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Friday 2 June 2023 locAl
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Don’t forget to visit Aruba’s famous Red Anchor

At the south east coast of the island, It will be hard to miss the anchor, walk out three shackles (about 90 Mr. Charlie Brouns Jr. at his famous
standing alone on a windswept it’s huge! The anchor that weighs feet) until the anchor touches the Charlie’s Bar and Restaurant in
and barren land stands a popular 21,772 kilos, is approximately 10 bottom while the chain must rest San Nicolas. Charlie, who was a

Aruba landmark – a large anchor. feet 6 inches wide and 15 feet, 6 on the bottom. Subsequently, they visionary and had dreams for de-
It overlooks the sea just beyond, inches tall. will walk out some extra shackles veloping the San Nicolas area, told

watching over the shipping lanes. On the anchor there are some and when the ship starts to swing these gentlemen that he would
It stands there in memory and in numbers. The 4112 and 4115, or lean on one side, the anchor is like to come up with something in-
honor of all seamen who have lost which are believed to be the serial properly set. Because of the rough novative for the San Nicolas area
their life at sea. numbers that refer to the “fluke” or weather, unfortunately they did to draw tourism to the area.
horizontal and vertical parts of the not get the time to walk out the
Where to Find the Anchor? anchor, respectively. The number extra tackles and because of the The “anchor”, which at that time
The anchor is a “must see” land- 21772K refers to the weight of the tension exerted on the winch, it was being stored at the Oranjes-
mark when you visit Aruba. It is anchor in kilos. broke, and they lost the anchor tad harbor, was suggested as an
among the most photographed This type of anchor was manufac- and its chain.“ option. Charlie liked the idea! He
historical landmarks for the island. tured by Hoesch Dortmund Horde, then contacted the President of
You want to make sure you add at a foundry located in Germany. Story 2: Lago for permission to acquire the
this stop on your itinerary when “Mr. Curiel also said that at one anchor. He was granted permis-
your visiting the south coast of Aru- Where did the Anchor Come From? time a small tanker with a Korean sion and the anchor was then re-
ba. The bright red anchor against There are a number of stories as crew, while lifting their anchor also located to its present location and
the backdrop of the deep blue to the origins of the anchor, which lifted another anchor near the in- dedicated “To All Seamen” on the
Caribbean sea and the azure blue one do you think it was? (Unfortu- ner harbor. When the ship asked occasion of the closing of the Lago
skies, make a great backdrop for nately the mystery has never been for assistance, he went with his tug- Oil Refinery on March 31, 1985.
your vacation pictures. solved, so your imagination can boat along with a barge, to help.
pick which one you think it might But eventually they had to cut the Through the Years
The anchor is located at the en- be!) chain and let the anchor go to the Through the years the Anchor was
trance to Gate 6 to the former bottom because they could not slowly weathering from the wind
Lago Colony. It is on the outskirts of Story 1: untangle them. ” and salt. As time passed, sadly the
Seroe Colorado, on the south east “According to Mr. Manuel M. Cu- origin and purpose of the anchor
point of the island at the “T” junc- riel, an ex-Lago Tug Captain, a fully How Did The Anchor Become a slowly faded away from people’s
tion to Baby Beach. laden VLCC (Very Large Crude Landmark? memories.
Depending on where you are stay- Carrier) was seeking a mooring Sometime between 1980 and 1985,
ing on the island, follow the signs at the 15-mile anchorage, known three gentlemen (Mr. Wim Marti- After Charles Brouns Jr died on Sep-
that indicate the way to Baby as Bara, on the southern part of nus – the Harbormaster of Aruba; tember 15, 2004, his friend Mr. Sam
Beach. Once you reach the T-junc- the island. This is the usual shallow Mr. August Genser – the ex-Division Speziale, requested assistance
tion, it will be right in front of you. mooring location for ships await- Superintendent of Lago’s Labora- from the management of Valero
ing orders, etc. The weather was tory; and Mr. Willie Davis – Owner Aruba Refinery to help maintain the
About the Anchor rough with strong current. The nor- of Filtec at Zeewijk in San Nicolas), monument. The Valero Aruba Re-
Size mal procedure is that they would were having a conversation with finery, graciously sandblasted and
painted the anchor and poured a
concrete pad around it. On April
17, 2005, the anchor monument
was rededicated “To All Seamen”
in a formal ceremony in memory of
Charles Brouns Jr.

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 Colora-
do is part of San Nicolas and that
San Nicolas 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 include 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 rec-
ommendations!).

With that being said, I have to say,
if you enjoy catching a sunrise, the
anchor is one of the best places on
the island to catch the sunrise. But
in reality, anytime is a good time to
visit, depending on your personal
schedule.q
The Red Anchor situated at the entrance of former Lago Colony in San Nicolas