The entire island of Bonaire is a protected marine park, which meant there is no anchoring, so we picked up a buoy at the capital Kralendijk. Very hot and dusty, but the sea was beautifully clear, so this is where we decided to take a scuba diving course. Quite an experience! And very enjoyable, although snorkelling will never be the same again.

We hired a car and went for a trip around the national park at the north of the island. Cactus and iguanas seemed to be in abundance, but not much else. Although we also got our first sighting of whales. We were standing on the beach after a bit of snorkelling, and noticed huge amounts of fish thrashing around in the deeper water just beyond the coral. This went on for a long time, and then we saw this huge black shape rise up and start feeding. Our first whale.

After a couple of weeks it was time to leave for Curacao where we were going to lift the boat and leave her while we returned to the uk. A very pleasant day sail, then through the floating bridge at Willemstad and on to the marina. First job was to repair the forestay again! The work done by Turbulence in Grenada had fallen apart, so I got a proper rigger to sort it out. Then it was a matter of tidying the boat up, and making a shopping list of things to buy back in the uk. So Tequila is now out of the water while we both return to catch up with family and friends