Bonaire - Bon Bini

Bon Bini - that's Welcome! in the creole Papiamentu dialect of Bonaire. We made the 418 nm sail from Vieques Puerto Rico to Bonaire and arrived in 78 hours. We've spent a week in Bonaire enjoying their beautiful water. The island is very different from the other islands we've visited. It is only about 20 miles from Venezuela but it is Dutch with a strong European influence. The locals speak Dutch, English, Spanish, and Papiamentu which is a creole combination of all three! So you almost think you understand since about every third word sounds English! All the signs have things repeated in three languages. The terain is dry and rocky with cactus and low trees. The water is absolutely beautiful. Bonaire is about 24 miles long and 3-7 miles wide with about 13,000 people. The flat water and constant breeze make it a great stop. It is extremely deep very close to shore so the marine park has installed moorings for the yachts right off the main town of Kralendijk. No anchoring is allowed to protect the coral. This is the place for diving so we did some exploring underwater and on the land!