The Galapagos Islands
Arriving in the cool of the early morning with its soft
lights is very welcoming after seven days and nights at sea. Coming into Isla
San Cristobal is very attractive with its small harbour enclosed with a
background of green hills. We are surprised because we expected it to be
barren.
As we come in to anchor we are welcomed by Jim who we last
saw in Curaco. He kindly swims over to direct us to a sandy patch to anchor in
with a good holding. This is important as we plan to leave the boat here for
eight days, and there are a lot of rocks on the bottom.
Sealion on a wharf bench
After organizing the boat we take a water taxi ashore for
$US.1 each per trip. We have been warned the sea lions can cause damage to the
yachts and dinghies. It is fascinating to see them climb, or leap up onto the
stern platforms of the boats and into the dinghy. This is the reason for leaving
the dinghy tied up on the davits.
There have been many sea lions visit the boat. They seem to
be very friendly and not the least bit inhibited by us. They frolic in the
water and “bark” at each other. You can hear them come up for breaths of air.
Similarly ashore they get into the dinghies tied up at the
jetty and lie around the steps and paths. They also get up on the long seats on
the walk into town. They look really slothful and they smell, but it is fun to
have them about as long as they keep out of the dinghies and off the boats. We
enjoy watching them frolicking in the
water around the yacht and in the
shallows when we go ashore.
We have a lengthy celebratory and relaxing lunch at La Playa
restaurant overlooking the port.
This very small town Puerto Baquerizo Moreno with its 10,000
residents is very pleasant to wander around.
When we return to Impulsive we have two large sea lions
basking in the sun on our swim board. They are not impressed when Ross shoos
them off. He then sets about cleaning off their mess and tying fenders
vertically across the swim platform so the sea lions are not able to clamber up
there again.
This evening we enjoy twilight hour with Jim. He offers a
lot of information about this area and what lies ahead – he has sailed across
the Pacific before.
The next couple of days are spent organizing Impulsive to
leave her for eight days when we take the tour of the Galapagos. Because Rob
has been with us it is a welcome change not to have as long a list as we often
have after a long sail. Also after inspecting the belts more closely and
adjusting the water pump belt Ross and Rob decide it doesn´t need changing. The
dinghy motor is being taken in to be checked.
Visit to the turtle farm
One day we take a tour of this island. Pablo our agent
organizes it and it is one of his brothers who takes us. This includes a walk up to the volcano crater
with its lake filled with water and with many frigate birds flying overhead.
This natural supply of water supplies the town. We drive past many places
growing produce e.g. bananas, avacados, pineapples, tomatoes, potatoes, guavas
etc. Also there is a fascinating visit to the turtle conservation farm and then
off to a beach for a wonderful swim with the turtles. We end the tour with a
lovely lunch at Pablo´s family home which is a great treat for us .
Pablo has another brother who speaks excellent English and
is happy to look after “Impulsive” for us while we are away, and can run the
generator and the fridges . We need to keep our supplies ready for the 3 week
crossing to the Marquesas. There is not much available in the supermarkets here
as we have been warned. One supermarket looks promising from the outside but
only seems to stock baccardi and toilet paper!
However we discover the main market has good quality fresh
produce on Saturdays so we hope we can get our fruit and veges on Saturday week
from here. It seems all the stalls are run by local farmers. The restaurants
here serve delicious local prawns and langousta, which are relatively
inexpensive, and excellent quality beef from the mainland.
During these few days we hear Di´s plane has been delayed
out of Auckland overnight. The problem then is can all her connecting flights
be organized for her to arrive in time for the Galapagos Island tour ?
Another general problem here is many of the visa cards are
not working at the ATM which makes having ready cash a difficulty. We all have
some jiggling to do.
Saturday, April 28th.
We are all very relieved to see Di arrive this morning,
after a few more delays, in time for us all to board Ocean Spray to set off on
the tour of the Galapagos. This large catamaran takes 16 guests and is very
spacious, well appointed and comfortable. This is Ocean Spray´s maiden eight
day voyage.
The four of us have a wonderful time during the next eight
days. The other 6 couples are from different parts of the world, and all great
company. They include another couple from Australia. The husband is a retired
vet. from Darwin, and his wife a retired parasitologist. They are now farming
north of Brisbane and they enjoy sailing. The other five couples are younger
than us. We always enjoy younger peoples company very much and hearing their
points of view and their plans ahead. There are two couples from Canada, and
one couple from Spain who now live in Paris. There are two couples who live in
London, one an Australian chinese with a Malay chinese wife, both involved with
finance, and the other couple a banker from New York and his wife from Rome who
is an investment banker.
Our guide is excellent with his a wonderful knowledge of the
area, and a great sense of humour. Through him we are constantly reminded of
Darwin´s theories and their significance.
He also is passionate about the Galapagos Islands and is keen to ensure
they are well protected. The staff all seem to go out of their way to give us a
good time. Ross enjoys spending time on the bridge. We are interested this boat
does not use an auto-pilot.
We have chosen to take a tour of these islands because the
places we can visit on our own boat are limited and we haven´t the knowledge.
The national park controls the places where we can land and they impose a
schedule for visiting the different places, which can be very limiting.
The accompanying map shows the route we took. The Galapagos
archipelago is 373 km. from mainland Equador, and has been declared a Heritage
of Humanity with some animal and flora species here are found no where else in
the world, ie they are endemic to the area. Some species are native ie they
came naturally by being blown in or drifting in, or flying or swimming in. Others
are introduced and have to be controlled eg. the goats which until recently
were out of control in the Point Pitt area on the n.east of Cristobal island We
visited most of the eastern inlands, including Genovesa to the north. 90% of
the land surface here and all the ocean surrounding it to the set limits from
the land – 20 n.miles – is National park to protect this special place. It is a
treat to visit here where we can walk and swim close to the birds, animals and
sea life which are fearless.
The population in the Galapagos Islands is 30,000 and their
main industry is tourism.
Most mornings we start the day at 6am, often to have our
first excursion in the cool of the day and sometimes because it is the best
time to view a particular species.eg. Blue footed boobies feeding frenzy at
Black Turtle Cove. This trip is very active with a great deal of walking and
snorkeling. With Javier´s guidance we all feel very fortunate to see and learn
so much.
The cuisine on board is exceptionally delicious and well
presented. Somehow we seem to manage three amazing meals a day. I guess with
all the exercise we need it!
Sunset looking over Kicker Rock
There are many highlights during this trip. This is a good
time to visit the Galapagos islands. Some days are still very hot but are
manageable with the snorkeling and swimming, and the evenings are cool. Also
the vegetation is green and lush with the rainfall that comes in at this time
of the year. In the dry season there is a lack of greenery. This is also the
mating season.
The striking rock formations are a feature here eg Kicker
rock. Looking across Santiago island we see examples of one hundred year old
lava , which is still very barren, from relatively recent flows of lava compared
to very ancient flows eg Genovesa Island. Here we anchor in the crater of the
volcano in Darwin´s bay with its white coral beach and mangroves filled with
land birds (Nazcar boobies, Red footed boobies, Swallow-tailed gulls, Red
billed tropic birds and Frigates). The red footed boobies travel for up to 3
hours to find their food. There are fewer blue footed boobies in the Galapagos
than the red footed but they are seen often because they fish locally. They can
dive up to 50-60 feet for a fish.
The blue footed boobies
Sealion sunning itself - an iguana next to it
Floriana Island is another highlight. The view from Baroness
Hill is stunning. We visit the Post Office on the beach, which has been
operating for many years for sea captains and other visitors. If you post a
letter there eventually some one from the country on its postal address will
find it and will take it home, put a stamp on it and post it. We all post a letter
and take any addressed to our home country. We look forward to seeing if our
post card ever reaches Melbourne.
The blue heron
Frigate bird (male)
The top of Baroness Hill
Disappointingly there are no flamingos on the lake here but
on the beautiful beach we see turtle nests, and different kinds of rays in the
shallows. Some of them swim over our feet which is a bit eerie. There are
frigate birds and blue herons watching for baby turtles. On the tracks we see
lava lizards, and black and yellow finches in the nearby trees .
Enroute to Bartholomew Island we stop at one of the
Bainbridge Islets. From the top deck of Ocean Spray we can see inside the
crater and on the shore on the far side there are some beautiful flamingos. The
captain did some wonderful helmsmanship to achieve this getting us so close in
to the exterior of the crater.
Pinnacle rock is on Bartholomew island which is an extinct
volcano with a variety of red, green, orange and black volcanic formations.
This is where some of Master and Commander was filmed.
The Galapagos Penquin
From the panga we see
the Galapagos penguins. Also there are hundreds of the brightly coloured red-orange
sally lightfoot crabs along the shore line which attract the elegant herons. The
snorkeling here, even though it is a little cloudy at times, is wonderful, over
and around these formations under the water. We walk to the top of this volcano
to see the 360 view, and see the Galapagos sea hawks close up. There is a view
down into an underwater crater.
At Espumillo beach on Santiago Island we have the treat of
seeing a newly hatched turtle making
its way down to the water´s edge and beginning its life in the sea. Apparently the female turtle lays up to 40 eggs and because of predators only3% make it to this stage and then ony1.5% make it to maturity. We all hope this little turtle makes it.
its way down to the water´s edge and beginning its life in the sea. Apparently the female turtle lays up to 40 eggs and because of predators only3% make it to this stage and then ony1.5% make it to maturity. We all hope this little turtle makes it.
The small South Plaza Island was formed by rising lava. It
is a stunning view with its steep cliffs and tall Opuntia cacti. It has a large
sealion colony and many yellow and red iguanas. The most characteristic plant
is the Sesuvuim which is a greenish to yellowish tone during the rainy season
and bright red during the dry season.
Iguanas
Similarly the
frigates, known as the “pirates of the sea” only skim the surface of the water
for food so steal catches from other birds. They haven´t enough oil for their
wings so they are unable to dive deep. It is fascinating to see the mating
habits of the frigates. The male blows out his big red pouch at his neck as he
is settled in a low bush or on the ground. He wobbles the pouch and makes a
rattling sound. Simultaneously he opens his wings which is all to invite a
female bird to join him. He continues with this behavior until a female flying
overhead chooses to join him.
We see many birds nesting, building nests and sitting on
eggs and sometimes small chicks.
We snorkel every day, sometimes twice. One of the best areas
is the Devil´s Crown, a tiny island off Floriana Island. The variety of fish is
amazing and every time we have a different experience. Swimming with the sealions
is an unforgettable experience. Ross
enjoys diving down with them. They are playful and so graceful in the water. It
is lovely to see two come past enfolded in each others flippers, just playing
apparently. They mate on shore. It is exciting when they come up close and look
you in the eye. In one area off Floriana Island the sealions have fun playing
with ropes the panga drivers dangle in the water for them.
We also have this lovely experience swimming with the fur
seals which are smaller and quicker and have very large eyes and slightly
larger ears. The also have two layers of fur and the sealions only have one.
Some of the group see the hammerhead sharks. There are many
smaller white tipped reef sharks.
In the highlands of Santa Cruz we visit a lava tunnel deep
underground. In the lush deep green vegetation mainly from the Scalesia trees
we see some of the gigantic land tortoises. They are very old and enjoy eating
guava.
One day is the Captain´s birthday. The tradition is he
should be thrown overboard. He took this very graciously and dived in fully
clothed, coming up with his cap still in place. He generously gave us all some
wine at dinner.
Crossing the equator was another fun time. The captain and
crew had us all up to the bridge for a cocktail to watch the chart plotter come
to zero.
We all go to the airport together after a 6am visit to
Daphne islet between Santa Cruz and Santiago Islands. Unfortunately the tide is
so far out we are unable to go ashore but we can see the fur seals close up
from the panga as we track along close to the shore.
We have had the best time and we have had a feast of nature
all viewed in its natural habitat.
We hope we might meet
up with everyone somewhere, sometime. We farewell Rob and Di as they leave to
continue their South American travels and look forward to catching up with them
when we all get home.
A favourite menu on board Ocean Spray:
(there is always a choice of menu)
Lobster soup
Tuna served Asian style , with vegetables and/or salad
Fresh strawberries with Chantilly cream
Often after an excursion ashore or snorkeling treats and
drinks, including fresh fruit juices, are served on the stern deck
Eg. Fresh sashimi
Prawn ceviche
This lifestyle could be different on Impulsive for our long
crossing!
