PJ4A Team will be active from Bonaire Island, IOTA SA - 006 in CQ WW DX CW Contest, 29 - 30 November 2025.
Team - KU8E, N8VW, N4RR, DL6KVA.
Recent DX Spots PJ4A
They will operate in M/S Category.
Before and after contest they will be active as PJ4/KU8E, PJ4/N8VW, PJ4/N4RR, PJ4/DL6KVA.
QSL for PJ4A, PJ4/KU8E via K4BAI.
Ads for direct QSL:
John T Laney, III, PO BOX 421, Columbus, GA, 31902-0421, USA.
QSL for:
PJ4/N8VW via N8VW.
PJ4/N4RR via N4RR.
PJ4/DL6KVA via DL6KVA.
Bonaire Island: fresh air or desert land?
Bonaire Island is located in the Caribbean Sea. The nearest mainland is South America (the distance to the coast of Venezuela is 90 km). The island has a rather complex shape, but its outline is somewhat reminiscent of a boomerang. It was formed as a result of the rise of underwater elevations due to volcanic activity that occurred about 6 million years ago. Today, the island is home to about 16,000 people. It is a paradise for both land and underwater tourism. Bonaire is a special community of the Netherlands, not part of the country's overseas provinces, forming, together with two neighboring islands, a possession called the Caribbean Netherlands. The capital is the city of Kralendijk, and the oldest city is Rincon, founded during the era of the Spanish conquistadors.
History of the island: the Spanish and British left, but the Dutch stayed
The uninhabited island of Bonaire ceased to be uninhabited quite a long time ago — it has been proven that the first settlers from the Caketios Indian tribe settled on its territory in the 5th century AD, arriving from the coastal areas of present-day Venezuela. It is possible that someone lived here earlier, but no evidence of this has yet been found.
The islanders' accustomed way of life was disrupted in 1499 when Spanish sailors led by conquistador Alonso de Ojeda landed on the island. The Spaniards made a stop on their way to Venezuela, where they planned to conquer territories. The encounter with the first Europeans proved fatal for the Indians, as the Spaniards brought with them diseases to which the local inhabitants had no immunity. Two decades after that fateful meeting, almost no one remained from the Cachetio tribe. This was due not only to the widespread extinction of the Indians from diseases that were new to them, but also to the fact that the Spaniards, as the new owners of the island, took the islanders away to work on the islands they had conquered (for example, Haiti). Those who did not die from disease but categorically refused to be slaves were simply exterminated.
The island of Bonaire did not have gold or fertile land, so the Spaniards were not very interested in it (a possible version of the origin of the name of the island of Bonaire, associated with the period of Spanish rule and in the dialect of the Caketios Indians, means “Desert Coast”). After taking all the able-bodied Indian population off the island, the Spanish pretty much forgot about it.
Bonaire Island. Author - TM Sa-lim.
Another unsuccessful attempt to colonize Bonaire was made by Europeans in 1526. At that time, domestic animals, including cattle, were brought here. However, this venture was not supported, and the settlements that appeared on the coast did not escape attacks by pirates who roamed the Caribbean Sea in search of prey. The only surviving town was Rincon, located in the interior of the island. Initially, this settlement among the hills was inhabited by exiles from mainland South America, but over time, slaves also settled here, whose labor was used by the new owners of the island, the Dutch, to cultivate corn plantations and extract salt.
The Dutch, led by Water van Twiller, occupied Bonaire in 1633, declaring it a Dutch possession. This move was in response to the Spanish capture of the Dutch island of Saint Martin. After the island came under the control of the Dutch West India Company, slaves were brought in from Africa, and salt became the main source of income for the inhabitants of Bonaire for many years.
Dutch ownership of this territory was finally formalized in 1791, but at the beginning of the next century, due to the Napoleonic Wars, the Netherlands lost control of the island for several years, and it passed into British hands. This period did not last long — after 1816, the Dutch regained control of Bonaire under the rule of the King of the Netherlands and began fortifying Fort Oranje, which had been founded in 1698. By 1837, it had become a fully-fledged impregnable fortress, to which a tower was added in 1932. Over time, the structure began to be used for other purposes. It served as a police station and a fire station, and today it is not only a post office but also one of the attractions of Kralendijk, in the center of which it is located. The fort still has four cannons.
In the 1860s, slavery was abolished on Bonaire, which led to a deterioration in the island's economic situation. Both large-scale wars of the 20th century had little impact on these territories, except that Bonaire became the location of a camp for German Nazis and Dutch subjects who collaborated with them.
After World War II, infrastructure gradually began to develop on the island. The foundations were laid for the development of tourism: Flamingo Airport was built, seaports were adapted to receive cruise ships, a network of roads was created, and other facilities designed for the comfort of tourists were built.
Bonaire gained even more autonomy in the mid-1950s, becoming part of the Netherlands Antilles. After the collapse of this entity in 2010, it acquired the special status of a municipal entity, remaining under Dutch ownership. Most of the island's population has Dutch citizenship and the right to vote for members of the Dutch parliament.
Trouipal, Bonaire Island. Author - CapeCawder.
Bonaire Island — National Parks on Land and at Sea
The island is a great place to visit at any time of year. The average temperature here is 28°C in summer and 22°C in winter. Rainfall is typical in spring and fall.
There are almost no trees on Bonaire. The vegetation here consists of grass, shrubs, and many cacti, numbering about 300 species. The territory is inhabited by flamingos and other bird species, as well as green sea turtles. In addition, goats and donkeys can be found here, whose ancestors were brought to Bonaire by the Spanish, and the current animals have become feral.
To preserve the local flora and fauna, as well as to attract tourists to the island at different times of the year, three national parks have been established:
- Washington Slagbaai National Park (1965). It covers 20% of the island's territory. Created to preserve flamingo nesting sites, arid lands, cacti, a large number of parrot subspecies, iguanas, lizards, and bats;
- Marine Park (1979).
- It stretches along the entire eastern coast of Bonaire and 60 meters into the sea. Its key task is to ensure the preservation of vegetation and inhabitants of the underwater world; Klein Bonaire Island Park (2001).
- The island itself is small and located next to Bonaire. Slaves once lived here, and the remains of their huts can still be found today. Today, the island has been declared a national park and is officially recognized as uninhabited.
In addition to visiting national parks, tourists can relax on the beach and see the island's historical sights. Tourism is Bonaire's main source of income. Every year, the island is visited by beach lovers from Europe and both Americas, and it is also part of some Caribbean cruise itineraries.
