DR to BONAIRE Crossing

We thought we were fully prepared for our longest crossing of our cruising experience- 435 nautical miles.  That equates to nearly 501 statue miles to landlubbers. This distance is miniscule when compared to passages made by acquaintances who have sailed across the Atlantic or have circumnavigated the globe. Nevertheless, it would be OUR longest crossing to date and I, for one, approached it with a degree of trepidation.

The life raft was lashed to the deck, the jack lines were in place, simple meals were prepared and stowed in the refrigerator, and the intended float plan was filed with our family. The winds from various reports during our travel window were predicted to be easterly at 10-20 knots per hour. We calculated that the trip would take a little more than three full days if we averaged a speed of 6 kph.  We were also cognizant that our estimated travel time could be adversely affected if we did not successfully manage the easterly seas and northerly currents near the ABCs that tend to push vessels off course. No squalls were predicted although we saw intermittent rain clouds, but none fell upon us.  Yet, we donned our heavy weather jackets early on because there was so much sea spray flying as we raced southward through the waves, averaging 7.5+ kph.

Our rain gear needed a thorough washing afterward.

To improve our angle on the wind, we motored east from Boca Chica-DR for the first 6 hours. By the time we turned south, the wind measured a steady 18 kph, gusting to 22 and he main was immediately reefed to reduce the angle of heel. Our comfort was not improved, so a second reef quickly went into the main, followed by reefing the headsail well beyond its third reef mark.  The motion and heeling was constant and neither of us had much of an appetite, leaving the prepared meals untouched. The boat was rocking so heavily that Dan felt it was too much trouble to make our morning coffee which added to my discomfort. We didn’t even try to troll while underway because it might have been impossible to safely land the fish if one was caught. To make matters worse, I lost my prescription glasses and had to ‘D. Bohle’ an old pair to wear and they kept sliding off one ear. Another problem occurred when a stainless tube on our davits broke due to the repeated swinging of the dinghy.

FYI: bandage adhesive tape on a ROLL works best

The last night of the trip while I was on watch, Exit Strategy sailed parallel to the island of Bonaire. When Dan relieved me to begin his watch, I was excited to think that I’d be able to see the island when I awoke.  However, at daybreak when I got up, we still couldn’t see Bonaire! By that time we both just wanted to drop anchor and relax. In an hour or so, the haze had lifted and we were close enough to see the flat southern end of the island.

The southern end of Bonaire is extremely flat and produces salt.

We’re so glad to be here for this hurricane season and are looking forward to exploring the ABCs.