Sailing around the Caribbean

In 2007 our family sailed from the Chesapeake Bay to the Caribbean, visiting most of the islands and stopping in Cartagena, Colombia for hurricane season. We just returned to the Chesapeake after visiting many Central American countries and islands.

11 July 2009 | Kikuyu in Annapolis Harbor, Looking toward the City
29 June 2009 | The National Young Women's Sailing Competition in Hampton
15 June 2009 | Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor
02 June 2009 | Kennedy Space Center
01 June 2009 | Beaudacious and Third Boat that Joined us at Anchor in Fort Pierce
31 May 2009 | Our Friends Beaudacions' Mast was Taller than Most Bridges when Opened
25 May 2009 | View of a Canal from Las Olas Marina Boulevard
21 May 2009 | Approaching Miami Harbor
18 May 2009 | One of the Six-toed Cats Sleeping on Hemingway's Master Bed
16 May 2009 | Approaching Key West - Daniel at the bow trying to see land with the binoculars
08 May 2009 | Main Town Harbor
06 May 2009 | Maya Ritual Reenactment
29 April 2009 | Town's Harbor
27 April 2009 | Daniel at the Blue Hole
25 April 2009 | The Weather Turned Bad
22 April 2009 | View of City from Kikuyu
21 April 2009 | Dangriga Harbor -Daniel doing school work!
19 April 2009 | Whale Shark, Picture by Chelsea Tolppanen
15 April 2009 | kikuyu in the Middle at Anchor in East Harbor

Curacao: Willemstad, an UNESCO Protected City

26 May 2008
Similarly to Bonaire, Curacao is a desert-like island filled with low brush bushes, cactus, and land where nothing grows. People also speak 4 languages, with Papiamento being the primary language. But unlike Bonaire, Curacao has a significant infrastructure. After 1614 when the Dutch West Indian Company conquered the island to mind salt to preserve their herring industry, the Dutch focused on developing a cattle and farming industry and by the 1800s Curacao had become a major trading center for the Dutch with a large slavery industry (only abolished in 1863.) In the 1800s Curacao became a smuggling capital for trade between warring nations - Spain, Britain and France. With the great droughts at the beginning of the 20th century, Curacao focused on phosphate mining which saved the island's economy. Phosphate was exported to Europe to be used in washing power - mining can still be seeing on some areas such as the north coast of Klein Curacao. Oil was discovered in the early 1900s and a Shell refinery was built. This made Curacao very prosperous.

However, in the1950s Curacao decided to also focus on tourism which has further enriched the island. Its capital harbor city of Willemstadt has amongst some of the oldest buildings in the Caribbean, including the oldest working synagogue in the western hemisphere -The Mike Israel-Emmanuel Synagogue. Walking through the streets of Willemstadt is like walking through old streets in Amsterdam as its buildings and architectural styles have been preserved and restored after UNESCO declared it a world heritage in 1997.
Comments
Vessel Name: Kikuyu
Vessel Make/Model: Hallberg-Rassy 37
Hailing Port: Norfolk, VA
Crew: Cunningham's (Captain: Kim; Crew: Maria & Daniel
About: Maria E. Ramos and Daniel Cunningham
Extra:
We are delighted to have you as a visitor to our site. Our family (Dad-Kim, Mom-Maria, 12-year-old son: Daniel) started our cruising adventure in our minds a few years ago. We slowly began to take steps toward achieving this dream. In November of 2007 we departed Annapolis, MD in the Chesapeake [...]
Home Page: www.sailingourway.com

Sailing Our Way

Who: Cunningham's (Captain: Kim; Crew: Maria & Daniel
Port: Norfolk, VA
Our Pictures
Kikuyu and its crew