LAS PERLAS TO THE GALAPAGOS

Our stay in Contadora was brief.  We arrived in the evening, anchoring in Galeon Bay but the next morning were asked to move on as our mast was causing interference for the small planes landing at the tiny airstrip behind the beach.  We weren’t sorry to head off to Isla Casaya, 11 miles away, as there was too much rubbish floating in the water to warrant a swim.  On exploring around the headland we also saw a pipe taking “effluent” out into the bay, not very appealing!  The beach there, lined with the derelict remains of more than one fairly substantial resort hotel and an abandoned ferry, had a spooky atmosphere and we wondered what had caused its demise.

With a great sail to our new anchorage we finally had a taste of the Las Perlas we were expecting.  There are innumerable picturesque uninhabited islands capped with trees and fringed with white beaches. The name is from the pearls pilfered by the conquistadores in the 16^th Century and a 31 carat “peregrina”  adorned Queen Mary Tudor.  For somewhere so close to Panama City, the area feels very remote and we were surprised to lose our mobile phone reception and with that our GPRS internet connection.  

We explored by dinghy, visiting a gorgeous beach, where we finally swam in turquoise clear water, and pressing our way up a narrow, mangrove-lined river.  All our repair problems seemed far away, for a moment or two.  Our run of bad luck with a multitude of things breaking or ceasing to work continued with the wind instrument giving up the ghost through corroded contacts.  The challenge was met and it was repaired with a sewing needle!

Our final stop was at Punta Cocos on the southernmost tip of Isla Del Rey.  Very rolly, we anchored the dinghy off the beach and swam in to be met by a couple of policemen.  Our worries that we were going to be asked for papers (we were already checked out in Panama City) were quickly dispelled by a friendly welcome and concern about the dinghy which they thought was floating freely.  We walked to the old WWII airfield and a beach on the other side.  The spectacular views were spoiled by the lovely sand littered with plastic, the scourge of our times.

Our neighbours in the bay were a huge vessel called Pacific Provider which is a “fishing resort”.  They are based their permanently and guests are flown in and stay onboard and use their army of smaller boats to go off sports fishing.  There was also an Australian boat, stuck with engine problems (what is it about boats?!). We invited the family onboard for a drink and the opportunity to fill up their jerry cans with water from our watermaker.

The next morning we set off early for the Galapagos, relieved to be departing “Spanama”, so named for our run of bad luck.  As if to herald the abundant wildlife we are expecting to see there, we saw a passing sea snake, turtles and a multitude of dolphins including one massive pod of at least 100.  For quite some time after leaving the mainland we had the ubiquitous plastic floating past and a good selection of enormous logs which made useful rafts for the seabirds.  At night we were surprised to have a group of seagulls swooping and soaring around the sails and navigation lights.  They seemed to prefer green light to red but, if they were using it to fish, they were rarely seen to dive into the water.  During the day our sentinels were happy with some squid thrown up to them that had landed on deck.

We hooked a tuna on day one and were left with only its head after a shark decided to have it for dinner.  Robin also caught what looked like a 6’ marlin but it freed itself before it was reeled in.

The 900 mile upwind passage to the Galapagos is not a comfortable one but we were fortunate to have calm seas and 10-15 knots winds and be able to sail most of the way, if on a curly course.  Slippery-hulled Spiip took 4½ days when many cruising boats take 9-12.  We encountered a lot of rain, the oncoming squalls playing havoc with our wind angle, and both the air and water temperatures dropped as we approached the islands.  We are all happy to be back to “life on the level”.  Overcoming the challenges of” life on the lean” proved interesting for Nic and me in a double bed making for some restless nights.  There’s no opportunity to share a bed on Irony with one of us always on watch.

And, highlight of our passage, we crossed the equator!  As the only 0˚ virgin onboard, I had a surprise visit from Neptune.  Miranda tapped into hitherto hidden talents as a fashion designer making a very fetching, not to mention revealing, costume for Robin out of kitchen foil.  He performed his role with aplomb squirting me with washing-up liquid while Nic turned the hose on me.