October 16 - 23, 2010 -- Curacao
Click on the thumbnail for a map during this time period
Spanish Water
The water isn't nearly so clean as the mooring field in
Bonaire. And the anchorage is crowded. But the place is
well-protected, so we certainly didn't have to fret about "reversals".
My knees and shoulders were bothering me so much that I
didn't get out much; Barb had to handle the trip to downtown Willemstad to get
us checked in with Customs and Immigration: the walk from the bus stop to
the offices was just more than I could handle.
On the day before we hauled, Henk and Joke (ZeeVonk)
came over to TT2 and provided several types of treatment for my shoulders:
pain pills, a machine for providing electrical stimulation to the
injured/inflamed area(s), and Reiki, a form of Japanese hands-on treatment that
Joke has become proficient in. My shoulders did feel better after the
attention, and the pills held me over until I could get to the States and see my
doctor.
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Henk, Joke, and the patient
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We had misgivings about the haul, since Curacao Marine uses a four-point trailer
rather than a travel lift like we have always used in the past. But
we sought and received assurances from Krogen Yachts that the trailer would work
fine so long as the pads were properly placed. Erik (Curacao Marine)
assumed responsibility for correctly positioning the pads, and we were impressed
with his thoroughness and care, and in the end satisfied that TT2 had
been safely moved to her resting place.
The passage up to the Marina is up through a canal that is spanned by a long
pontoon bridge. The canal is busy with commercial vessels of all
sizes -- some quite large -- that make their way to the oil refineries or other
industrial sites or to the berth for Cruise Ships. The bridge opens
by disengaging at the east end and swinging (propelled by outboard motors)
around to leave an opening of whatever size is appropriate. After we
had passed through the bridge I noticed a man on the shore taking photographs,
but I didn't think anything of it. Later that day we received an email
that contained a number of pictures taken of us as we had passed. I
thanked him by email. Then the next morning he appeared at our stern with
a CD that contained yet more pictures. What a nice guy. Turns out he is retired and takes pictures of ships as a hobby, posting them to
his web site. He said he usually is photographing much bigger ships,
but couldn't resist our handsome boat. :-) What a nice guy. I
include -- with his permission -- a couple of the pictures he provided; they are
marked below with (**). His name is Cornelis (Kees) Bustraan; you can see
more of TT2 (and others) at his web site
here.
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On the way up to the canal, we spotted this huge (and ugly) motor vessel. Note the man/dinghy at the side of the boat, which is named "A".
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Pontoon bridge (forward) and tall bridge (rear)
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Pontoon bridge as we pass the end that was swung open
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Colorful waterfront ...
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... of the canal through Willemstad
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View of tall bridge after passing the pontoon bridge
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(**) Coming past the pontoon bridge
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(**) Nice side view
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(**) Moving on down toward the refineries
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(**) East side of the entrance to the canal
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