Photo: Zia and Jami check out produce at the Galapagos Saturday market.

Ahh, some quiet and relaxing time, nearly a week after the kids left, in the peaceful Galapagos anchorage in Villamil. There were a few other sailboats there, some coming and going every day, and all on their way to the Marquesas, part of French Polynesia, a long journey of 2.5 to 3 weeks for most. I envy them, but it is a journey not for us this year. We are going the harder (but shorter) way, to Panama.

In the Galapagos we returned to the main settlement of Puerto Ayora to provision and complete paperwork for our exit. We hired Franklin, our very capable Galapagos tour guide, as a crew person. He suggested bringing Jami, a young Peruvian-Chinese woman and a friend of his, along as a cook. Why not? Every day is a new adventure! So we provisioned for a 12 day journey, loaded the (very dry) fuel tanks, and weighed anchor at noon on Sunday. No, a crack of noon start is not normal for us, 8 am was the target, but a debilitating instrumentation problem forced a delay, while I crawled through numerous hatches and explored tiny portholes looking for the failed network piece, which was found finally behind the steering wheel, a simple network connection Tee.

Now we are approaching the Costa Rican island of Cocos, a passage of 2-1/2 days from the Galapagos. It is the third time in 40 days that we have peered intensely into the haze on the horizon, hoping to be the first to see a glimpse of land. It never fails to be exciting! By the way, we have eaten very well, enjoying exotic Peruvian creations. At Cocos, we plan to hike and snorkel for a few days, exploring a seldom visited wildlife preserve 400 miles from the Costa Rican coast. Afterwards, on to Panama, through the doldrums. Good thing we have a full load of fuel!