Further Galapagos Adventures

Stopping and landing at Floreana Island, we visited one of the few remaining examples of historical human inhabitants. The site was used by whalers for many years to resupply, get water, repair boats, and leave mail for other boats to pick up and deliver when heading to home ports. The mail tradition continues today as visitors leave notes and take some for delivery near their homes. The drop box is a well weathered cask. I am delivering a post card to someone in Minneapolis. The look on their face will be interesting at delivery time!

The ten of us at the "Post Office"

This site was later used as a Norwegian fishing colony. It lasted two years and little remains but for some concrete.

After the shore trip we had a true ¨wet´landing! That was a deep water snorkel opportunity (out of the dory) at Devil´s Crown, a series of pointed rocks projecting up from the sea bottom. We started off seeing huge rays ( 6 feet) in schools of 3 and 6, and sharks (8 feet) along the bottom. The rock sections were very steep and held various sea life up and down its flanks. Loads of star fish, yellow tailed grouper, trumpet fish (many I could not ID with the help of a book back on board) and a school of bright blue needle fish.

Several of us humans were able to float in the middle of the school as the waves washed us back and forth. Very neat sensation!

This is where Alex had a sea lion bark at him while under water and then tap his mask with a brown nose. The lions swam and played with several people. As ungainly as sea lions are on land, they rocket around while underwater. They are fast and can fold themselves in half doing turns.

From that highlight we headed for Puerto Ayora, a six hour cruise across calm water that held sea lions and porpoise.

Sea Lion on dive deck

The highlights of the port were shipmates from a sail boat, Painted Skies, and a visit to The Darwin Center, a land tortoise refuge.

Two mates, Katherine and Lael are sailing a 41 foot single masted boat from Virginia to Australia. They are on an incredible journey through the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, the Golps, with the next land fall a 29 day sail away as they work themselves to the mid-Pacific islands. Best of luck to them!!

The Painted Skies

The giant land tortoises speak for them selves, though they do not say much. They can live to 200 years of age, and weigh in the 400 pound range! Incredible!!


Land Tortoise

The Darwin Center is the home of Lonesome George...the tortoise who has no species mate surviving. The center also raises island specific tortoise species to help repopulate the islands. Humans, using the tortoise for food, decimated the populations prior to conservation efforts. There are now 10% of the estimated original population remaining.

While in port 7 folks left the boat at the end of a ´short trip´, one left because of extreme sea sickness and three joined the remaining two for three more nights at the ´north´islands.

Hope all are well

Paul