Happily, the M/S Beagle only has 5 passengers for this weeks voyage to the Northern and Central Galapagos Islands. The yacht has capacity for 13, so we are in the fortunate position of the crew (7) outnumbering the passengers. Strangely enough, all 5 are solo travellers, from the US, UK, Switzerland, Germany and Australia. In 2010, the M/S Beagle is the only ship that offers a two week itinerary.
Other than a brief stop yesterday afternoon at Bachas Beach to try out the snorkeling gear, the first major stop is a full-day today at Genovesa Island.
The major attractions at this island are the red-footed booby and Nasca booby. It must have been a good breeding season for the red-footed booby, as there are hundreds of juveniles trying out their wings. These amazing birds with webbed feet and prehensile toes are something to behold as they perch on branches in the shrubs at Genovesa. There is something hilarious about a bird with webbed feet that can flex their toes enough to grip a branch. It is like seeing a duck perched in a tree. The Nasca booby is not quite as prevalent and many are still feeding their fledgling chicks. The afternoon at Genovesa is spent watching the Nasca boobies swoop in to feed their chicks, all the while fending off the frigate birds who will try to steal the food out of the mouths of the chicks where they can.
Also present in large numbers are the frigate birds, with many chicks still on the nest, and many adolescent birds in flight that are yet to achieve their breeding plumage. Snorkeling in the waters off Darwin’s Beach has a curious sea lion come to sea what these ungainly swimmers are up to. Also present are red-billed tropic birds – a gorgeous bird with long slender tail feathers. This is Daniel Sanchez, our guide, showing how curious and fearless the juvenile boobies are – they are quite happy to fly up and land on a walking stick.
My cabin is small, as expected on a sailing yacht. There are two bunks, a slightly wider lower bunk, and a very narrow single upper bunk. Sleeping in the lower bunk resembles sleeping in a pitching and rolling coffin – closed in on three sides. The upper bunk is so close to the lower bunk that a careless turn results in bruised knees, arms or head, or all three. Tonight we navigate through open sea to Santiago Island, which means the pitching and rolling will be at a premium.
