Tsunami at Galapagos

Tsunami (n., su-nah-mi) Japanese for "harbor wave", phenomenon caused by release of energy from earthquakes in the sea bed.

Left Puerto Baquerizo Morena, San Cristobal at 7 am, February 26 for Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz, an island within the Archipelago de Colon, some 45 miles to the north west.  Heavy rain squalls on the way with winds from the south.  Sailed most of the way till the turn northwards to Santa Cruz Island, the wind was then from dead astern.  Motor sailed the last 8 miles to the rolling harbor at Puerto Ayora, arriving at 1300 hours local time.  The anchorage is crowded with small craft, some visiting yachts and of course, the smattering of WARC yachts.  We were required to have a harbor pilot lead us to an assigned spot where bow and stern anchors must be used to keep boats swinging at a consistent angle.  We were at anchor by 1330 hours with assistance from the pilot to set the stern anchor and had lunch on board.  The harbor is a jumble of anchored boats, small, poorly maintained local boats on moorings, with a lot of loose floating lines, some without floats attached.  We went ashore for a preliminary reconnaissance of the town – a somewhat run down main street (named after Charles Darwin, of course).

The first night at Puerto Ayora turned out to be rather eventful.  in the early evening, I went over to Voyageur (the MacKays yacht) and started up her genset for a couple of hours to charge batteries, returning later to check on anchor lines and to switch off the genset.  Everything normal.  Then, the big motor vessel “Treasure of Galapagos” anchored to our starboard with a rather slack stern anchor line began to swing on her moorings.  All night we watched her stern swing back and forth, perilously close to us as wind and currents changed.  A shout to one of the crew elicited a lazy look around and back he went to a deck chair with a magazine in hand.  Finally, around 2 am, after another call by Francois, he made some adjustments to the stern anchor line which improved the situation, but only marginally.  Not that it would have mattered…around 5 am, we got word from Christian on another WARC boat, the catamaran “1+1” that a major earth quake had occurred in Chile and that a tsunami warning was in force for the Galapagos. The tsunami was predicted to arrive at Puerto Ayora at around 0700 hours local time.  We discussed our options which were to put to sea or stay at anchor in the harbor to ride it out.  The predicted wave height was 1.2 meters which didn’t seem too bad.  A short time later however, the stay put option was no longer available -- port authorities ordered all boats out of the harbor as a precaution.  We had to leave.  Leaving was no simple matter as there were bow and stern anchors to handle in the dark (this time with no assistance from the harbor pilot) and the swells were greater than usual.  Many other boats had such difficulty freeing their stern anchors that they simply tied a float to the anchor line and dropped it in the water with the  intention to retrieve it on return.  We had our hands full even with three on board.  I worried about Voyageur whose owners the MacKays had left on a 5 day trip on a cruise ship.  After consulting with WARC, we felt Voyageur would be all right in the harbor, securely anchored as she was.  No help was going to be available as it was the wee hours and all other boat crews  were having enough troubles of their own breaking free from anchorage. There was no way to transfer crew to Voyageur under those conditions and we didn’t have the dinghy deployed due to use restrictions by the port.   We left the harbor as dawn began to break and made for deeper water beyond the 100 meter contour on the chart.  The sea state seemed quite normal out there.  We waited for word of the harbor’s re-opening which finally came around 1100 hours.  As boats made their way in, we decided we stay out and have lunch while the others sorted out their anchoring positions – no point joining in the jostle -- perhaps the good “parking spaces” would be gone by the time we returned but no matter.  When we finally got in, we found a spot that didn’t seem too bad.  This time, there was no assistance with the stern anchor and other boats were busy trying to find the anchors they’d abandoned when leaving.  Dinghies were literally buzzing all around us.  Many anchors and their lines went missing, others were tangled in a mess with other lines in the harbor.  We decided that it made sense to drop the bow anchor first, let out sufficient length of chain to bring the boat’s stern to the spot where we wanted the stern anchor located, drop it and then draw in the bow anchor while releasing the stern anchor line simultaneously to position the boat.  It worked well enough as we had space within which to move the boat.  The harbor seemed normal other than for a few other boats reporting rapid rising and falling of depth levels.  We didn’t observe much change in water levels, although the current seemed rather swift.  We stayed on board until we were comfortable with the anchoring position.  I went over to Voyageur to check her moorings and run the genset.  All was normal, evidence of David MacKay’s seamanlike anchoring techniques.

To celebrate the Tsunami, we had a crew dinner at a nice restaurant with an ice cream outlet on the side on Darwin street.  It was the first decent ice cream selection in the Galapagos with ice cream served in scoops rather than on a stick.  While waiting to return to Skylark at the water taxi dock, we observed water at extremely low levels with a swift outflowing current.  The current suddenly switched direction and began pouring into the dock area as if someone had flipped a switch.  It was a torrent and the water taxi driver had to wait a while before things settled and he could come alongside to pick us up.  Perhaps a mini Tsunami -- right before our unbelieving eyes.

That night, we spent time watching our anchor lines as the movement of water in the harbor seemed a little unsettled.  There were no problems but  again, low water seemed much lower than normal and the incoming tide brought strong currents.

It is Sunday, February 28 -- the harbor is still experiencing unusual conditions.  A spring tide this afternoon had water lapping at the edge of the main waterfront street (the moon was full).  Should be more settled by tomorrow, so the locals tell us. But all's well with Skylark and her crew.

Photos of Puerto Ayora in the next blog.

The Galapagos

Left The Puerto Lucia Yacht Club at  La Libertad at 1200 hours local on February 18.  It was the re-start for Leg 2 of the Rally.  (Leg 1 was St Lucia to the San Blas Islands followed by free cruising to Colon, Panama, Canal transit to Panama City and  to La Libertad).  After the start, we did essential maintenance like cleaning the seawater and water maker filters which we did not want to do in port at La Libertad due to the highly contaminated marina water and surface oil from natural seabed seepage and oil terminalling operations.  The normally white primary and secondary water maker filter elements had turned black from oil and other contaminants while in port at La Libertad.  The large power boat alongside also discharged a large black water holding tank before leaving on a weekend trip – logic that boggles the mind, since the accepted practice is to discharge holding tanks when out at sea.  Trailing the water maker filters on a line for about 25 miles got most of the solid debris out but the discoloration (to light gray) was unattractive.  We opted to install new filters but kept the “restored” filters for future use should spares run out.  The maintenance activity meant a leisurely pace which left us trailing most of the fleet.  The next day however, we shed earlier inertia and deployed the gennaker.  The rig required some tuning but after a while, we were able to make 6 to 7 knots under light wind conditions. Winds en route were generally light but quite consistent in direction – south westerly initially and turning southerly in the last half of the passage.  Intentionally or otherwise, Skylartk kept a routing that was different from the rest of the fleet – we didn’t see any other WARC boats till the day before the finish at San Cristobal.  Most boats had gone further south and encountered both light winds and rain squalls.  We’d hoped for rain to give Skylark a good fresh water rinse after the contaminated air of La Libertad which had left sooty residue on deck.  No such luck till the last night when we encountered some heavy rain.  Again, we thanked the ghost of Henri Amel for conceiving the helm station design on our boat – completely protected from the elements.

February 22, 0858 La Libertad time (1358 hours UTC) -- Arrived at Wreck Bay where Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is located on San Cristobal Island.  San Cristobal is the first of the Galapagos Islands or the Archipelago de Colon as it is known to the Ecuadorans.  Skylark was middle of pack in the WARC.  We could perhaps have done better but slowed down during the night so as not to approach an unfamiliar landfall in the dark.  Arrival formalities involved boarding and inspection by Immigration, Customs and agricultural control officials.  We were required to stay on board Skylark until clearance by the authorities at around 4 pm – a good 7 hours after dropping anchor.  After 4 days at sea, it was a frustrating experience.  Because we were initially advised that the visit by officials was likely prior to lunch, we did not get going with any on work on the boat. A case of  -- could have, would have, but didn’t resulting in a mostly wasted day. 

Anchorage at Wreck Bay, Puerto Baquerizo Morena

Puerto Baquerizo Morena, provincial capital of Galapagos

The weather at anchor on the first night was dreadful – heavy rain, uncomfortable swells.  I woke up at about 3 in the morning and went up to the cockpit to check on things.  I thought Francois had chosen to sleep on the port side cockpit seat and in the semi-darkness, tapped him on the shoulder.  “Francois” turned out to be a very large sea lion that had clambered aboard and settled down to sleep on the cushioned seat.  It reared its head and barked loudly.  Startled, I retreated below to the saloon and woke Ed up.  He stuck his head out of the main hatch and barked loudly at the sea lion who was equally startled and quickly slid off the transom back into the water.  The next morning, Francois was not amused at being mistaken for a sea lion.

Sea lions at the Puerto Baquerizo Morena waterfront

Tuesday, February 23 -- Ed and I hired a taxi to take us to 3 places recommended by the local Tourism Office.  The first was the Galapaguera Cerro Colorado, 12 hectares of forest containing a breeding center for the giant tortises.  It was a rainy day but the visit was well worth the effort as pictures below show.

Ed and the taxi driver who drove us around

The second site was the beautiful beach at Puerto Chino which was followed by a visit to the Laguna El Junco.  The Junco is a fresh water lagoon formed in the crater of an inactive volcano.  The impermeable rock and rain water resulted in the lagoon which today continues to be sustained by the same conditions.

Puerto Chino

The Laguna El Junco - barely visible in the rain and mist

La Libertad

We were stuck at La Libertad at the Puerto St Lucia Yacht Club Marina, such as it is, with murky water and frequent oil slicks surrounding the boats for about a week.  Other than WARC yachts, the locals mostly have power boats which belch diesel exhaust when run. Boat boys discharge the waste tanks before owners arrive for their weekends on the water.  There is soot in the air and rain brings no comfort as it only acts to deposit black particulates on the deck.  Water quality at the docks is suspect and we were warned by WARC that it may not be potable.  We were in a water conservation mode as we did not want to contaminate our tank with the municipal supply.

The nearby town is Salinas - third worldly and not very attractive.  Facilities are limited and the mall El Paseo, is our provisioning stop. The supermarket is adequate.  It is a short 5 minute bicycle ride from the marina.  Meals at the Yacht Club bar are simple.  We tried the restauramt at the Hotel Valdevia which is run by a French couple.  Food was so so but Ed and Francois found the house special - a rum based concoction much to their satisfaction.  They each had 2 of the mixture at US$4.50 a pop, which by Ecuadoran standards must have been a fortune.

We did a day tour of Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city and commercial center.  It was a long bus trip to and from, starting at 9 am and returning to the marina only at 9 pm.  Guayaquil has some historic sections with monuments celebrating the struggle for independence from Spain, a large gothic style cathedral and statue of Simon Bolivar (on horse back of course).  Bolivar is much honoured in Ecuador for his helpfulness in the fight against the Spanish.  A tour of a eco park was also included, complete with swarming mosquitos and wildlife, not dissimilar to that we find in the Malaysian rainforest -- Tapirs, ocelots, crocodiles.

Panama to Ecuador

Feb 2 -- left the Flamenco Marina, Panama City for the Las Perlas Islands around noon.  The islands (the “Pearls”) are Panamanian territory and are covered by tropical, rain forest, unlike the San Blas archipelago on the Caribbean side.  The initial route from Isla Flamenco required us to thread our way through anchored ships, waiting either to load/unload at the port or for their allotted transit slots through the Panama Canal.  It is a busy port and it took nearly 2 hours to be clear of the commercial shipping.  Arriving towards sunset at the first large island of the Las Perlas group, we anchored at Isla Contadora.  It is an island within easy reach of Panama City and the locals visit their vacation homes by boat and plane.  Our anchorage is on the approach path of the airstrip.  We ate dinner on board and enjoyed a quiet night swinging on the hook with other visiting sailboats, including 3 from the WARC Rally. The next morning, a low flying airplane approached the airstrip.  It was interesting to watch it negotiate a windy final on a straight in approach.  It was a 8 to 10 seat single engined aircraft which we speculated was a Dornier. A radio call from our friends the MacKays on Voyageur told us they were headed to Isla Canas, another of the islands in the group.  It was a short 30 mile trip.  We left Contadora around lunch time and headed for Isla Canas.  The approach to Isla Canas is a narrow channel with a reef reaching from the left to about mid-channel.  The charts were somewhat misleading as it showed the depths to be greater on the left approach.  Fortunately, David MacKay had observed our track and called on the radio to warn us of the reef which we avoided in good time.  We anchored about 150 meters off the beach behind Voyageur.  Anumber of other WARC boats arrived shortly thereafter and there was a friendly community exchanging visits and having drinks on board. The tides at Isla Canas were swift and the beach appeared and disappeared regularly with the ebb and flood.
The Mackays hosted drinks on their boat and most of the ARC boats were at theirs.  The good parking spaces were gone after a while as Voyageur was surrounded by all manner of dinghies tied to her rail.  We were amazed that an Amel could turn into such a party boat - the MacKays are super hospitable - we must have run their alchohol stocks dangerously low.

At anchor Isla Contadora

Skylark at anchor, Isla Canas, Las Perlas Islands

Rocks on the beach at Isla Canas

Neighbours - Voyageur, the Mackays' Amel Super Maramu 2000

February 5 -- After couple of pleasant days at anchor and we were off again, this time to Bahia Pina, where a famous fishing lodge is located..  The lodge has a large fleet of sport fishing boats moored in front of it.  Sport fishermen from all over the world come to Bahia Pina for a hefty price for the privilege.  We anchored in the late afternoon off the fishing lodge.  The beach unfortunately was private and we could not land dinghies there.

The MacKays from Voyageur came over for dinner of salad, boeuf bourgignon and fish steak (fresh catch en route from Isla Canas).

February 6 –  We explored the river and mangrove banks and the village at the adjoining bay.  The river was a typical tropical eco-system with interesting plant and bird life.  The village however was a depressing place.  It was the weekend and the watering holes were full of people drinking away in the mid-day.  Children no more than 10 were sneaking cans of beer behind the shabby buildings along the footpath.  The local grocery store was stocked with aging vegetables and stacks of canned meat (mostly Spam) and other less recognizable items.  The floor of the store was strewn with garbage and dirt.  I purchased a can of luke warm coke the top of which was covered with black debris.  There is an airstrip at the village from which fishing lodge visitors are quickly whisked away from the squalor and taken by boat to the lodge.

Dick and Irene Craig hosted drinks in the evening on their Lagoon 440, a large catamaran. Dick very kindly allowed us to explore his boat.  It is literally a house afloat without the heeling motion of a mono hull.

going up river at Bahia Pina

Ed, driving the dinghy at the river

relaxing on the river bank at Bahia Pina

Friends from Voyageur, David and Susan MacKay

airstrip at Bahia Pina

February 7 – we hauled the anchor and set off for Ecuador.  Light winds with motor till the early morning hours the next day. Good sailing conditions for the next 12 hours or so.  We kept well off shore in hopes of avoiding the fishing boats and their long nets (some are 2 kilometers in length).  We encountered a number of fishing operations especially at night.  Their nets are marked by small lights that are very hard to see and their running lights are almost non-existent.  The VHF radio was busy with WARC boats passing on information on locations of fishing operations but they were moving targets.

Wednesday February 10 --- Crossed the equator at 1532 hours UTC, 1032 hours Panama Time or US EST.  Location was 0° 00’ and 080° 48.3’ West.  Skylark’s crew drank a toast to Neptune in the appropriate manner of seafarers as the photos below attest.

Neptune had to sit down after a couple of stiff ones....

 Neptune's whiskers had a difficult time -- gin and tonic kept destroying the adhesive

February 11 – in the wee hours we encountered a fishing operation with small boats flashing their lights at us.  As it was pitch dark on a moonless night, we opted for caution and slowly back tracked to avoid what was apparently a long net.  The fishermen were west of us and to move forward would have risked passing through their nets.  We did this for a couple of hours till dawn approached and we could see them better.  By then Voyageur and caught uo with us and we motor sailed together to Puerto Lucia at La Libertad.  Skylark arrived at the marina around 10:30 am and berthed stern-to at the rickety pontoon with her bow tied to a mooring buoy.  The space was tight and full of mooring lines and other objects in the water.  More on the experience at La Libertad in the next blog.

pontoon at Marina Puerto Lucia, La Libertad 

Panama City

Monday, February 1, 2010
We decided to delay our departure from Isla Flamenco for a day and will sail on Tuesday, February 2 for the Las Perlas islands off the south western coast of Panama where other WARC yachts are headed. More palm islands but this time real Pacific islands or a taste of what’s to come. After that we head to La Libertad near Guayaquil in Ecuador to clear for the Galapagos.
Meanwhile, we have explored Panama city a bit. The taxi drivers here are an interesting lot. There are no meters and one has to negotiate a fare before getting into one. For instance, a ride to the city from the marina has varied between US$15 to as low as US$5. Some of the shorter routes to the old town took us through some rough areas known as “Zona Rosa” – red zones, notorious for crime and violence. One cab driver had us lock the car doors as we drove through one.

We spent a few interesting hours at the Canal museum in the old part of town. Many old buildings are being restored – mainly preserving only their facades. Not good examples of adaptive re-use of heritage buildings. At the end of the process, there is little resemblance to the original interior perspectives and structures. While recognizing that economics dictate, I couldn’t help making comparisons of heritage buildings in other major cities such as New York, London and Paris where preservation has been more comprehensive – not merely of the exterior facades but the interiors as well. Ah well, Panama doesn’t quite have the financial muscle of those other cities and there have been examples of misguided conservation elsewhere -- Singapore’s China town theme park-like restorations come to mind.  In any case, here are some pictures of parts of the old town around the Canal Museum:

The Canal Museum - Museo Del Canal Interoceanico De Panama

Old town, Panama City - restoration project in progress

The area around the Canal Museum

More from La Libertad if we can find an internet connection (don’t hold your breath though).