Adventures of North Star
Follow the Adventures of Kim and Steve aboard their yacht North Star!
09 July 2019
08 July 2019
04 July 2019
02 July 2019
31 May 2019 | Copra Shed, Savusavu, Fiji
05 May 2019 | RDM
04 January 2019
28 April 2018
28 March 2018
05 March 2018 | Queenstown view from the top of the gondola.
11 October 2016 | Marina Taina, Tahiti
21 May 2016 | Tahiti, French Polynesia
14 September 2015
12 September 2015 | In Maupiti
17 August 2015 | Huahine, French Polynesia
13 July 2015 | Anyse Amyot-North End of Taou
20 June 2015 | Fakarava-South Pass
18 June 2015 | Fakarava-South Pass
11 June 2015 | Fakarava-South, Harifa
06 June 2015 | Fakarava, North Pass
Greneda to Bonaire
25 July 2010
Please visit our new Photo Gallery
Hopefully, this post will get us back up to date. We have not has reliable Internet since we left Grenada and the posts have gotten so far behind it is difficult to catch up. We left Grenada with the intention of spending a few days in Los Roques and Islas de Aves, a group of islands off the coast of Venezuela. We planned to arrive mid day due to the shallow reef structure that surrounds these islands. We had very favorable winds and the sail from Grenada was at top speeds of 8-10.5 knots! This may have been because of the large pod of dolphins that were racing and jumping in our bow as we left Grenada. We hear this is good luck and means you will have a good sail. We decided to stop in Blanquilla for a break and to allow for our timing into Los Roques for a daylight arrival. Steve received an email while we were sailing and we needed to get to an area with some internet service. We decided to head on to Bonaire and see the remaining islands on our list at another time. Blanquilla was a low lying island and the anchorage was just in front of two palm trees that looked as though they were planted on the beach for a postcard photo. We were approached by several of the local fishing boats looking for cigarettes. Of course, all communication was in Spanish but the word cigarette was very clear. Freshly caught fish and lobster were offered for trade. Little did we know. Next time we will bring some cigarettes for a trade. We continued on our way to Bonaire after a good nights rest and dinner. The winds weren't as strong on this longer leg of the passage and the sail not as fast. Michael started fishing around Los Roques. He was not having any luck and made the statement, "I want to catch a mahi now!" Within 10 minutes he had a nice size mahi. After the mahi was on board, cleaned and put into the freezer Michael put his line back out and said, " I would like to catch a tuna now." Well, withing 15 minutes he had a tuna. Not sure if that will work again but ask and ye shall receive. There are photos in the gallery of both fish. It was almost dark when the tuna mess was cleaned up so he put the line in for the night. It took a few days and we could see Bonaire in the distance. We have been to Bonaire many times but always by plane so arriving on the windward side of the island and coming around the southern point gave us a new view of the island from the sea. Crystal clear, beautiful waters with a distinct line between the light blue and the dark blue. It took a few days to get North Star cleaned up after the passage and luckily we did have some rain to get all of the salt off the boat. We started diving within the first few days and have seen all kinds of great creatures. Frogfish, seahorses, eels, an octopus and even two lionfish that are not native to Bonaire. These are the fish that someone in Florida threw out of an ornamental fish tank and they are thriving in the waters all the way down the Caribbean. They have no natural predators so they are a problem in this region of the world. Here in Bonaire and so I hear in the Bahamas they have programs in place to try to capture as many as possible. The experts here say one lionfish can eat 40 small fish in a 30 minute time frame. The dive shops have markers you can place near the fish if you see one and a blog site where trained locals will make a dive to recover the fish. They seem to stay in one territory once they are established. I believe they arrive here by the eggs floating in the water not by swimming down the island chain. I had my first find yesterday and got to put a marker on Bari Reef. His photo will be in the gallery soon.
Challenger arrived within a week of us and Heat Wave was here when we got here. Heat Wave moved on to Curacao a few days later but Challenger will be here for awhile longer. We do not know any other boats here in Bonaire at the present time from a earlier meeting but it seems many boats return here every year for the hurricane season.
The boys just finished on Friday over 75 hours of community service at a local church. The International Bible Church here is the only church in English and they are constructing a new building not far from the anchorage. The boys spent three weeks painting, hauling block, cleaning up and laying tile. It was hard work and hot but they seemed to really enjoy the work and being a part of building something. We are attending the church while we are here in Bonaire and enjoy the people of this island very much. Michael, a man that has lived here for over 20 years and we have know for as long as we have been coming to Bonaire has been kind enough to drive us wherever we need, church and groceries etc. A lady from church named Lynne has also taken me grocery shopping on several occasions. It is great to shop with a woman here because she understands the need women have for going to 4 or 5 grocery stores to get all the essentials that men just think we don't need if we can't get in one place. The kids have made friends with some of the local kids, many are back home in Bonaire on summer break from college all over the world.
Steve and Michael are at the airport now picking up a friend of Michael's named Julia. She will be here for a little over a week. We are all looking forward to her being here.
Hopefully, this post will get us back up to date. We have not has reliable Internet since we left Grenada and the posts have gotten so far behind it is difficult to catch up. We left Grenada with the intention of spending a few days in Los Roques and Islas de Aves, a group of islands off the coast of Venezuela. We planned to arrive mid day due to the shallow reef structure that surrounds these islands. We had very favorable winds and the sail from Grenada was at top speeds of 8-10.5 knots! This may have been because of the large pod of dolphins that were racing and jumping in our bow as we left Grenada. We hear this is good luck and means you will have a good sail. We decided to stop in Blanquilla for a break and to allow for our timing into Los Roques for a daylight arrival. Steve received an email while we were sailing and we needed to get to an area with some internet service. We decided to head on to Bonaire and see the remaining islands on our list at another time. Blanquilla was a low lying island and the anchorage was just in front of two palm trees that looked as though they were planted on the beach for a postcard photo. We were approached by several of the local fishing boats looking for cigarettes. Of course, all communication was in Spanish but the word cigarette was very clear. Freshly caught fish and lobster were offered for trade. Little did we know. Next time we will bring some cigarettes for a trade. We continued on our way to Bonaire after a good nights rest and dinner. The winds weren't as strong on this longer leg of the passage and the sail not as fast. Michael started fishing around Los Roques. He was not having any luck and made the statement, "I want to catch a mahi now!" Within 10 minutes he had a nice size mahi. After the mahi was on board, cleaned and put into the freezer Michael put his line back out and said, " I would like to catch a tuna now." Well, withing 15 minutes he had a tuna. Not sure if that will work again but ask and ye shall receive. There are photos in the gallery of both fish. It was almost dark when the tuna mess was cleaned up so he put the line in for the night. It took a few days and we could see Bonaire in the distance. We have been to Bonaire many times but always by plane so arriving on the windward side of the island and coming around the southern point gave us a new view of the island from the sea. Crystal clear, beautiful waters with a distinct line between the light blue and the dark blue. It took a few days to get North Star cleaned up after the passage and luckily we did have some rain to get all of the salt off the boat. We started diving within the first few days and have seen all kinds of great creatures. Frogfish, seahorses, eels, an octopus and even two lionfish that are not native to Bonaire. These are the fish that someone in Florida threw out of an ornamental fish tank and they are thriving in the waters all the way down the Caribbean. They have no natural predators so they are a problem in this region of the world. Here in Bonaire and so I hear in the Bahamas they have programs in place to try to capture as many as possible. The experts here say one lionfish can eat 40 small fish in a 30 minute time frame. The dive shops have markers you can place near the fish if you see one and a blog site where trained locals will make a dive to recover the fish. They seem to stay in one territory once they are established. I believe they arrive here by the eggs floating in the water not by swimming down the island chain. I had my first find yesterday and got to put a marker on Bari Reef. His photo will be in the gallery soon.
Challenger arrived within a week of us and Heat Wave was here when we got here. Heat Wave moved on to Curacao a few days later but Challenger will be here for awhile longer. We do not know any other boats here in Bonaire at the present time from a earlier meeting but it seems many boats return here every year for the hurricane season.
The boys just finished on Friday over 75 hours of community service at a local church. The International Bible Church here is the only church in English and they are constructing a new building not far from the anchorage. The boys spent three weeks painting, hauling block, cleaning up and laying tile. It was hard work and hot but they seemed to really enjoy the work and being a part of building something. We are attending the church while we are here in Bonaire and enjoy the people of this island very much. Michael, a man that has lived here for over 20 years and we have know for as long as we have been coming to Bonaire has been kind enough to drive us wherever we need, church and groceries etc. A lady from church named Lynne has also taken me grocery shopping on several occasions. It is great to shop with a woman here because she understands the need women have for going to 4 or 5 grocery stores to get all the essentials that men just think we don't need if we can't get in one place. The kids have made friends with some of the local kids, many are back home in Bonaire on summer break from college all over the world.
Steve and Michael are at the airport now picking up a friend of Michael's named Julia. She will be here for a little over a week. We are all looking forward to her being here.
Comments
| Vessel Name: | North Star |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Tayana 52, Center Cockpit |
| Hailing Port: | Clearwater, Florida |
| Crew: | Steve and Kim |
| About: | |
| Extra: | North Star is a 1988 Tayana 52, center cockpit, a Robert Perry design. |
| Social: |
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North Star's Photos - Main
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Dive Sites Eagle Rock, The Zoo and the Great White Wall
52 Photos
Created 2 July 2019
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39 Photos
Created 29 March 2018
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Curio Bay and Yellow eyed penguins.
60 Photos
Created 18 March 2018
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O'nou Tahiti Graffiti Contest, Michael tattoo, roulottes
26 Photos
Created 2 June 2015
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Panama Canal Crossing and Shelter Bay Marina
31 Photos
Created 1 January 2013
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Back to the marina we go. The damage done by the lightning strike.
14 Photos
Created 7 May 2012
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Caouan, Tobago Cayes, Union Island, Mayreau
39 Photos
Created 25 May 2010
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Trip from Jolly Harbour north to Deep Bay
25 Photos
Created 16 March 2010
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old photos from Virginia to USVI'S
65 Photos
Created 12 March 2010
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additional photos from earlier in trip some of BVI's to St Kitts
120 Photos
Created 7 March 2010
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About Us
Who: Steve and Kim
Port: Clearwater, Florida
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