It is just after midnight and I am on watch but there is not a whole lot to watch but a beautiful moon and starlit night out here. We FINALLY left Isabella Island, Galapagos yesterday morning , 5 weeks later than planned and very ready to leave our beautiful anchorage. By the middle of yesterday I was doubting why we ever wanted to leave the cozy confines of a harbor but now that the seas have calmed down it all feels good. The boys are being good to me and letting me take more of my wafch hours during the day as I have not mastered the nap thing as well as they have but I think we have come up with a schedule that works for all of us. Our first fday out the winds were from all over the place, the seas were confused and it poured for the 2nd day straight( the first day on Mon postponed our departure). Early this morning was still pouring and very squally so a bit unerving but we ended up with a beautiful afternoon and the seas have calmed down. Wind is a steady 15 knots and we are moving at a consistent 9 knots towards Easter Island ( 250 miles down and a mere 1650 to go!). We are all reading alot and trying to stay rested in these short versions of sleep patterns. Must say tho' 3 people sure beats a couple having to share the whole watch which is what most boats have.
We were so lucky to have been able to impose upon our friend Malcolm to fly to Galapagos with our propeller piece as Gram's plan to go to England to retrieve was thwarted by our overextended Visas . There sure is alot to keep track of and we were lucky that they allowed us to stay in Isabella until we could fix the boat. We got to know alot of people in that town and were feeling almost like honorary citizens...even were allowed to charge food at the little store there..just like French and Brawn(yet oh so different in available products!) We were at anchor much of that time with another boat /Soggy Paws from Florida who are wonderful new friends...Sherry and Dave are the epitome of cruisers who always offered help and knowledge and tools and support to make up for the problems the boat was giving us. They hope to leave for Easter early next week so we think our paths will cross again.For anyone interested in the more technical version of our prop saga both Gram and Bill have posted versions on the blog and they intend to write a magazine article about having to pull your prop in the water which I think was a pretty awesome feat that few boats would attempt.
All in all I would say the Galapagos is a magical kind of place and would encourage any of you to try to get there while it can still be visited. The species and origins of the animals and flora there is very unique and I sure hope that tourism does not harm it. We are all still happy to be in sunny places though I miss my Maine family alot. Hope all is well and that we continue to get pieces of news from any and all of you. Emails are a great treat and we feel so lucky to have the sat phone aboard that allows us this bit of connection with the real world.. Will get back on a more regular email schedule now that we are moving again... It's hard to believe that Feb is just about over...spring is around the corner for you all while we continue on eternal summer!
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