Posted 13th April 2012.
The following is written by Jackie & Graham Smith who are currently delivering Coralie and Allan Davis’ Fountaine Pajot – Lipari 41 “Whiskers” back to Australia. Coralie and Allan picked up “Whiskers” ex factory in June 2010 and for family reasons had to cut their trip short in December 2011. Delivery crew, Jackie and Graham met the boat at Port Yasmine at Hammermat, Tunisia in December and are expected to arrive back in Australia early June this year.
Hi Guys,
We have arrived at San Cristobal, Galapagos. We got in at around 4.30pm local time (GMT -6) on Tuesday 10th having motored nearly all the way form Panama.
It’s an interesting place. Here in Wreck Bay there is quite a big town. I’m not quite sure what I was expecting to find but not that!
The wildlife is amazing. We haven’t even moved from Wreck Bay yet and we have seen pelicans, turnstones, seals and sea lions. The seals and sea lions are here in their thousands. They are everywhere. We were having a beer in town last night and a sea lion waddled by on the pavement outside the bar!
Back onboard they are very inquisitive and when we first arrived, another catamaran, Aussies of course, said we needed to put obstacles in the way so that they couldn’t climb on the transoms.
So, we put fenders on both transoms so that they couldn’t climb up the steps. We hadn’t counted on their ingenuity though because that didn’t stop the little buggers. In the middle of the night Graham got up to investigate a strange noise and found a sea lion asleep and snoring on the cockpit table.
He, or she, had come up the steps of the starboard transom waddled across our cabin, knocked the hatch closed, gone across the helm position, down the steps, up onto the cockpit seat and then up on to the table.
When he spotted us he just stretched, sat up, and then waddled around the cockpit seats until he found his way back out and jumped off the back of the boat. About an hour later there were 4 seals asleep on the starboard transom.
Today’s job has been to make it even harder for the little devils to get aboard!
Will keep in touch with more adventures!
Jackie & Graham Smith (Fountaine Pajot – Lipari 41 – currently en-route back to Australia)