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The
Galapagos Islands
In 1535 King Charles I
of Spain asked Fray Thomas de Berlanga, the Archbishop of
Panama, to report on the situation in Peru. Berlanga’s vessel
was becalmed as he traveled south and he drifted west in the
strong ocean current. He officially discovered the Galapagos
and of course, claimed it for Spain. The islands were a haven
for pirates attacking Spanish galleons sailing to the Philippines
in the 17th Century. By the 18th and 19th Centuries the whaling
industry found the Galapagos. Whalers from Great Britain and
New England stopped for fresh water and meat. Whalers loaded
giant land tortoises on their ships by the hundreds. It was
not uncommon for a ship to load 350-450 turtles, stacking
them wherever space permitted. The animals lived on their
own fat with no food or water for up to a year before being
consumed. The whalers alone almost rendered the tortoise population
extinct. See pictures of land tortoises below.
Recently wrecked tanker in Wreck Bay.
Wreck
Bay, Isla San Cristobal
After five days at sea we anchored
in Wreck Bay, half a mile inside the reef that took the tanker
here about two months ago. The crash resulted in massive publicity
about the fuel spill. Apparently the US Coasties were on the
job in 24 hours and landed C-130s full of chemicals and got
the spill contained. The locals were quite impressed. Also,
there were suddenly so many news people in town it was impossible
for a tourist to get a room. Because the spill was mostly
diesel instead of thick heavy crude it evaporated and was
easily contained and cleaned. Now, there is more pollution
on the beach from sea lion potty than oil. Wreck Bay is one
of four inhabited islands where cruisers are permitted to
stop. The sleepy little town is not a favorite for tourists,
but it is the site of the head of administration for the islands.
We toured a new Darwin Foundation interpretive center and
hiked around volcanic rock trails. We found a gun left when
the US used some of this area to defend the Panama Canal in
1942. Interestingly, the gun was built by Fisher body Division
of General Motors Corporation.
M/N Paola
Mike advising Frank.
We
met a fascinating fellow in Wreck Bay. Frank owns M/N Paola,
a comparatively small (850 ton) freighter that travels between
Guayaquil oin the Mainland and the four inhabited islands
in the Galapagos. He functions as delivery truck, mailman,
bus (passage is $4 between islands), and news carrier. After
a tour of High Drama, he gave us a tour of Paola. He even
started the engine which has no clutch and starts in gear!
Freight was loaded in every possible place on this vessel.
Frank supplies vegetables, tires, building supplies, soda
pop, beer, medicine, and virtually everything these small
communities need. Frank has a truly amazing relationship his
crew. Most of his crew has been with him for a long time,
some as long as 20 years. He teaches them to read and write
in slow times. They regard him more as family than an employer.
He is the Godfather of most of their children and their banker
in times of need. Frank estimates that he has spent 75% of
his time on the ship over the last 20 years. The freighter
is bright yellow. Frank painted her that color after nearly
being run down in the fog one day by a much larger ship. He
keeps a visual look out outside of the bridge and another
man at the helm at all times. Paola has more personnel devoted
to look outs than much larger freighters and tankers traveling
the world’s oceans.
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