Balboa to Galapagos
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Balboa to Galapagos 6 February 2013 8 56 N; 79 33W We left our mooring at Balboa Yacht Club at 1208, waving goodbye to the Bridge of the Americas behind us – the last icon of the Canal. A few radio farewells to our friends at anchor and soon we were sailing on a flat sea through the crowded anchorage; our AIS system counted 76 ships in our immediate area. Hughie the Hydrovane was steering and all was well. The day was uneventful until 2000 hours when a large military ship loomed behind us; his huge bulk and array of lights (restricted in ability to manoeuvre, steaming lights and some kind of signals indicating gear to his starboard side) gave us the heebie jeebies so we called the vessel up on VHF. We received a very courteous response and the monster changed his course to avoid going over the top of us!!
7 February 2013 1200hrs 7 03N; 79 36W A forecast of light winds did not dampen our spirits; we were just happy to be on our way and making good progress. Very few ships today and even fewer sea birds. Robin and Bill were visited by two dolphins around midnight and the effervescence sparkled as they played off the bow 8 February 2013 1200hrs 8 05N; 79 55W No
wind at all between 0300 and 1100. Sea pretty flat with 1m swells from the North
making the passage uncomfortable and trifle rolly. Very poor radio reception so
we were unable to get on the sked in the morning. An uneventful day until around
1900 when a ship on a collision course with us failed to respond to our radio
calls so we had to take evasive action. A few moments of drama as our poled-out
genoa made manoeuvring difficult. First 24 hours run was a 125 miles;
satisfactory given the 9 knot winds. BCC Weser IMO9347074 which failed to respond to our call
9 February 2013 1200hrs 03 03N; 81 24W We are in the infamous doldrums; an overcast area where ancient sailing ships without the luxury of engines, wallowed whilst becalmed. Sometimes the lack of wind over weeks on end meant that their timber planks and frame were eaten out by worms; sinking was a dreaded but not uncommon consequence. We have very little wind but some favourable current; the sky is overcast over an oily sea. The motor is pushing us along burning up the dollars –ouch. The fishing contingent on board True Blue 1 is getting antsy as other yachts are reporting excellent catches; our best effort is a miserable squid who committed suicide onto the deck last night. Chicken casserole for dinner it seems. Another large ship sighted on a collision course last night, but the Captain was a gentleman and responded positively to our VHF call and changed course. We practise whistling for wind and hurray, our efforts are rewarded at noon with a gentle zephyr; not much of a breeze but with a clean bottom, True Blue glides along at 5.5 knots, aided by a favourable current.
10th February 2013 1200hrs 01 52N; 83 08W A day of motoring on a flat oily sea. Light winds that swung through 180 degrees. Added the last of the spare diesel we carried on deck and were blessed with 2 plus knots of current that swept us along . A pod of dolphins and pilot whales broke the monotony but yet again we caught no fish. We travelled 139nm in the last 24 hours. At 1630 in the afternoon a breeze came in and suddenly we were making 8 knots over the ground. 11th February 2013 1200hrs 00 56N; 85 55W We are hoping now to make the Galapagos by 1700 on Wednesday as the trade winds are starting to appear. We are only 43 miles (as the crow flies – not that we have seen any crows) from the equator. 12 February 2013 0810 00 00; 87 56W Crossed the equator!! . A toast to King Neptune, champagne for us with crackers, cheese and anchovies for breakfast – yummy! Robin still half asleep from a long night on watch.
Last night we had a fabulous 8 knot/hr sail, thanks in part to the constant favourable current. Sadly, at 0430 this morning the wind suddenly died but we consoled ourselves that in the 24 hours to 0430 this morning we logged 174 miles. Now the problem is trying to decide whether to slow down or speed up as we want to make landfall in daylight. So many decisions!!!
13 February 2013 1200hrs 00 53S; 89 36W After a slow overnight trip (enforced by our wish to arrive in daylight) we dropped anchor in Wreck Bay on Isla San Cristobal in the Galapagos –we have arrived in these fabled and myserious islands! T Up with the Q flag and a wait for the agent with the entourage of officials. They duly arrived and clomped through the boat in their boots, looking for plants, oranges, and stowaways. They were out of luck! There was some discussion with the young women from the National Parks Department who appeared overly bureaucratic, but this was resolved by our agent the next day when our passports and park tickets were returned. We spent the rest of the day entranced by the many sea lions playing around the yachts, always on the look-out for a friendly transom to provide a suitable snoozing spot. Having been fore-warned that these lovely creatures are actually quite difficult to move off your boat once they have made their home there, (and leave large, hard to clean deposits behind as momentos of their visit!) we hardened our hearts and filled our swim platform with fenders and buckets which acted as effective deterrents against unwelcome borders. Suzie of course was swimming within half an hour of our arrival, loving the close contact with the various fish and sea lions around her. 14 February 2013 Our first shore excursion We went on our first walk somewhat later than hoped as our passports and National Parks passes did not get returned to us untl mid afternoon. Despite the searing afternoon sun we set off for the nearest beach, almost falling over the numberous sealions sprawled on every flat surface around the water-taxi dock.
We first visited the Galapagos Interpretation Centre; the setting of the buildings was delightful, but the content was not as full as we had hoped. Undeterred, we walked on to a nearby viewpoint and were rewarded by the sight of magnificent frigate birds soaring above us, marine iguanas in the scrub, and best of all, beaches where whole families of sealions frolicked in the waters. Many of them lay just above the water’s edge, basking in the sun.
Suzie sat quietly in the shallows watching a family at play, but made a very speady retreat up the beach when a large female suddenly reared up its head, baring its ferocious teeth. Her pups had swum too close to Suzie and the matriarch was having none of it! Tired but content, we made our way back to True Blue, finding en route a little stall selling home-made blackcurrant ice cream. Robin or course as in heaven! As we finally approached True Blue, a friendly pelican on a nearby rock reminded us of “home” where these wonderful birds are equally prolific
15-19 February 2013 San Cristobal The past few days have been a mixture of sitting around on board waiting for the agent to deliver fuel and water and obtain our exit papers, and recovering from a viral tummy bug that affected both of us as well as another cruiser who went travelling with us on Saturday. One day, eight of hired a twin cab ute ( 4 in the cab and 4 in the ute) to visit the interior of the island and see some sights not accessible by foot. We enjoyed magnificent views from the volcano lake. El Junco; the steep climb to the top was rewarded by the sight of numerous frigate birds gliding above us. The tortoise breeding centre was an interesting stop; here, eggs are removed from the females and incubated in controlled conditions until the young hatch. The babies are then reared in protected conditions, their slow growth making them otherwise vulnerable to predators which include cats, dogs and birds. The aim is to eventually return the 5-8 year tortoises to the their natural habitat, and in the longer term re-populate the islands with their orginal tortoise numbers; some 100,000 were estimated to have been here in Darwin’s time. Before a late lunch at a local hostelry, our taxi driver took us to the stunning beach of Puerto Chino. This is a beach renowned for the wild life; we were greeted by white sand, dark volcanic rocks and a sea literally teeming with large fish who seemed totally unafraid of us. We swam and snorkelled with huge parrot fish, shark, rays, and sealions;on the cliffs above us we were watched by blue footed boobies, pelicans and frigate birds. Bill and Marie have decided they do not wish to do the 3,000nm passage from Galapagos to the Marquesas, but they would like to remain on board for another 3 weeks or so until we leave the Galapagos. So next we must get our ships papers altered to reflect their change in plans; the Equadorians are very strict about what private yachts can and can’t do, and we must formally have Bill and Marie taken off the ship’s crew list, and then see if they are allowed to remain on board as ‘non-paying day trippers’ for our impending visits to Santa Cruz and Santa Isabella Islands.
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