Askari Sailing: Today is our 58th day living under curfew….. How are you going?

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..