Galapagos

[GordMay]

Free on-line articles from “Practical Navigator” magazine - July/August ‘05 (#147)
http://www.oceannavigator.com

”Practical Galapagos” ~ by Tom Zydler
http://www.oceannavigator.com/article.php?a=9417

”The Galápagos Islands, which straddle the equator and the tracks of sailboats heading westward into the South Pacific, are receiving mixed grades as a voyaging destination. Among the reports: the authorities ban freeboot island roaming and charge exorbitant fees; supplies such as food, fuel and marine hardware are hard to find. Here is the unadorned truth we discovered recently after more than two months of sailing the archipelago.
Casual yacht arrivals with fewer than 10 people aboard may stay up to 20 days in only one of the following ports: Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (Wreck Bay) on San Cristóbal, Puerto Villamil on Isla Isabela and Velasco Ibarra on Fernandina. Most boats stop in Puerto Ayora and alternate taking sightseeing trips on the local boats, and shopping for food, refueling and conducting maintenance ...”
More: http://www.oceannavigator.com/article.php?a=9417

[Alan Wheeler]

Just watched a news article about this place the other night. The Galapogos Islands are in seriuose ecological trouble. Bu not from whom you would expect. It's from local fisherman. They are striping the coastline of much of the sea life only found there. Several species have now been all but wiped out. As they run out of one thing, they start on something else. It seems that the locals can not gain entry into the tourist market, as the GOVT on the mainland have their pockets lined by some big operaters from the mainland. So the locals turn to fishing for income and Asia pays big money for the species of marine life around the islands.
Very sad.