NO. 1 GEOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT AND STATION RECORDS 25 



one of a number of navigable channels, the widest of which is Northeast 

 Channel, with a width of 600 yards, anchorage may be had in 12-14 

 fathoms opposite a fishing village. Currents are variable in direction and 

 force, sometimes reaching a speed of 3 knots. 



Islas de Aves 

 Forty-four miles west of Port El Roque lies Ave de Barlovento, 

 easternmost of another small group of cays formed upon an underlying 

 coral reef. Thirteen miles westward again is Ave de Sotavento, nucleus 

 of a similar small group. Fish and turtles are said to abound in the lagoons 

 and shallows, accounting for the abundance of sea birds from which the 

 islands received their name. 



Thirty-two miles west of Ave de Sotavento lies the island of Bonaire, 

 easternmost of the Netherlands West Indies. 



Netherlands West Indies 



(Collecting Stations A16, A18) 

 The Netherlands West Indies consist of three larger islands located 

 from 15 to 50 miles off the north coast of South America opposite Vene- 

 zuela. These islands are known as Bonaire, Curasao, and Aruba. All 

 three have their long axes trending in a northwesterly direction, all three 

 are arid and devoid of much vegetation, and all three are considerably 

 longer than wide. The distance between Bonaire and Curagao is 27 miles, 

 while that between Curagao and Aruba is 43. Bonaire and Curagao are 

 separated from the mainland by depths of 900 and 700 fathoms, respect- 

 ively, but the depth of the channel between Aruba and the Peninsula of 

 Paraguana is little more than 100 fathoms. Bonaire has a satellite islet, 

 Little Bonaire, off Kralendijk on its western side, and Little Curagao 

 stands 8 miles off the southwest point of Curagao. 



Bonaire 



The island of Bonaire is 19 miles long and has a maximum width of 

 6 miles. The northern portion is hilly, with Brandaris Peak, elevation 

 768 feet, its greatest elevation. The southern portion is low, sandy waste- 

 land. Vegetation is sparse; trees grow in clumps which are visible from 

 shipboard. 



The town of Kralendijk, population 5,700, is situated on the only 

 anchorage, Kralendijk Road, located on the west side of the island at its 



