Seahawk arrived in Bonaire in March 2020, just a couple of days before the global alarm of the newly discovered Covid-19 pandemic forced countries to close their borders.

Everyone has a story about how their plans in the year 2020 drastically changed. So here’s ours. 

What was initially going to be a short trip, ended up being a 4-month stay on the island. This period was also the beginning of Seahawk’s involvement with local initiatives, and a journey that inspired a different type of travel, one that is marked by participating in local projects that serve to help the coastal communities. All aboard experienced a deeper understanding of this municipality within the kingdom of Holland and its culture.

The first month in Bonaire was about accepting the reality that everyone on board Seahawk was stuck. Our jail was a paradise of sorts, but freedom denied, no matter how gilded the cage, presents an uncomfortable feeling. There was also a genuine concern that someone might get sick. Early in the pandemic, there were no vaccines and the island’s small hospital only had two ventilators for the entire municipality. 

It is interesting to juxtapose Covid and favorite destinations, knowing that most people experienced the epidemic feeling physically trapped and psychologically tortured. Our Covid time was quite different; the over three-month quarantine was interesting, rewarding, and fun.

Bonaire remained open two more days after our arrival on March 12th. Once the last cruise boat departed, the island was closed to all new visitors. Evacuation flights were organized for those vacationers caught unaware of the impending quarantine. Soon after, the airport closed. Almost simultaneously, the entire Caribbean community of countries closed. Sailing to the USA might have been a possibility, but out of 15 people on board, only three of us were US residents, and the USA was not letting in foreign travelers at that time. We had nowhere to go. As a result, our planned three-day visit turned into something closer to 4 months.

But isolating in Bonaire did offer some advantages. 

One of the reasons Seahawk’s initial stay was planned to be short was the lack of adequate anchorage for super yachts. The sea bed drops off precipitously around the island, and although the west side is protected from weather most of the time, very few yachts have enough chain to manage depths that reach 300 feet and beyond near to shore. The only alternative was one of the commercial docks, which berths large cruise boats and has limited availability to the occasional super yacht. But these times were different. Given there weren’t going to be any more cruise ships for a while, this dock became Seahawk’s new home. 

The stranding turned out to be a blessing. Life went on more or less as before, as there were no infections on the island. Being part of the Dutch state also helped, as the influx of government money kept everyone afloat. One could still buy ice cream at Gio’s Gelateria on Main Street in Kralendijk, and many restaurants stayed open, too. Bonaire became kind of a bubble, insulated from the outside world.

Although our delegation didn’t touch everyone on the island, we certainly tried. Among our goals while there for this indeterminant period was to patronize every business that would have us. Activities ranged from exploring the island’s extensive underground cave system to riding ATVs in the desert, to diving at the many excellent dive sites protected by STINAPA (part of the National Park Authority). We visited all the restaurants still open, took a guided kayak tour of Bonaire’s famous mangrove marsh, and hired a local yoga instructor to provide private lessons to crew and owners twice a week.

We also got involved in a local animal shelter, initially by volunteering and later in the form of implementing a new construction project to house dogs for adoption. It was this project that gave birth to The Seahawk Family Puppy Village.

We can be especially proud of the Puppy Village. Much credit goes to our Captain at the time, Henry Bardsley, and Chief Stewardess, Keryn Rankin, who championed and managed the work. But the owners and other crew members made good laborers, and the funding came 100% from the owner’s foundation.

The Puppy Village was a good experience for all involved, and it also served as a nice prototype for how to help in a constructive way. The key is buy-in from local supporters, in this case, the Bonaire Animal shelter workers, and its board. We also made an effort to acquire goods and services locally when possible, part of the reason the project enjoyed so much visibility among islanders over its 1.5-month duration. 

The end of the project was celebrated with a barbecue involving the workers, volunteers, and Seahawk’s owners and crew. In a time when chaos and uncertainty lingered in the air due to the new global pandemic, this small activity gave us the realization that you can always do something good with what’s in your control.

The interest created increased community involvement. And the adoption rate, the best indicator of success, went up, too. Seahawk made many new friends due to the Puppy Village, some of whom stay in contact with us even to this day. 

Stewardess Thea remembers: “It was very satisfying to see the progression of some of the dogs that arrived at the shelter; from being underweight and suffering from mange, to happy, healthy dogs after being taken care of by the volunteers at the shelter. During our time there we also witnessed some of the dogs we grew to love finding a family. It was a truly heartwarming experience.”

If you’d like to know more, here’s a video documenting the process of the project.

Of course, things are not always perfect in paradise. Over the course of our time in Bonaire, we got to know the various factions and their advocacies. Needless to say, there is not 100% agreement on things. High on the list of controversies is the protection of the environment vs. commercial interests. While well intending, the park department, STINAPA is viewed negatively by some. And the battle often gets personal; we hosted a party on Seahawk for some local officials, representatives from the park authority, and others, including members of the press; It didn’t take long before underlying hostilities came afloat. 

The island of Bonaire offers much natural beauty both above and below the sea. It’s one of the top destinations we’ve visited, largely because we were able to engage with the island community. Our COVID stranding happened at a unique time in a unique place. If the original three-day plan had been consummated, probably Bonaire wouldn’t have made the list. And that’s the point. Without the confluence of several strange (bad) events, our visit would have objectively been superficial, providing just a taste. Something to consider if exploration of this side of the world is on the agenda.

When Seahawk finally departed Bonaire in mid-June 2020, a small crowd of locals formed on the dock to say goodbye. The end of a chapter, but one we will cherish forever.