Our stay of 4 1/2 days in Isla Isabela was shadowed, literally, by overcast skies, misty rain, and a rolling anchorage. The island so far is my favorite. Small population, about 2,500, and it is very quiet being off season for the tourism. The water is cold (under 70F) and without the sun we didn’t feel like making our toes wet. We did snorkel one day in a big tide pool but the water was too murky due to the bad weather and big surf. There is small colony of penguins near the anchorage and in the mornings they would swim by. Lots of marine birds and a huge colony of the famous iguanas rested in the lava fields nearby. I had never seen so many iguanas. There were groups of different ages in various areas and we also saw some swimming.
The bureaucracy here is huge. We had to get a permit in advance to visit 3 of the Islands, the only ones allowed, and even then we have to go thru a check in and out process for each one. The boat cannot leave the anchorage and any of the allowed places to visit has to be done with a guided tour boat. We had chosen a few tours in Isabela but unfortunately the weather didn’t allow us to go. The water was just too rough and the visibility poor.
On Friday the 17th, we sailed to Isla Santa Cruz to pick up our friend Russell who came to do the big crossing with us. He is here, and he brought a load of parts we need to do the repairs Mauliola needs in order for us to leave. We are still under very overcast skies and another rolling anchorage, aggravated by the wake of the water taxis passing by. We don’t have a departure date yet but I will try to post prior to leaving.
Aloha to all