Downwind past Matapouri
Preparing to visit the Galapagos Islands
You can't just rock up in a boat to the Galapagos Islands. The
Ecuadorians work very hard to look after this unique archipelago and to
protect it as far as possible from the impact of humans, balancing this
need with allowing visitors to come and see its wonders.
The World ARC team have taken on the administration of our visit to
make it as simple as possible for us. But it still feels like preparing
for a test!
Crew lists have to be submitted months in advance, with 5 paper copies
(at least one in colour) of each crew member's passport. The ARC team
apply for cruising permits which allow us to visit 3 designated
anchorages within the island group.
We have been extensively briefed about the rules and regulations that
apply to visiting yachts. We have to make sure that the hull of the
boat is squeaky clean, and it will be inspected by divers on our arrival
to check that nothing is growing there. If it fails inspection we have
to turn around immediately and leave G
