After my friend Uwe from Bremen arrived at Vista Mar marina, we went shopping one last time.
The first day of sailing to San Jose las Perlas Island, a 49-mile trip, was a fantastic day with Force 5 winds. Arriving in the bay, we met up with our friends Mickey and Sheila. We stayed there for two days and they treated us to a delicious meal.
Early Friday morning, we set off for the Galapagos Islands. Since there was very little wind and we had to cross the designated container shipping lanes, we motored. The so-called Doldrums (calms) had us completely in their grip. The sea was absolutely mirror-smooth, with lots of plastic waste around us and a few larger tree trunks. In total, we motored for 36 hours, and it soon became apparent that we still had a problem with the propeller shaft seal. It kept overheating and we had to vent out the air/steam every half hour. Nerves were frayed, as a normal watch system was no longer feasible, at least not for John and me.
The atmosphere on board wasn’t easy, especially since my friend Uwe wasn’t yet very familiar with our boat, and the procedures weren’t yet established. We even considered turning back rather than continuing. But when the wind finally picked up and we enjoyed almost six days of good sailing, things calmed down somewhat, although the problem, of course, wasn’t solved.
Then the moment arrived: we crossed the equator, and Neptune was appeased with a little rum from Eckernförde and a very nice speech from our skipper. It’s quite strange to now give coordinates with S instead of N. We’ve now earned ourselves another tattoo: a turtle!
We experienced fantastic sunsets and one evening had a total of 10 fellow travellers on the bow – Booby birds! The mess left behind by our guests was visible on deck the next morning. Our skipper then decided that no more Boobies would be allowed to land on Maya, even if it meant chasing them with a boat hook or sounding the horn to scare them off!
To arrive in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island before nightfall, we motored the last few nautical miles.
We were a little disappointed upon arrival; we hadn’t expected so many motorboats and large cruise ships. The motorboats offered 10 – 14 day cruises around the Galapagos islands and generally left after a few days.
Finding a place to anchor wasn’t easy at all. Since it was already after 1600 it was too late for the authorities to come. They came at 0900 the next day. Luckily, because after eight days of sailing, we needed to tidy up and clean the boat so the time wasn’t wasted
We were a little nervous about whether everything was in order:
There were so many regulations we had to take care of beforehand. Three different waste bins had to be labelled (everything was separated), the hull had to be spotless, and we needed antifouling and fumigation certificates. On top of that, certain fruits, meats, and eggs are prohibited.
When the nine people (immigration, customs, health inspectors, and police) came aboard, they were treated to cola, beer, and delicious Madeleines. This immediately lifted everyone’s spirits. Then we had to fill out countless forms before Maya was inspected more thoroughly.
Three officers inspected the boat, wanting to see our refrigerator and freezer. I even had to lift the floor of the aisle where the canned goods are stored.
A glance into the engine room was met with an officer’s satisfied comment of “Limpio, limpio…” which means very clean. Everyone seemed satisfied, and after just under an hour, everyone except our agent, Danny, disembarked. Danny then gave us a few tips for the island and also where we could refill our gas cartridges.
Overall, we were happy to be there and looked forward to going ashore.