1/24/10 to 2/5/10

We departed Santa Cruz Bay before dawn & endured a wallowing, bumpy, downwind sail to Aruba. We anchored just north of Oranjestad’s airport. This bay is relatively large & exposed to wind chop & swell wrapping the reef. With winds averaging 20-25 knots, it was a wet ride via dinghy into & out of the Renaissance Marina.

Makai at anchor in Oranjestad

Aruba is a major tourist resort destination with multiple large cruise ships lining the docks & an almost constant flow of planes arriving & departing (8 AM to 7 PM.) High-end stores (Gucci, Versace, etc.), jewelry & electronic stores, restaurants, cafes & open-air stalls line the main streets of downtown Oranjestad. The shopping center adjacent to the marina has a movie theater with reclining seats & a Starbucks Coffee shop! What more can you ask for? The bus system is the best of the three (ABC) islands, allowing easy & cheap access to most of the island.

Together with Liz & Craig, we rented a car & drove around the island one day visiting various tourist attractions & getting the lay of the land. In a nutshell, the northwest coast is home to Aruba’s famous white sand beaches, resorts & time-share condominiums. The Arikok National Park covers 18% of the island (central & southeastern coast) & has several historical, cultural & natural landmarks such as ruins, Indian petroglyphs, hieroglyphs, natural rock bridges & caves. Aruba’s second largest town, San Nicholas, lies at the southern end of the island & centers around the Valero Oil Refinery Company, a site you can’t miss (sight or smell) on approach from Curacao. San Nicholas is also home to Charlie’s Bar. This is a must-see on the tourist circuit, as it’s Aruba’s oldest (1941) & most famous bar decorated with an eclectic collection of marine salvage, license plates, ice skates, boomerangs, dolls & puppets, masks, photos, dollar bills, cards, notes, drawings & maps. Definitely unique!

California Lighthouse

Eastern Coastline

Stalagmite Formation (supposedly a buffalo??)

Cave Dwellers

Charlie’s Bar

Despite the fact that the people of Aruba are some of the nicest we’ve met to date & the island holds promise of endless activities & the creature comforts of home; we couldn’t really see ourselves ‘parked’ here for the next 2-3 months. But where do we go? This time of year there is little opportunity to head east to Bonaire or north to Puerto Rico. Heading south to Venezuela was not an option. Therefore after much discussion, we decided to continue west towards Columbia & Panama. The 400-mile passage from Aruba to Cartagena is known for the worst weather conditions in the Caribbean & is among the top five worst passages around the world. With unseasonably calm weather forecasted for February 5th to the 8th, we spent our last few days in Aruba preparing the boat & ourselves for the passage. On February 4th, the crew of Liquid Courage (Don & his friend Devon) arrived from Curacao to join our westward bound flotilla.

We’re somewhat anxious regarding this passage, but excited to be heading to the Western Caribbean – it should be a great adventure! Where’s my Spanish dictionary?