Santa Cruz - Galapagos - 19 April 2024
We woke to a pleasant morning and we started to prepare the boat for departure for Santa Cruz. This is the most inhabited island in the Galapagos and Puerto Ayora is the largest town in the Galapagos. It has the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos National Park Center which we will no doubt visit. It is the main tourist centre in the Galapagos.
We had breakfast and set off about 9.00am and we were only allowed to go to Puerto Ayora – the main port which was about 43 nm as the crow flies. The wind was light, but we got out of the bay and put-up the sails and started to sail quite slowly – only about 3-4 kts. We opened our header tanks and gave it a little time and then started to make water. We were down to our last tank and needed some more water. We sailed along slowly and enjoying the moment and watched the bird life – lots of boobies, gulls and petrels and no doubt a whole load of birds I did not recognise. It was lovely slow sailing and as if we had no time restraints.
We had a light salad type lunch on the hoof and then we realised that to get to Santa Cruz we needed to motor to get there before dark. The wind was dying anyway so we could not really sail. We took down the sails, turned on the engine and headed for Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz. There was a small island on the way called Isla Santa Fe which was formed by a volcanic uplift. It is not inhabited but has a large sea lion population and has its own sub species if iguana. It looked quite large and green with quite a lot of green bushes and we assumed cacti trees. It had a rocky shore and we could see the waves crashing on the rocks around it.
We continued on and could see Santa Cruz looming up – with its central volcano it looked a bit like Tenerife from the sea. There were a number of boats converging on where we were going. The port was very busy and there were a number of larger boats moored and a number of yachts and catamarans. There was not a lot of space. The town looked quite large and spread out. It took us 3 attempts to anchor – this is very unusual for us and the bottom seemed rocky and a bit tricky. We did anchor and a bit further out and it was rolly. There was quite a swell coming into the bay so we will just have to put up with it.
We had a drink and then Mark cooked a babootie -his South African dish. It was good to be somewhere new and hopefully we can explore the town tomorrow.
Opportunity for any Readers/Sailors.
In late May 2024 we shall be in the Marquesas in French Polynesia, and we will then move through to the Tuamotu’s before getting to Tahiti about the end of July 2024. There may be some space on Stormbird during this period should any sailor/reader be interested in joining for this period or part of it in what must be one of the most distant and beautiful places in the world.
In addition, in year two I will be going up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and probably across the Indian Ocean to Cape Town and I will need some more crew.
If there is any interest do email me at hine.nick9@gmail.com
The blog will continue as we head off to the Galapagos and beyond.
If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com I can only upload one picture a day and visit our website www.stormbirdgoesglobal.co.uk