Galapagos Passage

Rachel and I spent years working, planning and researching cruising and ocean crossings trying to get an idea of what it would be like and how to best to prepare ourselves and Agape for long distance voyaging. When it came down to it, it took about two years of cruising through Mexico and Central America to build our confidence, skill sets and fine tune our boat before we finally felt “ready” to head offshore. Although we were still nervous to cross the Pacific, our excitement was greater.

Agape’s anchor was pulled from the heavy red mud of the Darien river system and lashed to the large bow roller more securely than usual. It would not link Agape to terra firma for another 7-10 days. We had just over 900 nautical miles of ocean sailing ahead of us, and this was to be our longest passage as of yet, from Panama to the famed Galapagos archipelago. 

As we motored out of the anchorage, waving goodbye to our friends and cruising buddies, John and Becca of SV Halcyon, both Rachel and I were overcome with excitement, nervousness and anticipation for the long voyage ahead. 

Agape was built this purpose, to ferry her passengers safely across oceans and to the far corners of the world. From the first lines her designer put to paper, to the last bit of teak trim, blue water cruising was in mind. Even her birth name Tayana means, “belongs to big ocean”, or “belongs in ocean”. 

It had taken six years of planning and dreaming, but Rachel and I were finally taking Agape to were she belonged and to were we had always dreamt of venturing, far offshore. 

Here are a few passages from Rachel’s journal during our crossing:

“I can’t believe it, tomorrow we will finally be there! The GALAPAGOS!

We are currently set to arrive after dark so we will have to slow down for few hours to get into the bay after sunrise. After all these years dreaming of someday visiting, I’m finally going to set foot on these famed islands for myself, and I can’t believe that we have come on our own boat! It’s taken us two years of cruising through Mexico and Central America, and a 900 mile offshore passage to complete this lifelong dream. I spent much of my childhood watching nature documentaries and even studied biology in college, learning everything I could about this amazing place. Now, I will soon be sunbathing with the marine iguanas and walking alongside the giant Galapagos tortoises!

Our first day out we had to fight the strong incoming tide as we pushed our way out of Bahia Miguel, and of course we also had a head wind! After a few hours though we were flying as the current switched and we rode the out going tide away from shore. Sunset was spectacular and I took a moment of gratitude up at the bow, tears streaming down my face. I was so immensely proud of us and Agape for getting us this far.

In a way, this moment felt so similar to the night we said goodbye to our family and friends at the beginning of our voyage, only this time we were waving goodbye to land and there was no send off party. Excitement, anticipation, nervousness and even a bit of fear gripped me as I had no idea what the ocean would show us over the coming days, but I was ready to find out.

Later, during our first night watch, we were visited by our dolphin friends. So fitting! It seems like whenever we embark on anything that makes us a little nervous or something we’ve never done before, they always seem to show up. From entering and anchoring in Turtle Bay at night guided by their phosphorescent trails, to crossing the sandbar at Boca Brava and hanging out with us up the river anchorage, to joining us at the village of La Palma up in the Rivers of the Darien, and now, the night we embark on our longest passage to date. I love these animals so much, they always bring a smile to my face and they’ve now come to represent a guardian angel of sorts. 

The first few days we had light winds and we sailed wing on wing, downwind. It was really rolly. Really, really rolly. I got so seasick that I threw up at the end of my first night watch. When the moon set, it was like being in a washing machine with the lights off.

It was only the second time that I’ve ever gotten that sick on Agape. The first time I was taking photos up the mast while sailing, it felt like riding a bucking bronco, all while looking through a small viewfinder. Luckily that time Josh got me down in time before I lost my lunch all over deck.

We had a few spectacular days of sailing with our spinnaker, Baby Blue. We averaged 3 1/2 to 4 knots with only 5-8 knots of wind. The current also helped quite a bit and with the sea state finally calming down, it made for a slow but enjoyable ride.

One of our first mornings we sailed through a massive algae bloom. The sea turned blood red for hours, and we hoped we hadn’t run our water maker that night through similar waters. It was crazy to see the ocean such a different color than we are used to seeing!

We also had two days where the sea was filled with small, red undulating jellies. there were hundreds of thousands of them, maybe millions of them out there! At night we were surrounded by phosphorescent orbs, we could only guess they were the same jellies lighting up. They were so bright we could see them even in the light of the full moon.

I had never seen anything like it before! It was like the sea was full of Tinkerbells, as far as my eyes could see, bright twinkling orbs would momentarily illuminate, only to disappear again beneath the black inky waters. It was truly magical!

We were even lucky enough to have a few visitors along the way, although they were quite messy and shit all over our decks. Boobies would ungracefully land after many failed attempts on the bow pulpit or the swaying masthead. They’d ruffle their feathers for hours and didn’t mind me getting up close to take their photos.

I enjoyed having the hitchhikers on board and listening to their squabbles.

The winds were so light for two days that we flew our spinnaker day and night, hardly ever having to trim the sail. It was like flying on a magic carpet or an sitting on an endless airport moving walkway. (What the heck are those things called anyways?)

At one point we even laid in bed together and watched a movie after dark, with the spinnaker still happily flying! We always said we never fly the chute at night, but with the perfectl, light and consistent breeze we felt safe leaving Baby Blue up, guiding our way. 

Several days into our trip, the wind completely died out. We took advantage of the glassy, calm conditions and jumped in to clean half the bottom in preparation for our upcoming inspection at the Galapagos.

The water was so clear. This far offshore there’s no pollutants and very little life. 10,000 feet bellow us there was nothing in sight, just glowing light rays piercing the deep blue. After experiencing this mesmerizing blue for myself, it makes sense to why pelagic fish don’t need to sleep. Their brains have nothing to process, nor memories to store, all they take in is endless blue.

Even with the sails down, engine off and no wind, the current pushed us along at over a knot in luckily the right direction. I had to hold onto our swim ladder while filming to not get swept away, while Josh kicked furiously with his fins on to keep up with the boat while he scrubbed the bottom. We eventually drug a line alongside the boat that made the work much easier in the current. It was pretty heartbreaking to watch our brand new ablative paint being whisked away, but we had to make sure Agape’s bottom was spotless before we checked into the Galapagos.

Our last two nights we’ve been becalmed and have shut down Mr. Perkins for a while each evening to give him a bit of a break. While the engine was off we sat up on deck to take in the overwhelming silence and stillness of the open ocean. The first of our becalmed nights, clouds covered the entire skyline and the moon hid deep below the horizon. We turned off every light we could and were immediately surrounded by an all encompassing darkness.

It felt as if we were floating in outer space, that was until we heard the familiar sound of blow holes slowly approaching. Our friends had found us again, even as we ghosted along in the inky black waters. We brought out our torches and lit up the sea around us. What we thought was empty and barren began teeming with life! Tiny little fish swarmed around the boat, flying fish and squid darted in and out of the beams of light, and unknown sea creatures skirted the outer limits of our light rays.

A squally night at sea.

We even had a waterspout form right above us one evening. Luckily we were able to motor away from it before it touched down.

I am so thankful for the sea and for her showing us her kinder, more gentle side on this voyage. It was like she knew what my heart needed. There had been so much anticipation and anxiety as we prepared to set off across the ocean, but true to its name the Pacific gifted us with placid waters. Although I was frustrated at the amount of motoring we had to do, I was still happier to have the light conditions we did rather than the uncomfortable and rough seas some of our friends had on their crossings.

Sleepy sailors crossing the equator at sunrise!

We will soon be crossing the equator and I’ll no longer be a pollywog. Grandpa would be proud to have a shellback granddaughter.

I miss that man so much, and I wish he could see me now. I can only envision his smile as I tell him stories from the sea.

I’ve grown a lot over the last two years and I feel like I’m finally settling into the rhythm of cruising. Slowing down, letting go of timelines and expectations, finding things that make me feel creative and accomplished, even if some days it’s something as small is making my own yogurt or kombucha. I love this life and I’m proud of Josh and I for having the determination to make our dream a reality at this time in our lives. 

In just over 24 hours I will fulfill a childhood dream. I only wish that I could go back and tell that little girl to dream bigger and further. To believe in herself and that her dreams could one day become a reality. That the places she envisioned exploring were even wilder than she had ever imagined and that there was still so much more to discover. That she could live on a boat and sail the world’s oceans, and that she could accomplish whatever she set her mind to.

I wonder what my teen and early adult years would have looked like if I had actually believed those things? If I had set off earlier to achieve them?

I know we all learn as we go, and from the mistakes we make along the way, but I can’t help but wonder what the future me would tell me now.”