New country again after 3 months, we had to remember how to dock the boat, turn it around from a dock and then we berthed Lulu in a marina for the first time since Puerto Rico when we picked up guests back in March. The trip to Aruba was very calm – unusually calm – as we had to motor-sail due to so little wind. Normally people talk about how much windier Aruba is than Curacao, and we often saw 20-22 knots in Curacao, so we were prepared for some stronger winds. Magnus took advantage of the open horizons and took several sun sightings and practiced his astronomical navigation.
Prior to leaving Curacao, we stopped by a place called Santa Cruz and snorkeled the “Blue Room” cave, which is a cave that is entered by swimming a couple of meters just under the water. Since the opening to the cave is very big under the water and there is a lot of sun outside, the inside of the cave glows a vibrant blue from the water. I have a bit of claustrophobia but made it into the cave, although I stayed around the entrance and light while Magnus explored around the cave with his diving light, looking for fish. Next to the cave was the wreck of a large boat, which was also very interesting to snorkel. Magnus took videos with his GoPro camera which we hope to be able to post at a later date.
Travelling up Curacao’s west coast we sailed with only the Genoa and made up to 8 knots, a wonderful sail. That made it a bit more surprising when we couldn’t sail to Aruba, but we had a pleasant trip. Arriving in Aruba we were prepared to dock by ourselves, but there was a group of Venezuelans who were working on a boat nearby, and they ran over to take our dock lines and help us in. I thanked them in my broken Spanish, I have been practicing a bit and hope to gain more Spanish speaking time when we get to Colombia. The people of the Dutch Antilles (Curacao, Aruba and Bonaire) speak Dutch and a local creole language Papiamento, as well as English and Spanish. I am always humbled when people praise my being tri-lingual when I see people who are effortlessly quadrilingual. My Spanish is getting better thanks to some really nice Spanish sailors who have been listening to my broken Spanish – they have a very active Instagram “Sailing Non Stop” if you are interested, all in Spanish.
Checking in to Aruba, we had our first ever boat inspection by Customs agents. It was pretty calm, they walked down and looked around a bit, then left after just one or two minutes without opening any cupboards or looking under the bed or sofa cushions. After hearing tales of friends who had been searched in every cupboard, we were expecting a bit more investigation, but they were very relaxed. Also, for the first time since leaving the EU, we didn’t have to pay any fees. We didn’t pay fees upon entering the US, but we had to pay for Magnus’ visa and that included not only steep visa fees but also a trip to Stockholm. Everyone was very friendly, and they helped us find the correct navigational markers to maneuver the shallow area between the Customs dockyard and the marina.
Well at the marina we settled in for the evening and saw a beautiful sunset (pictured). Our day had begun at 5:30 am so we were ready for an early evening. We met some new boat neighbors and chatted with our friends who will be coming along this way soon, many of our boat friends are taking the same route as we are toward the Pacific. The marina is unfortunately away from all connections and services, we booked it in March without knowing anything about Aruba, and given it is next to the airport we assumed that it would have access to public transportation. However, the nearest bus stop according to our boat neighbors is 3,7 kilometers away, the nearest grocery mart is 1,5 kilometers away, and we are a bit stuck out in the middle of nowhere.
Not to fear, we are on Lulu and she is wonderful.
Thoughts on Aruba from Varadero Marina, 14 September 2024.