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Timshel - Panama to Galapagos Day 8 Arrival



Sorry about the delay in posting this - due to all the excitement of arrival etc. Having sailed slowly all day we realised we had enough fuel to motor the rest of the way, so we doused the chute and started the engine at about 16.30. Chugged along steadily, coming round the north of San Christobal then down the west coast, making sure not to run into Leon Dormido (which is also called Kicker Rock) on the way. Slowed down so as not to arrive in the dark and carefully motored into Wreck Bay at first light. The marks and lights are somewhat confusing as the Navionics electronic chart is clearly wrong, mislabelling the buoys that are there (an E cardinal called N cardinal)and including one that doesn't exist. The recently discontinued paper chart with depths in fathoms was nearer to being correct. First wildlife experience of Galapagos immediately as Sea lions were swimming all around the bay. A few WARC boats still here, and we found space to anchor between Hanna and Forget-me-not. The agent Carmella and the authorities arrived about 11.30 to start the clearance process. Another group went to Forget-me-not, they had not passed the hull cleanliness test and had been sent away 40 miles with divers to get cleaned so they were being rechecked. They were friendly, but the process was still stressful, luckily one guy spoke English. They ate all the nice french chocolate biscuits (from Martinique). The port captain looked at Fire extinguishers, flares, and the engine - which of course is new and nice and clean. They stamped the passports and took the copies of passports and registration prepared by WARC for us, then departed to be replaced by the Environmental lady and the diver (snorkeller). The diver spent about 2 mins under the boat then left, the Environmental lady asked if we had any plants, then filled out her forms, she didn't at our food or holding tank or anything, in fact didn't look below at all. We may have benefited from the fact that it was nearly lunch time and the officials and the agent were all anxious to get their Sunday dinner, they threw us some copies of forms and departed in haste in the water taxi. So we could haul down the yellow flag and go ashore for the happy hour.

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