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Friday 21 april 2023 locAl
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Don’t forget to visit Aruba’s famous Red Anchor

At the south east coast of follow the signs that in- ed another anchor near Charlie liked the idea! He
the island, standing alone dicate the way to Baby Story 1: the inner harbor. When the then contacted the Presi-
on a windswept and bar- Beach. Once you reach “According to Mr. Man- ship asked for assistance, dent of Lago for permission
ren land stands a popular the T-junction, it will be right uel M. Curiel, an ex-Lago he went with his tugboat to acquire the anchor. He
Aruba landmark – a large in front of you. Tug Captain, a fully laden along with a barge, to help. was granted permission
anchor. It overlooks the VLCC (Very Large Crude But eventually they had to and the anchor was then
sea just beyond, watching About the Anchor Carrier) was seeking a cut the chain and let the relocated to its present lo-
over the shipping lanes. It Size mooring at the 15-mile an- anchor go to the bottom cation and dedicated “To
stands there in memory It will be hard to miss the chorage, known as Bara, because they could not All Seamen” on the occa-
and in honor of all seamen anchor, it’s huge! The an- on the southern part of the untangle them. ” sion of the closing of the
who have lost their life at chor that weighs 21,772 ki- island. This is the usual shal- Lago Oil Refinery on March
sea. los, is approximately 10 feet low mooring location for How Did The Anchor Be- 31, 1985.
6 inches wide and 15 feet, ships awaiting orders, etc. come a Landmark?
Where to Find the Anchor? 6 inches tall. The weather was rough Sometime between 1980 Through the Years
The anchor is a “must see” On the anchor there are with strong current. The and 1985, three gentlemen Through the years the An-
landmark when you visit some numbers. The 4112 normal procedure is that (Mr. Wim Martinus – the chor was slowly weather-
Aruba. It is among the most and 4115, which are be- they would walk out three Harbormaster of Aruba; ing from the wind and salt.
photographed historical lieved to be the serial num- shackles (about 90 feet) Mr. August Genser – the As time passed, sadly the
landmarks for the island. bers that refer to the “fluke” until the anchor touches ex-Division Superintendent origin and purpose of the
You want to make sure you or horizontal and vertical the bottom while the chain of Lago’s Laboratory; and anchor slowly faded away
add this stop on your itiner- parts of the anchor, respec- must rest on the bottom. Mr. Willie Davis – Owner from people’s memories.
ary when your visiting the tively. The number 21772K Subsequently, they will of Filtec at Zeewijk in San
south coast of Aruba. The refers to the weight of the walk out some extra shack- Nicolas), were having a After Charles Brouns Jr died
bright red anchor against anchor in kilos. les and when the ship starts conversation with Mr. Char- on September 15, 2004, his
the backdrop of the deep This type of anchor was to swing or lean on one lie Brouns Jr. at his famous friend Mr. Sam Speziale,
blue Caribbean sea and manufactured by Hoesch side, the anchor is properly Charlie’s Bar and Restau- requested assistance from
the azure blue skies, make Dortmund Horde, at a set. Because of the rough rant in San Nicolas. Charlie, the management of Vale-
a great backdrop for your foundry located in Germa- weather, unfortunately who was a visionary and ro Aruba Refinery to help
vacation pictures. ny. they did not get the time to had dreams for develop- maintain the monument.
walk out the extra tackles ing the San Nicolas area, The Valero Aruba Refinery,
The anchor is located at Where did the Anchor and because of the ten- told these gentlemen that graciously sandblasted
the entrance to Gate 6 to Come From? sion exerted on the winch, he would like to come up and painted the anchor
the former Lago Colony. It There are a number of sto- it broke, and they lost the with something innovative and poured a concrete
is on the outskirts of Seroe ries as to the origins of the anchor and its chain.“ for the San Nicolas area to pad around it. On April 17,
Colorado, on the south anchor, which one do you draw tourism to the area. 2005, the anchor monu-
east point of the island at think it was? (Unfortunately Story 2: ment was rededicated “To
the “T” junction to Baby the mystery has never been “Mr. Curiel also said that The “anchor”, which at that All Seamen” in a formal
Beach. solved, so your imagination at one time a small tanker time was being stored at ceremony in memory of
Depending on where you can pick which one you with a Korean crew, while the Oranjestad harbor, was Charles Brouns Jr.
are staying on the island, think it might be!) lifting their anchor also lift- suggested as an option.
Today, the anchor stands
both as memorial to all
seaman who have lost their
lives at sea, but also as a
silent reminder that Seroe
Colorado is part of San
Nicolas and that San Nico-
las is still a vibrant and im-
portant part of the island of
Aruba.

The Best Time to Visit
When your planning your
visit to the south end of the
island, you will want to in-
clude in your itinerary the
many things to see and
do there. The anchor will
be just one of these stops,
(keep an eye out for our fu-
ture editions, we publish our
recommendations!).

With that being said, I have
to say, if you enjoy catch-
ing a sunrise, the anchor is
one of the best places on
the island to catch the sun-
rise. But in reality, anytime
is a good time to visit, de-
pending on your personal
schedule.q