After an amazing 11 weeks in Galapagos it’s time to move on. We had a wonderful time and i’m really happy that Galapagos exceed (our already high) expectations. The wildlife was on another level and the people we met have been some of the hospitable, friendly and welcoming that I’ve had the pleasure to get to know… We have been to parties, BBQs and even helped run a crepe stall on a Frdiay night street party. We’ve had the most people ever on our boat (23) and got to take friends out sailing with us too. We’ve met people from all corners of the globe and it’s it’s a wonderful to share stories.
However, all good things come to an end and it’s time to move on…
Plus Galapgos rules are you can only stay 8 weeks and we pushed it to 11 due to some rigging issues we had. We were required to sign a bit of paper saying we are not allowed to return for 6 months (oh well….)…
So we’re on to the pacific crossing.
I’m still making my mind up as to which route to take as we have a couple of options… we can either take the route in the picture above or go a bit further north.. it’s a bit longer, but there are strong ocean currents up there to push us along… either way, we’re looking at about 20-21 days and 3,000 nautical miles to get to our planned destination of Fatu Hiva in French Polynesia.
The first hurdle we have to navigate is the Chinese fishing fleet.
There are 100 or so boats on there in a fleet, skirting the edge of Galapagos waters, hoovering up whatever they can find – essentially raping the ocean… it’s so sad!…. Anyway, they’re trawling and long-lining, so it’s wall-to-wall fishing gear. You can’t go through the middle, so you end up going around. Based on where they are at the moment, we’ll go North.
After that, the decision is whether to make a beeline for the Marquises or cross back up over the equator to pick up the current. It’s not really cut-and-dry at the moment as both options have a similar ETA. The current is running up to 4 knots at the moment, so it’s like a river in the middle of the ocean.
Fortunately we don’t need to decide until tomorrow, so i’ll keep an eye on that the forecast has to say…. in the meantime, we’re tracking along the coast of Isabella at 6 knots. You can keep a track of our progress at: https://share.garmin.com/watermarksailing
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Was an unforgettable pleasure share a little of my time with yours! You’re in our hearts 4ever ✨🌊