Greetings from yacht Ensemble!
In the morning we had to meet up with the Floreana Port Captain and pay him our $20 fee (what exactly for our Spannish wasn't quite good enough to understand). The village itself was very small - and really not very
attractive. So, while a useful stop over on the way to Isabella - not much more.
We then commenced the 30nm hop from Floreana to Isabella. Again - not much wind - but the seas were nice and calm - and we had a visit from dolphins and I though I saw a pilot whale. We were again travelling in convoy - with Wind Dancer in front and Serendipity behind us. Serendipity saw a 13m Whale Shark.
The entrance to the Puerto Villamil marina was no drama - being both well marked and nicely sheltered - although it was fairly full by the time the three of us and Ruby arrived. The marina boasts the usual sea lions and its own colony of Galapagos penguins (very similar in size to our own fairy penguins).
We took the dinghy into the dinghy dock just out of town and were greeted by a 1.5m marine iguana, with a baby iguana hanging around it's tail. Magali didn't see it until the last moment and got quite a start.
The town itself is very picturesque - with two white sand beaches separated by a volcanic rock peninsula that boasts a beach bar. The town itself seemed a cut above what we'd seen before - although the roads are still unpaved - the buildings look well made and cared for - a few cafes and restaurants - even with modern public toilets - although I'm not sure about the WiFi and supermarkets. The town is still in the middle of it's Festiva celebrations - so the quiet serenity of the beach was somewhat disturbed by the boom boxes, beach rock volleyball, and female arm wrestling.
The visit to the Captainery didn't quite go smoothly either, with the Port Captain stating we were missing a paper. Fortunately the Juba crew (native Spanish speakers) were with us - and the Port Captain said we could sort it out tomorrow.
Today we'll have a look at what day tours we can find for tomorrow - and try and catch up on boat maintenance and cleaning (it never stops!).
Cheers
Dave and Magali
21Feb2012 015