Equator

It is a tradition when crossing the equator to ask King Neptune for his protection and good will. We understand he likes "spirits"; our offering was rum.

Warrior

Friends Robin and Michelle of Warrior welcomed us to San Cristobal after our 8 day passage.

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

The malécon at Wreck Bay is stylish; the sea lions especially appreciate its ambience.

Sharksky

Once again we took a trip up the north coast of San Cristobal and into the Parque Nacional Galápagos. This is Wilson our park guide.

Cerro Bruja

Witch´s Hill is the youngest part of San Cristobal. The grandeur of this 500´ high fissure is impossible to capture with our camera.

Leon Dormido

The rock formation called the Sleeping Lion dominates the scenery at San Cristobal. Over 150 meters high, it´s sheer faces are a favorite dive spot.

Leon Dormido through Cerro Bruja

Sharsky´s captain skillfully took us through this cave on the far north end of Cerro Bruja.

Pacifico Claro

The crystal clear water surrounding Leon Dormido made for amazing sights while snorkeling.

Wow

Leon Dormido´s gap is hard to describe, though this may give you a hint as to its beauty. Swimming through it is an experience everyone should have...it makes you feel small indeed.

Tight Squeeze

This second gap in Leon Dormido was too small for Sharksky but a few daring souls, Philip included, braved the swell and swam inside.

Moving Beach

The beach at Bahía Stephens on San Cristobal seemed to move as you walked along it. Hermit crabs occupy almost every empty shell and aren´t really happy with being inspected.

Sally Who?

These brilliant but shy crabs are called Sally Lightfoot crabs. A bit further down this pile of rocks, Leslie was slowly creeping up on some to take their photo when one particularly bold crab began crawling up her leg - she jumped a mile.

Beagle Cove?

Sometimes called Frigatebird Cove (Tijeretas) and sometimes nothing at all, this small cove was the site of the Beagle's first anchorage in the Galápagos and where Charles Darwin first went ashore.

Volcano's Wake

The lower elevations of the Islas Galápagos are strewn with volcanic rock, making its hiking trails interesting.

Palo Santo

The arid zone on the Islas Galápagos are dominated by palo santo trees and opuntia cactus.

Opuntia Cactus

This cactus is endemic to the Galápagos, meaning it appears no where else on earth.

Chuck

A bigger than life statue of Charles Darwin overlooks Beagle Cove. The statue includes a sea lion, a giant tortoise and a marine iguana.

Lava Lizard

These lovely, seemingly gregarious lizards, scurry across your path before taking up a perch to patiently wait for the composition of a portrait.

Lava Gull

This small gull´s antics were fun to watch. For an hour or more it fished from the gunnel of our dinghy but when it reached out to grab a fish, it would keep a few of its toes attached to the dinghy and right itself, captured fish in beak, without getting its feathers wet!

Galápago

High on Cerro Colorado on Isla San Cristobal is the Galápaguero Semi-Natural where giant tortoises live in their natural environment but are protected from common enemies such as introduced species. A breeding program is also underway to prevent species extinction.

Yohelah

Rob and Teresa aboard Yohelah, another Seattle based boat, arrived just after us. We encountered them at the Park Interpretive Center.

Made in the USA

When the USA built an airbase at Isla Baltra during WWII they imported wooden houses. Upon abandoning the site, they gave these homes to the islanders who moved them; this home is at El Progreso on Isla San Cristobal.

El Tropezón

These wind turbines stand 75 meters high and have a wing span of approximately 100 meters! They are expected to supply up to 50% of the electrical energy for San Cristobal.

Puerto Chino

Less a port than a gorgeous sugar sand beach, Puerto Chino is a favorite swimming and snorkeling site on the south side of Isla San Cristobal. We still don´t know the origin of its name.

Micronia

Our taxi-guide Wilmer explains the importance of the micronia plant which is the subject of intense reforestation in the upper elevations of San Cristobal and must be protected from grazing cattle.

Leonidas

Tom and Ann of the Santa Cruz, CA vessel Leonidas joined us on our San Cristobal land trip.

Boat Maintenance in Exotic Places

As always, the boat requires attention. One whole day was consumed restitching the edges and sunbrella cover of the genoa.

Sea Lions

Nearly every flat surface in Wreck Bay (including many anchored boats) are populated by sea lions. Ever entertaining and gregarious, this youngster dove and picked up this stick and played with it, seeming only for our amusement.

Rancho Chimichurry or Finca de Taller Electroman

While in Wreck Bay we had our starter worked on at Taller Electroman owned by Miguel Pionce. It was pouring buckets at the time and we were all standing in muddy water and trying to be cheerful. During our watery repair, Pionce invited us to visit his finca, which we did the following day.

Rancho Chimichurry

Arriving at Pionce's finca in El Progreso, we first encounter the modest but neat home of the campesinos who work his land "por comida" (for food).

Aji Picante

Rolando joined our expedition and helped us to pick tiny but firey "aji picante" (spicy peppers).

Organic Coffee

The Galapagos produces quite a bit of organic coffee. This is Pionce's crop which would not be ready for harvest for about two months.

Chanchitos

In Ecuador pork is called chancho; these little guys were quite animated and seemed to adore bananas.

Naranjillo

We were surprised at the taste and texture of these fruit which don't look at all related to oranges but which are prized for juice.

Flor!

We weren't able to identify this but friend Joyce Gunn sent this along to Brian Kemble of The Ruth Bancroft Garden who said it is the flower of the passion fruit, Passiflora edulis. Passion fruit is definitely grown in the Galapagos where it is sold as "maracuya".

NOT more BANANAS!?

Pionce grows four types of bananas at Rancho Chimichurry, this amazing variety is called (something like) magueño. We took home a large branch which Philip soaked in seawater to drive out the resident cucarachas.

Rancho Chimichurry

As papaya plants get larger, it becomes challenging to harvest the heavy fruit.

Hello Santa Cruz

Brit and Axel of Hello World were part of an expedition by speedboat to visit for the day Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz.

Hokus Pokus

Also part of the expedition (planned by Teresa and Rob of Yohelah and executed by friend Manolo of Sharksky) were the lovely couple, Mats and Ula, of the Swedish yacht Hokus Pokus.

Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz

The bay at Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz is quite lovely, though it is quite open to the large Pacific swell.

Darwin Center

The Darwin Research Center dedicated to preservation of giant tortoises and land iguanas in Puerto Ayora has a lovely natural setting.

Lonesome George

The last of his species this tortoise lives at the Darwin Center with two females of the species most closely related; no fertile eggs have yet been produced.

Manolo & Tina

This delightful young couple own Sharksky Adventures Galapagos and eco-touring business in San Cristobal, Galapagos. We met Manolo two and a half years ago when we visited here before and have kept in contact. They made our stay in Wreck Bay very special.