[password] nosara01
[position] 12 09,6n 068 19.6w
[weather] post tropical storm
[status]
Well, we are in Bonaire.

It's been so long since we made a passage of more
than one day. This one was from Martinique, about 470 n.m. We did it in 71
hours, almost all under sail. This boat is quicker than Alegria. And,
generally, easier to sail and more comfortable. We had two days of dead
down wind in light conditions, so played with learning to use the whisker
pole. Unfortunately, it's a Forespar line-adjustable, and collapsed to it's
shortest length. A bit of subsequent research discloses that Forespar
doesn't recommend it for long downwind passages, and anyway, it's only
recommended for boats to 46'. I guess our rig company missed that too.
But Forespar is sending me the parts at no charge, I'll learn how to
disassemble and repair. Some things don't change . . .

We both like Bonaire. It's heritage is Dutch, that is the primary language,
along with a local creole and of course english. Good local supermarket,
not too expensive, everything labeled in Dutch. Fresh fruit and some vegies
come up on a picturesque boat, from Venezuela. It's lived up to its
reputation as a great place to snorkel and scuba, there's hundreds of marked
sites. The hurricanes are going by to the north of us, as we'd hoped. And
there's a shipping service for stuff from the US, we're hoping that will
work out well for us. We also have a replacement watermaker membrane on the
way, (see ?some things don?t change?, above), as a warrantee/customer service freebie from Spectra. Planning to
linger for a few more weeks here, then on to Curacao, perhaps for a haulout.

[END]