I have to be honest and say whilst we are trying to find
positives and remain upbeat, many days we are pretty depressed and have to
struggle to do something, anything. I am sure many people feel the same but I
wanted to try and write something today as a goal.
Looking forward to seeing the sun drop in the ocean again
Some numbers
- 57 days on the boat totally isolated all on our own
- 3 times we have sailed out 3 miles from the shore to empty
our tanks
- 4 sailing boats left in the Galapagos spread over 3
islands – 2 Australian, 1 UK and 1 French
- 2 diesel top ups with permission from the port captain, delivered to the dock by taxi
- 1 cooking gas run ashore
- 4 shopping trips ashore in our homemade masks
- 4 fish given to us by local fishermen, we also caught one
and bought 2 plus some Spanish lobsters directly from boats passing by
- 0 snorkelling, diving, hiking, exercise or social
interaction
- 0 international borders open between here and Australia
- 15 hours each day of military enforced curfew announced by
load speakers
Now for some of our usual positivity......
Rubbish run with Anzac biscuits
Our first yellow fin on Askari
Andrew coming home with fuel supplies
It's mostly calm but sometimes swell breaks higher than the trees outside and it gets reflected in here
Cake delivery - these guys gave us a fish last time they were here
DIY haircut day - a fun day
We celebrated Askari’s fourth birthday during this period
and reflected on what an amazing experience it’s been since we moved aboard. We
treated her to a fresh water wash and polish and then took some pictures – we have worked
hard to keep her looking nice and well maintained, so we were quite proud she
still looks this good. Thank the team at Oyster who built her and continue to
support us with technical advice and spare parts. Andrew has written a four-year
report that perhaps he will share.
Cockpit view
Foredeck view
No need for a mirror with the shiny davits
Our solar panels keep our power usage down - we could do with more just sitting here
Need to clean the teak but otherwise not bad
Yes new sails.... - glad to have spares for the next leg
Love our comfy saloon
So glad we upgraded our coffee machine
I have done a lot of cooking, the highlight was the yellow
fin tuna we caught whilst emptying our tanks – this fish became sashimi, sushi,
tartare, seared with sesame, cured, curry, burgers and we still have some in
the freezer. Cakes have also become a thing aboard – the local fishermen, our
agent and the taxi driver like my carrot and banana cakes, our friend Harry and
his family had Anzac Day biscuits, but the chocolate brownies made with black
beans were so delicious they were not shared – thanks Lizzie for that recipe. I’ve
also preserved ginger and tomatoes – something I’ve never done. We’ve cut each
others hair and made elaborate cocktails/mocktails – the winner being the
passionfruit mojito (you can buy 20 passion fruits for $1 at the market and the
local mint is, well, minty….) Andrew had a whole month off the booze and since
we have definitely cut it down in preparation for a long sea voyage but
enjoying a sun-downer makes it feel a bit more normal aboard.
Light lunch - definitely a positive day!
Tuna Gravlax - so yummy
Passionfruit Mojito - our new fav!
The wildlife and beautiful anchorage here has kept us
entertained, we have watched changes in the animals coming to the bay. The blue
footed boobies came on mass for several days following sardines, thousands
would obscure the sky and they would fall into the water like a waterfall as
they fished, it was mesmerising. One day the biggest manta ray – about 2.5
metres wide swam right alongside Askari. We’ve also continued to have visits
from penguins, sea lions and sharks. Taking a paddle board trip around the bay
is a highlight and most days when ships are not here I go on a little explore –
technically it’s not allowed but I keep a low profile. And there is nobody here
to see you anyway. The night before last a sea-lion broke in – moved my paddle
board and was sat in the cockpit when I went out – hmmm!
Come along on my morning paddle board...
He was in the cockpit until I opened the hatch!
It won't surprise you Andrew knew the builder the minute we saw this coastguard ship
Today's stats
There are some serious challenges for these islands and it’s
been really interesting watching closely how the issues of the pandemic are
communicated, the reactions and the logistics here. Being in the centre of
things, at the port, we see all comings and goings – coast guard ships, supply
ships, national park movements, red cross deliveries, fuel and bulk supplies
and some people movement all happen here – often we have to make stuff up,
however then the next day we usually get an update from the government via
whatsapp. Norman Wray, the president of the government, has become a bit of a
hero aboard Askari with his daily updates which appear to be very transparent –
we even put him on the big screen sometimes….. ‘Norm’s been on’ is a regular
phrase!
Norm update on our cockpit projector - usually for Netflix
Fake news is a big problem so everything gets filmed and shared as
evidence. The obvious issue is the loss of the tourism money in the islands,
however getting supplies delivered to the ships when the mainland is in
lockdown has been a focus, establishing medical clinics and testing in the
islands has been ramped up and now they have managed to test almost 10% of the
population, having carried out nearly 2,000 tests. There’s also some 2,000
Galapagos island residents stuck on the mainland – including the wife of our
agent who’s been in a grotty hotel room in Guayaquil for over two months. They
now have a process and are starting to bring small numbers home once they have
tested negative for the virus – the first batch came to San Cristobel and 27%
of people due to come had the virus and were refused entry – wow! This weekend
another batch came into Santa Cruz – 132 had been identified to return and only
85 travelled after the rest were positive or in the family group of someone
positive. Outbreaks have also occurred on the tourist boats – left with just
crew – one with over 50 cases and this week an Ecuadorian tuna boat was
received in port due to complications with a crewmember suffering from the
virus. The latest issue is sickening though as domestic violence is today at
the forefront of the news, after a women was murdered in Santa Cruz – according
to the reports 1 in 3 women in the Galapagos are suffering some type of
violence – paradise eh?? On the positive news there is a lot of discussion
about the islands becoming self-sufficient and praise for the fishermen and
those involved in agriculture. People continue to be extremely kind to us and
we are working to find a way to help the people of Isabela – I’m hopeful we
will get a chance to do something meaningful this week.
Evening arrivals - always police, navy and national park present as a minimum
Red Cross Delivery - picture from Galapagos Government
The issues for world cruising sailors has started to make
some headlines, this article in the Guardian was a pretty good summarylong-journey-home-the-stranded-sailboats and our
friend Nev on Two Drifters wrote a nice piece for the UK Daily Telegraph. Our
old boat R2, made it to Egypt after being kicked out our Dijbouti, at gunpoint -
many friends around the world are in very difficult situations considering
journey’s they really don’t want to make or sheltering in places they rather not
be, separated from loved ones, others set sail regardless and hope for the
best. We cannot judge as everyone has such a very different set of
circumstances that only they know.However,
I have to say I am pretty disappointed with what I follow on Facebook in French
Polynesia – in all honesty reading what so called 'cruisers' write – it sounds like it’s
really changed since we were last there now people just live in FP on boats for
years – makes me quite sad. I really hope I get a chance to see that I am wrong
but maybe I’m better off keeping my memories intact.
Mixing things up - a beer in a bean bag evening
Meanwhile, we continue to wait in the hope that perhaps some
relaxation in movement and border openings may occur in the Pacific Islands. By
staying here we are, mostly in a calm quiet anchorage, food is cheap and easily
obtained, we have a fair amount of freedom and most importantly we feel welcome
and safe. The Galapagos government has approved an extension to our cruising
permit and the visa for all tourists is automatically extended until 30 days
after the end of the State of Emergency. We however are planning and preparing
for a sail to Australia – 8,000 miles – it will take us two months of sailing
or maybe more.We are preparing to leave
in a few weeks. Lists and planning is underway and we are working through every
system on the boat to ensure the maintenance is as good as it possibly can be.
If along the way things change and we are welcome in another country we may
well divert, but we think the best course for us at this time is to be home in
Australia. I am coming to terms with a long sail – I’m sure when we get out
there it will be great and Askari will take great care of us..
Always something to do - checking the steering over
Unscheduled maintenance when this fish blocked our engine cooling system
Our view for 58 days and counting.....
Keep healthy and stay home if you can. Much love from Carolyn & Andrew
