Brian's Travels Index
We left Balboa and Panama City at 8.oo Tues 26Feb enroute for Galapogas Islands. We motored 40nm to the beautifull Las Perlas Islands to anchor overnight in a little bay surrounded by islands. Another Blue water rally yacht joined us and came over for sundowners. We left the next morning at dawn and watched hundred of pelicans and other sea birds. They were diving in a mass breakfast frenzy. The next day about 200nm into the Pacific we caught the sailfish. We were sailing with just the spinnaker up at 7kts. We had to drop the spinnaker very quickly and stop the yacht. The reel was red hot as the fish fought to break free and we were nearly at the end of the scope, but he stopped for a rest and we were able to start reeling him in. We expected the line to break there was so much tension on it, the breaking strain was 100lbs. When we got him on board he measured 9ft 5ins. (See the Photo on the club website www.nottinghamsc.org)
Each evening as darkness approached large sea birds attempted to roost for the night, only 3 were successful, web feet are not designed to grip, 2 settled on the poled out spinnaker pole (no sail) and 1 managed to balance on the pulpit.
As we approached Galapogas in flat calm seas we saw lots of seals lying on their backs in groups sunbathing ln the calm waters within feet of the yacht. Large bottlenosed Dolphins played on the bow wave. As we approached the anchorage turtles swam by and rays about 2ft across were visible in the clear waters.
The island of Santa Cruz was under a huge black cloud almost touching the sea, it poured with rain as we anchored, it was like coming ashore in Scotland except it was about 85 degrees.