It has been about two and a half weeks since arriving in the Galapagos Islands and our third harbor. Harbor number one was San Cristobal, which was very nice with a small town to go with it. Lots of commercial vessels all looking after the tourist trade that comes from all over the world and they must have very deep pockets because everything is very expensive. Tours that take you to see just about anything and everything including the blue footed boobies and they actually have blue feet and legs. Not sure why but I know there is a reason. . The bird population is very interesting and I am not a bird person so that is saying a lot. There are plenty of tortoises as well and they are being breed and hatched and returned to the wild. It is my understanding that the settlers that came to these islands years ago, including Darwin, just about wiped out the tortoise population for food as well as their shell.

We did some sightseeing, Ron did his shark dive (I snorkeled instead) and of course boat work that never seems to stop. Poor Always Saturday is just catching up after being neglected for many months in Panama. She never likes being by herself and she has a way of letting you know.

We moved to Island number two which was Santa Cruz. Was that ever different. A very roley anchorage and many more commercial boats that take tourists out for several days sightseeing on other islands. They go In and out of the anchorage at warp speed and we are rolling from side to side. Nothing is left out on the galley counters because the dishes and pot and pans go flying. Anything that is left unattended will be in a different location in no time flat. Hold onto to your dinner plate (oh, we have changed to bowls for safety reasons because we don’t want to wear our meals on our clothes).

We deployed a stern anchor to help with the roll and Ron used his favorite anchor fender with the poly pro line that he has had for years…anyway that is what he told me. That lasted for about a day because somebody came along and pulled up the anchor and cut the polypro line with the “special” fender attached and took it. We are going to use a very colorful detergent bottle for a replacement anchor fender in the future. Ron is still recovering from his loss.

Island number three is Porta Villimire and we arrived on Monday the 15th. We motored sailed as the wind was light but we knew we could get fuel there before leaving for the BIG trip. This lovely island has a very small, quaint town and a wonderful hike to several volcanoes. The views are beautiful but it is very hot during the day and lots of sunscreen and water is required. We continue doing our boat jobs but I think we are now getting to the end of them. As Ron has described in another post…it has been frustrating but we are almost done. . Friday we are going to a fruit and vegetable farm so hopefully we will get some goodies.


The Crew on Always Saturday