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