... well, up the asymetric went, but we were not able to raise it all the way to the mast; down the genua came, but not smooth as it should have. Bottom line, something got tangled in the lines. It took us time to untangle this mess, and during that time we drifted away from our course. About 45 minutes later - sure felt more like an eternity - we raised the Genua back up and started to gain speed again. One by one we were catching up to the boats that passed us during these 45 minutes.
we were also able to assume the the night shifts in order to get some sleep. We expect arrival into Pto Baquerizo around 6 or 7 am.
Around 5 am or so we were able to spot the lights of Pto Baquerizo. This made our heading much easier. Part of the course required us to pass a jetting rock named ´´Five Fingers´´ - you guessed it, it looks like five fingers reaching out from under the ocean - to our right, and from there head directly into the finishing line. We have sailed this stretch several times before and know that the best approach is to head up wind almost to land, tack, head towards the jetty, tack, and cross the finish line. In front of us we see Alcanze, the navy boat; behind us we see Tivoli as well as Kaony. While we know we were out of first second or third place contention we were going to give these three boats a run for their money!
Alcanze makes it first past Five Fingers, and we are close behind, chasing after him. The winds are a strong 16 knots and we head upwind as much as possible. Tivoli is behind, and she also passes Five Fingers, and begins to head upwind. Except Tivoli can really head upwind; her design is such that upwind under the current conditions she does very well. Kaony decides to sail a little further towards shore before making the tack ... good move.
I am also copying the blog site for the copa galapagos that has regatta pictures uploaded. very nice fotos; you will also see the foto around ´´five fingers´´ with Alcanze and Tivoli ... we are blocked by the rocks
http://copagalapagos2011.blogspot.com/
We all sail towards the jetty and manouver into the tack. We were not able to catch up to Alcanze, tivoli and us crossed the finish line together. What came as a surprise was Kaony inching into the finish line before we did! Her strategy to head as close to land as possible paid off as this manouver placed her in first for the category! Well done Kaony.
Well, it is now 7:30 am. we are all a bit bummed but ´´asi es la vida.´´ After our ceremonial cubas libres - yes, even at 7 am since it must be cocktail hour somewhere in the world ... we wrap things up and get ready to head into town for the ush... hotel, stop at the navy command center, shake hands, and go and grab some chow.
after a well rested nap we all head into town to walk around. The town Major organized an event for all townspeople with music and activities to celebrate our arrival... very nice. They hand us nice T-shirts and promotional information. Pierina Correa gives a nice speach on behalf of her brother (a.k.a. El Presidente), and the festivities and photo opportunities continue.
Pto Baquerizo also has a large number of non-colonos .... students from universities around the world, who come here for a semester as part of their curriculum. One of them takes the stage and plays his guitar and sings along ... promoting his later gig at the ´´Iguana Rock´´ a pub that features life music.
In the evening is the awards ceremony as well as the closing ceremony. The Ecuadorean Navy once again manages to put on a spectacular event with music and great food. Speeches ... yeap ... lots of them. They seem to like speeches ... they, the speech givers, not the speech receivers. but we all listen and clapp at the end - a sign that signifies ´´about time´´ more than ´´well inspired.´´ And as is in good local tradition ... the elixir of sailors flows free out of the tap .... cubas libres all around. All have a great time. Tabasco also receives recognition for its participation and overall placement (9th overall).
The festivities spill over to ´´Iguana Rock´´ into the late hours. some of us have to go to bed soon to catch a flight back to mainland and into reality. Gus and Nacho had to leave earlier today because that was the only flight they could get. Junior has to hop on a motor boat at 6 am tomorrow to make a 2-plus hour run to Baltra, where the other airport is. My flight is at 12 tomorrow but I need to be at the airport at 9 so that i do not loose my seat .... after all, there is a 300 people waiting list! Olafo, Lars, and Jinsop will be in Pto Baquerizo one more day, stocking up on things for the boat as they will sail Tabasco back to Salinas ... a five day ordeal.
Olaf will also try and see if there is anything that can be done to locate my iPhone and some cash as I was the victim of a robbery ... even in Galapagos one must not let the guard down, as I did. Odds of recovery: ZERO...
This entry is therefore fotoless :-(
Thank you all for following this blog.... make sure you check it in a few days as I will be uploading many of the fotos into the entries where my WiFi access was so slow.
Bernardo
bernipez@verizon.net
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