Sunday 28th March, 2010

ON OUR WAY TO THE MARQUESAS ISLANDS,

Yesterday morning we got up early to get to the market by 6.30 am to vital the yacht with fresh produce. Such a buzy market with people selling and buying some dressed in traditional costume.  Back to the yacht where I washed the vegetables in a special cleaner and packed them into the Lakelands green bags which helps them last longer.  Then the puzzel of packing them into the fridge and threatening to claim the top shelf which is the wine and beer shelf.  Fruit and veg that last longer out of the fridge we packed into baskets which are stacked on the pilot berth and covered with a mosquito net to keep fruit fly off.  Each day we have to turn and examine them to make sure nothing is going bad or has become bruised.

We delayed our start for setting off from the islands after Allan Dobson returned to the yacht yesterday because we found water in our fuel so that had to be filtered off, the yacht was filled up from a dingy by the local guys with the best fuel we could get in the Galapagos but it is all bit sludgy and not the best. We also had to be around to help 'Moonshiner' one of the rally yachts back into Santa Cruz.  She had to turn back as her engine and generator were not working, took them quite a slog to get back against the current with the wind dropping at night. We gave them a tow in when they got a couple of miles off the entrance to the anchorage this morning at 6am.  Whilst we were out there we saw the wreck of a large three masted schooner which hit the rocks last week don't know what went wrong.

We thought we would be motoring for the first few days and would have to head immediately south of the rum line, but we picked up a good wind almost as soon as we left and flew the asymetric for most of the day, now it has dropped, it is night time and we have a good rolling sea which is uncomfortable.  Nevertheless we managed to BBQ Tandori chicken breasts and had dinner under the stars and a full moon.  I was hoping that I wouldn't have to get chicken out of the freezer today but it looked less and less likey that J would catch a fish.  He caught one but lost it, the second one was a lovely blue fin tuna we think, as we only got the head when it came in, something larger decided they wanted it!  We saw a couple of whales blowing about five miles off to our starboard which was fun to watch.  Now we are setteling down to a routine on the yacht to last the next 18 - 20 days.  We are doing 3 hour watches so every third night one of us gets a full night of sleep.

I have more 'photos but won't down load them tonight will try next time.