Isla Contador, Panama - San Cristobal, Galapagos (850nm)
Wednesday 14th - Sunday 18th February 2024
Luckily for Iain and I suspect Axel too, the start of Leg Three of our circumnavigation with the World ARC was at 11:00 hrs. Plenty of time to recover from the festivities of the night before.
We ambled out to join the others for the usual little hustle on the start. It was a gentle start with a nice 10 knots of breeze. We hoisted the main and Code 0 as we crossed the line followed closely by Gorm and Maren on Nica. We knew this lead wasn't going to last for long, but we enjoyed playing with Nica a little, keeping her behind us as we both headed to
San Cristobal, Galapagos.
As the day continuted, the wind built and we swaped the Code 0 for our new spinnaker. The first time out of the bag! The hoist was seamless. We were a very happy boat.
We took the spinnaker down just before supper opting to sail with only the mainsail. As our speed lessened, the boat became a little rolly but made for an easy first night sail. Sadly, just about the same time, Nica hit a log forcing her to return to Panama to assess the damage.
We watched on the AIS to make sure Nica was coping before Dugald and I went to bed with Iain taking the first watch, keeping an eye open for us and Nica.
As the early morning approached, the winds began to drop. By dawn, the Spinnaker was hoisted once more so Iain and Dugald steered for a few hours. They were having lots of fun! The wind changed, we altered our sail plan but this did not stop Dugald putting out the fishing line, promising, in true Hunter Gatherer style, that he would provide supper. Ever the optimist, I made a fresh loaf of bread. No one really expected him to catch anything as we bowled along with our new white Spinnaker.
To our dismay and delight, supper was hooked. There was much cuffufle and dashing. Dugald was demanding to slow the boat, Iain protested. He was going to preserve his new sail. The speed would not alter. Tensions were high, but the fish was landed, gutted and filleted by Dugald. It would be a fish supper after all!
After a very delicious fresh meal, the night watches began. Dugald and I retired leaving Iain enjoying the sail and the spectacular night sky once more.
Friday 16th - Sunday 18th February 2024
All was calm, and we fell into our rhythm. I was very excited to be participating in the SSB radio communication twice a day.
I was in charge of something at last! My fellow radio controllers were splendid. Morning roll call was formal. The others gave their positions and weather conditions precisely. This was a bit of a challenge for me; there is so much information to relay, all with slightly different details, but I tried my best, and everyone was patient, not asking too many tricky questions. It was a delight to hear each morning, confirming all was well. The evening communication was less formal. This was my favourite part of the day.
The winds were constantly changing and so were the sails. During the morning SSB transmission, I could hear Iain stomping about on the deck. He was not happy; we had acquired a passenger. Dugald and I were highly amused. In silence, we watched Iain try to remove the bird from the boom, the spreaders, bimini, and even the communication tower at the stern of the boat.
The bird had Iain running all over the deck with arms flailing, getting very red in the face. We named our bird Pacific Peter. We could tell this was not Peter's first rodeo. He knew where to land on the boat; teasingly just out of Iain's reach. While Iain was chasing Peter, Dugald was trailing a line, and occasionally dolphins joined in our happy menagerie. The only saving grace for the day was the rain, which cleared the boat of salt and Peter's presents.
Peter fought with Iain all day while Iain fought with the Peter and the weather and the sails. Dugald tweaked his now permanently trailing fishing line.
To Iain's delight, Peter eventually settled on the push pit. There would be no more mess on the decks, as Peter was positioned over the ocean, however, to add insult to injury, Peter gained a family who also settled on the push pit. Our menagerie was growing. Peter, Paul, and Mary were very happy indeed. So settled were they, they worked out a rota for leaving their perch one at a time to fish, but always returning to their position. Word was out, our chariot was comfortable and amiable. We were joined by a fourth bird!
The wind and rain continued for the majority of the night, but by morning the weather had calmed. Iain and Dugald did most of the watches as there was squalls and lightening which made for a lively night.
On Sunday 18th, land was in sight. We were very excited. From the East side of the island as we approached the finish line, the landscape was as we imagined, rugged, lush, undeveloped. Galapagos, as described by Darwin: The Land that Time Forgot.
As the night unfolded, the rain and squalls returned. We held our breath. It was just before midnight when we turned the corner towards the line. What a surprise! We started laughing. Naively, we were expecting Darwin's view. How wrong could we be? The shoreline was eluminated, life was pulsating as any other tourist island on our trip! In a way, it was reassuring to know this was going to be an easy Island to visit.
Comments