Thursday, August 10, 1995 - Aruba

Roy flushed the cooling system while I paddled up the harbor and back. Then we left for San Nicolas, five miles to the south. The engine temperature remained close to normal, even though the engine was revved up to 2100 RPM's. Maybe we'll make it to Cura‡ao yet! San Nicolas is a refinery town. During the forties and fifties, it was going full blast, but now the operation has been greatly reduced. We went past the refinery and anchored in the southeast end of the harbor off Rodger's Beach. Another beautiful location! Palm trees, white sand, blue, blue water. The temperature is perfect. The wind and water caress our skin. We're so lucky to be here! We paddled ashore and began walking into town, a distance of about three miles. We hadn't gone very far when a man driving a laundry truck offered us a ride. Turned out he was the assistant technical manager of the laundry. He had been born on Aruba and lived here all his life except for eleven years in Holland. He spoke English fluently. Also spoke Papiamento, Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese! How I envy multilingual people! He took us right to Burger King, where we ate lunch. Then we walked back towards the Esso station. Bought some cookies along the way. The woman in the tiny store where we bought the cookies thought we were crazy to be sailing around in a little boat. She told us we should take a cruise ship or fly. She was quite a character. The Esso station had diesel and also had the radiator cleaner and waterpump lubricant that Roy wanted. We tried to phone a cab, but they said it would be fifty minutes before it got there, so we just started walking. When an empty cab passed us, we hailed it, and he stopped. What a contrast between drivers! This one was as pleasant as the one from the airport had been unpleasant. He was off-duty and on his way home, yet he picked us up, took us to Rodger's Beach, waited while Roy paddled out to the boat to get the diesel cans, drove us back to the Esso station, waited while the four jerry cans were filled and we put water in our two five-gallon water jugs, drove us back to the beach, and helped carry the jugs to our Royaks. Then he refused to accept any money! We insisted on paying him anyway, and finally he accepted. The driver had been born in San Nicolas, one of sixteen children. His 95-year-old father and 90-year-old mother are still going strong. He visits them at least once a day. His father worked at the refinery for 35 years. After the cab left, we were suddenly surrounded by two Customs officials and two Police officers. Apparently they thought we had just arrived in Aruba. We explained that we had been in Aruba since May 12th and had cleared in with both Customs and Immigration in Oranjestad. We offered to go out to the boat and get our papers, but they took our word for it. They were very courteous and pleasant. Roy ferried the diesel and water to the boat and then went for a little walk. The large beach club on the point that had flourished during the refinery days is now empty except for a dive shop. The weather forecast for tomorrow was excellent -- northeast wind, 10 to 15 with seas 3 to 5 feet. If that comes true, we'll have an easy sail to Cura‡ao. There was the most beautiful moonrise tonight. The moon was full and orange. It rose behind the palm trees on the beach. We watched it for a long time.