Panama - Salinas

Panama - Salinas on Google Earth

The passage from Panama to Galapagos is 900 nautical miles, mostly within the doldrums with little wind and occasional thunderstorms. My dad and I are preparing ourselves for a long passage, which we start with a short trip to Islas Las Perlas, where we are waiting for a good weather window. It comes sooner than later and while we anchor there for a night, we never set foot on the island.

After good progress on the first days, we are encountering very light to no winds for the rest of the passage. Thanks to favourable currents and Blue Bie’s good light wind speed, we arrive after seven days – having motored only a few hours on the last day. My dad and I are having a good time; while not fast, the passage is very comfortable and I do my best in the kitchen to spoil us. I use a calm to swim in the Pacific; we are seeing many dolphins and on the last day even a whale. I am celebrating the first quarter of my circumnavigation and my first equator crossing. The sea is so calm that we can put our champagn glasses on the solar panel and they wouldn’t move a centimeter.

Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz is the main tourist hub and I am slightly disappointed: It feels like a real town, with cobblestoned sidewalks and a tiled pier and unlike a nature paradise. As we venture further afield we encounter more nature: 97% of Galapagos is a National Park. The vegetation is rather unspectacular, but one can see huge tortoises and many bird species. The wildlife is much more interesting in the water. I am snorkeling with playful sea lions and diving with schools of majestic hammerhead sharks, rays and turtles. Slowly I am getting more attuned to the nature even around Puerto Ayora, seeing sea lions idling on boats and even on Blue Bie, iguanas, big frigate birds, pelicanos, petrels and blue footed boobies fishing.

It’s not the first time that I realize that my dad and I are closer now that I am sailing the seven seas than when I was working in Switzerland. So we have to say good-bye much too soon. My plans have been changing in the last few weeks, too: I will ‘return’ to South America to meet Monica in Bogota and to sail together via Galapagos to French Polynesia.

The passage from Galapagos to Salinas in Ecuador is against wind and current and I am trying to catch a good weather window. But I can wait as I want, the wind is forecast to be mostly on the nose and very light. I am not setting off from Galapagos without stopping on Española to see Albatrosses, but can’t see any because I am too early in the season. The wind never exceeds 8 knots and it takes me 8 days for the 550 nautical miles passage. For three days I can’t point my bow towards Salinas, have to beat against the light wind. With the slower speed my soul and mind get freer and freer and time and horizon seem to stretch to eternity. A very peaceful feeling descends over me and it feels like this passage should never end. It is wonderfully liberating to have no news, just a few good books and my own thoughts. I love single-handed passages – even more so, when I know that I very soon my love will join me and we will enjoy cruising together.