Galapagos to Tahiti
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Nous Arrivons!!!!
AC dropped anchor in Papeete Harbour at 2030 local time after 28 days at sea. Whew.
Just after we sent the update this morning everything weather wise changed for the worse. Strata cloud formed and the winds and squalls got up to yesterday's velocities. This evening as we approached the Island it got worse such that we (mostly Lois) had to hand steer for the last 4 hours. The Auto Pilot could not cope with the gusts and general conditions. We dared not veer downwind too much as we were only going to get one shot at making it. Achieved that and rounded the Northern headland on our limits and at speed. After half an hour it was relative calm and bliss. And everything held together.
Thanks for your offer to arrange things Matt but we will be OK thanks.
Nicole is getting a separate message.
Love
The Very Jolly Rogers
Just after we sent the update this morning everything weather wise changed for the worse. Strata cloud formed and the winds and squalls got up to yesterday's velocities. This evening as we approached the Island it got worse such that we (mostly Lois) had to hand steer for the last 4 hours. The Auto Pilot could not cope with the gusts and general conditions. We dared not veer downwind too much as we were only going to get one shot at making it. Achieved that and rounded the Northern headland on our limits and at speed. After half an hour it was relative calm and bliss. And everything held together.
Thanks for your offer to arrange things Matt but we will be OK thanks.
Nicole is getting a separate message.
Love
The Very Jolly Rogers
Read blog 14/08/09 below first!
0945 Saturday here. 60 miles to go.
Weather has moderated slightly since midnight to make things a little more tolerable. Still 2-3 Metres swell but the spume and streaky seas have mostly gone with normal 25 knot whitecaps. Except for a few rainy squalls in the early hours the day is now bright and sunny.
Both of us managed to get some sleep overnight finally.
Most importantly everything is working well so hopefully we should be anchored in Papeete Harbour some time around midnight.
Love
Terry and Lois
Weather has moderated slightly since midnight to make things a little more tolerable. Still 2-3 Metres swell but the spume and streaky seas have mostly gone with normal 25 knot whitecaps. Except for a few rainy squalls in the early hours the day is now bright and sunny.
Both of us managed to get some sleep overnight finally.
Most importantly everything is working well so hopefully we should be anchored in Papeete Harbour some time around midnight.
Love
Terry and Lois
14/08/09
Day:27, Position:S1623,W17424, Wind Direction:0140, Wind Speed35,135
Weather:Mixed, Sea State:Rough
This is not a full report which you will understand in a moment. That will come after we arrive in Papeete.
The good news is we have finally cleared the Tuamotu's and we are on track to Papeete arriving some time tomorrow night with 145 nm to go. Saturday here.
Without motoring and in light airs getting through was a challenge. Yesterday we were becalmed from 0200hrs until about 1400. Then the wind roared in from the south. We had to skirt around the last atoll in our path. At about 2100 we were under 50% reefed headsail but had to tack out to sea from the precincts of the atoll.
Bang... Down came the headsail, furler and forestay into the sea alongside. The mast stayed thank goodness. Shored it up with two halyards and then L&I proceeded to winch the mess aboard using ourselves and our electric deck winch. It was blowing in excess of 30 knots and very rough. Used precious fuel to position AC 6 miles clear of the atoll so we could drift northwards towards bigger atolls hove to until dawn. Getting mobile took an hour or so then we hove to after midnight.
This morning further secured things and re rove the halyards. Checked the inner forestay and the 5 shrouds each side of the mast. As far as we could tell all AOK. The two backstays are a bit loose but you expect that.
Set off with 2 reefs in the main and full mizzen. Winds still 30+ to 40+ from South but fortunately backing to SE. Seas terrible. More detail later.
Since then have made good but uncomfortable progress towards Papeete. Wind on the beam or slightly abaft so every reason why things should be OK until we get there. Almost no sleep and not much prospect. We were in a situation where we could not to go back so decided to press on.
Nicole... We are tired but safe and are looking forward to seeing you on Monday much refreshed.
Love
Terry and Lois
This is not a full report which you will understand in a moment. That will come after we arrive in Papeete.
The good news is we have finally cleared the Tuamotu's and we are on track to Papeete arriving some time tomorrow night with 145 nm to go. Saturday here.
Without motoring and in light airs getting through was a challenge. Yesterday we were becalmed from 0200hrs until about 1400. Then the wind roared in from the south. We had to skirt around the last atoll in our path. At about 2100 we were under 50% reefed headsail but had to tack out to sea from the precincts of the atoll.
Bang... Down came the headsail, furler and forestay into the sea alongside. The mast stayed thank goodness. Shored it up with two halyards and then L&I proceeded to winch the mess aboard using ourselves and our electric deck winch. It was blowing in excess of 30 knots and very rough. Used precious fuel to position AC 6 miles clear of the atoll so we could drift northwards towards bigger atolls hove to until dawn. Getting mobile took an hour or so then we hove to after midnight.
This morning further secured things and re rove the halyards. Checked the inner forestay and the 5 shrouds each side of the mast. As far as we could tell all AOK. The two backstays are a bit loose but you expect that.
Set off with 2 reefs in the main and full mizzen. Winds still 30+ to 40+ from South but fortunately backing to SE. Seas terrible. More detail later.
Since then have made good but uncomfortable progress towards Papeete. Wind on the beam or slightly abaft so every reason why things should be OK until we get there. Almost no sleep and not much prospect. We were in a situation where we could not to go back so decided to press on.
Nicole... We are tired but safe and are looking forward to seeing you on Monday much refreshed.
Love
Terry and Lois
09/08/09
Day:22, Position:S1343,W14116, Miles to go:530
Wind Speed:08, Wind Direction:090, Weather:Sunny, Sea State:Light
Our new destination is Papeete with 530 nm to go. With current conditions we have decided to miss Rangiroa. We will have to leave that opportunity to a later time.
We are on the fringes of the Tuamotu's. In the olden times the area had several nicknames... "the Dangerous Archipelago", "the Maze", "the Archipelago of the Bad Sea". 77 low lying atolls which would have been a nightmare with sluggish ships before good charts, GPS and Radar.
We will cut through the more northern lot direct to Papeete.
Last report we had just started motoring in the hope of increased winds by dusk. That did not happen. We kept motoring for 4 24 hr days until 1020 hrs yesterday. 1020 hrs is when we measure our days run. Good news was that the swell has almost died and over those days we averaged 160 nm per day. Our main motor is relatively quiet but even so it does become monotonous after long periods of time. In the interests of saving fuel for our support systems for whatever time it takes to reach Papeete we turned the engine off, Since yesterday we have been plodding along under Spinnaker in light (very light) conditions. Our days run dropped to 112 nm. Those of you who have Spinnaker experience will know that the worst conditions are at the extremes of light, or heavy, weather. Not much sleep during the dark hours.....
This afternoon we changed course from Rangiroa to Papeete. To do this we had to gibe (put the Spinnaker on the other side) during which time the first squall for a couple of weeks came to visit. We were a busy and challenged crew for about a half hour whilst we got that lot sorted.
Presently sailing with our headsail in place of the spinnaker as we reckon we deserve a night of relative serenity, after all it is Sunday evening here! That will lose us some miles of course.
Lois has decided it is time for a treat which I suspect will be a dinner of succulent rare fillet steak with a myriad of accompanying vegetables and condiments...and Red Wine!!
Best wishes from...
The Jolly Rogers
Our new destination is Papeete with 530 nm to go. With current conditions we have decided to miss Rangiroa. We will have to leave that opportunity to a later time.
We are on the fringes of the Tuamotu's. In the olden times the area had several nicknames... "the Dangerous Archipelago", "the Maze", "the Archipelago of the Bad Sea". 77 low lying atolls which would have been a nightmare with sluggish ships before good charts, GPS and Radar.
We will cut through the more northern lot direct to Papeete.
Last report we had just started motoring in the hope of increased winds by dusk. That did not happen. We kept motoring for 4 24 hr days until 1020 hrs yesterday. 1020 hrs is when we measure our days run. Good news was that the swell has almost died and over those days we averaged 160 nm per day. Our main motor is relatively quiet but even so it does become monotonous after long periods of time. In the interests of saving fuel for our support systems for whatever time it takes to reach Papeete we turned the engine off, Since yesterday we have been plodding along under Spinnaker in light (very light) conditions. Our days run dropped to 112 nm. Those of you who have Spinnaker experience will know that the worst conditions are at the extremes of light, or heavy, weather. Not much sleep during the dark hours.....
This afternoon we changed course from Rangiroa to Papeete. To do this we had to gibe (put the Spinnaker on the other side) during which time the first squall for a couple of weeks came to visit. We were a busy and challenged crew for about a half hour whilst we got that lot sorted.
Presently sailing with our headsail in place of the spinnaker as we reckon we deserve a night of relative serenity, after all it is Sunday evening here! That will lose us some miles of course.
Lois has decided it is time for a treat which I suspect will be a dinner of succulent rare fillet steak with a myriad of accompanying vegetables and condiments...and Red Wine!!
Best wishes from...
The Jolly Rogers
04/08/09
Day:17, Position:S1117,W12839, Miles to go:1135
Wind speed:05, Wind Direction:105, Weather:Sunny, Sea State:Moderate.
Current destination is still Rangiroa but our chances of making it in time look marginal at present.
An important milestone today being the 4th of August. We left Auckland on the 4th just 4 years ago and here we are back in the Pacific on our penultimate leg home.
At the moment we are motoring would you believe. Have been doing that for two hours in the hope the trades will return at dusk in about 2 hours time. This is our second motoring session. The other was 2 days ago for about 3 hours if that.
For the past week the winds have continued to moderate but unfortunately the seas/swells have not. Our "days run" changed from consistently above 150 to a low of 130 today. In between it has been erratic but slower. Two days ago we hoisted our new Genaker for the first time and about an hour after having it in place we experienced a series of squalls so had to bring it down. Since then have fine tuned the tack and clew control lines and re hoisted it this morning. Then the wind died and we are waiting for the sea to do the same. ha ha. The launching/dowsing sock is just brilliant. Easy to use which is great for the two of us. A dream compared to our previous one. Naturally we have to learn the sail's idiosyncrasies which we should be able to do over the next 4,000 miles or so en route to Auckland.
Last night about 0300 we saw the only ship since the first day out of the Galapagos. Talked to the Captain who was interested in where we were bound etc, etc. He was a large container vessel bound for Papeete, Noumea and Tauranga. He changed course to keep out of our way.
We are in good spirits but you have to be here to appreciate the enormity and isolation associated with this huge Pacific Ocean from a very small floating wooden platform moving at 6 knots give or take.. Other good news is the "Cocktail Hour" is back and our shore support team keeps us up with the play when they can. Also the quality of our cuisine has been maintained at a high level. For example fresh Pancakes with roasted Pandanas with yogurt for breakfast a few days ago. Yummy and different. All Lois's good work of course.
Love to you all.
The Jolly Rogers.
31/07/09
Current destination is still Rangiroa but our chances of making it in time look marginal at present.
An important milestone today being the 4th of August. We left Auckland on the 4th just 4 years ago and here we are back in the Pacific on our penultimate leg home.
At the moment we are motoring would you believe. Have been doing that for two hours in the hope the trades will return at dusk in about 2 hours time. This is our second motoring session. The other was 2 days ago for about 3 hours if that.
For the past week the winds have continued to moderate but unfortunately the seas/swells have not. Our "days run" changed from consistently above 150 to a low of 130 today. In between it has been erratic but slower. Two days ago we hoisted our new Genaker for the first time and about an hour after having it in place we experienced a series of squalls so had to bring it down. Since then have fine tuned the tack and clew control lines and re hoisted it this morning. Then the wind died and we are waiting for the sea to do the same. ha ha. The launching/dowsing sock is just brilliant. Easy to use which is great for the two of us. A dream compared to our previous one. Naturally we have to learn the sail's idiosyncrasies which we should be able to do over the next 4,000 miles or so en route to Auckland.
Last night about 0300 we saw the only ship since the first day out of the Galapagos. Talked to the Captain who was interested in where we were bound etc, etc. He was a large container vessel bound for Papeete, Noumea and Tauranga. He changed course to keep out of our way.
We are in good spirits but you have to be here to appreciate the enormity and isolation associated with this huge Pacific Ocean from a very small floating wooden platform moving at 6 knots give or take.. Other good news is the "Cocktail Hour" is back and our shore support team keeps us up with the play when they can. Also the quality of our cuisine has been maintained at a high level. For example fresh Pancakes with roasted Pandanas with yogurt for breakfast a few days ago. Yummy and different. All Lois's good work of course.
Love to you all.
The Jolly Rogers.
31/07/09
Day:13, Position:S0851,W11902, Miles to go:1721
Wind Speed15, Wind Direction:110, Weather Mixed, Sea StateModerate
Destination is still Rangiroa. In the last 4 days we have not made 150 nm/day. The wind has gone ESE and moderated slightly. However we still could be in striking distance of Rangiroa in time to stopover... Here's hoping. Have been under full sail for the last two days.
If the wind moderates further we will launch our new Genaker but it is a little marginal at present.
We are definitely in Ocean Mode now with the days blending into each other as they do when we are relaxed, comfortable with our lot, and perpetually tired.
The only things since our last report is we passed the half-way point at about 0430 this morning and Lois landed her 3rd Mahi Mahi yesterday PM.
So far so good...
The Jolly Rogers
Destination is still Rangiroa. In the last 4 days we have not made 150 nm/day. The wind has gone ESE and moderated slightly. However we still could be in striking distance of Rangiroa in time to stopover... Here's hoping. Have been under full sail for the last two days.
If the wind moderates further we will launch our new Genaker but it is a little marginal at present.
We are definitely in Ocean Mode now with the days blending into each other as they do when we are relaxed, comfortable with our lot, and perpetually tired.
The only things since our last report is we passed the half-way point at about 0430 this morning and Lois landed her 3rd Mahi Mahi yesterday PM.
So far so good...
The Jolly Rogers
27/07/09
Day:09, Position:S0629,W110.06, NM to go:2272,
Wind Speed:25kn, Wind Direction:135, Weather:Sunny, Sea State:Rough
Today is day nine on our run from Galapagos to Rangiroa, a distance of 3543 nautical miles. We have … still 2272 to go and today's run was 161 nm, our best so far. We are making good progress having averaged 154 nm per day or 6.4 knots. If we can keep this up we will have time to stop at Rangiroa before continuing on to Tahiti. Proximity to Papeete, the fact that we have not been there previously, it is a clearance Port for French Polynesia, the second largest atoll in the world and the R&R could be good!
Papeete harbour is a place to be avoided. In 1996 in Acrux (remember her) and four years ago in Alpha Crucis we suffered damage due to excessive and constant wash waves from the inconsiderate large high speed ferries. Also our waterlines were coated in oily tar like goo which acted like Velcro to the copious quantities of flotsam passing by. The harbour is a dirty place. The Vista from the Quai de Plaisance on Boulevard Pomare belies the actual situation. All the visiting yachts lined up stern-to to the beautifully crafted Quay look picturesque but as the song intones "…from a distance." We will be heading to the marina area, not the marina, near Lois' favourite South Pacific emporium "Carrefor." This is past the Airport on the South side. On the "land" side Papeete is a fun place.
We seem to be in a consistent pattern of conditions at the moment and long may that continue. During the day the wind fluctuates between about 15 and 25 knots particularly with a variegated overcast sky. This requires a combination of adjustment of the headsail and altering course. We are talking about adjustments of about 6 times in a 12-hour period. On clear days the variation is less pronounced. At night pretty much the same but we cannot read the sky as well although now the moon is waxing it is getting easier. Sometime between 2 hours before and after dawn the wind usually dies for a while subjecting us to the uncomfortable effects of a 2-3 metre swell. This is from the SE with an overlay of SW making the motion rather cranky. Apart from the lulls we try to keep our speed between 6.0 and 7.5 knots; Our course to Rangiroa has remained a steady 254 degrees true…..and you thought we were having a South Pacific vacation out here!
Back to the voyage. On Thursday (23rd) Lois hooked three Mahi Mahi and landed the last one. Fantastic. Fresh Mahi Mahi for dinner. Delicious, washed down with a little Chardonnay. Friday same ritual hooked three, landed one. Friday night, (Pub Night) entrée of fresh Mahi Mahi sashimi, probably in excess. Main course was marinated hoison chicken…
Lois always takes the first evening watch 2100-0300. About 2300 I awoke feeling really uncomfortable and by midnight had chills and sweats with nausea. Not a condition I am all that used to. Repaired to the head where the experience of instantaneous projectile vomiting was a first. In unison Newton's third law "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" came into play. The law of "Conservation of Energy-Mass" then took over. With two streams of matter at near sonic speeds being expelled, the consequential loss of sensible body heat took its inevitable toll. Exhaustion, disorientation and quivering. The only upside at the time was that AC's head did easily double for a Hospital sluice room.
By his time (we are talking seconds) Lois was there. Lois (Nightingale) Rogers looked after me with TLC for the next 24 hours. It turns out that she was also not well herself experiencing similar symptoms sans the actual external phenomenon.
Both being well below par we just existed for the next day and night. My "Interest in things Nautical" Index, 100 being normal, declined to 50 by midnight and dropped to zero by one minute past midnight.
Lois did manage to produce drinks, soup, pasta and baked potatoes over our recovery period despite her discomfort. What a Gal! The enormity of this event is under written by the fact that Cocktail Hour has been voluntarily withdrawn meantime. Also we experienced our slowest days run of 147 nm which is not all that bad under the circumstances
It is now Monday here and we are back at full operational levels.
Communications from here to Tahiti could be erratic. Our contact with Murray relies on semi-automatic connection with radio ground stations. Out here the nearest is Corpus Christie in Texas and later it will be Honolulu. We will do what we can but the absence of regular contact is no big deal.
We will pick up messages to alphacrucis@110pct.com about mid August.
May the winds and waves of life be favourable for all of you as well.
The Jolly Rogers
22/07/09
Day:04, Position:S03:22,W097:20, NM to go:3059
Wind Speed:17, Wind Direction:135, Waether:Sunny, Sea State:Moderate
Destination is Rangiora in the Tuamotu's. Our strategy is to try and get there for R&R before continuing on to Papeete in Tahiti. It is on our track and only about a 30 hr sail from Papeete. We will stop there only if time allows it. As you know we are keen to meet up with Nicole, David and family August 17 or thereabouts. After that there is a possibility that others may visit. To early to be precise at the moment.
Our wind instruments are not working so wind information is based on the "wet finger" methodology. We went up the mast in San Cristobal to see if it was a failed connection but no such luck. Suspect the mast head unit has expired.
So far this leg has been what "trade wind" sailing should be. Cracked sheets, reasonable speed and comfort. We can only hope it continues. As we get further on we expect stronger winds with a little more East in them hopefully with eased sheets. Watch this space. We adjust the headsail and mainsail as conditions vary to get a good balance between speed and comfort with the latter being paramount. Comfort correlates with less stress and strain on gear and us of course. Our day's run each day so far has been a little more than 150 nautical miles. If we can maintain this our strategy will work.
In the Galapagos area and since the temperatures have been unexpectedly low. Even though we are basically on the Equator temperatures have been in mid 20's and lower at night requiring light covers for sleep. This is caused by the Humboldt current which flows up the Chilean coast from Antarctica and sweeps across this region in some years. Apparently this is what triggers the La Nina weather pattern that affects a great deal of the World's weather. We expect it to warm up substantially from here on. The Sun is on it's way back from the North.
Lois and I are acquiring our sea legs once again. It always takes a few days and we are always amazed how quickly we lose them once we are near land in the proximity of friendly people, bars and restaurants. But have no fear, Cocktail Hour is sacrosanct, and the standard of "on board" services has not declined in any way.
Have seen a couple of Tuna boats and have hooked but lost two fish... darn.
This is a long haul so we are just taking it a day at a time.
Love
The Jolly Rogers
Today is day nine on our run from Galapagos to Rangiroa, a distance of 3543 nautical miles. We have … still 2272 to go and today's run was 161 nm, our best so far. We are making good progress having averaged 154 nm per day or 6.4 knots. If we can keep this up we will have time to stop at Rangiroa before continuing on to Tahiti. Proximity to Papeete, the fact that we have not been there previously, it is a clearance Port for French Polynesia, the second largest atoll in the world and the R&R could be good!
Papeete harbour is a place to be avoided. In 1996 in Acrux (remember her) and four years ago in Alpha Crucis we suffered damage due to excessive and constant wash waves from the inconsiderate large high speed ferries. Also our waterlines were coated in oily tar like goo which acted like Velcro to the copious quantities of flotsam passing by. The harbour is a dirty place. The Vista from the Quai de Plaisance on Boulevard Pomare belies the actual situation. All the visiting yachts lined up stern-to to the beautifully crafted Quay look picturesque but as the song intones "…from a distance." We will be heading to the marina area, not the marina, near Lois' favourite South Pacific emporium "Carrefor." This is past the Airport on the South side. On the "land" side Papeete is a fun place.
We seem to be in a consistent pattern of conditions at the moment and long may that continue. During the day the wind fluctuates between about 15 and 25 knots particularly with a variegated overcast sky. This requires a combination of adjustment of the headsail and altering course. We are talking about adjustments of about 6 times in a 12-hour period. On clear days the variation is less pronounced. At night pretty much the same but we cannot read the sky as well although now the moon is waxing it is getting easier. Sometime between 2 hours before and after dawn the wind usually dies for a while subjecting us to the uncomfortable effects of a 2-3 metre swell. This is from the SE with an overlay of SW making the motion rather cranky. Apart from the lulls we try to keep our speed between 6.0 and 7.5 knots; Our course to Rangiroa has remained a steady 254 degrees true…..and you thought we were having a South Pacific vacation out here!
Back to the voyage. On Thursday (23rd) Lois hooked three Mahi Mahi and landed the last one. Fantastic. Fresh Mahi Mahi for dinner. Delicious, washed down with a little Chardonnay. Friday same ritual hooked three, landed one. Friday night, (Pub Night) entrée of fresh Mahi Mahi sashimi, probably in excess. Main course was marinated hoison chicken…
Lois always takes the first evening watch 2100-0300. About 2300 I awoke feeling really uncomfortable and by midnight had chills and sweats with nausea. Not a condition I am all that used to. Repaired to the head where the experience of instantaneous projectile vomiting was a first. In unison Newton's third law "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" came into play. The law of "Conservation of Energy-Mass" then took over. With two streams of matter at near sonic speeds being expelled, the consequential loss of sensible body heat took its inevitable toll. Exhaustion, disorientation and quivering. The only upside at the time was that AC's head did easily double for a Hospital sluice room.
By his time (we are talking seconds) Lois was there. Lois (Nightingale) Rogers looked after me with TLC for the next 24 hours. It turns out that she was also not well herself experiencing similar symptoms sans the actual external phenomenon.
Both being well below par we just existed for the next day and night. My "Interest in things Nautical" Index, 100 being normal, declined to 50 by midnight and dropped to zero by one minute past midnight.
Lois did manage to produce drinks, soup, pasta and baked potatoes over our recovery period despite her discomfort. What a Gal! The enormity of this event is under written by the fact that Cocktail Hour has been voluntarily withdrawn meantime. Also we experienced our slowest days run of 147 nm which is not all that bad under the circumstances
It is now Monday here and we are back at full operational levels.
Communications from here to Tahiti could be erratic. Our contact with Murray relies on semi-automatic connection with radio ground stations. Out here the nearest is Corpus Christie in Texas and later it will be Honolulu. We will do what we can but the absence of regular contact is no big deal.
We will pick up messages to alphacrucis@110pct.com about mid August.
May the winds and waves of life be favourable for all of you as well.
The Jolly Rogers
22/07/09
Day:04, Position:S03:22,W097:20, NM to go:3059
Wind Speed:17, Wind Direction:135, Waether:Sunny, Sea State:Moderate
Destination is Rangiora in the Tuamotu's. Our strategy is to try and get there for R&R before continuing on to Papeete in Tahiti. It is on our track and only about a 30 hr sail from Papeete. We will stop there only if time allows it. As you know we are keen to meet up with Nicole, David and family August 17 or thereabouts. After that there is a possibility that others may visit. To early to be precise at the moment.
Our wind instruments are not working so wind information is based on the "wet finger" methodology. We went up the mast in San Cristobal to see if it was a failed connection but no such luck. Suspect the mast head unit has expired.
So far this leg has been what "trade wind" sailing should be. Cracked sheets, reasonable speed and comfort. We can only hope it continues. As we get further on we expect stronger winds with a little more East in them hopefully with eased sheets. Watch this space. We adjust the headsail and mainsail as conditions vary to get a good balance between speed and comfort with the latter being paramount. Comfort correlates with less stress and strain on gear and us of course. Our day's run each day so far has been a little more than 150 nautical miles. If we can maintain this our strategy will work.
In the Galapagos area and since the temperatures have been unexpectedly low. Even though we are basically on the Equator temperatures have been in mid 20's and lower at night requiring light covers for sleep. This is caused by the Humboldt current which flows up the Chilean coast from Antarctica and sweeps across this region in some years. Apparently this is what triggers the La Nina weather pattern that affects a great deal of the World's weather. We expect it to warm up substantially from here on. The Sun is on it's way back from the North.
Lois and I are acquiring our sea legs once again. It always takes a few days and we are always amazed how quickly we lose them once we are near land in the proximity of friendly people, bars and restaurants. But have no fear, Cocktail Hour is sacrosanct, and the standard of "on board" services has not declined in any way.
Have seen a couple of Tuna boats and have hooked but lost two fish... darn.
This is a long haul so we are just taking it a day at a time.
Love
The Jolly Rogers
19/07/09
San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands - 19 July 2009
We left San Cristobal at 1.20pm today bound for Tahiti!
We have been here for just on a week and it has been a pleasant and interesting stopover!
We didn't particularly want to stop here as we heard it is expensive and procedures with the authorities laborious! It was all of that but well worth it for several reasons - we got the opportunity to rest after our 12 day passage from Panama (which reminded us much of our journey east across the Pacific, hard on the wind) plus the opportunity to buy fuel. and got to experience a little of what the place is about!
We found only one person here in San Cristobal that speaks any English and he was a Naturalist therefore phrase books and dictionary are a help, otherwise sign language works well too!! However everyone without exception has been friendly and helpful made it so much more pleasant and welcoming!
It was opportune that the Australian couple, Adam and Bronwyn and children Jack (6) and Amy (4) arrived here before us so it was a warm welcome via the VHF on our night approach to guide us in. We have spent a bit of time with them during this week, which has been fun! They are on their final leg of their circumnavigation over the last 7 years - no mean feat in a 35 footer with two young children! We hope to catch them back in Sydney in the near future!
There are several yachts on their way across the Pacific at this time - mostly heading for Marquesas and then onward to Australia. Quite strange for us to have other boats heading in the same direction! This is the first time this has happened during our journey.
The town here is quite large with a rather nice boulevard along the foreshore. There are many restaurants however the best ones are family operated on the back streets - pretty scruffy but good food and you can get a meal for 4USD per person - not bad!
Provisioning is limited as you would expect as most things are imported from the mainland however they do grow in their rich volcanic soil some produce that is cheap! So managed to stock up on a bit of variety.
They operate an efficient and cheap water taxi service in the harbour so no need to take put your dinghy in the water, which has been so convenient. The reason they do it is because of the sea lions - not only hopping on board apparently but they also tip dinghies over as they climb aboard. We have had most days these furry animals sun themselves on the transom of AC and the large sea lions are territorially aggressive as well.
We hired a taxi on Friday to have a look around and went up to the Volcano Lake. It was raining and misty so it wasn't ideal but it was pleasant. As we were making our way down the coastline on our approach to the Island the landscape reminded us of a desolate moonscape so it was interesting to view such luscious inner terrain. We also viewed the Interpretation Centre, which explains the history and the theory of Evolution - quite fascinating!
The highlight for me was seeing the giant Tortoises in their natural habitat - some of them were huge! There are very few left now, after many centuries of being killed by buccaneers and sailors for fresh meat. They have been attempting to breed them in captivity for the last 4 years. They have only one success so far, a four years old. Subsequent attempts have improved which is wonderful!
Their natural predators are rats, dogs and cats - strange that they allow the locals to have the latter two!
Naturally there is an accent on Eco environment which is well communicated to tourists however they have a long way to go to teach the local inhabitants about rubbish disposal despite the fact that they have recyclable bins everywhere - there is heaps rubbish all over the place.
We employed the services of an agent who managed our clearing in process. Although he could speak little English we managed to communicate quite well. We were grateful for his help as he did make it easier for us and even then it still was onerous. He also arranged to have our fuel delivered on board - all 300 gallons in jerry cans. Of course you pay for this service but would have liked to see Terry and I try to manage that - not!! We paid 3.00 USD a gallon which is the 'international price' and on shore you can buy a gallon for 1.05 USD but foreign yachts are not allowed to purchase this - just one of the ways they keep the economy turning we suspect! This place has many pleasant surprises as we also managed to get our propane bottles filled.
It has been a great week and we have enjoyed mixing with the locals but it's time to push on to Tahiti! We are well rested and in good shape for the continuation of our journey. We have heard that the yachts that have left before us are making at least 150 nm a day - let's hope we can achieve this.
Good news, we had an email from Nicole earlier this week to say David has got a week off on the 17th of August so we may see them in Tahiti after all!.
Love, The Jolly Rogers
We left San Cristobal at 1.20pm today bound for Tahiti!
We have been here for just on a week and it has been a pleasant and interesting stopover!
We didn't particularly want to stop here as we heard it is expensive and procedures with the authorities laborious! It was all of that but well worth it for several reasons - we got the opportunity to rest after our 12 day passage from Panama (which reminded us much of our journey east across the Pacific, hard on the wind) plus the opportunity to buy fuel. and got to experience a little of what the place is about!
We found only one person here in San Cristobal that speaks any English and he was a Naturalist therefore phrase books and dictionary are a help, otherwise sign language works well too!! However everyone without exception has been friendly and helpful made it so much more pleasant and welcoming!
It was opportune that the Australian couple, Adam and Bronwyn and children Jack (6) and Amy (4) arrived here before us so it was a warm welcome via the VHF on our night approach to guide us in. We have spent a bit of time with them during this week, which has been fun! They are on their final leg of their circumnavigation over the last 7 years - no mean feat in a 35 footer with two young children! We hope to catch them back in Sydney in the near future!
There are several yachts on their way across the Pacific at this time - mostly heading for Marquesas and then onward to Australia. Quite strange for us to have other boats heading in the same direction! This is the first time this has happened during our journey.
The town here is quite large with a rather nice boulevard along the foreshore. There are many restaurants however the best ones are family operated on the back streets - pretty scruffy but good food and you can get a meal for 4USD per person - not bad!
Provisioning is limited as you would expect as most things are imported from the mainland however they do grow in their rich volcanic soil some produce that is cheap! So managed to stock up on a bit of variety.
They operate an efficient and cheap water taxi service in the harbour so no need to take put your dinghy in the water, which has been so convenient. The reason they do it is because of the sea lions - not only hopping on board apparently but they also tip dinghies over as they climb aboard. We have had most days these furry animals sun themselves on the transom of AC and the large sea lions are territorially aggressive as well.
We hired a taxi on Friday to have a look around and went up to the Volcano Lake. It was raining and misty so it wasn't ideal but it was pleasant. As we were making our way down the coastline on our approach to the Island the landscape reminded us of a desolate moonscape so it was interesting to view such luscious inner terrain. We also viewed the Interpretation Centre, which explains the history and the theory of Evolution - quite fascinating!
The highlight for me was seeing the giant Tortoises in their natural habitat - some of them were huge! There are very few left now, after many centuries of being killed by buccaneers and sailors for fresh meat. They have been attempting to breed them in captivity for the last 4 years. They have only one success so far, a four years old. Subsequent attempts have improved which is wonderful!
Their natural predators are rats, dogs and cats - strange that they allow the locals to have the latter two!
Naturally there is an accent on Eco environment which is well communicated to tourists however they have a long way to go to teach the local inhabitants about rubbish disposal despite the fact that they have recyclable bins everywhere - there is heaps rubbish all over the place.
We employed the services of an agent who managed our clearing in process. Although he could speak little English we managed to communicate quite well. We were grateful for his help as he did make it easier for us and even then it still was onerous. He also arranged to have our fuel delivered on board - all 300 gallons in jerry cans. Of course you pay for this service but would have liked to see Terry and I try to manage that - not!! We paid 3.00 USD a gallon which is the 'international price' and on shore you can buy a gallon for 1.05 USD but foreign yachts are not allowed to purchase this - just one of the ways they keep the economy turning we suspect! This place has many pleasant surprises as we also managed to get our propane bottles filled.
It has been a great week and we have enjoyed mixing with the locals but it's time to push on to Tahiti! We are well rested and in good shape for the continuation of our journey. We have heard that the yachts that have left before us are making at least 150 nm a day - let's hope we can achieve this.
Good news, we had an email from Nicole earlier this week to say David has got a week off on the 17th of August so we may see them in Tahiti after all!.
Love, The Jolly Rogers
posted by Alpha Crucis at 3:51 PM
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