O WNER REPOR T – MISS TIPP Y
a simple life and strong community ethos. We had a lovely week visiting various palm fringed islands and chilling out and again met several Oysters in this far fl ung paradise. We were amazed to fi nd out that one of them was the Oyster 82, Zig Zag owned by Richard Matthews, the founder of Oyster Marine, who invited us aboard for some bubbly! We also met some New Yorkers, Gary and Louise Strutin from the Oyster 61, Lulu who were great fun.
Aſt er San Blas we headed for the Panama Canal and got ready for our transit. T e regulatory organization went smoothly and we were soon going through the massive locks and crocodile infested lakes that comprise the canal. T e locks are 1,000m long and wide enough for a super tanker. You feel pretty insignifi cant when inside, even though we were raſt ed up with two other yachts. It took a night and half the following day to transit the 50-mile canal aſt er anchoring in the lake overnight. T en aſt er all of our dreaming, planning and sailing we were fi nally at the Bridge of the Americas – the gateway to the massive Pacifi c Ocean. It was very emotional!
We anchored in Flamenco Bay, opposite Panama City for a week or so to get provisions and then hauled out at a nearby marina to reapply antifoul and make some repairs before embarking into the great blue ocean. Once this was completed we set off for the Las Perlas islands about 30 miles south of Panama and had a very relaxing time barbecuing and walking on deserted beaches. Following a few blissful days we set off again for Galapagos, about 800 miles away.
“We had a lovely week visiting various palm fringed islands and chilling out and again met several Oysters in this far fl ung paradise.”
Aſt er a faster than expected passage we arrived at night in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz and anchored up. Puerto Ayora is one of the largest towns in Galapagos but you immediately see signs of indigenous wildlife. On the fi rst trip into town by water taxi you cannot miss the sea lions lazing on the sterns of old fi shing boats. T e quayside wall swarms with bright orange crabs, which are overlooked by prehistoric looking pelicans. T e town is better developed than we had expected with numerous reasonably priced restaurants and shops selling various staples. T e people were also very friendly and there is virtually no litter!
However, freedom of movement is limited in the Galapagos to ensure that the environment is protected from the potential ravages of tourism. We could not take our yachts to other islands without permits that had to be arranged many months in advance. We therefore arranged a number of trips by small motor cruisers and speedboats to other islands while we were there.
T e whole of the Galapagos is a conveyor belt of creation with the newest islands on the west. T e islands are varied, ranging from lunar-like volcanic landscapes to lush forests. Wildlife is everywhere and is not shy of human contact. Marine and land iguana, many species of birds (including pelicans, pink fl amingoes, blue footed boobies and frigates), Galapagos penguins and tortoises abound. Marine life was prolifi c too and many of us enjoyed diving or snorkeling with sea lions, turtles, rays and a variety of sharks including odd looking hammerheads.
Aſt er an overdose of wildlife over two weeks, we set off on the longest leg of the rally – over 3,000 miles across the vast Pacifi c Ocean to the Marquesas Islands and the start of French Polynesia.
We were lucky this year as the trade winds appeared aſt er 100 miles or so and continued at 15 to 20 knots South Easterly for the fi rst 2,000 miles and then Easterly at the same strength or lighter for the next thousand. T is was the kind of sailing you dream of. Blue skies, warm weather, wind on your back and exhilarating speed eating up the miles. We changed our sail confi guration just once in 3,000 miles, which begs the question of what do you do with all your spare time! Well I can’t answer for everyone but we caught up with schoolwork and certainly read a lot of books!
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