We arrived the day before yesterday having left San Cristobel at first light and motored all the way across as there was absolutely no wind. It was 57 nautical miles and we arrived in good time. We had the water maker running the whole day to fill our tank which had dropped down to 1/4 tank. We use a little more water these days as it has been hot and humid and a quick shower before bed always helps you to fall asleep. And after swimming in the ocean it is always nice to rinse the salt off the body.
We spent a nice day exploring the island, taking a trip up to the highlands to Asilo de la Paz to see the tortoise reserve and the caves where pirates and early settlers lived. This island is famous as a stopping point for ships to get water which is found in the highlands, slowly dripping out of the rocks.
The beach where we anchored is called Playa Negro (black beach) because the sand is very coarse and black, of course. There is a hotel here run by a descendant of the early settlers on the island. Erika was born on this island and has lived here all her life. She brought out a book for us to sign. This, it seems, has been a tradition going way back as the book we signed had entries from the seventies and one entry referred to a previous book that dated back to the fifties.
We met a young woman staying in the small house next to the beach. She has been here for a couple of months now and is studying Darwin's Finches. She told us she had seen Orcas that morning, so we are now on the lookout as this is one animal that we would all dearly like to see.
We took an afternoon walk to the point where we saw crabs, iguanas and sea lions, had a swim and a snorkel and generally just a lazy day.
What was the last thing you saw last night just before closing your eyes and dropping off to sleep? For Jens and I it was a sky full of stars, the Milky Way stretching over us and stars reflected in the sea. It was such a gorgeous evening that we pulled up the cushions from the salon and made a bed on the deck. The stars were our blanket and the sound of the waves on the beach gently lulled us to sleep.
This island is surely one of the most laid back places you can hope to find. But, it is time to move on once again.
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