08/2/5 Departing Isla Contedora ,Las Perlas, Panama to the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador- Gabriella waves good-bye to friends Beth ,Chris ,and Yvette aboard Aquamarine , a feeling of joy and a pang of lose at the same times fills my soul. Sailing into the unknown and all is well I look at the banana's starting to ripen, the anchor has been pulled and the fishing lines hit the water in hopes of a fun catch. With land in site a whale surfaces blowing and splashing you can see his huge tail going down into the deep. Two pods of porpoise came to play on the calm seas and islands are fading away. A moment of excitement! A double header! Action on the fishing lines only to be lost back to the sea. A red hue glows from the surrounding water a mystery to our eyes. The quietness of the air is giving off a sense of evening approaching. It is now time for exercise as we all go to the forwards' deck for our sit-ups and various routines. As more porpoise appeared before dinner with the sun going down Shane spots a sea turtle diving beneath Gabriella. The sun is down and dinner is served chicken with fresh salad and potatoes and a most desired chocolate brownie fresh out of the oven delicious! The wind has now picked up to 15 and is movings us along at 7 knots .The sea remains smooth , quiet, and calm making for a delightful sail. God certainly has blessed us aboard Gabriella. Night watch and safety has been discussed and established as we entered into a beautiful night filled with stars, no moon but many airplanes pass above the ship filled waters. Trevor comes out from his bunk with a flying fish in his hands a visitor from the sea jumped aboard! He must of heard about Fred our guest fish. Fred is a big city fish from from New York City who joined us with Mary and John back in Las Perlas. He is orange with big eyes and excited to be on this journey of faith. Night had fallen and watch remained quiet many ships were out in the distance as fireworks had lit the sky from Carnival on the main land for we were rounding Punta Mala Panama. I awoke in the early hours of the morning to find John and Ted working on the radar . I went out into the cockpit to enjoy the stars and the coolness of the wind as Gabriella skipped upon the seas under the protecting arm of Our Lord for we are sailing with Jesus.

08/2/6 Day 2- Vessel Position 6 45.688'N:80 30.424W This is somewhere out in the ocean! Mary arises to find a nice little squid on the deck and birds chasing mahimahi, a double header it is with the gaffed 25 pound bull dolphin aboard Shane takes a beating from the whipping tail. A beautiful fish when lit up its blues and irradiance greens and yellows sparkle with black dots in the sunlight. Next are turtles sunning themselves floating on the calm ocean surface. Today the wind is barely noticeable the sea looks like glass so Gabriella is motoring her way south west. Under a stick floating by appears to me a fish that looks like a flounder. This day is a very fishy day as many have been reeled in and also lost. Some fish are strangers to us as the Pacific ocean has various mysteries to unfold before our eyes. Many are familiar a welcomed yellowfin tuna was caught, bonitos and jacks were released along with the mysterious unknown fish. Two bill fish surfaced and had a slight interest in our lures but no takers. When you look out to the horizon the water looks like dancing diamonds interrupted by flying fish scooting by. More mahimahi are spotted along with tuna the water is very busy. Porpoise are jumping , flipping and playing in the distant receiving much of our attention. As we come closer they also have an interest in us and come to play on the bow break waters, what fun these magnificent creatures are a blessing from the Lord. Evening is approaching, Ted said as we pass a turtle that he must be laughing at Gabriella's slow movement through the water. A swift northernly current is against us and our speed was only 4.4 . As the sun sinks deeper into the horizon a silly bird continuously tries to land on our mast and the last fish of the day has been reeled in more porpoise come to play ending a most beautiful God given day.
08/2/7 Day 3- Vessel Position 5 24.792'N:81 52.229'W A good morning as Mary decides to make a wonderful breakfast called eggs in hell and absolutely delicious! At 8:25 a.m. a marlin has hit the line followed by a few more, still no takers. What a morning the breeze has picked up slightly but still calm and glassy. Amazingly at 9:52 a.m. Trevor has a 100 pound stripped marlin on his spinning tackle the leader broke. A few raindrops appeared and Trevor continued to stalk the marlins, he was not about to give up. Well it happened a hook up and he was a fighter! 40 minutes later angler Shane reeled in a 125 pound blue marlin with an applaud from his team of coaches, helmsman, and photographers. A successful catch and release as this beautiful fish was unhooked revived and swam back to the deep! Next action was Gail reeling in a 30 pound bull dolphin 4 foot in length and we had to quit fishing as the freezer is full and Trevor fears" We will never reach the Galapagos at this rate." One mishap while filleting the dolphin the knife slipped and sliced the dingy, better the boat than a person. What a morning! It must be nap time sailing is hard work! No rest as whales have now been sited! We also have a visiting bird resting on my windsurfing gear who is so cute. Evening has come with a refreshing rain shower the first rain in weeks giving Gabriella a wash. We sail on into the starry dark night protected by our Lord blessed in so many ways today.
08/8/2 Day 4- Vessel Position 34 54.544'N:83 34.585'W True Wind- 8.8 knots / Speed Over Water - 5.1 knots / Waves - bumps
Conditions are mild a head wind is slowing us down with 408 nautical miles behind us there is 422 to go! All is quiet this morning the fishing lines are out , we are back fishing the men just can't stop. Trevor is working on school work if the lines stay quiet he may actually get something done. He has an A++ in fishing and catching please pray for the rest as God has blessed me as his mother but a teacher escapes me. God is good and his will ,will be done here on earth as it is in Heaven. One day at a time one wave at a time one page at a time every moment really belongs to the Lord. So let us make it count and give Him all glory and praise for He is worthy!
Day 5- The ocean is bumpy today and much rain has fallen durning the early awakening hours. A pancake breakfast is enjoyed by all as the bananas have ripened. The rain continues to fall and it is a wet dreary looking day. Dolphins playing out on the distant field of grey brings pleasure to our hearts. The air has been cool today and the fishing lines quiet until sunset when a lone bonita took the hook. We have had birds encircling us for a time deciding how they will land on a moving target. Finally success and it is a red footed booby bird! The joys of life! While reorganizing the storage lockers I found milk and garbanzo beans giving me the feeling of being rich! Plus a bobby on deck does life get any better than this? Perspective and joy? It has been a quiet day aboard Gabriella . Night may be another story as with the setting of the sun a night wind is kicking up at a high speed giving us a work out. Water slamming from underneath, wind and current against us the sound of the wind-chimes becomes soothing in the midst of the chaotic sounds filling the dark night.
Day 6 - Historical this passage from Panama to the Galapagos Islands has variable currents and weather patterns not always to the advantage of sailors. A Sunday morning sermon with James and the calming of the wind is helping to get the cob webs out of the brain from last nights wild ride. Everyone seems to be quiet today . The rain is drizzling and the sky pale grey we continue to track our way to the Galapagos against the current which has added some time to our passage. Playing Sequence filled the afternoon along with Trevor's fresh baked banana bread. I think all are ready to be ashore. Bob the red footed booby bird is back tonight along with 5 of his friends. They have blue iridescence beaks with pink edges against the beige fluffy head feathers, bobbing up and down with the waves perched on the bow rail we all go into the night sky!
Day 7- Bob is still perched and preening his feathers looking about, for fish I assume. John speaks of the boat who was tailing us in the wee hours of the morning, first and only boat sited. By mid morning it looks to be turning into a beautiful day. The sea is quiet and the sun's looking to shine. Passing over the equator we have 85 miles to go! A few porpoise are out in the distant and wind fills our sails the motors are off and blue appears in the sky! Grateful go I ! Continuing on the current is very strong against us with contrary wind ending the day in a battle. Fuel is very low and our ground speed is an average of 3.5 the current has been up to 2.2! The wind let up and we were actually going backwards! Frustration, powerless and at the mercy of God. Looking for Bob the booby bird he is a no show fishing late we presume. Evening falls and 3 white birds appear swooping on our starboard side glowing under the sliver moon looking to me as Gods Holy Spirit ushering us in.
Day -8 New mercy each day is available to all who chose the Lord. He has blessed us the current has let up and the wind quiet looking out over the majestic rocks and green shore of the Galapagos Islands seals are playing and we are very close to safe harbor in San Cristobal the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador! We have arrived 00 53.721'S:89 36.758'W with 3 1/2 " of fuel left.
08/ 12 to13/2 Wednesday-Touring the island after settling in and starting the long process of check in with the Port Captain. The most amazing first site of the Galapagos after getting over the beauty of the majestic rocks on entering the vicinity and the visual of such lush green vegetation glowing from the land are the sea lions. The abundance of this lovely creature is seen as they dive under and swim playing in the sea going to and fro and heard as they bark, bellow and cry. The sea lions lounge along the beaches in town, sun themselves along the rocky shoreline and are seen in dinghies hanging out, along with climbing on other larger boats in the anchorage to sleep the day away. The barb wire and nails on boats is a sign that they are unwanted aboard. I can hear them at night playing in the water wondering when I too may have a visitor aboard! Also on arrival before our anchor hit the bottom we met our new guide Fernando he motored up to greet us with a wonderful smile. Working with us on checking in he also has arranged for us to tour the island. Meeting in the morning we all plied into the arranged pick- up truck 3 of us in back with Carlos driving we were off to see the giant tortoise. Driving from town to country, climbing higher in altitude the climate changed into one of coolness where coffee grows and wild berries line the roadway. Continuing on pavement turns to dirt, winding along through a small village, past a volcanic lake which is closed until the tilapia fish someone added are removed to restore the natural environment, groves of fruit appear , bananas ,cows and horses every turn in the road something new is presented just a delight! Reaching a high peak looking down to the ocean we have about reached the far side of the island where the tortoise preserve resides. The once flourishing tortoise are being nurtured back. Praise God people do care about His creation. Passing by a lava/gravel pit our next stop is La Loboeria hiking near the airport back by town. The trail is hot and sandy along the shore lined with black boulders being crashed by waves, crabs feeding in the seaweed and giant iguanas out in the noon day sun. Our journey for the day has come to an end and we arrive at Fernando' s casa. The table is set and beautiful colors are about as the orange royal poinsettia tree is in bloom magnifying the green woven cloth spread on the mesa awaiting the serving of a wonderful home cooked meal of fried steak, papas, rice and salad. The cool lime aid was refreshing as we were roasted form the morning in the sun.
08/14/2 Happy Valentines day! Mary and John are departing today so we are preparing to go to the airport. Later in the day we will go see the surf competition. We have made water and life goes on we will see what the Lord has for us today . Love gg