Feb. 12
Today was plagued by bouts of heavy rain and headwinds; time off watch was spent sleeping or reading down below. One good thing about the inclement weather is when you are soaked through you don�t mind dinner time galley duty as the heat, which can sometimes be nearly unbearable, provides a soothing and welcomed warmth.

The seas remain near flat even as the winds pick up, Sarah at the helm during a break from the rain

Feb. 13
We are still motoring along; the wind speed has increased however it is right on the nose, which would mean a maddening beat to weather if we tried to sail. We knew we must be nearing the archipelago, as a Red Footed Booby landed on our bow pulpit and hitched a ride with us for several hours before flying off to soar with some others that appeared around the boat.

Our stowaway, note the blueish beak

We received a call from the World Cruising Club coordinator to inform us several of the yachts in the fleet had failed their hull inspection. This is a process where the authorities send a team of divers to inspect and photograph the underside of the boat; the photos and reports are reviewed by marine biologist and if there are any foreign species identified you are denied entry to the area. Those that have failed will have to sail 60+ miles offshore, where a team of professional divers will clean the offending organisms off the hulls; the cost for this is $4000 US to be split evenly amongst them. We took the advice offered and stopped our progress for a team swim and hull scrub offshore, before reaching park waters.
Feb. 14
We crossed the equator at 0240 (2:40 am) everyone was on deck for the event; we had planned to swim across, but being so late and dark those plans were canceled. There is a longstanding tradition for a sailors� initial crossing into the southern hemisphere, where we go from being Polliwogs to Shellbacks. We honoured King Neptune with an offering of red wine and chocolate thrown into the sea; and then he made an appearance on deck to judge us for our transgressions. We all pleaded guilty to our sins and were forgiven after paying a penance of having to take a swig of Gamel Dansk, a horrid Danish cordial left over from the ARC.

King Neptune makes an appearance sceptre and the charges against us in hand

We had hoped to do a shot of the schnapps Wiggo had purchased in Panama but it couldn�t be found. Once we had officially made our passage across we celebrated with a bottle of sparkling wine from a vineyard and winery owned by Dan�s relatives in Germany.
The cry of �Land Ho� was made at 0730, as the on watch team had sighted San Christobal. The remarkableness (must be a word as the spell checker didn�t turn on) of the islands were driven home as we saw whales spouting, dolphins swimming, rays jumping out of the water doing flips and birds of many different types. This is going to be magical!

The island of San Christobal

Once we anchored, we hoisted the quarantine flag and called the yellow shirts to arrange for our entry inspection and C&I. The entry inspection is different from the hull inspection as this one focuses on the interior of the yacht and its contents; there is an arm long list of prohibited items including many fruits and seeds, we had previously disposed of them offshore either by consumption or tossing into the sea. The authorities arrived by tender and we filled in our park permit paperwork and passed our inspection without any problems. Before leaving they told us we could take down the �Q� flag and welcomed us to the island.
We thought a celebratory drink would be in order and found the �schnapps� Wiggo had purchased; however it turned out to be MD 20-20, affectionately known as Mad Dog to those of us who spent our mid �teen years in the US.

No thanks George, I learned my lesson when I was 15!

Soon afterwards we went ashore for drinks and to chat with the crews that had arrived before us; most of the talk was of the yachts that would have to get their hulls cleaned, since the determination process can take a couple days many had their fingers crossed, as we did ourselves.
It is with heavy heart that I must report Em�s father passed away on February 14, 2014. I have had the pleasure of meeting him in happier days and heartfelt condolences go out to Em, her dear mother and brother. May God bless you all and help you through these trying times.

Thanks for the report! Sorry to hear regarding Em's father..

Prayers and Thoughts go out to Em.

Sammy I have not been posting but your reports on this amazing sojourn is a must read for me. I look forward to every new post. Thanks for your efforts!

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

So sorry for Em. Best wishes to her and her family at this very difficult time.

Am enjoying reading your blog and especially looking forward to hearing about the Galapagos as we have just booked to visit there later in the year. Surprised, but pleased in a way, to hear that boat bottoms are checked! Knew they were strict, but then that is why the flora and fauna are so special. Enjoy!