{"id":66568,"date":"2021-11-12T23:24:20","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T23:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eco123.info\/en\/?p=66568"},"modified":"2021-11-19T23:29:30","modified_gmt":"2021-11-19T23:29:30","slug":"no-114-bonair-is-everywhere-including-in-glasgow-by-paul-piendl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eco123.info\/en\/short-stories-en\/no-114-bonair-is-everywhere-including-in-glasgow-by-paul-piendl\/","title":{"rendered":"N\u00ba 114 – Bonair is everywhere – including in Glasgow
by Paul Piendl<\/h6>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saturday 13th November 2021.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The water of the oceans, our way of life on a sailing boat, as well as the problems we all share connect us sailors, whether aboard a large modern yacht or a small, robust globetrotter boat, like mine. All of us will at some point face a blocked carburettor on the motor sailer, the batteries sometimes give us trouble, or the fridge isn\u2018t working. We spend a lot of time at sea, share the waters with the boat and its crew. Sailing into an unknown port or bay I will usually not know anyone. This is the same for everyone, and that too creates a connection. Most sailing folks are very open, and conversation comes easy to us. Sometimes the relationship remains very superficial, you meet for a beer at a bar, and chat a little about this that and the other.<\/p>\n

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Other encounters however lead to very special friendships. Often we don\u2019t have much time and have to hurry to get to know each other better. We go on excursions together, help each other with repairs and cook dinner together. Yet it is the weather and the winds that determine when we have to set sail again.<\/p>\n

Often it\u2019s only a few days before a sailor is due to depart again, just when you\u2019ve got close. You share a last beer, hug each other as tightly as possible, with promises to meet again on some island or other.<\/p>\n

What took me to Bonair (Bonaire) was the diving. The first time I was ever exposed to corals was on the previous island I visited, Cura\u00e7\u00e3o, while snorkelling. I was blown away by their beauty and learned that corals host even more organisms than rainforests do. I wanted to find out more, and everyone I asked named Bonair as the place to learn how to dive.<\/p>\n