The sail took a little over two days, and even our stowaways got some time at the helm :). I’d completely gotten out of the habit of longer passages; for the past month, all our trips had been just a few hours. Two days at sea now felt a bit tiring—and we had only just begun this leg. We had decent winds and small waves in some areas, so we made relatively good time. Unlike the Atlantic crossing, there was some traffic here, both day and night, so we couldn’t just leave the boat on autopilot without risking a collision.
Perhaps one of the best things about these passages between locations, besides the opportunity to fish and read to our hearts’ content, is the high probability of catching a truly spectacular sunrise or sunset. If you happen to encounter some rain or a small squall, the sunrises and sunsets become even more vibrant, practically guaranteed to be stunning; any photo you take is sure to turn out great.
In Curaçao, we found a berth in a part of the island called Spanish Water, which is a bit further from the capital. More specifically, we were in a marina located in a former sugar cane plantation, so we were quite removed from the hustle and bustle. The entrance to the marina led through a narrow channel that passed by a resort.
The marina even had a golf course, so it was a shame I hadn’t brought my clubs. We settled in and explored the area. Given that it was a resort area, I wasn’t sure if there would even be a shop nearby. We found out that the main road was about 2-3 km away, with a gate and a bus stop where we could catch a ride to the city, which sounded good.
We also had some Wi-Fi, which was a plus, even though it wasn’t always working. It was good to have something, at least. I’d completely disconnected from everything; I didn’t need the internet or my phone. I mostly carried it to take pictures and videos rather than for calls—as if anyone would even call me in this remote place.
We needed to see what food supplies we were missing and contact the agent regarding the Colombian visa. If we weren’t able to get the visa for Colombia (which we definitely needed), our stowaways would have to continue their journey on their own. It looked like we would have to head straight to Panama from here to enter the Pacific on schedule.
If this marina is remembered for anything, it will definitely be for the iguanas—or lizards, or whatever category of reptile they fall into. There are an incredible number of them. They are excellent swimmers and, surprisingly, seem to be quite accustomed to people. So, when you go for a walk in the morning, you see them everywhere along the water’s edge, basking in the morning sun, and at some point, they’ll just dive into the water, presumably when they spot some prey.
We had 4-5 days here to see how the visa situation played out.