On 23rd February, with bilges bulging with provisions, we were escorted out of La Playita anchorage by a pod of Pacific bottlenose dolphins. We anchored overnight off Isla Taboga in order to scrub Mowzer’s bottom, removing all barnacles and soft growth, a requirement for our next destination, The Galapagos, 1000nm to the West.
We had idyllic conditions with a favourable current for the entire passage, and were able to fly our gennaker (a big, colourful sail used in light winds) for the majority of our week at sea.
Day 5 saw us crossing the equator at 00 00’N/S, 088 24’W, into the Southern hemisphere. A 400-year-old seafaring tradition holds that a line crossing ceremony commemorates a sailor’s first transit of the equator. Those who have crossed the equator previously are known as ‘Shellbacks’ and play the role as King or Queen Neptune, whilst first-timers are known as ‘Pollywogs’. As a veteran Shellback, Queen Neptune Zoe, equipped with a sink plunger in lieu of a sceptre, initiated Angus, Barnaby and Zennor into the mysteries of the deep….
The next day, Mowzer and her four Shellbacks arrived safely in the Galapagos Islands.
Sailing Mowzer 