AIRMAIL YOTREPS
IDENT: N6ABC
TIME: 2016/03/28 19:00
LATITUDE: 08-12.41N
LONGITUDE: 078-54.17W
COURSE: 213T
SPEED: 6.8
COMMENT: Beach House – En Route – Malpelo Island? to Galapagos Islands. We\’re currently ABEAM Punta Cocos at the southern tip of Isla del Rey, Las Perlas Islands. Just went by the 150 year old wreck of the world\’s first commercial submarine). Once used in the pearling industry here.
We\’ve spent several days in the Eastern Las Perlas Islands awaiting a \”weather window\”. There was a great one a week ago, but alas
it appears one is not to be found. So rather than burn fuel waiting for a window, we\’ll burn fuel and head where we want to go. We\’ve over 8000 sailing miles this season to go to get to Sydney on time for the Christmas/New Years celebrations (with our families)2017! Yes…we are taking the long road home.
Now, we\’re about as far away from OZ as we can be in the Pacific and in the far Eastern side of the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) and it\’s hot/muggy and windlass here. It\’s where the Northern and Southern Trade winds meet for those of you who want to know! At least we don\’t have thunderstorms which this area and to the north and south of are famous for in the summers. The winds are anything from North to South – East to West at 20 knots (in the night from Panama south) to zero just about everywhere else. We\’ve plenty of fuel and are updating our weather every six hours looking for a breath. The seas are flat.
We\’re headed in the direction of Malpelo Island which is SW of us exactly 300 nautical miles. It should take us about 2 days to get there at 7 knots (if we can maintain this speed!). We might try and stop if the weather window improves for the last (then) 500 miles to the Galapagos Islands.
Malpelo is stark and only a mile long. The Columbian Navy keeps an outpost there and the main attraction is \”big animal\” diving. Galapagos and Hammerhead sharks are reported to be in relatively shallow water and everywhere! I doubt I\’ll do a dive as Nik isn\’t into sharks (yet…:-)) and it may require a permit which we don\’t have. There is NO anchorage there and if the Navy says it\’s okay, we could tie up to one of their supply ship mooring buoys. We\’ll see.
The wind and current look more favorable in the direction of Malpelo and essentially, it\’s right on the way.
It will mostly be a long motor slog till we get near the Galapagos. We\’re planning on doing only about 100-120 miles/day. We\’re topped up with fuel, but still might NEED to do some sailing which we hope to do starting tonight with the diurnal wind coming south out of the Gulf of Panama.
Getting close to \”tying the knot\”. Where we\’re headed….I\’ve already been.
KIT,
Scott and Nikki (making a great pizza!)