Bon Dia,

There is an odd looking boat hanging out around Bopec starting last night sometime.

We just got a good look at it, enough to google up an ID.

Google on "hsv 2" ~ship

The US navy's page has the facts and figures.

Just now (6:45am) six small one-man boats came north from town towards the mother ship, but are loitering near shore near the Barcadera mooring.

Here is some photo's I just took.

Finally got a head on shot...

My son has ridden on one of those - says it really MOVES!

Nice shots, Roger!
What does the ship seem to be doing? Looking for illegal divers at Bopec? Just training?
Those sailors are sure lucky to be working in paradise instead of the middle east.
Tish

Very interesting, indeed! Thanks for the head's up, Roger. Keep us posted if you can as to her activity and mission. Looks like a really neat vessel to be aboard, to say the least! Carole

It came in on Monday afternoon - the extra from yesterday has an article - some kind of exercise together with the Dutch ... all about drugs

Very interesting...hmmmm....wonder what the guys in the one man boats are doing...Roger, can you see if they have any wheapons? (mounted on the one man boats like the USCG has) (got my curiosity up here ;-)

Tish, and you are right...bet they were happy to hear where they had to go for this training session!

Cynde, the little one man RIBS(???) had no obvious guns. There have been numerous sightings around the island of soldiers in unfamiliar black uniforms and this am, there was a group of camaflouge clad soldiers at City Cafe.

<joke>
It's about time they did something to solve the crime problem...
</joke>

Roger...keep us posted...sounds like they are definitely doing something (good I hope)...

Brian...funny...we don't want to go there again do we!

Brian,

You owe me a new laptop cause I snorted diet coke all over my old one!

Too freakin' funny!!! Sat here on the couch laughing out loud (literally) for about 2 minutes. Still grinning 5 minutes later.

Thanks - I needed that!!!

Belinda

Aw crap, I can't even afford to buy myself a laptop! *sigh*

Fascinating! Need more snooping around so we can find out wassup! LOL. We are ready to learn more......Carole

Could be this is why the BOPEC site is closed to divers???

Also, the specs on this craft are amazing...53 mph top speed and needs only 12 feet of water to navigate.

great pictures roger......., haven't read anything about this coordinated mission in the dutch newspapers, very curious, brigitte is there an article....you know always where to look.....

The Extra from the 10th, you have to download the PDF file .... (save target as ...) I have no idea how to copy that ....
http://www.extrabon.com/edishon/

thanks Brigitte.....took a while to download but got it....

We saw it in town, next to the container loading area. It was massive, and looked like something out of a James Bond movie - a stealth boat. No photos, though...

Maybe those onerous STINAPA fees are finally paying off!

Bob

Yes, I saw it yesterday at City Cafe too when having my last lunch on Bonaire. There were men in Khakies at the Cafe and in town all blue uniform men as well. I was told they were doing manuevers with the dutch/american young men in uniforms. It was a huge vessel and the largest military one I ever saw on Bonaire. Quite impressive and it looks like it can sure go fast.

Based on the fact that Bonaire is on the DEA radar screen, I'm not surprised to see this! I met a guy in the gallery last year from south/central CO who works for DEA on the drug traffic out of Mexico and he knew a lot about the tiny little island of Bonaire......it was an unfortunate surprise because he was NOT a diver :-(

I have heard from a source I consider reasonably reliable that the craft brought in a contingent of Dutch Marines for manoevers in some sort of combined action. These guys were then in the northern end of the island doing what they do.

I noted that Town Pier night dives were cancelled while it was in, at least from where we were staying. I know that Active Sonar is sometimes used to supress divers around a vessel that could be a target so it would have not been a good place to be underwater and uninvited.