A FEW MILES NORTH OF VENEZUELA
By Bob Van Leer

  (CURACAO, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES, Saturday, Feb. 1, 1997) - Curacao is the largest of the five islands that comprise the Netherlands Antilles. We arrived here this morning after an overnight sail from the Dominican Republic.

  The Willemstad harbor is on the south side of the island and has a very narrow entrance crossed by a bridge that is high, but our ship's masts pass under with just a couple of feet to spare.

  The harbor is already inadequate for the largest cruise ships and larger ones are on the way, so a dock to accommodate them is being built.

  I started the morning by going snorkeling. A dive boat took us to a Caracas baai, a few miles east of Willemstad.

  The water was clear and abounded with tropical fish of every color and size. We are only about 12 degrees north of the equator. 

  The underwater scene was a little spoiled though because the bottom held a collection of old tires, steel cables and steel chunks from marine activities. If nothing new was added, the sea would eventually cover everything. Coral was growing on some of the debris and masking it.

  The island seems to live off of oil refining and tourists. A retired oil man aboard said Shell Oil built the second largest refinery in the world on Curacao. The refinery is now operated by a Venezuela company.

  The Dutch heritage is being preserved. The view of downtown Willemstad at the harbor is that of an 18th-19th century Dutch village. We were told buildings older than 50 years are on a historic buildings register and are gradually being restored by a foundation.

  The island is 38 miles long and a maximum of 7.5 miles wide. It is just 35 miles north of Venezuela and there is a brisk trade between the island and the mainland.

  Betty and my sister, June, went on a tour of the island and one of the things they were told is there are 40,000 goats on the island turned out every morning. The whole island, including the towns, is open range. If you don't want goats in your flower beds, it is your responsibility to fence them out. We saw a number of them going along the top of the cliff near where our ship, the Legend of the Seas. Was tied up.

  The population of the island is approximately 170,000 and Dutch is the official language. English and Spanish are spoken throughout the island as well as a local tongue. We had no trouble using English.

  At 6:00 p.m. we set sail for the Panama Canal, 693 nautical miles away. With that distance to cover tomorrow will be a day at sea with no ports of call. Tonight we regain one of the four hours we lost getting here.