A FEW DAYS IN SPANISH WATERS, CURACAO

MAY 3, 2014

IT'S PERFECT AT ANCHOR SPANISH WATERS, CURACAO

It is a beautiful day here in the cockpit of It's Perfect.  Who ever said Chicago is the windy city should come to Curacao, the wind has not let up since we arrived.  Yesterday afternoon the wind indicator registered 45 knots but the water here in the anchorage remains almost flat.  This morning we have a new boat anchored close by.  After he set the anchor and went below, the boat began a steady slide backwards and drug halfway across Spanish Waters. He finally came on deck and discovered his location.  His anchor is now set and they are down below for a nap.

THE FLOATING FISH MARKET
FROM ACROSS THE CHANNEL

We took the bus into Willemstad on Wednesday for the Queens Holiday.   Everyone on the island came for the party most dressed in orange.  We made our way through the streets full of people and vendors to walk across the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge.  I have never seen so many people on a bridge in my life.  After a walk around town we visited the Maritime Museum and listened to a band before returning to the bus stop for a ride back to Spanish Waters.  The whole experience was people and sound overload.  Back on It's Perfect all is peaceful.

Yesterday we took the free shopping bus into the grocery.  The selection is very good and the prices very close to American stores.  On the bus we met a family anchored close by from Germany.  In their early forty's, they have taken a 5 year break from work and moved aboard their 36ft sailboat with their 4 children under the age of 9 to see the world.   After 18 months in the Med to have Hanna their youngest child they crossed the Atlantic and are now on their way to the Panama Canal.  The Marquesas is their destination for hurricane season.  After that they are talking about Australia and New Zealand.  The children were well behaved, happy and tan.  Purchasing a new water pistol made their day.

INGA GIVING ROD  INSTRUCTIONS

Rod has taken his life in his own hands once again and taken a class in Wind Surfing.  His instructor Inga from Holland is graduating with a law degree next month.  She is thinking of going to Air Traffic Control school, not quite sure what she wants to be when she grows up.  A bit harder than it looks Rod is now ready to hone his skills racing across the anchorage.  Just one more thing to add to his many achievements.