I have never posted a blog via e-mail, so I hope this comes out right…
The short day sail from Academy Bay down to Isla Santa Maria (Floreana) was split evenly between motoring (fine by me for it allowed me to make water and top off our tanks) and sailing with a gentle breeze on a fast beam reach. The few hours of sailing saw me reach what is perhaps my top speed in Avventura (7.8 knots over the ground), and was some of the most pleasant sailing of my life, gliding along with a 10 knot breeze aided by a knot current from astern and with very little swell activity. But as soon as we entered the lee of Floreana the wind disappeared completely and the heat of the day set in as the motor resumed its drone.
Isla Floreana proved to be the only island that matched the image in my head of what I expected all the Galapagos Islands to be like. On approach the island looked bleak and the vegetation was brown, unlike the green-clad hills of San Cristobal and Santa Cruz. As we neared the anchorage of Puerto Velasco Ibarra I was stunned to find we were the only boat around. We dropped the hook in an open roadstead off the tiny town and were quick to venture ashore to check in with the Port Captain.
We left our dinghy at the pier (a concrete seawall more than a viable dock) and walked up the dirt road leading to town. First buildings we arrived at was the Navy Base/Port Captain’s office. The base consisted of the Port Captain’s living quarters and a separate building with his office as well as a third detached unit that I never saw put to use. When I approached the Office I was welcomed inside by the Port Captain and he asked what he could help me with. I told him we had just arrived from Santa Cruz and he asked if we needed anything. I declined and was told to simply return before we wished to depart. No hassles, no paperwork, just come back and see me later, and a queer look as if to say “stupid gringos, interrupt my day just to let me know you have arrived.”
Upon leaving the Port Captain’s office Mike and I were rather stunned to find a little wave breaking in a small cove north of the pier. Anxious to at least find refuge from the heat of the day we returned to Avventura, grabbed our boards, and paddled out. Though far from a world-class wave we had stumbled across our own private No Surf in the Galapagos Islands. Little lefts were peeling over a shallow lava reef, never a wave exceeding head high, but consistent and fun, and not another soul in sight or the threat of anyone ruining our session. Here we had come to an island with no hope of finding surf and had stumbled across a fun, easily accessible wave.
That evening (Friday, 3/30) we took the dinghy in with the hopes of finding a beer in the tiny town. We walked up and down the dirt roads with the rare house widely spaced along the way, and were about to give up when Mike had me ask a local lady walking with her son if there was a store on the island. She said there was, and pointed us to a white house with construction going on in the rear. The front of the house had a separate room that housed the island’s lone store, stocked with enough provisions to serve the local population (100) for the month between visits from the supply ship. Here we bought a couple beers, and Mike sat on the porch while I ventured down to the pier for some sunset pictures (see www.flickr.com/photos/avventura). Once at the pier I climbed out onto some rocks extending to the south for a better picture and nearly stepped on a massive marine iguana who was soaking up the day’s last rays. The iguana spit at me (and I mean this literally), and I jumped back four feet. As I looked closer I saw dozens scattered along the coast, the biggest I have ever come across.
As the sun settled into a cloudbank I returned to the tienda where Mike was struggling to carry on a conversation with the store’s cashier, Santos (age 17). Santos was glad to learn I spoke some Spanish and proceeded to begin a game of 20 questions, asking me all about my travels and where we were headed next. As night fell more locals stopped by to check out the new gringos and join in the conversation.
Since this will be posted via my radio e-mail I need to condense the remainder as best I can…
We spent another two days at Floreana, surfing the little wave off the town, taking an illegal dinghy trip over to spectacular Post Office Bay, hiking up into the Floreana highlands, and hanging out with the locals. At Post Office Bay we walked on two beaches where the only tracks were those of sea turtles who had ventured ashore to lay their eggs, came across the ancient barrel once used to pass mail back and forth (especially by the whalers who oft-called in the bay), and stumbled upon a cave (lava tube) which led us down into pitch-black darkness and beyond. We were guided only be the random flash of our cameras and felt our way down till the cave began to curve and it was time to return to daylight. (That afternoon the locals told us the cave is actually a lava tube that comes out underwater and can be passed through with Scuba gear.) The highlands hike brought us into the land of Darwin’s Finches (there are some 16 distinct species found in the Galapagos, and these small birds played a large role in the development of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution) with the pleasant smells of the dry vegetation filling our nostrils and dirt wafting up off the road as the sun baked our backs. When our self-proclaimed “king of the island” offered us a ride back to town in his big truck we accepted and hopped in the back. The king had one of the only big trucks on the island (used to transport every and anything up to and down from the fincas, or farms, in the highlands), and he was the only one who spoke English that we came across in town.
Sunday morning was a day I won’t son forget. I picked up Santos and his young friend, Wilson, at the pier and brought them out to Avventura where they asked a dozen questions and I showed them how everything worked on board (they were stoked at the radar and electronic charts where I showed them the Marquesas and our voyage ahead). But the highlight of their day was the dinghy ride back when I let each drive. Wilson (about 12) took control first and the look of sheer joy in his eyes and smile on his face made my day. Santos was afraid to get planning, and everytime we began to get enough speed he’d ease off the throttle. Thus on the way in I let the motor run full throttle and they were thrilled. Sunday also brought the best surf, and three locals borrowed my extra boards and tried surfing with us. They got pounded mostly, but still came up smiling. I had more fun than a mortal should be allowed; that is right up until my last wave when my calves both cramped up in the midst of a cutback and I lost my board into the lava shoreline. It came back with a couple nice dings and my surfing days in the Galapagos came to an end. That evening we watched a local volleyball game (became intense when every player put down $3 on the game), said our good-byes to the most welcoming locals I’ve come across in South America, and returned to Avventura.
April 2 saw us make our way over to Isla Isabella and anchor in Puerto Villamil after a long day of motoring, catching only 2 boobies while trolling (which, needless to say, we threw back and watched fly away). Our stay in Villamil was short and busy for me, mostly because I was anxious to get back to sea and begin the Pacific crossing. I spent my time split between boat work (lubing and repairing winches, scrubbing the hull and waterline, stowing everything, and generally preparing for the crossing), uploading pictures, and exploring the town, anchorage and its environs. The highlight and perfect way to cap off my Galapagos stay came Wednesday, April 4, our last full day on Isabella. After a morning of work I went for a brief snorkel (seeing parrot fish and other tropical species swimming alongside sea lions and over bright yellow sea urchins) before taking the dinghy out to an islet which protects the anchorage. Here I came upon a trail which wound over the lava rock islet where hordes of young marine iguanas traveled in packs. But the truly unique sight here was in a small crevice between the islet and an offlying rocky patch. The crevice was filled with some six feet of water and was about five feet wide, and in this small gap (about 50 feet long) over a dozen Galapagos and white-tipped sharks swam in circles as if they were entrapped. I still have no clue what causes the sharks to congregate here, but they had no desire to leave their little playpen. Once I departed the islet I resumed my day’s stated mission: find a penguin. I asked a local kid driving a panga with a couple friends and he led me to a nearby rocky point where, sure enough, five penguins waddled about amongst a few blue-footed boobies. At one point a sea lion nudged his way onto the same rock and it was one last perfect Galapagos scene. Nowhere else in the world do penguins come face-to-face with sea lions and blue-footed boobies at the same time.
My six week stay in the Galapagos was time well-spent, and full of many adventures. It was a time I’ll never forget. From the people I met, both cruisers and locals alike, the amazing wildlife (both marine, land, and bird), and the beautiful vistas and landscape of the islands themselves all helped add to my tremendous enjoyment of the Enchanted Land of Darwin. But I find, despite the great time I had in the Galapagos, that I am ready and eager to be moving on. I am ready for the crossing underway (2899 NM to go), and anxious to explore the islands of French Polynesia which I have come to know so well in my dreams. I am reminded of an answer one fellow cruiser gave a land tourist when asked, “What has been your favorite port?” Judith (off Dream Weaver III) replied: “The next one.” So here’s to the next port, 2899 NM away! Here’s to the voyage ahead. As the great Sterling Hayden wrote:
To the hunted, not to the hunter;
To the Passage, not to the path.
Scott Atkins
S/V Avventura
At Sea—07/4/6
2 South by 92 West
martes, 24 de abril de 2007
jueves, 29 de marzo de 2007
Isla Santa Cruz
Isla San Cristobal and Isla Santa Cruz. Less than forty miles separate them, but they are a world apart. My first impressions of Santa Cruz were far from great, but it has grown on me with time. Upon arrival here (Academy Bay) I was overwhelmed by the size and the touristy nature of the town (Puerto Ayora). Yes, San Cristobal was touristy, but walking down the streets this was never the first thing I noticed. As soon as I ventured ashore in Santa Cruz I felt the touristy atmosphere of the island, and the bigger-city feel of the town and was chased back to Avventura. The next day was no better as the float switch to my automatic bilge pump failed and I had to find a replacement in town and install it, working in the midday heat in nasty bilge water. Since my day was already ruined I tacked on the tedium of oil and fuel filter changes and didn’t even bother to head ashore.
But the earth continued turning and the new day brought much better experiences. Once past the touristy Malecon a different island presented itself. Fleeing the city life, I struck off for Bahia Totuga. A 2.5 km path winds through the vegetation of the region bringing you close to the large cacti which dot the landscape with birds flitting about and lizards spastically darting along the path, ever waiting till the last minute to move out of your way. The midday sun was beating down on the lava-rock path and as we reached the peak of a small hill the ocean beyond came into view beyond a blinding white sand beach. The clarity of the water and the whiteness of the sand provided amazing color contrasts as the seafloor fell away into the deep blue beyond. Tortuga Bay is a gorgeous half moon bay with tucked between two lava points and guarded behind by thick desert vegetation. The sand is a fine powder, and (hard as it is for me to compare the two incomparable places) was reminiscent of that in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The surf offshore was not much better than Gulf Shores either. A fifteen knot breeze swept along the shoreline and the waist high waves gently fell over on themselves; but the beauty of surfing is that none of this matters. I ditched my things on the beach and was quick to paddle out, and as soon as I duckdove the first wave all was right with the world again. The traumas of the previous day were a distant memory as I paddled to the empty lineup, turned shorewards, and admired the beauty of the desolate landscape. A few people were scattered about the long beach, but there were no homes adorning the hillsides and the bustling port was far away.
I was able to sneak into a few fun little waves before abandoning the water and walking the length of the beach, snapping photos as I went. Unfortunately Tortuga Bay is one of those places that cannot be captured in pictures alone. For one thing the beach is too wide and long to be captured in one frame, not to mention the fact that the camera doesn’t pick up the sounds and smells of the wildlife and vegetation, or the feel of the brutal equatorial sun being dampened by a breeze off the Humboldt-chilled water. I passed the afternoon reading the Autobiography of Charles Darwin on a gorgeous beach in the Enchanted Isles he made so famous and felt somehow close to the great naturalist.
As the sideshore wind continued for a second day I made my way to the “Charles Darwin Research Station” and spent a morning walking around the place. The Research Station is used to breed and raise baby tortoises and land iguanas which are then taken back to their native islands after they have reached a certain size. There are pens enclosing hordes of tiny tortoises separated into the island they came from, then there’s a communal cage where the tortoises are transferred after a couple years to learn to exist in more natural surroundings, after which they are returned to their native islands usually. There are a few exceptions. The next stop on the trail, for instance, brought me to the pen of “Lonesome George.” George is the last remaining member of the subspecies of tortoises from Isla Pinta and he was brought to the research center in the late 1970s in the hopes of finding him a suitable mate and either continuing his same species, or at least creating a new bloodline in close relation to the species. The problem is they have yet to find a female from the Pinta subspecies and George refuses to adulterate his blood. He spends his days in a pen with two female tortoises from a species closely related to him, but he refuses to mate with any tortoise outside his specie, and thus the Pinta subspecie appears doomed as George grows old.
After paying my respects to “Lonesome George” I walked through separate pens enclosing first female tortoises and then their gigantic male counterparts. It still surprises me how archaic the animals look. Looking into the eyes of the tortoise is like looking back to an era long past when reptiles ruled the earth. After the tortoises came the few land iguanas on display—massive iguanas of a reddish hue who were highly inactive and completely unconcerned with me.
Other than the Darwin Research Station all I wanted to see on Santa Cruz were the tourist sites up in the highlands. The opportunity arose on March 27th and Mike and I jumped at it. It all started the night before when Mike met a girl in a bar and the next morning we were headed ashore to do some kind of painting up in the highlands. All I knew was that it was my way up the hill. It turns out we were helping Galapagos ICE (www.galapagosice.org), a non-profit outfit, who was painting the inside of a school in the highland town of Santa Rosa. So we spent a couple hours throwing some fresh paint on a rundown school that needed a lot more than a superficial facelift, working alongside a dozen locals. I had a good time chatting with the locals and experienced the Ecuadorian work ethic firsthand. At one point I was painting a room with five locals when a man came in and said there were sandwiches for lunch. Immediately, almost in mid-stroke the locals cleared out of the room and went to lunch. Afterwards they lingered, did a bit more painting, and abandoned the endeavor in favor of a pick-up game of soccer on the basketball court of the school. Since the teams were uneven I somehow got dragged into the game and quickly realized my lack of any soccer skills; but in the end I didn’t hurt my team and we took the game 3-0.
In the early afternoon the painting was done and Mike and I along with Jill (the girl who roped Mike into the gig) and Ian from Afriki, were driven down to the Lava Tunnel. Our driver (a fellow painter) had called ahead and we were let in the tunnel for free, and descended into the center of the earth as it felt from the wrong direction, fighting against the flow of the pasty white tourists as we crawled through the low section of the tunnel and emerged into a massive lava tube. The tube was formed when the outer skin of the lava cooled first and the molten inside continued downhill, in the end forming a near-perfect tube that extended for a couple hundred yards before emerging into daylight once more.
After our stroll through the earth we were taken down to a local ranch where there are trails cut through the landscape and you can see tortoises in their natural habitat. Our luck was fairly good and we came across three gigantic tortoises, both hunkered in the bushes and strolling out in the open. It was a neat hike through the highland semi-forest, and after an hour of searching and nearly getting ourselves lost we returned to the entrance and were driven back down to sea level and left in Puerto Ayora. A little bit of work got us a lunch and visits to the tourist sites of the highlands as well as allowing us to meet the locals of the town and observe the Ecuadorians at work. It was a nice day.
All things considered Santa Cruz is nothing like San Cristobal, but has proven to be a wonderful stop on the continuing voyage. From here we will head south to Isla Santa Maria (Floreana) for a few days followed by a handful of days at Isla Isabella from whence we will take our leave for the Marquesas. The voyage is starting to move along and the sea is calling me back. I’m excited for the long passage which waits in the wings, and even more so to be heading for the south sea islands of many a man’s childhood dreams.
Pura Vida,
Scott Atkins
PS For the moment the “real world” has struck and I’m stuck in Santa Cruz at least another day trying to deal with the incompetence of modern man, but with a little luck the voyage will be moving on again soon.
But the earth continued turning and the new day brought much better experiences. Once past the touristy Malecon a different island presented itself. Fleeing the city life, I struck off for Bahia Totuga. A 2.5 km path winds through the vegetation of the region bringing you close to the large cacti which dot the landscape with birds flitting about and lizards spastically darting along the path, ever waiting till the last minute to move out of your way. The midday sun was beating down on the lava-rock path and as we reached the peak of a small hill the ocean beyond came into view beyond a blinding white sand beach. The clarity of the water and the whiteness of the sand provided amazing color contrasts as the seafloor fell away into the deep blue beyond. Tortuga Bay is a gorgeous half moon bay with tucked between two lava points and guarded behind by thick desert vegetation. The sand is a fine powder, and (hard as it is for me to compare the two incomparable places) was reminiscent of that in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The surf offshore was not much better than Gulf Shores either. A fifteen knot breeze swept along the shoreline and the waist high waves gently fell over on themselves; but the beauty of surfing is that none of this matters. I ditched my things on the beach and was quick to paddle out, and as soon as I duckdove the first wave all was right with the world again. The traumas of the previous day were a distant memory as I paddled to the empty lineup, turned shorewards, and admired the beauty of the desolate landscape. A few people were scattered about the long beach, but there were no homes adorning the hillsides and the bustling port was far away.
I was able to sneak into a few fun little waves before abandoning the water and walking the length of the beach, snapping photos as I went. Unfortunately Tortuga Bay is one of those places that cannot be captured in pictures alone. For one thing the beach is too wide and long to be captured in one frame, not to mention the fact that the camera doesn’t pick up the sounds and smells of the wildlife and vegetation, or the feel of the brutal equatorial sun being dampened by a breeze off the Humboldt-chilled water. I passed the afternoon reading the Autobiography of Charles Darwin on a gorgeous beach in the Enchanted Isles he made so famous and felt somehow close to the great naturalist.
As the sideshore wind continued for a second day I made my way to the “Charles Darwin Research Station” and spent a morning walking around the place. The Research Station is used to breed and raise baby tortoises and land iguanas which are then taken back to their native islands after they have reached a certain size. There are pens enclosing hordes of tiny tortoises separated into the island they came from, then there’s a communal cage where the tortoises are transferred after a couple years to learn to exist in more natural surroundings, after which they are returned to their native islands usually. There are a few exceptions. The next stop on the trail, for instance, brought me to the pen of “Lonesome George.” George is the last remaining member of the subspecies of tortoises from Isla Pinta and he was brought to the research center in the late 1970s in the hopes of finding him a suitable mate and either continuing his same species, or at least creating a new bloodline in close relation to the species. The problem is they have yet to find a female from the Pinta subspecies and George refuses to adulterate his blood. He spends his days in a pen with two female tortoises from a species closely related to him, but he refuses to mate with any tortoise outside his specie, and thus the Pinta subspecie appears doomed as George grows old.
After paying my respects to “Lonesome George” I walked through separate pens enclosing first female tortoises and then their gigantic male counterparts. It still surprises me how archaic the animals look. Looking into the eyes of the tortoise is like looking back to an era long past when reptiles ruled the earth. After the tortoises came the few land iguanas on display—massive iguanas of a reddish hue who were highly inactive and completely unconcerned with me.
Other than the Darwin Research Station all I wanted to see on Santa Cruz were the tourist sites up in the highlands. The opportunity arose on March 27th and Mike and I jumped at it. It all started the night before when Mike met a girl in a bar and the next morning we were headed ashore to do some kind of painting up in the highlands. All I knew was that it was my way up the hill. It turns out we were helping Galapagos ICE (www.galapagosice.org), a non-profit outfit, who was painting the inside of a school in the highland town of Santa Rosa. So we spent a couple hours throwing some fresh paint on a rundown school that needed a lot more than a superficial facelift, working alongside a dozen locals. I had a good time chatting with the locals and experienced the Ecuadorian work ethic firsthand. At one point I was painting a room with five locals when a man came in and said there were sandwiches for lunch. Immediately, almost in mid-stroke the locals cleared out of the room and went to lunch. Afterwards they lingered, did a bit more painting, and abandoned the endeavor in favor of a pick-up game of soccer on the basketball court of the school. Since the teams were uneven I somehow got dragged into the game and quickly realized my lack of any soccer skills; but in the end I didn’t hurt my team and we took the game 3-0.
In the early afternoon the painting was done and Mike and I along with Jill (the girl who roped Mike into the gig) and Ian from Afriki, were driven down to the Lava Tunnel. Our driver (a fellow painter) had called ahead and we were let in the tunnel for free, and descended into the center of the earth as it felt from the wrong direction, fighting against the flow of the pasty white tourists as we crawled through the low section of the tunnel and emerged into a massive lava tube. The tube was formed when the outer skin of the lava cooled first and the molten inside continued downhill, in the end forming a near-perfect tube that extended for a couple hundred yards before emerging into daylight once more.
After our stroll through the earth we were taken down to a local ranch where there are trails cut through the landscape and you can see tortoises in their natural habitat. Our luck was fairly good and we came across three gigantic tortoises, both hunkered in the bushes and strolling out in the open. It was a neat hike through the highland semi-forest, and after an hour of searching and nearly getting ourselves lost we returned to the entrance and were driven back down to sea level and left in Puerto Ayora. A little bit of work got us a lunch and visits to the tourist sites of the highlands as well as allowing us to meet the locals of the town and observe the Ecuadorians at work. It was a nice day.
All things considered Santa Cruz is nothing like San Cristobal, but has proven to be a wonderful stop on the continuing voyage. From here we will head south to Isla Santa Maria (Floreana) for a few days followed by a handful of days at Isla Isabella from whence we will take our leave for the Marquesas. The voyage is starting to move along and the sea is calling me back. I’m excited for the long passage which waits in the wings, and even more so to be heading for the south sea islands of many a man’s childhood dreams.
Pura Vida,
Scott Atkins
PS For the moment the “real world” has struck and I’m stuck in Santa Cruz at least another day trying to deal with the incompetence of modern man, but with a little luck the voyage will be moving on again soon.
jueves, 8 de marzo de 2007
Wreck Bay Heaven
I´ve now been anchored in Wreck Bay for going on 17 days and am in no hurry to move on. The anchorage is among the most beautiful I have come across with sapphire water and unobstructed views to the sea floor 30 feet beneath "Avventura´s" hull. The water is so clear that on one moonlit night while returning from dinner ashore you could see the entire hull six feet underwater in the dim moonlight shining through a thin layer of clouds. The cruisers I´ve met here are as nice as any I´ve come across and as varied a lot as you´ll find (boats from South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, to name a few)--most in transit to the Marquesas and points further west.
The bulk of my time has been spent surfing, reading, writing, and relaxing with some boat work thrown in for good measure. The surf here has been a pleasant surprise with its consistency, size and shape all exceeding what I had been expecting. Just yesterday I surfed 4 different spots for a total of 7 hours. The surf was 6 foot, a mix of southwest and north swell that turned on every spot on the island. After a morning session with the Kiwi Nick off "Pina Colada" at Canons Mike and I took the dinghy up the coast with the South African trio of surfers off "Robyn´s Nest" to the Manglacito where we surfed six foot perfect, fast lefts without another soul in sight. The wave broke off a desolate stretch of coast covered in green vegetation climbing the barren hillsides towards the blue skies above. The wind was slightly offshore and there was a hook in the reef where you were guaranteed a chance at a tube. One of the South Africans, Dave, a sixteen year old, is a good surfer and was pulling into impossible tubes and somehow coming out, though he did take a couple hard wipeouts. When the "Wavehunters" boat arrived with a dozen surfers we started making our way back to Wreck Bay, stopping at Isla Lobos where I had previously snorkeled with Sea Lions. This time we surfed a little hollow lefthander breaking directly off an islet of jagged rocks. If you fell on the takeoff you´d become ground-up seal bait, but we all made the drops and got a dozen fun and fast waves before calling it an afternoon and returning to Wreck Bay. Once back at the Bay I said good-bye to Nick and Patti on "Pina Colada" (we had become pretty good friends and they were sailed for the Marquesas yesterday afternoon) and I capped off a day of surfing with a stop at the hollow, shallow left of Tongo Reef where I surfed for an hour by myself and another 30 minutes with one local on consitent and fun overhead surf.
The Galapagos has lived up to an exceeded all my expectations thus far and I´ve yet to sail past the first island (San Cristobal). I am taking my time here because I have been warned that this both will probably be my favorite anchorage and that it is very difficult to fight the wind and current to return here. Thus the plan is for another couple weeks here before moving on to the other 3 or 4 anchorages I am allowed to visit in the islands. Tentative date for departure for the Marquesas is April 15, wind, weather and fun permitting. I am uploading pictures to my site (www.flickr.com/photos/avventura) as I type, but it is a slow connection so I don´t know how many of the 75 will make it on there, but it should be enough to give you a flavor of my last month of travels. Sorry for the lack of updates but internet here is slow and unreliable...More when I can.
Pura Vida!
The bulk of my time has been spent surfing, reading, writing, and relaxing with some boat work thrown in for good measure. The surf here has been a pleasant surprise with its consistency, size and shape all exceeding what I had been expecting. Just yesterday I surfed 4 different spots for a total of 7 hours. The surf was 6 foot, a mix of southwest and north swell that turned on every spot on the island. After a morning session with the Kiwi Nick off "Pina Colada" at Canons Mike and I took the dinghy up the coast with the South African trio of surfers off "Robyn´s Nest" to the Manglacito where we surfed six foot perfect, fast lefts without another soul in sight. The wave broke off a desolate stretch of coast covered in green vegetation climbing the barren hillsides towards the blue skies above. The wind was slightly offshore and there was a hook in the reef where you were guaranteed a chance at a tube. One of the South Africans, Dave, a sixteen year old, is a good surfer and was pulling into impossible tubes and somehow coming out, though he did take a couple hard wipeouts. When the "Wavehunters" boat arrived with a dozen surfers we started making our way back to Wreck Bay, stopping at Isla Lobos where I had previously snorkeled with Sea Lions. This time we surfed a little hollow lefthander breaking directly off an islet of jagged rocks. If you fell on the takeoff you´d become ground-up seal bait, but we all made the drops and got a dozen fun and fast waves before calling it an afternoon and returning to Wreck Bay. Once back at the Bay I said good-bye to Nick and Patti on "Pina Colada" (we had become pretty good friends and they were sailed for the Marquesas yesterday afternoon) and I capped off a day of surfing with a stop at the hollow, shallow left of Tongo Reef where I surfed for an hour by myself and another 30 minutes with one local on consitent and fun overhead surf.
The Galapagos has lived up to an exceeded all my expectations thus far and I´ve yet to sail past the first island (San Cristobal). I am taking my time here because I have been warned that this both will probably be my favorite anchorage and that it is very difficult to fight the wind and current to return here. Thus the plan is for another couple weeks here before moving on to the other 3 or 4 anchorages I am allowed to visit in the islands. Tentative date for departure for the Marquesas is April 15, wind, weather and fun permitting. I am uploading pictures to my site (www.flickr.com/photos/avventura) as I type, but it is a slow connection so I don´t know how many of the 75 will make it on there, but it should be enough to give you a flavor of my last month of travels. Sorry for the lack of updates but internet here is slow and unreliable...More when I can.
Pura Vida!
jueves, 1 de marzo de 2007
Isla San Cristobal, Galapagos
Heaven on earth. That’s the only short way to explain my experiences in the Galapagos thus far. It’s been non-stop action and activity since arriving here, so much so that this is my first time using the internet since arriving on Tuesday, February 20. So now let me go back…
After far too long on-the-hard in Puerto Lucia Avventura was dropped into the water around 1300 on February 15. After spending a couple hours at the fuel dock re-attaching the jibstay and taking care of other minor tasks Mike and I departed La Libertad at 1500 and motored westward. Unfortunately the wind began on the nose and soon died, not to return for 3 days. On Sunday a light breeze picked up from the east-northeast and I set the main and poled the jib out to windward, sailing Avventura wing-on-wing for the first time since I’ve had her, making 4.5 knots with just 8 knots of wind, but a 1.5 knot current which helped us the entire way to the Galapagos. It was a great feeling to be sailing once more, sailing away from the worries of land and the hectic rush to get the boat ready for the crossing with all the problems that entailed; but alas, it was not to last. By sunset the wind had died and the sails were spilling their air with great regularity so it was back to motoring for the night. In all we sailed just 12 hours on the crossing and used 55 gallons of diesel (thankfully it’s only $1.02/gal here) from La Libertad to Wreck Bay where we arrived in the morning hours of February 20.
On approach I could already tell I would fall in love with Isla San Cristobal. The water was as clear as I have seen it, and when I dropped the anchor you could see it hit the sand and a school of fish swarmed around the boat as I backed down. Shortly after the hook was set and Eagle Ray swam above the anchor chain some thirty feet down, and seals circled the boat looking for a perch to rest on (luckily we don’t have one, unlike the handful of catamerans here where the sea lions are able to climb up onto their swim steps and rest). By the afternoon I had attempted to check us in only to be told to return manana, and after a brief rest it was time to surf. Now up for launching the dinghy, and doubtful that there would be any surf, I retrieved my 7’ 2” and paddled across Wreck Bay to the south point off the Navy Base where a left point break forms off the rocky coast (el Canyon, or Canons—I’m not sure which). I was surprised to find the surf head high and extremely fun. I hadn’t brought a leash, but luckily I was able to hang on to my board.
Water clarity amazing. Wildlife stunning. Seals everywhere, but in a comical way, not annoying. And even some fun surf. While surfing I met a fellow-cruiser, Nick, a Kiwi on Pina Colada who we’ve been surfing with ever since.
Now before this gets long I will shorten the rest so I can get back to exploring the island. Have taken two tours on the island. The first was a land tour where we first stopped at the volcano atop the island. Inside its crater there’s a freshwater lake, and from the rim there are 360 degree stunning views of the surprisingly green island. From the crater we drove down to a breeding site for Galapagos tortoises and saw a dozen scattered around a neat little trail which brought you up close with the landscape of the island--lava and hard soil with hardy light-green vegetation, many of which have small flowers and are home to numerous birds. Tortoises are the most archaic looking creature I've ever seen. Even more so than iguanas. Relics from an era long past. Then went up to another beautiful lookout over the island, La Soledad, overlooking the west side of the island. The clarity of the water makes the coastline look amazing with its offshore reefs and color variations. Once back at the boat I went surfing at Canons once again with Nick. Caught 4 fun waves before it shut down with the high tide. It was a nice way to end a great day. Mike and I then capped off the day with a dinner ashore with Nick and his wife and the folks on Dream Weaver (who we met in Costa Rica and Panama). It was an amazing day.
The next morning Mike and I joined Nick and his wife and took a taxi with our boards to the southwest coast of the island--a beach called la Loberia. The entire south shore of the island is covered in light green vegetation clinging to the volcanic hillsides. The trail down to the beach wound along the rocky shoreline with a beautiful contrast in the round black lava rocks and the deep blue of the sea. After a short walk we arrived at a perfect half moon bay--perhaps the ideal beach. The white sand was fringed by vegetation on one side and a light green sea on the other. The inner waters of the bay are shallow and calm, being protected by an outcropping of rocks which chop the bay in half. Beyond the rocks lies the surfspot, a steep, hollow A-Frame wave that is fast, but provides short rides before you have to pull out in front of the exposed rocks. The surf was 6 foot and consistent and I got plenty of amazing waves; but the location was even better. Sitting in the lineup and looking ashore to a gorgeous beach--the only white break in an expanse of sharp blacks and greens beneath the blue sky, and no signs of human habitation (excepting the 15 people in the water and 15 on the beach). After surfing a couple hours (the water was noticeably cooler, at least 5 degrees, on the south side of the island) we walked back to town, using the airstrip as a shortcut (imagine doing that in the States these days). In the afternoon we took our dinghies (Mike and I, and Nick) around the south point of Wreck Bay and down the coast to Tonga Reef, a shallow left point break with fast, hollow waves that lead into a lava rock shoreline. I had some amazing rides including a couple nice tubes, though the surf was half the size of the morning, and had a blast.
In the Galapagos you are only able to anchor in 5 designated ports, and can't travel freely about, so tours are the only way to see the islands. So yesterday, February 24, Mike and I took a snorkeling trip to Kicker Rock. We took a panga with Dream Weaver, and the crew of Asylum out to Kicker Rock, a little islet a half mile offshore or so and a handful of miles from Wreck Bay. It was the perfect day for it with little wind and plenty of sunshine. At Kicker Rock there is a big islet and a smaller islet detached by about 30 feet with depths over 50 feet between them. We snorkeled in the gap and around the small islet. In the gap four to six foot white-tipped reef sharks and "Galapagos Sharks" were swimming around along with Eagle Rays and a couple Sea Turtles along with plenty of fish. It was the first time I've snorkeled with sharks and I was able to get a few pictures with my digital camera which I will post when I can. On the sunny side of the small islet the life forms growing on its steep walls and the fish circling made for great snorkeling. Sealife was plentiful and the water was crystal clear. After Kicker Rock we returned to the mainland and Isla Lobos, an island detached by a short channel with sea lions everywhere. Here I swam with the baby sea lions and snorkeled a bit more. The sea lions were quite playful and surprisingly not scared of humans or aggressive in the least. I also saw my first marine iguanas here, though I never saw one actually in the water. In the afternoon we surfed some small waves before falling asleep early.
This morning we surfed La Loberia and had some fun, though small waves. The weather here is amazing. 85 degrees, sunny and warm. Water 81 and crystal clear. No rain yet, though this is the rainy season. Will be in the Galapagos for up to two months in the 5 ports we are allowed to visit. I won’t be checking e-mail very often here, but will reply to everyone when I can.
After far too long on-the-hard in Puerto Lucia Avventura was dropped into the water around 1300 on February 15. After spending a couple hours at the fuel dock re-attaching the jibstay and taking care of other minor tasks Mike and I departed La Libertad at 1500 and motored westward. Unfortunately the wind began on the nose and soon died, not to return for 3 days. On Sunday a light breeze picked up from the east-northeast and I set the main and poled the jib out to windward, sailing Avventura wing-on-wing for the first time since I’ve had her, making 4.5 knots with just 8 knots of wind, but a 1.5 knot current which helped us the entire way to the Galapagos. It was a great feeling to be sailing once more, sailing away from the worries of land and the hectic rush to get the boat ready for the crossing with all the problems that entailed; but alas, it was not to last. By sunset the wind had died and the sails were spilling their air with great regularity so it was back to motoring for the night. In all we sailed just 12 hours on the crossing and used 55 gallons of diesel (thankfully it’s only $1.02/gal here) from La Libertad to Wreck Bay where we arrived in the morning hours of February 20.
On approach I could already tell I would fall in love with Isla San Cristobal. The water was as clear as I have seen it, and when I dropped the anchor you could see it hit the sand and a school of fish swarmed around the boat as I backed down. Shortly after the hook was set and Eagle Ray swam above the anchor chain some thirty feet down, and seals circled the boat looking for a perch to rest on (luckily we don’t have one, unlike the handful of catamerans here where the sea lions are able to climb up onto their swim steps and rest). By the afternoon I had attempted to check us in only to be told to return manana, and after a brief rest it was time to surf. Now up for launching the dinghy, and doubtful that there would be any surf, I retrieved my 7’ 2” and paddled across Wreck Bay to the south point off the Navy Base where a left point break forms off the rocky coast (el Canyon, or Canons—I’m not sure which). I was surprised to find the surf head high and extremely fun. I hadn’t brought a leash, but luckily I was able to hang on to my board.
Water clarity amazing. Wildlife stunning. Seals everywhere, but in a comical way, not annoying. And even some fun surf. While surfing I met a fellow-cruiser, Nick, a Kiwi on Pina Colada who we’ve been surfing with ever since.
Now before this gets long I will shorten the rest so I can get back to exploring the island. Have taken two tours on the island. The first was a land tour where we first stopped at the volcano atop the island. Inside its crater there’s a freshwater lake, and from the rim there are 360 degree stunning views of the surprisingly green island. From the crater we drove down to a breeding site for Galapagos tortoises and saw a dozen scattered around a neat little trail which brought you up close with the landscape of the island--lava and hard soil with hardy light-green vegetation, many of which have small flowers and are home to numerous birds. Tortoises are the most archaic looking creature I've ever seen. Even more so than iguanas. Relics from an era long past. Then went up to another beautiful lookout over the island, La Soledad, overlooking the west side of the island. The clarity of the water makes the coastline look amazing with its offshore reefs and color variations. Once back at the boat I went surfing at Canons once again with Nick. Caught 4 fun waves before it shut down with the high tide. It was a nice way to end a great day. Mike and I then capped off the day with a dinner ashore with Nick and his wife and the folks on Dream Weaver (who we met in Costa Rica and Panama). It was an amazing day.
The next morning Mike and I joined Nick and his wife and took a taxi with our boards to the southwest coast of the island--a beach called la Loberia. The entire south shore of the island is covered in light green vegetation clinging to the volcanic hillsides. The trail down to the beach wound along the rocky shoreline with a beautiful contrast in the round black lava rocks and the deep blue of the sea. After a short walk we arrived at a perfect half moon bay--perhaps the ideal beach. The white sand was fringed by vegetation on one side and a light green sea on the other. The inner waters of the bay are shallow and calm, being protected by an outcropping of rocks which chop the bay in half. Beyond the rocks lies the surfspot, a steep, hollow A-Frame wave that is fast, but provides short rides before you have to pull out in front of the exposed rocks. The surf was 6 foot and consistent and I got plenty of amazing waves; but the location was even better. Sitting in the lineup and looking ashore to a gorgeous beach--the only white break in an expanse of sharp blacks and greens beneath the blue sky, and no signs of human habitation (excepting the 15 people in the water and 15 on the beach). After surfing a couple hours (the water was noticeably cooler, at least 5 degrees, on the south side of the island) we walked back to town, using the airstrip as a shortcut (imagine doing that in the States these days). In the afternoon we took our dinghies (Mike and I, and Nick) around the south point of Wreck Bay and down the coast to Tonga Reef, a shallow left point break with fast, hollow waves that lead into a lava rock shoreline. I had some amazing rides including a couple nice tubes, though the surf was half the size of the morning, and had a blast.
In the Galapagos you are only able to anchor in 5 designated ports, and can't travel freely about, so tours are the only way to see the islands. So yesterday, February 24, Mike and I took a snorkeling trip to Kicker Rock. We took a panga with Dream Weaver, and the crew of Asylum out to Kicker Rock, a little islet a half mile offshore or so and a handful of miles from Wreck Bay. It was the perfect day for it with little wind and plenty of sunshine. At Kicker Rock there is a big islet and a smaller islet detached by about 30 feet with depths over 50 feet between them. We snorkeled in the gap and around the small islet. In the gap four to six foot white-tipped reef sharks and "Galapagos Sharks" were swimming around along with Eagle Rays and a couple Sea Turtles along with plenty of fish. It was the first time I've snorkeled with sharks and I was able to get a few pictures with my digital camera which I will post when I can. On the sunny side of the small islet the life forms growing on its steep walls and the fish circling made for great snorkeling. Sealife was plentiful and the water was crystal clear. After Kicker Rock we returned to the mainland and Isla Lobos, an island detached by a short channel with sea lions everywhere. Here I swam with the baby sea lions and snorkeled a bit more. The sea lions were quite playful and surprisingly not scared of humans or aggressive in the least. I also saw my first marine iguanas here, though I never saw one actually in the water. In the afternoon we surfed some small waves before falling asleep early.
This morning we surfed La Loberia and had some fun, though small waves. The weather here is amazing. 85 degrees, sunny and warm. Water 81 and crystal clear. No rain yet, though this is the rainy season. Will be in the Galapagos for up to two months in the 5 ports we are allowed to visit. I won’t be checking e-mail very often here, but will reply to everyone when I can.
martes, 13 de febrero de 2007
Galapagos Departure
With boat work winding down and Mike and I growing weary of Salinas the time has come to leave for the Galapagos Islands. Final boat work will be completed tomorrow morning and if all goes well "Avventura" will find her way back to the water by midday manana. Then, so long as checking out of the mainland goes well we will take our leave for the 575 mile passage through the doldrums to the Galapagos. Forecast is for little wind but the diesel wind I became so familiar with along the coast of Central America, but the northern reaches of the Humboldt Current should help us a bit on our way across the deep blue to the land of Darwin, one of the most intriguing places on earth in my eyes. The drawback is we will be missing the swell due for this weekend, but with the promise of good, less-crowded surf in the islands and the fact that I`ve been stationary for over three and a half months now it is time to get going westward. Thus I will be largely incommunicado for the next week or so, but will be updating my position reports on Yotreps (wdc9244), and those who need to can reach me on the boat`s e-mail (text only, please). So wish me luck tonight and tomorrow and Ì`ll update you again from the Galapagos.
viernes, 9 de febrero de 2007
Salinas Military Base
Today was one of those that makes cruising worthwhile. Though in the end I surfed a chest high beach break with a bit too much wind on it, it was the setting that made it worthwhile. The adventure started yesterday while returning from surfing in Salinas (at the local break “el barquito” named for an old wreck that once adorned the reef but has since been removed) and awaiting a bus when a local man in his twenties came up and started talking to Mike and I (more to me since Mike speaks very limited Spanish). He asked the usual—where are you from, where are you staying, where did you come from, where are you going, etc.—and by the end of the conversation he was inviting us to join him the next day to surf the much-touted “Chocolatera” wave, securely hidden at the far end of an Ecuadorian Military Base. I assumed he wanted money for this, but he said he only wanted some gas money, and he would meet us in the same spot at 6 a.m. tomorrow. I left excited at the prospect of checking out what is often touted as the best wave in Salinas, but thinking there was probably a 50% chance Jimmy would never show.
After working on the boat a bit during the day Mike and I sought refuge from the heat by returning to the beach break of Punta Carnero. Here we hiked a mile west on the beach to a small pier (the pier holds a pipeline which carries sea water inland to a series of pools where sea salt is produced) where a right peak was forming nicely every so often between your typical beach closeouts. The sets were overhead and there were two local kids out (90% of the surfers here are my age or younger) who left soon after we paddled out. I caught a few fun closeout barrels, 3 long and fun rights, and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset over the ocean for the first time in a while (Salinas sits west of La Libertad so the sun sets over the hotels from where Avventura is located). With the session over we hiked back up the road and waited a half hour serving as mosquito bait for the final bus of the day.
After a short night’s sleep I was shocked awake by my alarm clock for the first time since returning to Ecuador at 5:20 a.m. Mike and I grabbed our boards and struck off out of the yacht club and up to the main road. We took a taxi down to Salinas where we had agreed to meet Jimmy and arrived ten minutes before 6 with the first signs of daylight encroaching on the eastern sky. After sitting around for over a half hour waiting and swinging in a nearby park we decided to give up on Jimmy and head back to el barquito for a morning session. As we were walking away a beat-up pickup pulled up behind us and Jimmy greeted us. After buying a banana and a water we piled into the truck and struck off through the streets of Salinas.
When we arrived at the entrance to the Ecuador military base we were stopped at the gate and Jimmy was asked for his ID. He handed over his drivers license and a business card from a mid-ranking official on the base with a brief note on the back saying it gave Jimmy permission to enter. The officials were tentative at first and Jimmy slowly back-pedaled from saying we were going to surf to we just wanted to see the view on the point. With that the officer seemed satisfied and we were allowed on the base. Then, just a hundred yards further down the road, we reached another checkpoint. Here we were turned away without question, and I assumed our bout on the base was over. Jimmy turned around, but instead of leaving the base he turned left down a side street and then another left up a road headed back out the point, and after fifty yards we were stopped at another checkpoint—this one manned by officials in naval uniforms (as opposed to the army uniforms of the former 2 checkpoints). The naval officials were skeptical at first, so Jimmy again said we were just going to pass through to have a look at the view from the point, and we were permitted to pass. Mike and I somehow felt like spies, cautiously taking pictures as we proceeded down the road and into the desolate landscape of the point used to train all forms of Ecuadors Military. The point is endowed with three separate breaks, all of which are well-situated to pick up any swell; the only problem is there was no swell today. We drove past Shit Bay (that’s actually its name), a great left that forms off an offshore rock when there’s swell in the water, and carried on around the point at the end of the Santa Elena Peninsula (a barren, rocky hunk of land that serves to thwart the Humbolt Current to a certain small degree). As we wound around the peninsula we came to “Chocolatera” a right point break that breaks just below a lighthouse adorning the point. Again this is supposed to be the premier wave in Salinas, and it is well set-up to be a good right point break, but it was too small to surf today so we instead rumbled down a dirt road, parked just before the sand, and surfed the small, jumbled beach break with the fear in the back of our minds that the chance of getting shot was as good as that of getting a good wave. I caught a handful of terrible waves and two good rights before calling it quits and walking the length of the beach, camera in hand, snapping pictures with every few steps (or so it seemed). At the end of the beach I reached the Chocolatera point where a triple arch was carved into the point and small waves were showing the form and fun this wave could provide.
A handful of pangas were anchored offshore with Ecuadorians diving for lobster and octopus along the reef, and but for the crabs marching around the beach and the vultures lurking above the sand, I was alone on the beach. Walking my way back I collected a couple cowry shells and soaked in the atmosphere and desolation of the scene. Footprints were imbedded in lines down the beach where a troop of soldiers had obviously marched past in the recent past, and above this line began the mass amount of trash which had floated north in the Humboldt Current and settled on this outcropping of land. By the time I returned down the beach Mike and Jimmy were out of the water and heading for the truck and a second car was coming down the dirt road. As we drove away 4 local girls piled out of the little car and took to the water.
Leaving the beach, we cruised around the point, leaving the car for many a photo, and carried on around the point where I felt like a spy taking photos on this navy base which surely few Americans have gained access to. Once clear of the base we stopped for breakfast at an outdoor restaurant downtown before returning to the yacht club, and parting ways with Jimmy, thanking him for showing us around the base. Thus ended my morning on an Ecuadorian Military Base surfing an empty beach break and soaking in the atmosphere of Ecuador. It was a day most tourists would never experience because they won’t interact with the local people or allow things to happen which they know could lead to trouble, but probably will lead to an adventure you won’t soon forget.
This afternoon I tried to check out of Salinas, but was told the Port Captain was out of town and would be back tomorrow morning. I still hope to depart here Monday morning and to have the boat back in the water by Sunday morning at the latest. Tomorrow there is supposed to be a women’s contest over at Punta Carnero bringing a couple pros to the coast; I only wish they would bring some swell with them. Either way I will be departing Salinas early next week and will venture north up the Ecuadorian Coast, stopping near Isla Salango, at Isla de la Plata, and eventually arriving in Manta from where we will take our leave for the Galapagos Islands, a trip of around 530 nautical miles, and that I expect to be just under a week of light winds from a generally southerly direction.
Long blog; but it’s also been a while. I recently returned to Guayaquil for a night and those pictures are already posted on www.flickr.com/photos/avventura to be joined soon by my pics from the Ecuadorian Military Base.
After working on the boat a bit during the day Mike and I sought refuge from the heat by returning to the beach break of Punta Carnero. Here we hiked a mile west on the beach to a small pier (the pier holds a pipeline which carries sea water inland to a series of pools where sea salt is produced) where a right peak was forming nicely every so often between your typical beach closeouts. The sets were overhead and there were two local kids out (90% of the surfers here are my age or younger) who left soon after we paddled out. I caught a few fun closeout barrels, 3 long and fun rights, and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset over the ocean for the first time in a while (Salinas sits west of La Libertad so the sun sets over the hotels from where Avventura is located). With the session over we hiked back up the road and waited a half hour serving as mosquito bait for the final bus of the day.
After a short night’s sleep I was shocked awake by my alarm clock for the first time since returning to Ecuador at 5:20 a.m. Mike and I grabbed our boards and struck off out of the yacht club and up to the main road. We took a taxi down to Salinas where we had agreed to meet Jimmy and arrived ten minutes before 6 with the first signs of daylight encroaching on the eastern sky. After sitting around for over a half hour waiting and swinging in a nearby park we decided to give up on Jimmy and head back to el barquito for a morning session. As we were walking away a beat-up pickup pulled up behind us and Jimmy greeted us. After buying a banana and a water we piled into the truck and struck off through the streets of Salinas.
When we arrived at the entrance to the Ecuador military base we were stopped at the gate and Jimmy was asked for his ID. He handed over his drivers license and a business card from a mid-ranking official on the base with a brief note on the back saying it gave Jimmy permission to enter. The officials were tentative at first and Jimmy slowly back-pedaled from saying we were going to surf to we just wanted to see the view on the point. With that the officer seemed satisfied and we were allowed on the base. Then, just a hundred yards further down the road, we reached another checkpoint. Here we were turned away without question, and I assumed our bout on the base was over. Jimmy turned around, but instead of leaving the base he turned left down a side street and then another left up a road headed back out the point, and after fifty yards we were stopped at another checkpoint—this one manned by officials in naval uniforms (as opposed to the army uniforms of the former 2 checkpoints). The naval officials were skeptical at first, so Jimmy again said we were just going to pass through to have a look at the view from the point, and we were permitted to pass. Mike and I somehow felt like spies, cautiously taking pictures as we proceeded down the road and into the desolate landscape of the point used to train all forms of Ecuadors Military. The point is endowed with three separate breaks, all of which are well-situated to pick up any swell; the only problem is there was no swell today. We drove past Shit Bay (that’s actually its name), a great left that forms off an offshore rock when there’s swell in the water, and carried on around the point at the end of the Santa Elena Peninsula (a barren, rocky hunk of land that serves to thwart the Humbolt Current to a certain small degree). As we wound around the peninsula we came to “Chocolatera” a right point break that breaks just below a lighthouse adorning the point. Again this is supposed to be the premier wave in Salinas, and it is well set-up to be a good right point break, but it was too small to surf today so we instead rumbled down a dirt road, parked just before the sand, and surfed the small, jumbled beach break with the fear in the back of our minds that the chance of getting shot was as good as that of getting a good wave. I caught a handful of terrible waves and two good rights before calling it quits and walking the length of the beach, camera in hand, snapping pictures with every few steps (or so it seemed). At the end of the beach I reached the Chocolatera point where a triple arch was carved into the point and small waves were showing the form and fun this wave could provide.
A handful of pangas were anchored offshore with Ecuadorians diving for lobster and octopus along the reef, and but for the crabs marching around the beach and the vultures lurking above the sand, I was alone on the beach. Walking my way back I collected a couple cowry shells and soaked in the atmosphere and desolation of the scene. Footprints were imbedded in lines down the beach where a troop of soldiers had obviously marched past in the recent past, and above this line began the mass amount of trash which had floated north in the Humboldt Current and settled on this outcropping of land. By the time I returned down the beach Mike and Jimmy were out of the water and heading for the truck and a second car was coming down the dirt road. As we drove away 4 local girls piled out of the little car and took to the water.
Leaving the beach, we cruised around the point, leaving the car for many a photo, and carried on around the point where I felt like a spy taking photos on this navy base which surely few Americans have gained access to. Once clear of the base we stopped for breakfast at an outdoor restaurant downtown before returning to the yacht club, and parting ways with Jimmy, thanking him for showing us around the base. Thus ended my morning on an Ecuadorian Military Base surfing an empty beach break and soaking in the atmosphere of Ecuador. It was a day most tourists would never experience because they won’t interact with the local people or allow things to happen which they know could lead to trouble, but probably will lead to an adventure you won’t soon forget.
This afternoon I tried to check out of Salinas, but was told the Port Captain was out of town and would be back tomorrow morning. I still hope to depart here Monday morning and to have the boat back in the water by Sunday morning at the latest. Tomorrow there is supposed to be a women’s contest over at Punta Carnero bringing a couple pros to the coast; I only wish they would bring some swell with them. Either way I will be departing Salinas early next week and will venture north up the Ecuadorian Coast, stopping near Isla Salango, at Isla de la Plata, and eventually arriving in Manta from where we will take our leave for the Galapagos Islands, a trip of around 530 nautical miles, and that I expect to be just under a week of light winds from a generally southerly direction.
Long blog; but it’s also been a while. I recently returned to Guayaquil for a night and those pictures are already posted on www.flickr.com/photos/avventura to be joined soon by my pics from the Ecuadorian Military Base.
sábado, 3 de febrero de 2007
MONTANITA
Just back from the bus ride from hell—2 hours in an uncomfortable seat squeezed next to a fat, stinky Ecuadorian on a bus with no suspension riding over old roads down the coast back from Montanita; and to add to the pleasure I had no open window nearby. This after doing the same thing 24 hours earlier on the way up to Montanita—home, I am told by every surfer I meet down here, to Ecuador’s best waves. Problem was there wasn’t any real swell, so good wave or not the surf was small but fun.
Upon arriving in Montanita Mike and I found a Hostal to stay at (2 beds in a small room with AC) on the beach. We dumped our things in the room and walked down the beach to the point at its north end where the main wave is—a right point break that peels off the cliff. The surf, as I said, was small and the waves were slow, but despite it I had a good time surfing the best-formed waves I’ve come across in Ecuador. After a couple hours the tide came up too much and the crowd was getting thick so I went in and finished the day reading on a seawall overlooking the beach. The day was capped off by a glorious sunset as a faded orange globe emerged from a cloudbank and disappeared into the grayish-blue sea below.
When I awoke this morning the sun was out and the sea was calm, with the surf even smaller than yesterday and the point even more crowded. Instead of grabbing my board I grabbed my book and read the morning hours away on the seawall, reliving Wanderer after too-long an absence. After breakfast we boarded the long bus back home, so to speak.
Maintenance work continues on Avventura, meanwhile, slower than I’d hoped, so our departure from Salinas is still a few days away at best. Till then it’s more work and surfing the small stuff Salinas has to offer.
Upon arriving in Montanita Mike and I found a Hostal to stay at (2 beds in a small room with AC) on the beach. We dumped our things in the room and walked down the beach to the point at its north end where the main wave is—a right point break that peels off the cliff. The surf, as I said, was small and the waves were slow, but despite it I had a good time surfing the best-formed waves I’ve come across in Ecuador. After a couple hours the tide came up too much and the crowd was getting thick so I went in and finished the day reading on a seawall overlooking the beach. The day was capped off by a glorious sunset as a faded orange globe emerged from a cloudbank and disappeared into the grayish-blue sea below.
When I awoke this morning the sun was out and the sea was calm, with the surf even smaller than yesterday and the point even more crowded. Instead of grabbing my board I grabbed my book and read the morning hours away on the seawall, reliving Wanderer after too-long an absence. After breakfast we boarded the long bus back home, so to speak.
Maintenance work continues on Avventura, meanwhile, slower than I’d hoped, so our departure from Salinas is still a few days away at best. Till then it’s more work and surfing the small stuff Salinas has to offer.
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