Panama to the Galápagos Islands
13 March 2020
Richard Hayward
There followed a period of going back and forth to the supermarket to stock up for the first part of our Pacific crossing. We initially anchored at Las Brisas, outside Flamenco marina, but it had an awful dingy dock, and getting to and from it was not pleasant either, so after a few days we moved back round to Balboa yacht club, with the added bonus it had a very pleasant bar! Almost ready and the fridge packs in. Another 10 day wait to get a new one and have it installed. At least it was better to get it done here than set off with it about to break a week later. We then had to get a couple of documents that we needed for the Galapagos, which were a fumigation certificate and we had to get a diver to clean off the bottom of the boat! That done, we were off.
A quick stop in Las Perlas, and away we went. Absolutely no wind, so motoring for the first 24 hours. The first couple of days are always quite tiring until your body adjusts to the watch system, but on the second day out, as we left the gulf of Panama, we got our first sight of the Pacific swells. In the Atlantic, the swell is short and steep with not much of a gap between them which can make for an uncomfortable passage, and you definitely needed to be holding on to the boat at all times. The Pacific is different. The swell is huge, but big distances between each one. This means you just rise gently up one side, and drop gently down the other before the next one comes in. At the top of the swell you can look and see them rolling in from the distance. An absolutely awesome sight, and one I won’t forget in a long while.
At first there was very little wind, so we decided to motor for a bit, and then after a couple of days the wind picked up, and we had the best sailing yet. There was a current with us, and at times we were flying along at 8 knots (a lot for us!). 8 days later we got our first sight of the Galapagos, just as the wind died. We motored again for a few hours before dropping the anchor in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. A few well earned beers and job done. Or so we thought.......