The Galapagos are made up of thirteen islands of notable size. We had arranged for an Autografo that would entitle us to visit three of the main island ports and centers of human habitation namely, San Cristobal, Santa Cruz and Isabela. To visit the uninhabited islands you have to go on an organised tour that doesn't come cheap. Even the day trips to outlying islands for a spot of snorkeling will set you back $150 each. Having spent many days at anchor observing the steady stream of cruise ships coming and going with their unwitting punters being shepherded around like flocks of sheep, we decided that going on a tour would be a nightmare of containment, something we would find totally abhorrent.

Our first port of call was San Cristobal. Checking in was a breeze, if a little fraught. About 4 to 6 weeks prior to departure from Panama we contacted the agent Bolivar by email (bolivar.pesantes@hotmail.com) who resides in San Cristobal. At this stage all he wanted was information on the boat and ourselves and approximate date of arrival. Upon arrival we anchored in the bay and sent him an email telling him we had arrived. He responded immediately and came out to the boat within the hour. He made sure all our paperwork was in order and that the hull was clean (very important that bit). He also told us what to expect next during the officials visit and to make sure we had plenty of drinks and cookies on hand for their indulgence. We handed over $1,355 in cash (yep - it's not cheap coming here) this was for: reception and arrival fee (based on gross tonnage) $170: inspection and quarantine service $100: immigration fee $40: National Park fee $200 ($100 each): Galapagos Governing Council fee $40 ($20 per person): documentation and transportation of authorities fee $40: garbage collection and disposal fee $40: hull inspection fee $25 (and yes they do send down a diver to check it out, one boat was turned around and told to go clean their hull before coming back in again): Galapagos National Park inspection fee $100 ($50 per person): Fumigation fee $100 (and yes they do fumigate immediately after the inspection so be prepared to get off the boat for four hours): Agents fee $500 (includes the Autografo). Phew! I asked him if there was a fee for farting (only joking). Bolivar left the boat with our cash (we're very trusting) saying he'd be back in an hour with all the officials and sure enough an hour later eight of them turned up.

We crammed everyone into our saloon and then began a mass of paperwork filling in and questions asked. Meanwhile the diver went overboard and verified our hull was clean. One guy made a cursory inspection of the boat but it was a very halfhearted effort. He was more interested in talking about Manchester United football team (as if I know anything about that). An hour later suddenly they all got up and said they were finished and that we had to get off the boat while the remaining guy fumigated. We weren't quite prepared for this bit but we hurriedly threw a few things in a rucksack and still wearing our eight day old clothes (and beard) we departed on a water taxi. We landed at the dock, kicked a few sea lions out of the way and jumped ashore. Oh dear, did we stagger about, rolling and stumbling like drunken sailors. The solid earth was heaving and rolling and we felt quite land sick. My legs weren't working properly and we must have looked like a right pair of vagrants, wobbling and lurching down the street. Bolivar showed us his house and explained his range of services and then that was it. We had arrived!


Dozing sea lions on the water taxi dock


The Malecon (main street) San Cristobal

So what's cool about the Galapagos; the natural history of course, in all its manifestations. Scientists have documented over 4,000 species native to the Galapagos, so if you like to get up close and personal with the natural world then this is the place to be. If you get a kick out of observing endemic species (1,600 of them) then this is the place to be and you don't have to book a tour to do all this - just take a walk to the nearest fish market, hike along any of the "free" National Park trails or sit quietly on one of the gorgeous beaches and the wildlife comes to you.


Blue Footed Boobies taking a rest from their fishing, on one of the rocks just in front of our boat in Isabela


Flamingos in the wetlands on the way to the tortoise breeding centre in Puerto Villamil


One of Darwin's famous finches displaying a remarkable lack of fear of mankind including Kym's foot.


This chap popped alongside Phylis to say hello. With a head the size of a football he was quite impressive.


The frigate birds were anywhere free food was available; this one was hanging out by the fish market in Santa Cruz. They really are the bruisers of the bird world and will bully other birds to disgorge their catch.


And it wasn't just the frigate birds looking for a free meal, the pelicans and sea lions were there too.


Waiting patiently for his fish head - remind you of your favorite pooch?


Don't forget me...

When Darwin first came here in 1835 he only spent five weeks cruising around and his primary interest was in geology (a man after my own heart) and he desperately wanted to see an erupting volcano. It's quite ironic therefore that his initial efforts at observing and collecting wildlife specimens were just a cursory affair; there were no startling revelations about the origin of the species and it wasn't until years later that the significance of what he had observed dawned upon him with a little help from his fellow naturalists. These facts were quite a revelation to me though, and visiting the islands induced me to read up a bit on the subject that greatly added to my scant schoolboy knowledge.

The islands are all volcanic in origin being formed over a hotspot, but you all knew that already, and examples of virtually every known volcanic feature can be found here. Most impressive are the lava tunnels, not to mention the Tagus Cove, a massive weathered out volcanic crater that you sail by on the way to Isabela.


The entrance to the 'Tunnel of Love,' the second largest lava tunnel in South America, so they say - it was extremely impressive.


You walk through about 1km of the tunnel, climbing over fallen sections


Walking along the top of Tunel del Estero, Isabela, on the way to the "Wall of Tears." The rocks were bustling with black marine iguanas and crabs - none of which you could really spot until they moved, so beautifully camouflaged to blend in with the volcanic lava.

You can't help but love the sea lions. They are everywhere and if you can't see them you can certainly smell them. Virtually nearly every flat surface onshore will be occupied by a dozing creature. They're all over the beaches, the rocks, the park benches, the water taxi docks and of course if you haven't put up resolute fortifications on your stern, they'll be all over your boat. Woe betide the hapless skipper who leaves his dinghy in the water, as they'll be in it like a shot.


Chilling on the beach at San Cristobal


Someone found a new use for the surfboard rack


Someone tickle my tummy.... Please!


How nice, someone put these benches here just for us


Oh, you'd like me to pose for a picture then?

They're so cute of course but there is a downside. What's worse than treading in dog shit? You got it! Everywhere a sea lion lolls about he or she will leave a pile of the foulest smelling crap ever. Just try picking it out from the soles of your trainers! Let one onto your boat and you'll never get rid of the smell. They're quite noisy too, especially at night when they start messing around your hull, banging into it, snorting and blowing bubbles just when you're trying to sleep. You gotta love it all though - it's pretty special stuff.

Where you find basking sea lions you'll also find very large marine iguanas. These prehistoric looking creatures seem to dine very well on sea lion puke.


He really is eating sea lion puke


The prehistoric looking iguanas are striking in appearance. They also have a complete disregard for mankind, basking in the sun on the roads and paths.


Words cannot describe this beauty


In the afternoon they just hang around catching some rays

We spent our time walking the National Park trails, sitting on volcano tops and chilling in the water front bars and cafes. We spent long hours just sitting on Phylis watching the antics of sea lions, penguins (tiny little critters that look like ducks from afar), turtles, pelicans, blue footed Boobies and sinister looking frigate birds swirling around.


El Junco Lagoon, San Cristobal, a freshwater crater lake where frigate birds come and wash off the salt from their wings. It was a grey misty day.


On the trail to Cerro de las Tijeretas (Frigate Hill) and Playa Tijeratas for some snorkeling, unfortunately the swell was a bit too big and after being thrown over a large rock Kym gave up on the snorkeling


A large Opuntia cactus on the trail to Tortuga Bay


The lagoon behind Tortuga Bay, we spent a lovely morning relaxing on the beach


All alone - it pays to visit out of season. The beach at Tortuga Bay was spectacular.

Poor Phylis was feeling the effects of her 900 mile passage and needed some attention too. Our staysail was chafing where it drags across over the radar dome and so we decided to let Kym sew on a wear patch.


Adding a wear patch to the Staysail, it was a tough decision whether it would be easier to bring the sail inside or take the sewing machine outside, in the end the 60lb sewing machine was hauled out from under the aft bunk and set up on the coach house roof

I decided to do an oil change at Cristobal and starting the engine to warm the oil up I noticed that the alternator wasn't working. "The alternators not working" I said to Kym. Quick as a flash she whipped out a rebuild kit that I had no knowledge of, and together we attempted a task neither of us had done before. Basically we just took off every nut and bolt in sight and hey presto it was in bits. Now where did that bolt go? Thankfully it's all working now but in the investigation phase we discovered that our new model of Balmar alternator was made for them in Argentina and that for some reason the Argy government has now seized all their assets, so no more 7 series and no more rebuild kits. Lucky us.


The boat was looking a little chaotic after a day of rebuilding our alternator, guess we better go out for dinner tonight judging by the state of our table.

If you go for an Autografo you get 60 days to visit the three main islands and believe me you need every one of those days. The other trick is to visit in the low season. None of the anchorages are particularly big (and the one at Isobela can only handle a dozen or so yachts at any one time) and I dread to imagine the chaos of hundreds of yachts descending on the islands in March and April, all competing for space, some swinging free, others lying to stern anchors - a right tangle of spaghetti! We've been lucky and only a handful of other yachts have ever been around us, but then it's June and most boats have gone already, only to meet up again in the same traffic jam in the Marquesas.



Puerto Baquerizo, the anchorage on San Cristobal


Puerto Ayora, the anchorage on Santa Cruz where you had to find a spot tucked in amongst the many small cruise ships - some were stern anchored, some swinging free. It was a nightmare not to mention the incessant coming and going of the cruise ship tenders that would plough through the anchorage at full speed all day long.


The water taxis lined up waiting for customers at Puerto Ayora


The anchorage at Puerto Villamil, Isabela with the sailboats tucked in behind and between the reefs


Local tour boats and water taxis lining the dock at Puerto Villamil

Of course, no trip to the Galapagos is complete without spending a considerable time with the largest of its reptiles, the Giant Tortoise. The ones we saw on San Cristobal and Santa Cruz were all in breading and rehabilitation centers but this fact didn't lessen the impact these magnificent creatures had on us especially as we came across quite a few extremely amorous ones displaying the most natural of natural behaviours! We struck lucky at Isla Isabela and came across a couple of wild sleeping tortoises on the trail to the "wall of tears".


"ello darlin, fancy a quickie?"

Tortoises are definitely not shy, and the breeding centers don't seem to have much trouble encouraging them to participate, there are some interesting noises that accompany the process too.

According to the information given at the breeding center on Isabela no tortoises born in the wild actually survive, hence the need for the breeding centers. The reason is because of mankind who introduced goats, dogs, hogs, donkeys, rats, cattle and cats, all either directly eat the eggs or little hatchlings or destroy the natural environment. Great efforts have been spent to eradicate goats from some of the islands in the hope that the natural vegetation would recover. I believe the rehabilitation projects are meeting with some success.


Watching you watching me


The breeding centers try to recreate the natural environment for the tortoises, although they are fed several times a week in addition to what they forage


This fella was crossing the road just as we approached the Wall of Tears


Muro de las Lagrimas (Wall of Tears), a 100m long wall of lava rocks built by the residents of the penal colony that was set up between 1941 and 1959 on Isabela, not a particularly glorious time in the islands history and the wall is all that remains of the colony and those incredibly harsh times.

It's sad to think that at one time the Galapagos were virtually teaming with tortoises until the jolly white man showed up in his sailing barky and found them an excellent source of meat. It's estimated that some 200,000 of these beasts were extracted during the 1800's by the American and British whaling fleets and various privateers. A similar fate was met by the fur seals that were hunted to near extinction as well as the whales of course. It's a mixed blessing that the whale trade diminished dramatically in the late 1800's due to the discovery of oil.

Isla Isabela was our favorite anchorage. We were tucked up right against the eastern part of the reef that is teaming with every form of living creature the Galapagos has to offer. Kym snorkeled over the reef to be greeted by dozens of penguins swimming and diving for their lunch.


Penguins swimming around, completely oblivious to human presence

Clearly there is so much more about the Galapagos than a mere sailor's short blog can cover. These islands are very much a personal experience and we feel privileged to have had the opportunity to visit them under our own steam and in our own time. If you have an inkling of interest in the theory of evolution and how one of the greatest minds of all time began to realise how it all could possibly work, then you will not be disappointed by your time here.


"ello Charlie - now what's all this theory of evolution malarkey all about then?" Taking a breather at the Darwin Center on Santa Cruz and having a chat with the man himself.

So here we sit at anchor, bobbing about in Puerto Villamil, planning our excursions ashore for sightseeing and provisioning and doing various lovely chores like garbage disposal and laundry. All the time though we are very conscious of our next port of call, the Marquesas, a whopping 3,000 mile leg to the west. Considering the longest voyage we have done so far was the one getting here, the next seems positively ludicrous. Still, what do they say - the longest journey begins with a single step or something like that - in our case we sit back and turn on the engine! Our departure date has been provisionally set as 29th June - weather permitting of course. Underway we send out regular (every few days or so) position updates via our SSB radio link, so anyone interested can see where we are on our blog website www.sailblogs.com/member/phylis