For our trip to the Galapagos, Sherry and I stayed on a ninety foot powered catamaran called the Seaman. Although we had previously been on a large cruise ship and much smaller sailboats, we had never stayed overnight on a vessel this size. Doing this for six nights in the open seas was a totally new experience and came with its own adventures.
Getting to the boat was part of the fun
We landed at Seymour Airport (GPS) on Baltra Island, and after the German Shepard dogs checked our luggage for any outside organic material, we headed for a public bus to take us to the ferry.
After taking the ferry to another island, we hoped aboard a motor-coach with a stop for lunch, gathered with our group of 16 (including Andrea & Scott and their friends Beth and David) and shared a wonderful visit with some giant tortoises.
After lunch, the bus took us to Santa Cruz, where we hopped on our two small zodiac boats to finally take us to the boat.
The Seaman is just awesome
The boat itself is an amazing vessel. It sleeps 16 guests and 9 crew. It has four decks, and is 36 feet abeam, yet can travel in as little as 4.75 feet of water – perfect for the volcanic islands of Galapagos.
I spent a little time with the captain and he explained that there are twin engines each of 350hp and the top speed is 12 knots. I even got a chance to pilot it for a little while.
Rock yourself to sleep
Our first night was challenging. We had some strong winds and rocky seas, so everyone was feeling a bit queezy after the first briefing. Some of us were wondering if the whole trip would be like this. That night we had a 12 hour navigation to our first destination, and the boat rocked significantly in multiple directions… fore and aft, side to side. Showering, and getting ready for bed was a totally new challenge in balance and timing, but once I closed my eyes, I found the motion of the boat actually lulled me to sleep (like a baby in a bassinet). Overall I slept well on board, and gained my sea legs after the first full day.
Landings wet and dry
The Seaman was too large to get directly to the islands, so we used a pair of zodiacs to do our landings. The dry landings were accomplished by placing the front of the rubber boat against a rock and revving the outboard motor to stay in position, while the passengers scrambled (with helping hands) off the front of the boat.
Sometimes, we needed to get into an island that was surrounded by lava fields and the crew was adept at reversing the boat and manually handling the the engine, like a surgeon uses a scalpel to navigate around the rocks. Quite impressive!
For wet landings the crew would turn the craft around, and back onto the beach and we would all slide off the side tubes near the rear. Getting back in was more challenging for some, and the team sorted us into those who needed the shorter sidewalls of the smaller boat, vs those who could manage the larger first boat.
Amazing food, drink and service
There were four or more excursions each day, and we would use the dry landing technique to get back on board the boat after each one. Joel would be right on the rear deck with a cold towel or hot drink and always a little snack to eat.
The crew organized our life jackets and would also clean our shoes to avoid bringing material from one island to the next.
The food was served buffet style and was tasty and fresh.
Each evening there was a briefing of the next day’s activities. Our guide Camillo was not only incredibly knowledgeable and interesting, but also great at keeping us on schedule.
Hitchhikers in the air and water
Galapagos is home to two species of frigatebirds: the Magnificent Frigatebird and the Great Frigatebird. On several occasions we would see them soaring effortlessly above the boat using our draft to keep them airborn. Sometimes they would come low enough that we could touch them.
We also had a Pelican perched on our zodiac for a while and on several occasions, sea-lions tried to jump onto the rear deck, but it was just a little too high for them to reach.
Vegemite Sandwich
Two of the guests on board Kylie and Susie were from Australia, and were loads of fun. They brought some Vegemite with them, which we all have heard of from the Men At Work song “A Land Down Under” but very few have tried. Vegemite is made from the leftovers from beer making, and is loaded with B-vitamins. Aussies learn to love it as a kid and it has a fun and amusing theme song. So of course we all tried a bite on a piece of toast with some butter. It is very salty and reminds me of herring.
Crossing the Equator
One of the highlights of the trip for me was seeing the southern sky for the first time. Rick, one of our fellow guests knew the skies pretty well and pointed out the “southern cross” made famous in the Crosby Stills Nash song.
As we traveled north, the captain lowered our speed as we reached the equator while all the guests counted down the nautical minutes until yelling “happy equator!” and dancing around. It was really amazing to be crossing right at sunset and a tribute to the skill of the crew.
An incredible cruise
I learned quite a bit about living at sea this week, and finding some strength and limitations inside myself.
We are incredibly grateful to the amazing crew and to our fellow passengers for making it a fun and interesting journey.
Between the skill of the crew, the quality of the boat and the beautiful scenery of the Galapagos, this was one of my favorite vacation experiences of my life. I would heartily join again, and recommend the Seaman for your visit.
