A very brief blog - After days of motoring into the current, with the constant engine noise, crashing waves, and everything on the boat jumping around, it’s suddenly gone very quiet. The engines are off, the anchor is down, and it’s blissfully peaceful. We’re anchored in Academy Bay, Puerto Ayora, Galapagos! Unfortunately, this peace won’t last long. Very shortly, we’ll have a boatload of officials coming to inspect the boat and check us in. Immediately after that, we’ll start the process of arranging fuel, which I think is going to be a bit of a kerfuffle as it’s coming in cans, and I'm looking at getting around 1200 liters. We then have to grab some lunch, do some grocery shopping, sleep solidly the entire night, and get up in the morning for a swift departure.
We've officially crossed the halfway point on our journey to Darwin, and things are looking good. The weather continues to cooperate, offering us smooth motoring so far. However, forecasts predict a shift in wind direction sometime tomorrow, with easterlies potentially changing our arrival time. The stronger the easterlies, the later we'll pull into Darwin. It's going to be time to transfer fuel later and the only pump available in Singapore was a rickety, hand-cranked contraption that leaked like a sieve . Transferring fuel has been a nightmare. It turned a simple task into a full-blown mission, complete with showers for everyone involved afterwards and a thorough boat cleaning session. Thankfully, things are much different now. Thanks to Rhona's keen eye, we snagged a fantastic electric transfer pump in Lombok. This beauty is a dream come true – just two hoses and a simple switch, and we can effortlessly pump 250 liters of fuel in a matter of minutes! Needless to say,...