On 14 February we departed Port Vamil in Isabella and sailed to the island of Floriana. We enjoyed a beautiful sail with wind just aft of the beam and a full set of sails reaching us through the beautiful Galapagos waters. We sailed over some underwater pinicals that rise up from the 3000m sea floor to 20m. It was very tempting to stop for a dive but the law does not allow this.
We were planning a three day adventure on the island of Floriana, but the anchorage was folly with poor holding. Our first anchorage close to shore was a rolla coaster and so we picked up anchor and moved 200m into deeper water. Once we were comfortable the boat was holding and our local agent “Max” gave us permission to proceed ashore we hailed a cab… Max returned. Turns out Max wears a few hats on the island of Floriana.
There is only one Main Street and no roads on Floriana, so interesting things to do on Floriana such as going to the famous post box involved a 5 hour walk. In 30+’C this is not possible with the kids so On the way ashore Emilie and I agreed that given the state of the anchorage and inaccessibility of the island we would achieve what we could through the remaining afternoon then sail to Cristobal in the morning.
After a rolly night we woke early and enjoyed a fantastic sail to Cristobal, dropping anchor in an empty Wreck bay at 1800. Finding poor holding we moved 20m towards the fishing boats and re set our anchor.
Our morning at Cristobal we took it easy onboard waiting for our agent and doing some school. In the afternoon we went ashore and walked amongst the hundreds of sea lions who have moved into the town.
The next day I dived Kicker Rocks with Hammer Head sharks and the biggest shoals of fish I have ever seen! The following day Em and the kids joined me at Kicker rocks for a snorkel. It was great for everybody to see the hammer heads, galapagos sharks, white tips, manta rays, spotted rays and fish and we were very lucky to have such fantastic visibility.
On Monday we were waiting for fuel man who did not turn up, but we enjoyed a “home day” as it was with a bit of school and snorkeling off the boat. Max and I had a great Sup out of the bay and along the coast, with some very close seal interaction. At 8am on Tuesday a new fuel supplier arrived and we topped up our tanks ready for our pending crossing. We then walked to a magic cove and snorkeled.
At Cerro Tijeretas cove the seals were extremely inquisitive and playful and they swam right next to us and played a few games like blowing bubbles and hiding under rocks, the likeness to a playful dog is uncanny. We also spotted a number of blue footed boobies, frigates, and finches in the cove.
Wednesday morning we hired a cab to take us to Puerto Chino in the north of the island, to a tortoise reserve and breeding center where they breed the giant Cristobal tortoise,
and to El Junco a fresh water lake in the top of a volcano.
Today we have been enjoying a morning of the beach with some very inquisitive sea lions and awesome rock pools. It’s amazing looking in the rock pools and seeing at lease 10 different species in only a puddle of water. In the adjacent cove of La Loberia snorkeling we found hundreds of different species in only a couple of meters of water. Just amazing.
The wildlife is so accessible in Cristobal we have decided to stay a few more days.
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