San Cristobal, Galapagos Feb. 15, 2010

In the light winds, we ended up motoring the last 15 hours to get here, and jigged around outside the entrance for daybreak before coming in and dropping anchor in 26ft. of clear water. A playful seal was traveling with us, seeming to welcome us...one of many we'll be encountering I'm sure. Stray Kitty, a PDQ 42' Catamaran with a family of five, arrived before us; we had briefly met them in Panama, and had radio contact with them on the way. We had arranged our 'autografo' ahead of time with an agent, Bolivar Pesantes. This allows us to visit three (or four, depending on your choice of agent) islands here...and stay 30 days, with extensions if desired, as well as buy diesel fuel if needed. If one sails in without that, you cannot move your boat to another anchorage but have to take one of the tour boats there, and only get a stay of 20 days overall. After the formalities of having our agent as well as representatives of the Dept. of Agriculture as well as the Port Captain aboard for the layers of paperwork and required copies needed, we went ashore for further visits to Immigration and the National Park Service. Our agent then completes further paperwork to submit back to the Port Captain and other officials, and any movement to another island requires official permission as well as a separate check in with that island's Port Captain. Quite the bureaucracy here. As a bonus, it's also carnival time...there were soccer and volleyball games in the town square, and revelers and very loud music at what we thought was a beach resort, but is actually a college. Getting ashore and back is by a $.50 water taxi ride. There isn't room for many dinghys at the dock, and should you beach yours, you're taking the chance it will be taken over by sea lions!

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