RTW Leg 11: Panama to Galapagos

In Leg 11, Lucy picks up the story of Broadswords' journey to Galapagos and what this extraordinary archipelago has to offer the reluctant traveling sailor!

Kicker Rock. Only our second location and third dive since passing our PADI in very challenging conditions.

The wonderful thing about being able to travel on a journey like this is the opportunity to meet new people. In Bonaire we met a lovely couple called Anders and Annette who live in Colorado but are originally from Sweden while in Shelter Bay we met another couple from Switzerland called Dominique and Guylene. Between our three boats we decided that we should make a mini flotilla and go to the Galapagos Islands (via Las Perla Islands.) We have spent many evenings on each other’s boats. Comparing notes, swapping stories and generally having a really fun time in each other’s company. They are all long-time sailors and their knowledge has become invaluable to us.

So, we all left Las Playitas in Panama City. Broadsword had had a few jobs needing done (THE FRIDGE IS STILL NOT FIXED!!! – but a new one is being flown to the Galapagos islands for us, as they now know, after 6 months of being told …. it is actually broken! Horizon (Anders and Anette) and Broadsword met at the very pretty island of Mogo Mogo in the La Perla islands.

Mogo Mogo, Perlas Islands, Gulf of Panama. Lucy takes a dip in idyllic turquoise waters.

Here, the most amazing thing happened. We realised that the boat that was with us, through the canal, was in the same bay as us. We popped over and asked them over to us for drinks. Mel and Brian came over and we all had a lovely evening. Brian was telling us about the only time he’d ever been to Scotland. It was in the 80’s when he was a student. His father had given him the names of some friends and relatives to contact when he got off the train at Waverly for the Edinburgh Festival. It was then that he told us he had stayed with an incredibly lovely lady…. who the 1st mate knew!! And, that he was a second cousin of a very dear friend. Quite incredible, how small the world is! The next night Kawaine II (Dominique and Guylene ) joined us and on we continued with our journey. We now had a 5-day passage. A groove to get back into with watches and sleeping patterns.

Cantering along under the gennaker. There has been some confusion over the name of our boat.

The captain always says ‘one boat is a mobile swimming pool, any more ……then it’s a race!’ The 1st mate usually sighs and says ‘yes dear’ and carries on reading her Jilly Cooper!

The passage to the Galapagos islands was fairly routine. Lots of tropical storms in the distance with big flashes of lightning, but nothing too much. But there was a shift in the animals we saw. We saw white birds (swallow tailed seagulls, the only nocturnal seagull) which followed the boat all through the night. We found it very odd until the captain worked it out. When he shone a torch onto the sea, he could see thousands of tiny little squid, spooked by the boat and leaping out of the water. Then we had red footed boobies roosting on our boat. The mess after you have 8 red footed boobies was not very nice and the captain got quite cross!

Red footed boobies. Live on the wing at sea but prefer to roost and poop on Broadsword.

I was almost about to forget the biggest event of the trip …. crossing the equator!

Here you have Pollywogs who have never crossed the equator before, and Shellbacks who have, celebrating and giving the Pollywogs forfeits. John dressed up as Neptune and said some words and made the 1st mate go through an initiation ceremony involving yoghurt, limes and a bucket of sea water. We then opened up a bottle of cava to bless the boat and pay thanks to Neptune. Fear not ardent feminists out there!!! We will be going over the equator again…. I’ll be Neptune next time round!*

Neptune and his Polliwog, soon to be promoted to Shellback.

So, we arrived at the island of San Cristobel, one of the three places where we are allowed to anchor, and we could smell the Sea Lions before we saw them! We could see them on the backs of boats and thought “wouldn’t it be amazing if they did that with us.” Well, yes, it was amazing …the first time. The following times, not so funny. Then the times when they get right up into the cockpit of the boat and make themselves very much at home on your lovely pistachio green cushions that everyone has made lovely comments about. Making themselves so much at home that they poo and pee and leave short little smelly hairs everywhere. Then no, it starts to lose its whole ‘wow’ factor. Then it’s all about fortification and defence systems. And the little buggers can still get in. No, it loses its appeal very quickly.

Sealions quickly became a dull nuisance.

And here, dear readers, is the moment. The moment, I’m sure many of you probably are surprised hadn’t happened earlier. I shall set the scene…

On returning from a rather jolly night out, we discovered that Broadswords defences had been breached by two rather large sealions. Lots of hilarity of chasing off the boat and proceeding to go to bed with “Oh we’ll deal with it in the morning.” 1st mate woke the next morning with a “I did it last time round” attitude to the clean-up and left the captain to set about the task in hand. She was woken by yells and many, many swear words. What had happened was that the captain had started by washing down the boat with sea water. A good way of trying to get all the hairs off the boat. Sadly, after his eighth bucket, he realised that someone, almost certainly him, hadn’t closed a hatch fully. Therefore…. eight buckets worth of salty, sealion poo, pee and hairs had gone into the tech room below, into all the tech boxes and then into the bilges. The 1st mate tried to help and both tried to remain calm. But it just got too much. I’m not just talking about wobbly bottom lip and a few tears. I’m talking hiccups of breath between sobs. The captain, exasperated, screamed at the 1st mate “what’s wrong with you now!” Seriously? And then, she utters the dreaded words…

“If you don’t stop yelling now, I am getting off this bloody boat and getting the first f**king plane home!”

The captain looked like he had been shot! It helped that there was an airstrip right next to the anchorage, which added a lot of weight to the threat! The problem is that when the captain yells, the 1st mate looks over both shoulders to see if its someone else he’s yelling at. No, it’s just the 1st mate. The captain isn’t actually yelling at her directly but it’s just there’s no one else to share the yell with. Anyway, the captain realised that the small domestic had developed into a situation where other boat crews were starting to pop up like meercats to see what was going on. Looking on in a concerned but sadly, understanding, knowing way.

The situation was quickly sorted and after a few “sorrys”, hugs, cuddles… a normal breathing pattern was resumed… and then the fresh water pump broke down. But the captain the hero of day, had a spare and managed to take out the old and put in the new. All ended well, but he’s now a bit warier of 1st mates feelings.

More fun to swim with sealions.

To be honest, the first mate has been a bit down of late as her little sister has just emigrated to the US and I missed the family farewells. And to cap it all, the 1st mates little brother is managing to make a family visit to Scotland which I will also miss. All quite big milestone family events and I’m absent. And, her lovely godfather passed away and the crew have missed one of 3 weddings which they are unable to attend this year. We are feeling a wee bit homesick.

But I have been diverted with paltry domestic issues …. The Galapagos Islands. The islands we never thought we’d visit. Seen only on Blue Peter and The Blue Planet. We had arrived and in order to stay on the island, you need an agent, an actual godsend and well worth the expense. You need to pay high prices for trips to specific parts of the island. Each trip has a park ranger and their knowledge is amazing.

We first went diving to Kicker Rock. Renowned for its hammerhead sharks. The visibility was rotten but we still saw some amazing balloons of fish which were mesmerising. We then went to see the Giant Tortoises. The captain remained competitive and was the first to spot eight during our walk. The 1st mate spotted one and remained in a huff for the rest of the afternoon.

Horse trek to the Sierra Negra caldera volcano. Last erupted 49 years ago.

Marine Iguanas, Sealions, Blue footed Boobies, sting rays. A feast for the naturalists’ eyes.

A horse trek up to a Volcano with the family from Quick Step Too; Nick, Sophie and their fantastic wee boys Rory and Billy. Snorkelling in the lava tunnels with Giant Turtles and Black tipped Sharks and White tipped sharks was probably the best trip of them all. All really well organised.

Here is a small selection of our fauna snaps. Two of the nine are endemic to Galapagos. Anyone care to take a stab?

We are now back on the Island of Santa Cruz and yesterday we had our replacement fridge installed – HALLILUJAH - and its working a dream. We are now stocking up on veg, meats and stores for our next passage to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. A mere 3000 miles and it will just be the captain and 1st mate on this passage. Three weeks is the longest we will have done by ourselves. Lots to do before we leave. Yes, the 1st mate is a tad daunted by the passage but is slightly buoyed by the fact she had to do the Heimlich Manoeuvre on the captain the other day when he choked on some lunch. She feels she might cope.

*Ed’s note: Neptune is a bloke, a bit like Jesus and James Bond. The respective story tellers were unequivocal on this point.

Follow our journey live on NO FORGEIN LAND: https://www.noforeignland.com/boat/broadsword?sid=5279125994471424&tc=1648840771590