Askari Sailing: Chilled in Curacao

Waterfront in Willemstad

We spent just over a month in Curacao, it wasn't really our plan however it's a great place to get things done, and we had realised that September and October are really rainy in Colombia so we decided to defer out trip there. I have to say Curacao is not our favourite island in the Caribbean despite being part of the Dutch Caribbean group. It does have beautiful beaches but you have to get special permission to anchor outside the main harbours and then only for a few days at a time. The main anchorage is Spaanse Water which is a protected lagoon, complete with mangroves and derelict yachts that have been left here to rot in the murky brown water - after the beauty of the water in Bonaire I found it a bit hard to take the brown water. Spaanse Water is also a long way from everything great the island has to to offer so you need to hire a car (luckily cheap cars are available - some even had aircon). There are different allocated anchorage areas inside Spaanse water and we were nicely secured in zone A alongside our friends on Avenger and Tiago - that was until boats started dragging on us so after a few days we grumpily went to the marina at Sera Boca.

So the good stuff about Curacao..... Great supermarkets (although alcohol is actually more expensive than Bonaire due to a change in tax since most guides have been written), the lovely lively colourful town of Willemstaad, Kura Hulanda, some nice areas to walk including national parks and old landhuis (plantation properties) to explore, chilled beach clubs and good restaurants.

Here's a bit of a picture download:

Askari arriving in Spaanse Water - when we were last here there was no marina at the entrance - now it serves as party doc on weekends for locals and is great fun.

Captains Table dinner at Pier - every week there's a cruisers special meal - this was our first night out in Curacao with the lovely Avengers too.

Going to check in is quite a a hike around town but you get to take in some beautiful buildings and art

Our anchorage in zone A

On calm days we took Askooby outside to find blue water for a swim

Kura Hulanda - an amazing complex and museum in Otrabanda

Street art has taken over the whole area of Otrabanda - which means 'the other side' it the other side of the river from the affluent neighbourhood of Punda