From Tuesday 19th March - Thursday 25th March THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

Well, so many Birthdays to celebrate! The photos below were taken at Jeremy Hakim's 60th Birthday party at the street restaurants, it was a secret he was going out to dinner with just a few friends dressed in his arab gear but everybody came, which was well organised by his wife Edith and their friend Carol, all the men dressed as his harem! see 'photos below.  

We have had the most brilliant time exploring the islands for a few days on a motor yacht called Coral 1 (36 of us from the BWR on board) we had a very good guide as well as two others who were biologists/zoologists to tell us about the animals, plants and landscape formation.  It was lovely being spoilt for four days and not have to think about cooking and cleaning and laundry as well.  Below are some of the places and animals we saw.  We are not allowed to take our own yachts around the islands as the area is very sensitive and protected.  

We did have a bit of a hiccup as we nearly didn't get away as the English Travel company 'About U Travel' hadn't paid over the money we all paid them several months ago and still wasn't paid up so we heard the night before (in the middle of the party) that the tour was being cancelled, some had friends who had specially flown out for it!  Jonathan put on his lawyers hat and after intense negotiations (and Blue Water Rally putting up money as a standby guarantee for us if the extra standby money we had paid on our cards was not returned)  we all got on the tour half a day late.  'Klein Tours' here were brilliant and are furious with 'About  U Travel' for not paying up in time but held on to our money for over 4 months! Jonathan has sent them an email and we will wait and see what happens.  The money eventually came through 3 days into our tour so we would have missed it if Blue Water Rally hadn't guaranteed the credit card money we put in as a back up, so good for them.  Tony of BWR has been working so hard on our behalf and we have had huge fun with various dinners and 'happy hour' at 'The Rock' every night for BWR participants. We are all getting to know each other quite well now, difficult at first as they had all bonded in Gibraltar whereas we didn't join them until they reached Antigua.

Whilst snorkelling a sea-lion came along and played amongst us twisting and turning almost touching our bodies.   Jonathan saw a small Hammerhead shark, but did not stay to investigate.  I had a small Galapagos Penguin shoot past me underwater and on another day a flightless Cormorant dived in to join us with our guide making pecking movements with his fingers the cormorant was trying to catch them!  We floated, whilst snorkelling, above turtles grazing on the seaweed on the rocks, I spotted an Octopus, we saw a huge 6' x 6' Sting ray sleeping on the sea bed.  Swam with 'White tipped, black tipped and Galapagos sharks under us and of course hundreds of fish of all colours and sizes. On a walk near Darwin Volcano we saw wild giant tortoise and a land Iguana, it was chucking down with rain (El Nino) so we didn't actually see the Volcano. 

Mike and Amanda Pike have now left us to explore Ecuador. Charles Mortimer, an old prep-school friend of Jonathan's, has flown out to join us, luggage left in Equador, but arrived 2 days later after a lot of sitting on the agents.  They are at present scrubbing the decks in the rain with the fresh water it is giving, much needed after Panama which deposited black dust on everything.  He has already been promoted beyond 'Cabin Boy' status, I nearly fell though the floor when he walked into the galley on his first day and asked where everything was kept so that he knew where to put it when washing up, first guy that has volunteered for that info' as soon as they got on the boat, he obviously has been well trained by Sue, his wife!  He is constantly looking for yacht jobs to do on board and is being a huge help to Jonathan and even found the hoover to clean up the talc' footmarks he had left on the carpet!!!!  Almost to good to believe, wonder if the novelty will wear off!! He also has an amazing sense of humour so we are constantly laughing, doesn't take himself at all seriously.   

Allan Dobson returns on Saturday loaded with spare parts for other yachts and a new small camera for me as my 'underwater camera got taken a little too deep by Jonathan and filled up = broken.  We hope to set sail that day for the Marquesas Islands, which will be about a 17 -20 day sail if all goes well.  Will be heading off to the market to buy fresh produce at about 6 am, then wash and store it all for the journey.