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This blog is being sent over SSB radio and will be reformatted once we have internet.
Rain and Wind Go Away Come Again Another Day (Year)
We had planned on spending 2 days in Bonaire which turned into 9 days due to extreme winds and waves. I will back track to Bonaire and write about this wonderful place once we have internet.
We are currently making our way very slowly towards Grenada for hopefully the 14th Dec.;that is when RJ is expected. However should the weather continue to give us greif, he will have to get a hotel until we get there.
We left Bonaire at 0500 hrs and made a decision to stay at the first anchorage along the way. Waves were reaching 10' on 5-7 secs. Not comfortable but not dangerous. We are heading now into the wind and waves with the current against us. (Having the current against is actually better, because if they were with us they would kick up even larger confused seas).
Our first anchorage would be Aves de Sotavento. Isla de Aves are two separate little island archipelagos, separated by about 10 miles of deep water. They got their names by the large number of birds that make their homes here in the mangroves.
Mangrove Bay is the most protected anchorage in this area. A sailboat from Spain and a motor-sailor also made this anchorage their home for the night. As fate would have it we are all traveling the same direction which for us has been a 1st in a long time.
The Coast Guard came by to check our papers and advise us that there was a 40k system over the Roques and that they would like us to stay the extra day.
We checked 3-4 sources of weather but nothing indicated any system so the motor-sailor named Passage Maker and us decided to go 13nm to the next archipelago where there would still be some protection.(This would get us a little closer for the next passage). Isla Sur is now where we call home for another day or so. It is the most beautiful place. The island is very colourful, with patches of southern glasswort, seaside purslane, and saltwort all in different shades of green. Supposably fishermen use the saltwort for tobacco however I think they wait for visiting boats to supply them with free cigarettes.
The water is a quilt of different shades of blue. Coral just 50' from the boat comes in various colours. There are many different species of birds the most different being the Red Ibis. Normally they are white. Boobies with all different colours of feet.
Peter and Louise from the Sailing Vessel Passage Maker invited us over for cocktails aboard their boat. Now unbelievably this boat is how this dream of ours began! Passage Maker was a boat built by Robert Bebee and an article written in the magazine "The Passage Maker" was about the trip that we are now undertaking. They had however gone in the opposite direction. Peter is the new owner of the boat and he comes from Trinidad/Tobabgo. They are a very nice couple and we will travel probably the next few days together until we turn North and they turn South.
Well, as I have said before I believe we may have a few guardian angles that are staying on the boat with us otherwise we never would have found out about the weather and be in a very secure place to wait it out.
Our next destination is about 35nm to the Roques and we will head out when the weather looks favourable. Pictures of this place will follow with internet.

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