A wonderful feeling to drop our anchor in the bay at Puerto Baquerizo, after 5 nights and 6 days at sea.  Bringing your own boat into the Galapagos Islands requires a lot of careful planning.  The islands require you to enter with a boat with a hull which is completely clean, without barnacles, or weed, or anything which could import any unwanted invasive species into the islands.  We had lifted the boat in Shelter Bay to prepare for this, and Patrick donned his scuba kit to check the boat out in Las Perlas, but now we had to submit to inspection, which fortunately we passed.  It is a big deal to fail.  The authorities require you to depart 60 miles from Galapagos and then submit to another clean and inspection with a fine to pay.

The inspection team went through everything on the boat – any meat, seeds, fruits etc all had to go, and any suspect cleaning products.  We had to hide the Cif and Flash and bring out the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda.