Willemstad

Willemstad is the capital of Curaçao and one of the most striking cities in the Caribbean — a UNESCO World Heritage site of Dutch colonial architecture painted in a riot of pastel colours along the waterfront. The city straddles the entrance to the Sint Anna Bay, split into two halves: Punda and Otrobanda, linked by the famous Queen Emma Bridge, a pontoon footbridge that swings open on the water to let ships pass into the inner harbour. For a charter it is the one true city stop — markets, architecture, history, and a working harbour, all reached by a short sail up the coast from the base.

We anchor off the coast and take guests ashore by tender, or arrange a berth, and the set pieces are within an easy walk. The Handelskade is the painted waterfront row of merchant houses that ends up on every photograph of Curaçao; the Queen Emma floating bridge carries you across the harbour mouth on foot; and the floating market is a line of boats from Venezuela, sixty-five kilometres south, selling fruit, vegetables, and fish straight from the deck. Beyond the old town lies Pietermaai, the once-faded district now restored into the city's most charming streets of boutique hotels, bars, and restaurants.

Willemstad is the contrast on a charter otherwise spent at quiet anchorages and clear-water snorkels — a few hours of city, colour, and history before sailing back out to the beaches. Most guests take a morning ashore and are back aboard for a lunchtime departure down the coast.