this point in our sailing life we have never used jack lines (safety straps running the length of the boat that you strap to before leaving the cockpit so if you were to fall while on deck, you wouldn't fall overboard).  But Andrew had enough foresight to get them rigged before we left St Lucia and they were literally life savers.  Luckily there were only a few times we needed to leave the cockpit during the 4 days but it was sketchy to say the least!  We broke the shackle on our boom without even knowing it, we just happen to notice it hanging on by a thread during a sail adjustment before a major catastrophe.  We also lost our boom and, which secures the boom.  It was a rough ride on the rigging as well as the humans aboard.  We all welcomed a bit of a reprieve on our last day when the seas settled a bit, a pod of dolphins followed us all afternoon

and Bonaire came into view.  Even once we spot land, there is still 8+ hours to go which is sometimes the hardest part of the journey; to see your destination so close and still so far away.  Finally at 12:30am, 82 hrs after leaving Rodney Bay, St Lucia, we pull into the mooring field of Bonaire.  Jay and Tanya from Take Two were sweet enough to meet us at the mooring ball and help get us secured and settled for the night.  I was never so happy to squeeze a friend’s neck.  I think it goes without saying that we slept like rocks that night.  When we finally awoke ready to face the day, we got our first glimpse of beautiful Bonaire,

    Abby has the red sail cover and bimini.

the classic Dutch, pastel coloring of the buildings and a cute seafront village right along the moorings.  Take Two had us over for an amazing brunch of sweet and savory pannenkoeken (crepes) and we celebrated having arrived!  

Later that afternoon we ventured to town to check in with customs / immigration and see what there was to see.  The very first person to greet us in Bonaire was Cliff, the immigration officer, and he will always be the face of Bonaire to us.  After getting the official stuff out of the way we began chatting with him and he asked Sky what type of things she liked to do and did she enjoy seeing nature, etc.  Which she very much does.  He said he had noticed her birthday coming up the following week when doing our paperwork and he would like to show her a special part of Bonaire as a gift if she was interested.  He offered up his day off the following week to give us a private tour!  So in our first hour on land our immigration officer fell in love with Sky and offered up a special tour just for her.  Maybe the passage was worth it and Bonaire would be awesome!  Take Two joined us ashore for dinner at Cuba and gelato at Gio’s and Bonaire was off to a great start!  When we checked into the marina the next day, Quinton at the desk said, “ Don't worry if people smile at you or offer to do something for you.  They don't want anything from you, that’s just how we are in Bonaire.”  I thought it funny that we require a disclaimer as an American that friendliness shouldn't cause alarm, they aren't scoping us out to rob us, they are just decent humans who smile and say “good morning”.  Novel idea, right?!

We found ourselves feeling right at home in Bonaire.  Great little restaurants and shops,

    Almost too pretty to eat!

a beautiful grocery store that rivals anything in the states, the prices were great and the people were friendly, not to mention the amazing sea life and crystal clear, turquoise waters.

Days melted away swimming and snorkeling off the back of the boat.

    Nothing like a cruise ship pulling in to interrupt your afternoon swim.

Andrew got straight to work installing the water maker.

 

And we enjoyed little excursions to town for ice cream at Luciano’s.  

Before we knew it, it was time for our day of fun with Cliff to celebrate my baby turning 11.

He picked us up bright and early and off we headed.

We hiked into the bush maybe 100 yards before we came to a hole in the ground 5’ wide.  A ladder was secured to the wall of the cave for us to climb down into.  It was warm and humid and otherworldly.  Not like caves for tourists in the states; caves that you could fall and injure yourself or knock your head on a rock as you army crawl through to the next opening.  It was beautiful and there is nowhere else in the world as quiet as deep in a cave.

Our second leg of the adventure was into another breathtaking cave where we entered at one end and hiked our way through to a separate exit.

 

Cliff said this cave connects to another cave system and he had been 4 miles into the cave trying to find the junction when it got so deep with guano and mud that they had to turn back.  He’s a little crazy ;)

Our final cave was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.  After hiking down into the hole until it was almost black, we found ourselves at a clear pool.  We took care not to stir the sediment as we floated onto our bellies and swam into the dark.  Some of us were more willing than others to embrace an afternoon swim through a pitch black cave, with bats flying overhead and having your brain play with you on what else might be in the water with us!  But after some heavy coaxing from daddy, Paige joined us inside :) And even she can't deny the awesomeness!  At one point in the swim there was an optional swim through.  You could dive down about 10’ and swim 20’ into a separate room.  We had 3 underwater flashlights with us and every once in awhile they would all disappear to one side or the other and you would experience utter darkness and perfect stillness, until a mean friend would sneak up behind you to scare you to death :)

My Sky said it was the best birthday ever!  She didn't know Cliff was just getting warmed up!  

He then took us to the other side of the island where we saw a flock of wild flamingos, very cool -hadn't seen that before.

And we spent the rest of the afternoon at the windsurfing haven.  We enjoyed lunch at a great beach bar

and everyone tried their hand at windsurfing.

It was a huge hit!  

We all headed home exhausted from our fun, but it wasn't over yet.  Sinterklaas was scheduled to arrive that evening with his helper Black Pete.  And we definitely weren't going to miss that!

After a quick clean up, we met back in town and Cliff had more excitement up his sleeve.

Sinterklaas invited Sky on stage, presented her with a gift (courtesy of Cliff) and he and his entourage sang her “Happy Birthday”.

She is guaranteed to never forget it!  Oh the conversations we had over dinner!

What a day!  Thank you will never be enough.

    Sky & Cliff.

The beauty of Bonaire continued to woo us.  We enjoyed a few date nights out with Jay & Tanya, we celebrated both Thanksgiving and Christmas with our friends who are now very much family!

 

Everyone loved windsurfing so much that we had to do it again.

We got to sail on Take Two to another side of the island and enjoyed some awesome snorkeling and freediving.  We just couldn't get enough of this amazing piece of paradise!  

The weather was right for us all to move on but it was very hard to say goodbye.

Sky made Cliff a little “thank you” and we did all our last minutes items to get ready for another sail.  But I think all the Abby Singer crew left a piece of their hearts in Bonaire!

Things learned aboard this week:

Bonaire was so worth it!  Bonaire offers the beauty underwater of the Bahamas, fun little restaurants and shops like St Martin, easy shopping similar to (but even better than) Grenada, and amazingly welcoming locals like we’ve met in so many of the wonderful places we’ve traveled.  I wish I could keep this little island a secret but it is just too good not to share:)

I still hate passages though.

Our friends head to Columbia as we check out the rest of the ABC islands.  Come along for the journey.

51 - 52. Aruba puts the "A" in the ABCs!