World ARC Pacific - Arrivals in Galapagos
by World Cruising Club 31 Mar 2023 07:55 UTC
World ARC Pacific © World Cruising Club
Arrivals of the World ARC Pacific Fleet into San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos are in full swing! Arriving in Puerto Baquerizo means the end of an ~800NM leg from Panama. The boats were met with predictably calm winds and sea state just two nights after departing Contadora, an island paradise in the Las Perlas islands south east of Panama City.
However, there is no doubt that the leg will be memorable to many as, of course, it included crossing the equator! The boats in the fleet fully embraced the opportunity to partake in a line crossing ceremony with plenty of fancy dress costumes and tributes to Neptune. The yellow shirt team is looking forward to receiving all the photos for the photo competition.
With almost all the fleet now in the safe anchorage of Wreck Bay, the boats are being inspected by a multitude of authorities, not least the sea lions! Each boat will be boarded by around 8 different Galapagos Authorities who will check them in and clear through immigration, check they have all the relevant paperwork and signage and dive each hull to ensure they are clean. Boats fly the Q flag and stay onboard until all inspections are completed and they are cleared to come ashore.
The thorough inspections carried out by the authorities are notably to prevent invasive species from entering the Galapagos - and understandably so!
Once the boats are cleared in they can look forward to all the Galapagos has to offer with an abundance of wildlife - some of which they may have already experienced, having had to install makeshift sealion barriers on the back of the boat as the sealions are known to be very inquisitive and will try and get onboard for a quick nap given half a chance. When they come ashore via water taxi they will see water iguanas, giant tortoises, blue footed boobies, and of course, more sea lions!
Whilst on San Cristobal, the fleet are enjoying a tour visiting El Junco, Galapaguera which includes a visit to a volcanic crater, a tortoise centre and finishes at Puerto Chino beach, seeing a lot of the island and the native flora and fauna and more wildlife!
Rally Control are standing by and have their desks setup in the Miconia Hotel throughout the day and in the evening happy hours!