Our eighth and last day on this passage was delightful - a tantalising taste of the Pacific SE Trade Winds coupled with a gentle southerly swell had us cutting through the water beautifully. A perfect sailing day, however we were timing our arrival at Bahia Baquerizo Moreno (English translation - Wreck Bay) for sunup on 3 May and we reluctantly reduced sail in order to cut our speed to 4 knots.

At 1135 we crossed the Equator for the sixth time, toasting King Neptune as we re-entered the Southern Hemisphere. Sunbathing sharks were again visible on the surface, along with the occasional squid and the ubiquitous flying fish. We were thrilled to see a manta ray backflip out of the water not once but twice; we watched a mega pod of Pacific dolphins leaping - their antics making the ocean come alive with effervescence; we viewed a sooty faced albatross diving for fish.

At around 2200, we were at the north west tip of San Cristobal. I took the helm at 2300 and within a half hour of being on watch, was completely enshrouded in a thick, damp sea mist. Even though I was fully conscious of where we were, even though I trusted our chartplotter and nav system, it was an eerie and disconcerting feeling being unable to see. Luckliy, it lasted less than 40 minutes - the sky suddenly opened up to reveal a twinkling canopy and gradually the mist dissipated. In the distance, the loom of the only settlement on the island glowed. Paul woke and stood watch from 0300; I rose again at 0530 in time to see the sun rise over Leon Dormido or Kiker Rock, a 148M tall rock mass - it's Spanish name translating to "Sleeping Lion". Just outside of the anchorage, we furled our mainsail and motored in through the leads.

Once anchored, we were visited by Bonnay, a local water taxi driver who advised that our agent, Bolivar Pesantes, would be with us at around 0900. We set about making Elevation shipshape - we were also to be boarded by Customs, Immigation, Quarantine and Port Captain's representative who would process CIQ documentation prior to us being cleared to go ashore. A diver came to inspect our hull - all clean, given our short time in the water plus our passage through the fresh water of Gatun Lake. Bolivar arrived and completed initial formalities; he then left and returned at 1100 with CIQ plus a local policeman and a naval officer - obviously all keen to see our gorgeous girl! Paul dealt with the documentation whilst I worked with the Quarantine officer. The Ecuadorean custodians of the Galapagos do work hard to maintain the natural beauty of this unique archipelago and take their responsibilities very seriously. The Quarantine guy donned his disposable gloves and proceeded to go through most of our lockers - I had to lift mattresses and open compartments all over the boat whilst he checked for anything that would be deemed pestilent. He was particularly interested in our pasta, rice and popping corn which he examined closely whilst shining a torch through the packaging. Believing he had found a packet of spaghetti showing signs of weevils ...Did you buy this in Panama? Yes. Oh, Panama very bad for pests .... he requested a small garbage bag and impounded the suspect pasta. After rummaging through a few more storage spots, he advised that "You have a very clean boat Missus. Congratulations!" and issued us with clean bill of health certification.

Once CIQ completed, we waited for the Fumigation officer aka "Rambo" to arrive - it is compulsory for every visiting vessel to be sprayed with a 2% Sipermethrin solution. Rambo came onboard and we departed for shore for an obligatory 3 hours, enough time to have lunch and a quick look around the settlement. Yay, we are in THE Galapagos!