The weather finally decided to cooperate over the last 24 hours. The wind took a few breaks, but thanks to a friendly 2-knot current, we kept moving along nicely without complaining too much.

As night fell, a few dark clouds drifted past, clearly trying to look dramatic—but no squalls followed. Still, the night felt a bit uneasy to me. Being in or near Venezuelan waters does that to you these days. You start wondering what might happen, even when nothing actually does.

To prepare for the crossing, we filed a float plan with the US Navy—just in case someone wanted to know where we’d disappeared to. Whether the Venezuelan forces had their own plans for us was another question entirely. We passed a couple of islands within 10 nautical miles, and everything remained blissfully uneventful. Mark did spot a few fighter jets during his watch, but apart from that… nothing. No drama, no chase scenes.

Now it’s 7:30 a.m., and we’re about 10 nautical miles off Bonaire. With any luck, we’ll grab one of the mooring buoys in a couple of hours—anchoring is strictly forbidden in the marine park, and we’d rather stay on the island’s good side.

Very curious to see what Bonaire looks like 12 years later. One thing’s certain: it’s going to be a very different vibe compared to the Windward Islands!