To Isabela

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Tue 7 May 2013 22:57
To Isabela, Our Last Island in the Galapagos
 
 
 
 
 
BB To Isabela 001  BB To Isabela 002  BB To Isabela 005
 
Up with the sparrows or in our case the finches and boobies, Bear let out some more anchor chain so I could start winding in the stern anchor rope. Oh my the smell of wet seaweed was awesome. Straight into a bucket and copious amounts of washing up liquid to put it right. Bear took ages washing washing the main anchor chain as he stowed it but he says the anchor locker smells pretty grim. All that took nearly three quarters of an hour. Off we went at a quarter to seven.
 
 

BB To Isabela 006

We waved a very fond ‘farewell’ to Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, simply loved it here.

 

BB To Isabela 007

Fading into the distance, just think, the next time we do this will be for a month at sea. Mmmm............

 

BB To Isabela 008

A very flat, windless journey. Bear beat me at Backgammon. Grrr but he couldn’t win with this particular hand of Rummikub. Interestingly we were spotted and flown over twice by the National Park helicopter, no doubt taking our picture. They flew over the anchorage a few times yesterday, strictly monitoring all the boats in their patch.

 

BB To Isabela 009

Soon we were passing Isla Tortuga.

 

BF To Isabela 001

Our first look at Puerto Villamil.

 

BB To Isabela 011  BF To Isabela 015

Vessels have to take a funny dog leg in to the anchorage to avoid the reefs. The buoys were hit and miss as they had been tied together, no problems as we had thirty feet of water below us.

 

BF To Isabela 013

Of course there was. Soundo.

 

BF To Isabela 002

The anchorage ahead with just a dozen boats.

 

  BF To Isabela 039  BF To Isabela 019

As we got closer we could see hundreds of blue-footed boobies hunting and.................

 

BF To Isabela 053

.......diving as a flock. These birds work together, incredibly closely. The flock circles and you hear one of them make a noise that sounds like the old fashioned Lilo airbed pump after you’ve stepped on it – the high-ish pitched sound of the air rushing through the one-way valve, a sort of breathy squeak. They begin to dive, then another bird lets out a honk and the rest flip over in the air and drop in amongst those already coming up from the first plunge, how they miss each other beggars belief.

 

BB To Isabela 012

At a quarter to four we found a nice space with six feet below us, anchor set in water so crystal clear water we could see the ridges on the sand below.

 

BF To Isabela 055  BF To Isabela 063

Bear did his arrival chores and gathered Beez paperwork, head ashore in the water taxi to find the port captains office and log us in. I stayed behind to do my jobs. Turn the sat phone off and on which puts a position ping on the blog, clear the route we have just done and put the next one on. Well that kept me quiet until just before Bear got back at sunset. The maximum waypoints we can add is fifty, sort the positions out and admire my work. A simple straight line to Rikitea in the Gambier Islands, French Polynesia – our smallest hop yet.......of two thousand, eight hundred and ninety six miles as the crow flies. Mmm.

 

BB To Isabela 013  BB To Isabela 014  BB To Isabela 015

BB To Isabela 016  BB To Isabela 017  BB To Isabela 018

Whilst I was button pressing, Bear was exploring the town.

 

BB To Isabela 021  BB To Isabela 019

A first. A ‘one carefully owned’ fire engine.

 

BB To Isabela 022  BB To Isabela 024

Bear liked this house with a shed at the top, the dusty main road.

 

BB To Isabela 026  BB To Isabela 027

A carefully owned lady.

 

BB To Isabela 028  BB To Isabela 030

and another

 

BB To Isabela 033

Bear’s favourite, an outboard finds a new resting place. 

 

BB To Isabela 035

Bear made his way home as the sun was setting. Beez sits quietly second from left.

 

BF To Isabela 074  BF To Isabela 078

A pretty sunset.

 

BF To Isabela 088

 

 
 
 
 
ALL IN ALL JOINING ANOTHER WILDLIFE EPISODE
                     LOVELY QUIET ANCHORAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE BOOBIES