On Monday, we drove to the east side of Bonaire to have lunch and watch the windsurfers at Sorobon Beach on Lac Bay (orange dot on map, below). The conditions here are perfect for windsurfing: a steady, 20-knot onshore breeze; and a relatively shallow and waveless protected bay, making Sorobon beach a favorite of those new to the sport (Dale and I were avid windsurfers in our days before children).

Sorobon Beach and Lac Bay are also prized by wingfoilers on their hydrofoil boards, like the one used by the guy heading out with the purple, wing-shaped sail. Kitesurfing, another windsurfing style, is prohibited in Lac Bay; restricted instead to the west side of the island.

Next to the launching area at Sorobon are several bars and bistros. We waded along the shoreline, looking for one with a good view of the windsurfers. Seafood and cerveza, naturally.

Every morning in Bonaire we were greeted by curious Tropical Mockingbirds and Yellow-shouldered Amazon Parrots as we sat by the pool watching the Caribbean Sea awaken to a new day. Our backyard was “fenced” by a line of cacti, but there was a staircase down to our own private beach and tiki hut.

On the map, below, I’ve indicated the location of our house with a blue dot. We were north of (and about a 5-minute drive from) Kralendijk, the largest of two towns on the island, population just over 3,000.

The other older and more rural settlement, Rincon, was the same distance north of us, but a 30-minute drive due to road conditions. Rincon has about half the population of Kralendijk.

In case you’re wondering, the total population of the entire island of Bonaire is around 26,500, spread out over 111 square miles.

Tuesday was our designated “Fishing Day.” Mike, who ran a charter fishing boat in his earlier years, brought along fishing tackle, bait, and several poles for the occasion, especially anxious to hunt for wahoo along the coast north of our house.

We rented a 19-foot outboard with a 70 hp engine from Palm Boats for the day. It was a little cramped, but served us well.

We departed from Harbour Village Marina and headed north past a couple resorts.

To the left of the sailboat in the photo, below, you might be able to make out two tiki huts along the shoreline; the one to the right was ours.

Mike rigged the fishing pole holders he brought along and fed line out as we approached the reef at 1,000 Steps.

We made about a half-dozen passes between 1,000 Steps and the harbour with no luck, but had a great time nevertheless, deciding to head back in around noon for lunch ashore before returning in the afternoon to try again.

Alas, when we returned to the marina, we were told that due to an unexpected, unusual swell that had just been forecast for the afternoon, all boat rentals were canceled for the rest of the day.

Not to be disappointed, however, we stopped at the local fish market and bought several pounds of fresh wahoo which Chef-Capt. Mike cooked up.

Mike was able to get in a little more fishing from shore two days later when we returned to Lac Bay – this time the northern end of the bay at Lac Cai Beach (purple dot on map, above).

We also returned to Lac Bay Friday afternoon to kayak and snorkel among the mangroves. We rented kayaks from the Mangrove Center (yellow dot, map above) and were joined by four other couples and a guide.

Snorkeling in mangroves is quite a different experience from diving on the reefs. It reminded me of our time living in the Florida Keys.

Lots of mangrove snapper here.

And the occasional mermaid.