Of the two anchorages you are allowed to enter the Galapagos through, we chose Wreck bay. Wreck bay is the less commercial choice while Academy Bay on Santa Cruz is touristy, busy and rollie. Wreck Bay is located on the northwest side of San Christobal Island and makes for quite a calm anchorage.


Wreck Bay anchorage

Since the Galalagos was declared a national park in 1959 (100 years after Darwin's publication of the 'Origen of Species'), there have been strict regulations on visiting yachts. If you want to visit more than one Island in your yacht and stay longer than 20 days you need to get an 'Autographo'. You will have to organise it a few months in advance and it costs around $400-500 US.
James and I decided not to get the Autographo and to make the most of our 20 days in San Christobal.



The best part about the Island is that it is teeming with wildlife. Because of the Humboldt currents flowing through the Galapagos from the Antartic, the Archipelago supports much life that you won't find on other islands in the South- Pacific.



In Wreck Bay, Sea Lions can always be seen dotted around the shores of the main street and even lying in the sand of the playground where the local children enjoy the afternoons. It is advised not to leave your dinghy in the water when not in use because Sea Lions will claim it as their new resting place. We have watched as people from our neighbouring yachts have tried to shoo them off their boats like stray cats. At first I thought it would be cool to keep our dinghy down so that we could find Sea Lions in it but then I heard that they poo a lot and it smells really bad and is hard to clean off. With that I changed my mind.

We actually haven't used our dinghy at all here as there is a water taxi service which costs 50c a ride per person (water taxis can be contacted on channel 14 on your VHF) and there don't seem to be any places to land your dinghy along the shore.



Just this morning, when I was in the cockpit doing last nights dishes, I saw a Sea Lion swimming towards the boat. Although this is a regular occurrence, I stood up and rushed to the side as it swam closer. It glided underneath the boat, so smooth through the clear Aqua water, every detail on its body and face was magnified and accentuated under the water, it was truly spectacular. I scrambled to the other side of the cockpit and watched as it glided away but before it left, it popped its head out of the water and looked me straight in the eye, then dived back down and out of sight. It made me wonder what they think of humans. In the early days of settlement the Sea Lions were hunted in large numbers for their fur and oil. Would they remember that? There must be the memory there that humans are not to be completely trusted, but now they are protected by the humans (at least from other humans) and they seem to live in relative assurance of their safety around us.