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Ayama - MISSING THE BUTTERFLIES



We have had good sailing and then hours of motoring. We headed south with the winds and the current but had to motor across the notorious Doldrums. We kept heading south as Stefan hoped to pick up the southerly winds to sail back to the Galapagos. We are now sailing at 8 knots in 12 knot winds, calm seas and lovely weather …and we have just had a rum/Panama cheap liquor/coke with ice (Stefan is very proud of his ice-making) drink to celebrate crossing the Equator.
There has been very little wildlife, a few birds and 1 gull that seemed to be determined to try and land on Ayama. I think she was lonely as she would settle on the sea, get left behind so fly to catch us up. I miss the colourful butterflies that fluttered by us in Las Perlas, going goodness knows where! Last night Per and I rescued a very wriggly 6 inch flying fish. Occasional masked boobies as well as brown ones pass by. There have been areas of flotsam and jetsam, large trees, lumps of wood, bamboo and the usual floating plastic rubbish. There was one large log floating by with 2 gulls happily perched on it, like an elderly couple on a park bench! Stefan and Anna saw pilot whales this morning when Per and I were catching up on sleep.
The night shifts have been peaceful with some phosphorescence which is magical. Per had dolphins leaving phosphorescent trails but I must have been tired as I didn’t get up to see. We can now see the southern cross so totally different star constellations. We have had no passing ships but last night, near the end of my 12-3am shift there was a fishing boat straight in front of us. It is hard to know what nets they have out so better to give them a wide berth. I think it was about then we crossed the Equator.
Still no success with Stefan’s radio but we can hear some of the morning roll call. Exocet Strike, a Plymouth yacht, felt a little bit threatened when a fishing boat came alongside them and they weren’t sure what they were demanding. All the other yachts seem to have had some good winds and then had no wind. At least we have had the current with us all the way.
Anna and I did some laundry yesterday but everything is still a bit sticky and salty especially as the nights have been humid. The gas for the cooker stopped working and Stefan thought we might have a problem only to find he hadn’t quite turned the bar-b-q off so the gas had leaked out so he had to change cylinder. The plantains Kristofer gave us are ripening but the yogurt I made (which was good) couldn’t take the rough sea and has gone sloppy..still tastes good.
We are 1 ½ days approx. from the Galapagos but don’t want to arrive in the anchorage in the dark so might have to slow down.

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