Day 12 Galapagos to Marquesas

15 March 2024

Brilliant down wind sailing today. The sun is out and breeze is fresh. The sun feels really hot today, and down below is sweltering combination from crew, sun, engine running to charge batteries after the last few overcast days, and oven baking fresh bread and cookies.

Yesterday a Red Footed Boobie took roost on the top of the mast. I don’t know where he came from or how he held on but he did not fly away until morning. On the off chance that the anchor light had not been fully destroyed by the previous boobie, i turned on the anchor light saw the reflection from the confused Boobie. The tri colour light has most certainly disappeared, so either only the lower anchor globe remains or the bottom section of the light. Not sure if the Boobie was eating from our deck through the night but there were very few flying fish on deck today.

Inspired by Taylor Swift (Yes the craze extends all the way out here) Issy is making a music album. Stay tuned for Issy Hewson and her Galapagos ballads. Issy’s debut performance was on the tour bus two weeks ago in Santa Cruz – making the most of the microphone, and now with the confidence of performing before a crowd Issy seems ready to hit the road. She has already a number of songs written and has mastered the G chord on the guitar. In order to reduce the play time of Taylor Swift onboard I have offered Issy $10 to learn the lyrics to Midnight Oil “We didn’t start the fire” so now we have some good Aussie rock playing on repeat.

Max continues with building a craft city for his penguins, and the saloon if filled with paper buildings, cars, planes, boats, and tortoise sanctuary’s. Today we made a courtesy flag for French Polynesia. We cut the flag out of sail cloth and paint it with cloth paint. We are still a bit unsure if there is also a specific flag for the Marquesas and if the French flag should also be flown. We will use Mk 1 Eyeball to confirm as we sail into the bay next week.

Yesterday I had a random email on my Winklink system from a fellow Ham radio operator in Germany. Klaus DO2KDE operates a marine radio network for German cruising sailors and has a sked with fellow sailor OE5HLE onboard SY Freya 200nm to my East who is sailing to Marquesas as part of the ARC. At midnight I joined the INTERMAR Sked and found myself talking to HAM radio enthusiasts in Germany and BF2PY in Florida. I was informed that they had a good signal which I’m sure was helped by them directing their huge antennas in my direction from the other side of the world! We have organised another sked with Freya this afternoon. It is great to know that we have the support of fellow HAM radio operators around the world and to know my HAM “Rig” set up is satisfactory.

All good onboard, Still going too fast to fish, but we did throw the line in yesterday afternoon. Now off for a Maltese lunch of Hobbs Be-Zejte (tomato sauce, capers, beans and tuna on fresh bread) Yum.

Days Run 175nm.