Mistral of Portsmouth - Santa Cruz

Our last stop in the Galapagos. Time just flies by … it’s been lovely to have a few days on our own here. We’ve done some chilling, some exploring and a lot of preparation for the next passage - the longest we will do at 3000 nm to the Marquesas Islands half way across the South Pacific. Santa Cruz has a very different feel to the other 2 islands we have explored - more sophisticated and a bit more developed so a bit busier but still a great vibe. No flies and v few mosquitos - a big relief to Cap P!

We were hugely proud of ourselves as we fixed a stanchion (involved drilling out a broken screw head amongst other things); changed engine oil filters, did a sweep of the biggest hardware store for oil, a hard hat (in case I need to go up the mast again!) and other booty; got more gas; sorted the laundry; managed to re-provision and got 10 more packs of bacon (you can never have too much) and 2 whole chickens; and best of all, secured 30 eggs on an island that had none for days. Huge win! Had sent Janie on a mission to find eggs that very evening and would you believe, she found 4 dozen … over supplied with eggs now but very happy! Also managed a bit of lovely shopping with the inevitable cocktails at happy hour (3-6pm here) and meals ashore. Yum.

Today has been a wonderful day for me - diving trip at the iconic Gordon’s Rock. A partially submerged volcano, it’s a cleaning station for fish and sharks. Simply awesome. Hammerheads, sharks of all varieties, turtles, sea lions at play, eagle rays, beautiful coral and a plethora of reef fish. These dives will really spoil me for anywhere else.

We’ve still got more exploring to do. Tomorrow we will visit North Seymour Island and we then have 2 full days before we leave. Janie and Patrick join us on Monday in time for the skippers briefing and prize giving party. We still need to buy fresh fruit and veg for the next 3 weeks. A busy time but lots of fun as well as work. More to come as ever …