Isla Isabella: living up to its name
Fleck
Mon 14 Apr 2008 19:29
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14th April, Monday, 12.00
Noon Position 01:18S 91:18W
Hi all,
Left for the Marquesas at 05.30 this morning,
having successfully dodged the port officials in Puerto Villamil for 72 hours,
allowing us two days of tours on that wonderful Island: the largest in the
group, and being almost the most westerly the 'newest'. Villamil is the only
settlement there, just a village. One road, largly dirt, leads past a few farms
to the rim of volcano Santo Thomas. This has the second largest crater in the
world, 18 x 9 km. It is almost full of fresh lava, which erupted in 2004. I
know all this because I hiked the crater rim with a guide and Brandon and Jamie
from 'Gaviota' yesterday.Fantastic views and lunar landscape, lava tubes, steam
holes, and strange very colourful rock/lava formations.
The previous day I took a boat tour with my other
new boat friends, Klaus and his lovely family from Sweden, who I first met at
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the Port in San Cristobal (previous deliberate error,
Puerto Ayora is on Santa Cruz!). We did the Tuneles, pronounced by the Americams
as Tonellis: like italian ice cream! These are subterranean Lava tunnels located
within lava lagoons about 15 miles down the coast. Great passes through the
swell, surf and rocks in a high powered pirogue to get into the lagoons, and
great snorkelling once there: fish, turtles and penguins, plus we got really
close to white tipped sharks who lurk in the tunnels. Downside was a major
offensive by the dreaded gad flies: great big things that Olivia and I had
previously done battle with on San Cristobal. They attacked our foreheads and
necks as soon as we surfaced from the dives, each of us were surrounded /covered
in flies, I just couldn't stand it a beat a retreat!
A marvellous finale to our stay in Galapagos. We
left at the crack of dawn because we were not actually allowed in Isabella,
following the latest restricted regulations for sailing boats. Klaus had
paid/bribed his way in for a lot of dollars, but Fleck and Gaviota just hid
away, and after a too close for comfort encouter with the Port Captain last
night we decided to get out early whilst the going was good. So far today We
have seen no gunboats on the horizon behind us, but we are expecting Klaus's
lovely Freyers designed ketch Tarita to sweep past us after their
more civilised departure after breakfast!
So far, as expected, absolutely no wind, using the
motor to clear the islands, forecast is for favourable but light winds later.
Forecasts are proving very unreliable, and there are few contented crews out
ahead according to the SSB radio nets that my new friends are connected
to.
So some good company for the first part of the big
crossing, and we plan to stay in email contact, and maybe we will all see each
other again in Polynesia
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