The third and final week in the Galapagos

On Thursday, June 25th, Doug and Shelby arrived only an hour later than expected to the Galapagos. We took the water taxi back to QuickStar where they quickly stowed their gear and then we headed right back to town…to the internet café to let everyone know they made it and then onwards to the Darwin Research Centre. Over the past few days we have done lots of exploring, snorkelling, hiking and of course, many rounds of Double Solitaire between Diana and Shelby! We've also enjoyed the chaos in the busy harbour every morning over coffee as boats manoever in and out, bang in to one another, sea lions try to sink others, etc. It's quite entertaining in this "grand central station".

Our favourite internet cafe

Our exploits have taken us to the local Saturday market, which is teeming with people at 6:30 a.m. in the morning, a highlands tour, which this time around included a full walk through a lava tunnel that is almost a kilometre long (which also involved getting down on our hands and knees in the mud to crawl through a very narrow part). Doug and Peter fixed the furling sail and did a few odds and ends to get the boat ready for the next chapter.

Marine Iguanas everywhere!

Doug and Shelby are out for the day today on a tour to Seymour Island. Peter and I will be getting the last of the provisioning and doing a lot of the final errands and paperwork (which of course includes updating the blog and making our final communication and farewells with the family). Our plan is to leave tomorrow or the next day at the latest. The weather seems to be cooperating, although the winds are still lighter than normal. We have placed bets on how long it will take….Diana 28 days, Peter 21 days, Doug 23 days. Shelby has abstained from betting. Winner gets 2 full days of total leisure upon arrival!

Shelby walking through a cactus trail

We still don’t know at this point if our house has sold, but the deadline is midnight today, so we’ll see. We like living on the edge! For the crossing, my intention is to do a “paragraph” update each day on the blog so if you would like to check in to see how the open ocean is treating us, just bookmark this blog and visit whenever you’d like. (Keep in mind that the blog updates will be done via ham radio, so no photos, and also there may be times that we can’t get a connection – so please DON’T worry if the blog doesn’t get updated).

Breakfast aboard QuickStar

We’ve been asked about how we will schedule the watches since we sail 24 hours a day and need to have someone at the helm at all times.. The plan is that the three adults will each do a 4- hour night watch: 8:00 – 12:00, 12:00 – 4:00 and 4:00 – 8:00. During the daylight hours we will rotate on more informal 2- hour watches, with Shelby doing some daytime watches. She is really keen to improve her sailing knowledge and skills and has already proven to be a great crew member!

Hanging out in a tortoise shell

Until next time….Once we reach the South Pacific and check in at the Marquessa Islands (where they filmed the 2002 season of Survivor) we’ll upload some photos from the crossing. To all our friends and family….stay safe and live large – we’ll be thinking of you and thanks for your moral support as you follow us along on the blog! P.S. Yes, I'm nervous about the next leg...over 3,000 miles of open ocean. The stress meter is reading about 9/10 right about now...but once we get the last minute details out of the way and get on our way, hopefully it will be smooth sailing!

Great friends, great times!!!

“Holy Snap” as Martha would say, it is hard to believe that it has been almost a week since Don and Martha left. They were fabulous travel buddies and we had many laughs. Peter especially misses Don’s perfect cup of tea in the morning and the fact that he is the only person who makes a sandwich as well as Peter does (and takes equally as long!). Somehow I just don’t get the excitement over a sandwich!!!! Peter’s thrilled that after a many searches at various little stores, he has managed to find some sandwich meat (although I really don’t think bologna counts).

Don and Martha taking the water taxi on another snorkelling adventure.

Our final adventure with Don and Martha was spending a half day on a private taxi tour to the highlands where we saw a lava tunnel, some sinkholes and the highlight being the turtle farm where the giant tortoises wander at their leisure. I was blown away to walk along with a 200 year old turtle – seriously, I’m still in awe! Our final evening Don and Martha treated us to a fancy dinner out and in typical fun style, the restaurant didn’t have any power, so they made do with a generator. We will miss you two – thanks for being such great crew (okay so I’m not destined to become the next great poet).

Di and Martha sharing one of many laughs. This ancient one made us feel like teenagers.

This past week we have been kept busy getting ready for our next guests…Doug and his 11-year old daughter Shelby who arrive tomorrow. As I write this they are hanging out at the Miami airport after an overnight flight from Vancouver…they will arrive in Guayaquil, Equador tonight and then fly in tomorrow around noon. They have had a rough start to their trip as they lost their travel documents and $1,000 U.S. in cash at the airport.. Luckily their passports and wallet were in a safe place with them and I was able to send them flight information…thank goodness for e-tickets and internet cafes.

I’m still fighting this persistent cold, which has prevented us from going diving. I’m trying not to feel too sorry for myself as I pass the many dive shops in town. Methinks I’ll have to wait until the South Pacific – not such a terrible hardship after all.

There are often up to 9 sea lions on this boat next to us.

We are enjoying being part of the community here in the harbour. We’ve gotten to know a lot of the water taxi folks and watch with great amusement as the sea lions lounge on the neighbouring boats. One tried to make himself at home on our swim platform but Peter scared him off. Too bad Martha missed it.

Common wisdom says that most accidents happen while at anchor and not while tossing in the open ocean. We experienced this firsthand as we had a near miss with one of the Gap cruise boats yesterday. Their stern anchor started dragging and they came within 10 feet of smashing in to us in this fairly unprotected anchorage. We couldn’t move as they were over our stern anchor and they couldn’t start their boat because their Captain was on land, so they got in the dinghies and fended off their boat for an hour until the Captain could come to the rescue.

A little too close for comfort!

During this week, we also accepted an offer on the sale of our house. It is conditional until June 29th, which is pretty well our deadline before we set sail. Fortunately, we’ve had this week to email back and forth and get the endless details taken care of. Here’s hoping all the subjects get removed and we can cross that off our list before we head out to the open ocean. Oh yeah, the latest weather report says that the tradewinds are unseasonably LIGHT – which means that our potentially 30 day sail out in the wild blue yonder could turn out to be even longer. I’ll try not to think about that – just yet!

I’ll update the blog again after Doug and Shelby have arrived and just before we leave.

Not bad looking for a 200 year old.

Until next time…..try to imagine living 24/7 in a 46 foot boat in the middle of the ocean for 30 days or more – Doug and Peter can’t wait – Shelby and I are reserving judgement. "Whatever will be, will be" (okay I won’t be a songwriter either)

We’re in the Galapagos!!!

Scenes from the ocean crossing from Huatulco to the Galapagos

GPS reading as they crossed the Equator.

Peter enjoying the sunset during the equator crossing.

Don happily sailing...

We've all arrived....

As mentioned in our Manchu Picchu blog entry, we rendezvoused with Peter and Don at a local bar (around 3:00 p.m.) in the afternoon on June 10th. We couldn’t have picked a better time to arrive as there was a huge soccer match going on between Argentina and Ecuador. The entire town was wearing the yellow soccer jerseys and we joined the locals at a bar to watch the game on T.V. We cheered alongside them, as Ecuador emerged victorious. As we all poured out into the streets, the town came alive with a parade of cars, motorcycles, etc, with flags being waved, horns honking and public celebrations. with the entire family. We were swept up in the excitement and grateful that our Galapagos visit got started with such a bang!

Peter joining in the celebration for Equador

We are anchored in Academy Bay, just outside the main town of Puerto Ayora, one of only three inhabited islands in the Galapagos archipelago. We were expecting it to be really rough, since the winds are predominately from the South and this bay does not offer any protection from the south winds. We were pleasantly surprised, however, and have now spent a week here in relatively calm waters. It is a busy harbour, with many tour boats anchored in close quarters, so we have out both a bow and a stern anchor. We take a water taxi back and forth to town, for only 60 cents during the day and 1.00 at night. This allows us all lots of freedom of movement.

Enjoying a beach stroll

The first full day here I came down with a nasty cold, which Don says that he got for a few days enroute. Luckily he was better by the time he arrived, or they wouldn’t have been permitted to come ashore, nor would we have been able to board QuickStar. I am still under the weather a week later, and frustrated that I’ve been so boring. I have managed to do everything, just not as enthusiastically as normal. I think that once we were all together, after a lifetime of dreaming about Manchu Picchu andthe Galapagos as well as the six months of planning, and no longer having to worry about any of the travel arrangements, my body just wanted to relax a little. I’m hopeful I’ll be back to normal soon.

Baby turtles at the Darwin Centre.

The first day we walked in the town and then out to a beach, which is 2.5 kilometres each way along a man-made walking trail. We had our first encounter with the ubiquitous marine iguanas. Everyone went snorkelling and Martha managed to get quite a sunburn (which is getting better every day as well!). We’ve had dinner onboard each evening, playing bridge and telling stories. As on the hike, we get up early (around 6:00) and go to bed by about 9:00.

A hidden land iquana

Our second day we went on a panga bay tour. It was an incredible value for only $25.00 per person we spent half a day and were taken to five different sites, where we swam, snorkelled and saw hundreds of iguanas. (We have seen both the marine iguana, which is black in colour with blunt noses and also many land iguanas, which are multi-coloured with pointed snouts). It was a bit too rough to see sharks, but we knew they were there! The next day we did a Seymour Island boat trip, which involved taking a bus across the island and a boat ride for about a half an hour. This island was incredible as it has the largest colony of magnificent frigate birds. The claim to fame for this island is that it is the nesting site for blue footed boobies and red throated frigates.

Check out the male with the red throat!

We were literally 2 feet away from breeding nests that were in various stages. Some birds were doing the mating dance, (we were incredibly lucky to see this ritual with both the boobies and the frigates as they blow up their red pouch to attract females) others had already mated and were incubating their eggs, and others had their young alongside them in their nest. Nowhere else on earth could you witness this “circle of life” so closely, or in such quantity. Shelby will love this island!

The mating ritual

Since we are on the main, central island, we are ideally situated to do land touring as well as out island hopping. The next day, I tried to get some sleep to kick this dumb cold, while everyone else went to the Darwin Centre. I’m saving this to do with Doug and Shelby. They got their first glimpse of the gigantic tortoises and the famous “lonesome George” who is the last of his species.

Don with the giant tortoises.

Our next big tour took us via a three-hour boat ride to Bartolome Island. We climbed the stairs to the top of the volcano to see the “post-card” view of the Galapagos. The highlight of this tour though was our snorkelling trip. Peter and I were lucky to see a white tipped shark, about 4 feet long, go swimming right below us. This was the best snorkelling to date, with lots of fish, but especially fun to swim with sea lions and penguins! We also met five crewmembers of a large (170 foot long sailing catch which was anchored in our bay) called DrumBeat. They were not allowed to tell us who the Captain nor the owner is, so Don is planning on Googling some more to find out! It could be Ron Howard, as we saw him on Seymour Island the same day we were there, but based on the sailboat name, Don is guessing that the owner is a famous drummer!

Yesterday, we went wandering through town and had lunch at a packed outdoor restaurant, off the beaten track, that was full of locals. Don and Martha caught a 2:00 boat to Isobela Island for 2 nights. We couldn’t go with them, as Peter doesn’t want to leave the boat unattended, so we might do that tour when Doug and Shelby arrive in the Galapagos. We caught up on our emails and I’m doing the blog updates. We kidded Don and Martha and told them to be circumspect if anyone asks them about who the famous owners of QuickStar are, ha,ha.

Tomorrow morning when they return from Isobela, we will do a daylong Highlands tour, which will take us into the hills to view herds of wild tortoises in their own environment. Tomorrow night will be our last night together and we look forward to a fun dinner and evening before they leave to go back home on Friday morning.

Peter and I will then have about 5 days on our own, where we will get the boat ready, provisioned, and repaired for the next leg. On the way over, the front hatch leaked badly soaking everything in my Princess cabin and making it impossible to sleep up there. Doug is bringing down some spare parts to help fix this. Both T.V.’ DVD players also stopped working because of taking in water over the deck, but we’ve bought new ones here. I’m hoping I can finally kick this cold, so that we can do some diving in between guests. I can’t wait to dive with hammerhead sharks!!! Last week a diver died here, so that makes me a bit nervous. Another tourist also jumped in for snorkelling and got a bit of his butt chewed up in the propeller. Hopefully our dives and snorkel trips will be far less exciting!

Doug and Shelby arrive on June 25th. They will have approximately a week here to explore before we head out for the wild blue yonder. (over 3,000 nautical miles of open ocean). We are so grateful that we have 21 days in this beautiful part of the world. Lucky, lucky us!!!! I am trying not to get too nervous about our big crossing. So far, I have only done two nights in a row, so this potentially 30 day crossing is a big step! As our Manchu Picchu guide kept saying, “today is today, tomorrow is tomorrow”, so I will try to heed his advice and not think too far ahead.

I will update the blog again on Friday, June 26th after Martha and Don have departed and after Doug and Shelby have arrived. New crew, new adventures!

Until next time………So glad Kylie is feeling better after dislocating her knee again and getting tonsillitis…and you guys were worried about us!!!!!.

Cusco & Machu Picchu, South America

Yahoo....Mission Accomplished!!!!!

Overlooking Manchu Picchu at dawn

On Sunday, May 31st, I flew from Huatulco to Lima, where I met up at midnight with Martha (who flew from Ottawa/Toronto) We stayed awake all night catching up and then continued together on our next flight at 5:00 a.m. to Cusco. Our pre-arranged transfer to the airport wasn’t there to greet us, so we simply hopped on another GAP van and made our way to the hotel. As is often the case with travelling, they didn’t have room for us at our reserved inn, so we were moved to another hotel. No big deal, just the beginning of our next adventure.

The views were incredible.

We spent three nights in Cusco at approximately 12,000 feet. We both were taking altitude medication, so we didn’t really feel the effects (keeping in mind that if you fly ove3r 10,000 feet, you are in a pressurized cabin). We crammed as much as we could in these three days, using taxi’s that never cost more than $1.00 to go anywhere. Meals were very inexpensive ($5.00 for two full breakfasts including coffee/juice/omelletes, etc.) We were able to check in at internet cafes to follow the adventures of QuickStar. In addition to all the regular tourist highlights, we also toured the local market and visited the orphanage where they gratefully accepted donations.

Exploring some ruins.

We met up with our GAP group on the evening before we began our 6 day tour including our 4-day trek. There was 16 of us in total – 4 Canadians, 1 Australian, 2 Danish girls and 6 Brits. We all hit it off well and proceeded to have an incredible experience together. The first day prior to the beginning of our hike, was a visit to two ruins to warm us up and to teach us how to climb steps (slowly, carefully and from side to side), since the Inca Trail has thousands and thousands of steps that we must climb up and down to reach the hidden city of Manchu Picchu. We hiked each day, stopped for lunch and then arrived in our camp, which was already set up with our tents and the mess-hall tent, usually by five or earlier. We had 21 porters/cooks that carried everything except our daypacks. Each day usually began with us up by five, or earlier and in bed by nine. Each day before our afternoon tea/snack I led a Yoga session (sure made me appreciate all my Yoga teachers even more than I did before!). Sore muscles, blistered feet and sunburn were all part of the experience! (and yes, Lesley, we paid to do this!!!)

Check out the steps!

Martha and I were very fortunate, as we were two out of only five others in our group of 13 that didn’t get sick somewhere along the trail. For most the change in food and water caused stomach problems and for others the altitude wore them down. The hike was much more challenging than we thought it would be, but we loved every step of the way, although as our guide promised us, we soon became weary of yet another set of endless and uneven stone steps.

Martha taking time out near the top of a pass to salute her friend Terry who was murdered this February. I sent my love out to Diane, my adventourous girlfriend who died from skin cancer a couple of years ago. Both friends are fondly remembered and sadly missed!

We remained amazed that this 42 kilometre trail, with three high passes was built by the Inca’s, one stone at a time. Their workmanship was incredible, as they believed that they reincarnate and return after each death, so they took enormous pride in everything they built for themselves and the generations to follow them expecting it to last forever.

A day at camp...

When the Spanish conquered the Inca’s, they insisted that they destroy the many Inca towns and communities that they had built throughout the mountains. The Inca’s did not do so, but rather they buried many of their settlements. It was fascinating to come across old Inca towns that were partially

hidden. Manchu Pichu was never found by the Spanish. This hidden city was abandoned before it could be discovered. There are many theories as to why the whole community left, with the most common thesis being that they went to help a neighbouring town in their fight against the Spanish.

The clouds cleared to dazzle us with sunlight.

It was in 1911 that the American scholar Brigham, discovered this hidden city with the help of an 8-year-old local boy who took him to the site. At this time, the city was completely covered over with wines and the natural growth that occurs in a rain forest. They continue to this day to excavate the site. When we first laid eyes on it before dawn, from afar at the high pass at the Sun Gate we were incredibly moved (yes, we shed a few tears and I’m not ashamed to admit it!).

We then began the descent into the Village where we waited halfway for the sun to come up. There are only about 30 days in a year, where the clouds are not obscuring the city, and we were very fortunate to be there on a crystal clear day. The clouds moved in and out, but when the sun rose over the mountain, Manchu Pichhu was bathed in sunlight . Another moment for tears in his magical, spiritual place!

After touring the city in the morning, we took a bus ride down the mountain to the town, where we caught a train, then a bus back to Cusco. The treacherous bus ride was the scariest part of the whole trip, but we managed to arrive back at the hotel in one piece. We went out for a farewell group dinner with our new friends with whom we shared this incredible experience. Martha ended the evening doing celebratory cartwheels down the cobble stone street!

Martha and I awoke the next day at 4:00 and flew to Lima and then on to Guayaquil in Ecuador, where we spent one evening (Martha was asleep before 7:00 – so much for our planned evening of watching chick flicks on T.V.). Another early flight the next day to the Galapagos. Our cab driver had a zest for life, so he had the music blaring and we were dancing in the back seat, all before the sun had even come up. He is my new example of how someone can truly love whatever job they do! He even proposed to me enroute, but alas the sea and Peter was calling me!

Cab driver Roberto - loving life!

Our plane was delayed by an hour, but we finally arrived in the Galapagos where we took a bus to the canal, a ferry across and then a final bus to get to the harbour. We were racing Peter and Don to see who would get to the Galapagos first. They officially sailed in to the harbour at 7:30 a.m., but had to fly the quarantine flag, meaning they couldn’t get off the boat. We met with our agent in town and he advised that the boat hadn’t been cleared so we couldn’t go out to it yet. This meant that Martha and I were actually first on land in the Galapagos. (mmmm....so who really won the Great Galapagos race???) A few hours later, after the doctor had checked out Peter and Don and confirmed that they didn’t have the Swine Flu, as well as the Port Captain clearing QuickStar, we were reunited at the bar. We spent the next many hours in the bar/restaurant regaling each other with our tales from the last ten days.

Galapagos Arrival

June 10 8:30 a.m. at anchor, Puerto Ayora, Ecuador

PART ONE. We crossed the equator at sunset last night. It was cloudless, so the sun turned into an orange fireball dropping into the sea. 12 hours later, at sunrise, we finished he final leg of the crossing and entered Academy Bay on Santa Cruz Island. Both events were marked with a wee dram of rum. The equator crossing also involved a quick dip, dinner whilst adrift on the middle of the world, and the obligatory Neptune Ceremony during which Captain Pete spoke a few choice words and offered the King a rum portion of his own. Certificates we handed out: we are now Citizens of the Equinox (also known as Shellbacks).

Now awaiting clearances to come ashore. Diana and Martha arrive late today. We are tidying the boat.

Day 9 - In the islands

June 9 5:00 p.m. 0'07 N / 90'12 W

It is beautiful and sunny. We are cruising south through the archipelago toward Santa Cruz, which will we round to the east, coming in on the south side to anchor Academy Bay / Puerto Ayora, tomorrow morning. Mostly motoring or motor sailing now, as the wind is light and pretty much on the nose. But we enjoyed a beautiful moonlit sail last night - beating well off the rhumb line, but worth it.

Have had a couple of e-mails from "Dee" and "Marta" who finished their hike yesterday. Words cannot describe the deliriously happy tone of these messages (cartwheels, tears, large amounts of beer... actually, perhaps just "delirious" comes closest). Anxious to hear details. Film canister ice cubes are currently in full production in anticipation of the joyous reunion.

Spotted our first land since we left Huatulco as we passed within 10 to 20 miles of Pinto, Marchena and Genovesa Islands this morning.

Have seen scattered pilot whale activity since entering the archipelago, plus two larger whales. One was distant, one crossed our bow and passed 40 feet to starboard. Not sure what kind it was - about 35 feet long, light in colour, about the colour of the inside of the porcelain teacup in your cupboard that you refuse to wash with detergent because you think it makes the tea taste funny.

Must sign off, about to cross the equator...

Day 8

June 8 00:30 2'38 N / 91.13 W

PART ONE. I am writing Part 1 of today's entry just after midnight. Yesterday's rough weather gave way by late afternoon to calm seas and 10 to 15 knots of breeze. Still on the nose, but pleasantly so. We're now sailing under full canvas with Max at the helm. Last night's foul weather jackets have been replaced by t-shirts. VMG as I write this: 4.1 knots. The moon is full and the sky is clear. In a word, it is sublime. An experience almost on par, I suppose, with hiking the final hill under the moonlight, stopping at the lip, and gazing upon Machhu Pichu as the sun rises - which is what Diana and Martha will be doing in a few hours. Pete and I are looking forward to reuniting with our women and hearing all about it. More later...

3:00 p.m. 1'42 N / 90'51 W

PART TWO. If you've been following along, you'll know we've passed Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Columbia. If you look out your left side passenger window, about 600 miles away you'll now see the Ecuador coast. We entered the protected waters of the Galapagos archipelago at 10:30, motor sailing along the rhumb line (give or take a few miles) at good speed in fair conditions. By noon we passed 60 miles to the east of Darwin and Wolf Islands (the northern-most islands in the archipelago). Still about 175 miles from our final destination, Academy Bay on Santa Cruz Island (it's a big archipelago).

Encounters with fauna: Just after posting yesterday's entry we spotted out first shark, cruising at periscope depth. Almost ran him over. Whoa big fella, nice sharky, no harm intended. I don't know what kind he was. About 5 feet long, olive tan in colour, about the same colour as those chinos you bought at Mark's Work Wear House on sale and never wear. Just before lunch we hooked something big; he ran out the 40 lb line with me hanging on to the rod for dear life and Pete saying tighten the tension (it was maxed) until the line snapped like a piece of thread. Fish story.

Day 7 Wind Shift

June 7 2:00 p.m. 3'15 N / 91'08 W

The fresh breeze has kept up. No more doldrums. But it has shifted south. Seas are rougher. We experimented with motoring directly on our heading to the Galapagos, which now is straight into the wind, and only managed 2.5 knots. With 240 NM to go, you can do the math.

So, we put on some music, had a sandwich and a beer, and hunkered down. Pete and Don beating to the windward mark, playing the shifts. We have an appointment to keep. A double reefed main, half furled jib, and motor at 2200 RPM gives us the best speed into the waves. Our boat speed of 6 (occasionally 7) knots gives us a velocity made good of 3 to 4 knots, depending on the wind direction.

Things could change again, although Pete thinks this will be pretty much the trend for the remainder of the crossing. He has dubbed it the Great Galapagos Race - who will arrive first, the hikers or the sailors? Martha and Di arrive June 10 by air.

PS A beautiful pod of 20 pilot whales came to look us over mid-morning. We looked them over too as they swam directly behind QuickStar for a couple of miles. Sleek, graceful, black beasts.

All hail good friend Maximus!

June 6, 3:20 p.m. 4'47 N / 91.44 W

Our presumed short sail lasted from 2:00 p.m. yesterday until 8:00 this morning. Steady 15 knot westerly that pulled us along the rhumb line all night at 7 knots. Being able to see 50 miles in all directions means we see a lot of local weather patterns. Last night we sailed on the west side of a big dark rainy system, with blue sky on the east. Looking forward from the cockpit - good side to the right of the mast, evil side to the left - reminded me of Batman's enemy Two Face. Throughout the night and all day today we've been sailing under cloudy but friendly skies with showers all around us. Like we carry with us a good weather bubble. And a lot more wind than we expected in the ITCZ. I tell Pete he arranged things well. He smiles in a way that makes you wonder if he actually has some pull somewhere up there.

The Scanmar Monitor wind vane self steering mechanism performed beautifully all night. Like a good friend, always ready to help out. Low maintenance, loyal. We've taken to calling him "Monte" or "Max." The third crew member.

Saw another marlin today, and Pete just landed a small wahoo (too small to keep).

Still on track for an on time landing, but are getting reports of unfavourable winds as we approach the Galapagos. So we'll see.

Day 5 dolphins, a marlin, heat and sun

June 5 3:00 p.m. 7'15 N / 92'42 W

We're closer to the Galapagos than to Mexico. Where do the miles go? ETA (not a promise, but an estimate): June 8 6:00 am.

In the ITCZ now and, true to form, the wind has dropped. From sailing to motor sailing to motoring with the jib furled by 3 this morning. Just had a nice burst of 8 knot sailing, but it was just a cell. We'll probably encounter lots more of these between dead calm areas.

Passed two pods of dolphins today, one of which ignored us and kept feeding, the other of which came for a nice visit. We also watched a 7 foot marlin leap out of the water 150 feet to port.

Listening to Eat a Peach - just like in 1972 except instead the Bruckmann's Volkswagen bug, we're in Pete and Di's 46 foot sailboat. Ooh, Mountain Jam. Yeah.

Diana and Martha should be on their second day of hiking in Peru today. Hangin' with the Incas!

It's my eldest daughter Rebecca's 25th birthday today. Happy Birthday!

Sunny in Paradise - Crossing Day 4

June 4, 2:30 pm, 9'20 N / 93'40 W

Well, I think it's paradise. Open ocean all around. Sunny skies with scattered clouds. Closing in on our halfway point (should hit it tomorrow). Back above the rhumb line. Favourable, though light, winds from the east (90 degrees).

We are motor sailing at 6 to 7 knots. Sandwiches (excellent, courtesy of Pete) and cold beer for lunch. Fishing line trolling behind (one strike, no catches yet). Turtles dot the water. A few birds and many flying fish. Think about this species. They leap out of the water to avoid predators from below, changing course in midair - yes, they fly - to fool their pursuers, only to attract the attention of the birds as the sun reflects off their bright sides. Damned if they do, damned if they don't. But there seem to be millions of them, so they are doing something right.

Martha and Diana will be hiking now. Hope they're having as much fun as we are.

The weather

June 3, 5:00 pm, 11'02 N / 94'31 W (Day 3 of the Galapagos crossing)

No sea turtles or dolphins today. Nothing exciting. So I am going to talk about the weather. When sailing, weather - especially the wind - is all important. Santa Cruz island is 1047 NM south of Huatulco heading at 155 degrees (that' our rhumb line). We can point within about 60 degrees of that. Wind that is coming from anywhere between 95 and 215 pushes us off the rhumb line. Not a terrible thing, but it means we have to sail farther. Wind outside of that range is good. We simply point the boat at the Galapagos and sail.

We constantly monitor the wind using the incredible array of electronics aboard QuickStar plus the good old eyeball. Wind velocity also matters. 15 knots is nice. Below 10 is slow. 25 is fun, but it wouold be too taxing to have that all the time. Above 30 starts getting a bit wild (but manageable!).

Then there are the rain clouds. They are all over the place in this vast sea. We have an idea of where the big systems are (best sources are amateur ham radio operators whom we contact with the SSB radio - Pete knows them and knows how and when to contact them). But the little cells can be anywhere. We see them about ten miles out on the radar, then decide whether to try and dodge around and avoid getting rained on, or plow through. Peter gets a big grin on his face when we are in a good wind, and and even bigger grin when there's rain involved. So you can guess how often we dodge.

Crossing Day 2

2 June 3:45 p.m. 13'21 N / 95'22 W

After just over 24 hours we have 150 NM behind us. Have enjoyed excellent winds. Last night - out first night at sea - was uneventful although we did see a couple of freighters several miles off. More interesting were the phosphorescent lights in the water all around us and the billion stars above.

Today we deployed the wine vane self steering mechanism. It's working like a charm. Good news for the next crossing - 3000 NMs - to the Marquesas following the Galapagos. Too far to rely on the electric auto helm.

Birds follow us. Boobies. They are graceful so I could not understand the name...until I heard their call. Also many turtles, resting on the surface.

While I was writing the preceding Pete called me on deck. A pod of about 200 dolphins just came for a visit. Many played off the bow wave. I watched from the pulpit (I could have reached down and touched them). More spectacular were those a hundred feet from the boat putting on a show. Some were getting ten feet out of the water, some turned flips.

This crossing just keeps getting better.

(no subject)

1 June 2009, 7:30 p.m.

We are underway. Making 6 knots, on the rhumb line, about 25 nautical miles south of beautiful Huatulco.

This is Don Hall feeding the QuickStar blog for the next ten days while Diana and my wife Martha hike, sightsee and generally live it up in Peru.

When I arrived last night Pete was waiting with a cold beer and a ready boat. We took much of today dealing with the paper work associated with leaving Mexico. Also managed to fit in a seaside lunch. By late afternoon we were out of the harbor heading into open ocean, accompanied by about 15 to 20 dolphins playing off our bow wave. Nice send off. QuickStar arrived in Mexico Fall 2007. I know she will be back, because I know how much Di and Pete love Mexico. But for now, QuickStar and her crew have other ports to visit. We hope to drop anchor in Academy Bay on Santa Cruz Island, part of the Galapagos archipelago, by June 10.

(Pete just called me on deck to see the sunset.)