A large bird population, inlduing frigatebirds (Fregattvögel) and pelicans live at the Cayo de los Pájaros Bird Island in the Los Haitises National Park on the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic.
Frigatebird and Pelican Island
Tag Archives: From Above
Orinoco under Sails
Ten to fifteen knots of wind in the Samana Bay are enough for a nice sailing day with Ivan, Finn and Uwe on our Sun Odysee 409 Orinoco.
Los Haitises National Park
Los Haitises is a do-not-miss-anchorage in the Samana Bay. A natural park with dense deep green vegetation and misty blue and green mountains.
Shipwreck in Mona Passage
The Mona Passage between the Domican Republic and Costa Rica should be sailed by experienced sailors only. Wind, waves and current are hard to predict and many times can be very challenging. The currents are so complex that you can literally be pushed onto the shoals and not realize it until you sense that you are getting thrashed. (Virgintino, Frank, A Cruising Guide to the Dominican Republic). Thus, there are quite a few shipwrecks near the Catalinata Island south of the “Cheating Cape” (Capo Engado). Fisherman that were unable to cross the breaking waves of the outer reef are spending the nights in the shipwrecks.
Saona Island Coconut Trees
Saona Island, in the south of the Dominican Republic, is a nature park with semihumid vegetation. It provides a perfect anchorage in front of coconut trees – if the anchor doesn’t drag in the stong trade winds (Passatwinde) on a rocky bottom covered only with a thin layer of sand.
The Eye of Curaçao
In the North of Curacao, Watamula is a windblown wasteland of rough volcanic rocks. The Eye of Curaçao is an enormous round sinkhole through which you can see the ocean swirling around.
Further information: https://curacao.for91days.com/watamula-and-playa-gepi/
Spanish Water Hurricane Hole
Spanish Water lagoon, the number one mangrove hurricane hole in the South of the Caribbean Sea, is perfectly protected from waves and has only one narrow entrance to the open ocean. Hurricanes as Dorian (in August 2019) tend to stay north of Curacao. Thus, more than 100 sailing boats hide there in the summertime. Many of them leave in November, at the end of the hurricane season, then sailing west to Columbia and Panama Channel on their way to the Pacific Ocean and Polynesia. Some of the boats, however, abandoned and sunk, stay in Spanish Lagoon forever…
Four friends that met in Spanish Water in August 2019: Maurizio (SY Brendan’s Isle), Christian (SY Gabian), Nick (SY Fleur) and Uwe (SY Orinoco).
Tug Boat Snorkeling Site
Tugboat is a wonderful snorkel spot on Curacao, despite the fact that it in an industrial area, right next to a dock and a huge gas exploration ship. This location is famous for the Tugboat wreck and has a snorkling shop and a small café.
Klein Curacao from above
Klein Curacao is a small uninhibited island between Curacao and Bonaire. It has some huts for daytime visitors from Curacao and a “new” lighthouse, after the old one was destroyed by the last recorded hurricane in that area in the late ninetieth century. But as often in the Caribbean sea, lighthouses are not always lighted. A lot of ships have been wrecked on the rough east coast. The sailing boat skipper supposedly had bad marine charts, not showing Klein Curacao. The two nights we stayed at the west coast, we were one of only two sailing yachts mooring there. Thank you, Tjacco, for your hospitality.
Islands in Spanish Water
The largest lagoon in Curacao, Spanish Water, is used by boats and marinas, tourist resorts and golf clubs. There is, however, some nature left, and its vegetation is dominated by cactus that grows in this subtropical but dry climate. The Caracara is a bird of prey and a scavenger, often found sitting on a cactus.
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