00.11S 89.12W  At 17.30 today we crossed the equator (at last – hoorah!) 000 degrees 00.00 and we celebrated with a bottle of Champagne, toasted King Neptune, and Paul and Bennett in true tradition said good bye to their Pollywog status and officially became Shellbacks!  Zippy gave us excellent advice on way points yesterday and particularly where to cross the line to avoid the adverse currents and true to form we have now reached the dizzy speed of 4.8 knots under motor.  With luck and tides and current and wind in our favour we may reach landfall tomorrow – hope so as there is a BWR party in the evening and I can feel a Cinderella moment coming up.  

There are still six of us BWR yachts at sea – a couple running dangerously low on diesel now and even thinking to tow their boat in with their dinghy or charter a fishing vessel to deliver more juice…..

We have changed the filter on the water maker today and linked up all the spare chain we have and attached it to our new stern anchor which will be deployed for the first time in Puerto Ayora, Isla Santa Cruz, as we have to use two – bow and aft – to stop us swinging around in a somewhat over crowded anchorage. My flag is finished and ready to fly – with a little help from a felt tip! 

We understand there to be all sorts of protracted paperwork necessities on arrival, a fumigation process and miscellaneous charges payable in cash: the following is what we have by way of guidance as to what to expect;

 Paperwork.  All yachts should have ready on arrival:

* Passports

* 1 Copy of each passport

* Original Registration Certificate (with Gross Tonnage)

* 1 Copy of Registration Certificate

* 3 Copies of arrival crew list

* Zarpe from Balboa (or other last port of call)

* Advice of planned crew changes in Galapagos.

 Fees:

a) Capitanía de Puerto (Harbour Master) fees:

**Arrival US$ 0,024 x Gross Tonnage (0,048 Saturday and Sunday)

** Access Channel US$ 0,41 x GT

** Anchoring US$ 2.54 x GT

** Lighting & Buoys US$ 3,00 x GT

** Polution/Contamination U$ 15.65

** Radio Frequency Use  U$ 15.70

** Re-Cycling Fee (“Format”) US$ 0,37

** Zarpe (Port Clearance) US$ 0,022 x GT (0,044 for departure Saturday and

Sunday)

b) National Police (Migration) U$ 30 (15 + 15: in +out) per vessel.

c) National Park fee per person: U$ 100 (children U$ 50)

I haven’t worked it all out yet but a tidy sum I am sure! 

We don’t have any tours booked on arrival but a few things need urgent attention.  We have to track down a tow generator which Richard from BWR may have brought out with him if it arrived in time. We have repaired our genoa but it could do with reinforcing if there is a sail maker ashore.  Paul has lost most of two teeth so needs a dentist (apparently there is one who opens up his house twice a week and offers patients a drink at the bar in conjunction with a live band – all are welcome!) and Bennett has a broken toe, currently four times the size of nature, which he keeps bashing into things so we need a pair of protective ‘Crocs’!!

62 miles to go………..