This is about Daryl & Laurel Fisher and their cruising adventures on the catamaran "Cool Bananas"...


Saturday, 8 July 2006

Galapagos - July 2006



Hola from Galapagos


We have been a week in Galapagos and as you can imagine we are having a fabulous time. The local people are very helpful, laidback and friendly. Although there has been a major language barrier sometimes, their genuineness is still obvious.

There are quite strict laws on the movement of tourists in Galapagos, so as a result we checked in and our boat is unable to move from the bay in Santa Cruz, until we leave. This has meant that any exploring we have done has been on organized tours. This ensures that no one is ever in a national park without a guide/ranger, thus aiding conservation.

Daryl has been diving and saw hammerhead sharks, sea turtles and garden eels. He will try to dive again tomorrow.

The wildlife has been all we anticipated and more. The animals and birds are usually unconcerned about human presence, so we have been able to 'get up close and personal'. The photography here has been amazing, as most days have been overcast and therefore not the glare.

We are just back from two nights away on Isabela Island – an action packed time and the first time sleeping in a bed on land in six months!! The trip took me way out of my comfort zone as we rode on horseback up to an active volcano, walked for two and a half hours over rugged terrain and lava, then back down on the horses.



I'm pleased I did it but not something I intend to repeat in the near future!! On Isabela we also swam with sea lions (a small variety that look more like seals). They really played with us, which was amazing. The fish on the other hand were all larger than we'd seen in the Caribbean.

I couldn't get enough of the penguins – so cute!!



I have to mention the tortoises, of course. It was pretty awesome seeing an animal that is 160 years old. We went out to see them in their natural environment. I was surprised how fast they can run -when they want to!!

Tomorrow we prepare and provision for the longest leg of our journey – Galapagos to the French Marquisas. We are expecting it to take 20-25 days. The weather is looking great, the trade winds are blowing steadily, so it should be a smooth sail. Archangel, the yacht we are travelling with, is leaving a day ahead of us, as our boat is expected to be faster than theirs on this leg. Another yacht bound for New Zealand also left today and we will keep in radio contact with them also.


Laurel & Daryl

SV Cool Bananas _/)