Galapagos: Doldrums and Delights

World ARC 2025-26: Galapagos

The World ARC 2025-26 fleet is slowly gathering in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz. For most of the sailors, after arriving in San Cristobal and visiting Isla Isabella, Santa Cruz is the third stop in the archipelago of Galapagos.

First Pacific Passage

Getting here did not prove the easiest task. The route from Las Perlas Islands in Panama to Galapagos leads straight through the ITCZ (inter-tropical convergence zone), better known as the doldrums. Little wind, motor sailing for an extended period and heavy rain squalls marked the sailor’s way.

However, also on this stretch of ocean, not everything is grey and wet. It is the first time during the rally that the fleet has crossed the equator. The fishing was great - Spanish mackerel, mahi mahi and tuna have been caught. The boats were accompanied by dolphins, and even whales have been sighted.

San Cristobal Tour

One of the highlights was the World ARC tour to the highlands and the tortoise sanctuary, which was a great introduction to the diversity of San Cristóbal.

The bus left town early in the morning. As soon as the houses were left behind and the bus climbed higher into the hills, the scenery became greener, the clouds descended, and it got noticeably cooler.

It was a stark contrast to the sunny, humid conditions at the coastal town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, which we had just left.

After a half-hour bus ride, we reached El Junco Lagoon, a freshwater lake 700 metres above sea level, formed by the collapsed caldera of an extinct volcano.  It was a short hike up to the top for a wonderful vista over the lagoon and surrounding countryside.

With a depth of six metres, El Junco is the only sizable freshwater lake in the Galapagos, and its volume varies with the seasons. This area is great for bird watching, especially for spotting the frigate birds who like to rinse the salt from their wings in the fresh water.

Our guided tour also visited La Galapaguera, which is part of the national park on the southeastern part of San Cristóbal. It isn’t just a sanctuary for giant tortoises, but also a research and conservation centre, designed to help tortoises repopulate while living in a natural setting. 

These pre-historic looking tortoises, which can live for more than hundred years, weren’t at all bothered by us walking with them, as they ambled around slowly, eating their food.  As they reproduce all their lives, we were even lucky enough to see some of their offspring.

The final tour destination was a short stop to jump into the water at the beautiful beach at Puerto Chino. This popular swimming spot is renowned for Galápagos green turtles, stingrays and blue-footed boobies, as well as sea lions.

World ARC Kids' Day

A great initiative from our local agent, Antonio, was the World ARC kids' day. He invited the local children to come to his café – Café UMAMI, to meet the kids and the fleet from World ARC.

Many of the local children have never been on a sailboat or experienced an ocean crossing, and none of the ARC kids are used to living with sealions and marine iguanas in their neighbourhood!

The ARC kids prepared a presentation about their lives onboard, and it was amazing to see how both groups started to interact and share their stories and questions.

Now, the fleet is slowly coming together in Santa Cruz, where preparations for their next passage will take place. They can restock with fresh produce, fishing equipment, boat hardware, and all their other needs.