Askari Sailing

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

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..

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

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Ten days of isolation....

We were totally overwhelmed with the comments on FB about our last post. Thank you for all your positive comments and messages of love. I truly believe there must be some positives to come out of this.

Just a quick update as I know we now have lots of people interested in what is happening out here in the Galapagos:

- We have food! Yesterday we covered up like a couple of bandits and went to the local market, where we had whatsapp'd an order to the lovely Joanna. Her assistant 'Chico gordito' (chubby boy - ha ha) had most of it organised when we got there. We did however end up with 60 eggs rather than 12 due to our dodgy translation - anyone for a frittata? We also procured the biggest zucchini I ever saw and some bread rolls at the market. We have since conducted a full stock take and definitely have enough food aboard to get us to Queensland.

- We have propane! We discovered when reviewing all our supplies that in Panama our propane tanks were not filled correctly so we were low on cooking gas. This would be a problem for a sail to Australia. Our agent introduced us to Snr Pachay, a mechanic, who set up a makeshift contraption in his yard to transfer propane from his own kitchen supply to our tank yesterday and we collected it this morning. We were supposed to get it yesterday but confusion about the time curfew started meant we had an anxious night with the tank off the boat and rumours abounded about a 24/7 curfew. The new curfew is actually from 2pm to 5am and we were able to collect the full tank this morning.

- Our faith in the human kind is maintained. Going ashore, people were so warm and friendly, offering us help at every corner. A man from the national park even offered to carry my bags. Everyone here is covered with masks (yes I know it probably does nothing but makes you think about distancing) and the majority of people are staying home. The Navy came to visit us yesterday to check if we needed anything and say if we have to empty our black water tanks we can leave the harbour for a sail and return.

- Sadly COVID19 has reached the Galapagos with 4 cases including a local man who came to Isabela from the mainland and not knowing he was sick went all over the small town. In Isabela 90 people - more than 5% of the population are now in full quarantine. The good news is that they expect to bring testing to the archipelago in a few days which will help speed up testing. They were also disinfecting the dirt roads in town today from a tanker. Now we have food and propane we will stay on the boat for at least the next week.

- We have a verbal confirmation we can stay in the Galapagos until at least May 26th, we just need to also get an approval from the Ministry of Defence for the boat, via an extended 'autografo' or cruising permit. Our agent Bolivar seems to have this in hand and we understand a further 60 days should be possible through to June 13th. As the situation continues to deteriorate elsewhere in the Pacific and Australia we plan to hunker down for a while if we can.

Stay safe everyone and virtual hugs if you need one.

Here's some more pictures - from 10 days of isolation.....

Fishermen dropped by with these - one is a scorpion fish and was yummy filleted

How you get a new car at Isabela - winched off a ship and brought ashore at just the right state of tide

Our lovely neighbours

Empty streets - the flags were for a celebration that was cancelled

The rock in the road is a key landmark in town - the Australian flag flies right next to it

These guys are taking over

Our own private dinghy dock

Kicked off the dock to get back to the dinghy

This is where we are - so beautiful - Askari and the supply ship over a week to unload it

Swimming with penguins yesterday

Getting propane

Snr Pachay's workshop - not the usual tourist pic from the Galapagos

Veggies galore - all washed before going inside the boat

Monday, March 23, 2020

Challenging times for us all

Like everyone we are trying to come to terms with what this Covid-19 Crisis might mean. All I can say now is our thoughts go out to all those that are finding this a challenging time, be that business or work related, health issues or stuck in a far off land away from family, like us and many of our friends.

We are fine, but locked down in the Galapagos, anchored all on our own at Isabela Island. Lock down here means that one person can only leave your home, or in our case boat, for essential food shopping, medical or emergency needs. There is a full and enforced curfew from 4pm to 5am. We have not left the boat, other than for a swim for 6 days. We are told this is for at least another 10 days, subject to extension.

We have watched a supply ship unloading, including a car, over the last few days so plan to try and go ashore tomorrow and buy some provisions, as we are nearly out of fresh goods. We have an agent here who is trying to obtain fuel and cooking gas for us and investigating if we can extend our permit beyond April 14^th, when it currently expires.

Some issues for us live aboard, blue water cruisers at the moment:

- - Nearly every country has closed it’s borders and most of us can’t just go home. For us Askari is our home. So stay put I here you say – well that’s fine for a short while but it doesn’t look like this crisis is coming to an end any time soon. We mostly follow the seasons, have insurance restrictions and have planned our travel for years ahead. Those are the charts and guides we have aboard plus the visas, permits and other research we have done.

- - Being at anchor is great when the wind and swell stays in one direction. We all monitor the weather daily and would generally move based on weather. So being told to stay in one place makes us all anxious. Fortunately, on Askari we are in a very protected bay at the moment and only a West wind or big South West Swell would make it uncomfortable and is unlikely to be dangerous. We are currently outside of the cyclone/hurricane area and the South Pacific season is opening up from 1 May - many friends are not in such a good position, however the Pacific is the biggest stretch of ocean and what if there’s no ports to go to in a storm or if we get sick. (I really hope maritime law would prevail in that situation).

- - We often seek out remote places, these places generally have only basic medical services and a population that has no idea about our lifestyle, some are very poor and some might be suspicious of outsiders having had their cultures invaded for centuries. One of the things I think about everyday is that what happens if people get desperate, most people we meet are amazing but a crisis can change things – let’s hope it’s for the good. Maybe we can do good along the way and share what we have, if we are able to travel. Foreigners however have bought covid-19 to many remote places so I think island people are right to be wary. We would hate to make local people feel afraid by our presence.

- - We are self-sufficient and generally a very healthy bunch. Often a conversation we have is how since we started living on a boat we have never been healthier. Many people run the boat with just a couple and no crew, so if one person or both were to get sick from this virus we would be in trouble. Therefore it’s essential we have a period of quarantine before starting a passage in this environment – something authorities may or may not allow, say if we manage to pull into a place just for fuel, food and repairs.

- - Blue water cruisers are generally pretty well provisioned most of the time, but extended periods without keeping things topped up would challenge all but the most well prepared crew. We currently have 3 to 6 months food aboard. However we are using fuel, propane and food everyday we are here. So we need to ensure we can top these up, especially if we are sent out into the blue yonder. Being on a remote island where there are not gas stations and fuel is delivered by ship means we cannot guarantee fuel, therefore we are already restricting our power consumption. We use fuel to make water so this is really our most important commodity.

- - What to do? Everyone’s situation is different; some people have kids or pets aboard, some have crew or commitments, health issues, a very tight budget, etc. Here in the Galapagos there’s about 12 boats and nearly everyone is thinking something different. There is no place to leave a boat here and even if there was there are no flights anywhere at this time.

- If necessary we will sail to Australia directly (maybe the only place not closed to us right now as Australian citizens). It’s a journey of more than 7,000 nautical miles and with favourable conditions we should be able to achieve this with the resources we have on board. It would be a big call though as we are crossing some of the most remote parts of the planet possibly without an option of stopping. Three weeks at sea is daunting enough; never mind two months. Andrew has spent days working out our range to ensure we could make it and refreshing his celestial navigation skills in case we run out of electricity (that’s certainly not one for me). If you know us you know we sold our house and built Askari to sail back to the South Pacific – this wasn’t a whim, but a trip we have planned for 15 years and made huge sacrifices to achieve. So I know it appears (no not always) we are mostly living the dream out here but it really has just been smashed and we feel pretty scared too. We will just have to keep going and come back around to get back to Bora Bora.

All that said, it is still a privilege to be out here and I know many people are struggling or in a far more tricky position than us. So please relax and enjoy some lovely random sights from our first three weeks in the Galapagos – San Cristobel, a day at Espanola and onto Isabela.

Lets hope we all get some good news in the coming days – Stay inside and stay healthy – Love from us and the Penguins x x