More Life on Aruba - and Boat Fixes

New Horseshoe Buoy with Light

One of the replacement items we needed to buy was a new horseshoe buoy. Our old buoy washed away when we were hit by the rogue wave, and we didn't even notice it was gone until we dropped anchor in Aruba. It was an old safety item and needed replacement anyways. Our new buoy, designed to be thrown to crew overboard, comes with an attached strobe light that automatically activates when it hits the water. Yet another item we should never need, as we are always tethered to the boat with life jackets, and harnesses. It's one of our big fears, that one of us would go overboard. We're well aware of the risks involved.

Monitor Wind Vane Self Steering

Another big project was our Monitor wind vane self-steering. The gears shown at right came out, and we have been hammering the lower teeth back into place, and reinforcing the disintegrating plastic spacing washers with fishing line (!) on the advice of the manufacturer, Scanmar in California. We hope it is up to the rigors of our voyage.

A beautiful bright red crab on the rocks right next to our boat posed for this shot one afternoon.

Swimming Pool at Sunset

Every day we go for a swim in one of the swimming pools or a protected salt water lagoon at the Renaissance Hotel. The sunsets here are one of the most pleasant sights on Aruba, as the sun dips slowly into the ocean every evening.