Before sailing to the Galapagos Islands, we have read
most cruising guides that cover the area, as well as checked many a website. The
picture we got from this was contradictory and confusing. We had to find
out and explore for our selves and we thought it might help others following in
our wake if we summarize our findings here.
It seems that cruising boats en-route to the South
Pacific have about five options:
(1) Skip the Islands altogether
(2) Go for a short stop in one harbor
(3) Go for the 20 days maximum without cruising
permit
(4) Go for the maximum 20 days with cruising
permit
(5) Like (4) but include a National Park permit.
(1)
Because of all the restrictions, some guide books
suggest to skip the islands all together. Skipping the islands would save you
about $200, as harbor and immigration fees are quite high.
(2)
We would recommend not to miss out on these islands
as they are a convenient stop over and even a short stop, particularly in
Wreck Bay, San Christobal, is always worth while, if only for the nice
sea-lions that will visit your boat.
The ports that can be approached from outside the
islands are: Puerto Ayora, also called Academy Bay, on the island of Santa
Cruz, and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, also called Wreck Bay, on the island of San
Christobal.
Standard supplies are all available in both places
and repair facilities for engines as well as spares seem even better than in
Panama, as the many tour boats need to be kept going. Diesel is significantly
cheaper than in Panama. At the gas station a U.S. Gallon of diesel costs
$1.05, brought to the boat we paid $1.30 in Christobal and $1.80 in Puerto
Ayora, where all prices seem a little bit higher.
Short trips into the island as well as boat
excursions or dive trips are available in both Puerto Ayora or Christobal,
with a bigger choice in Puerto Ayora.
Fees are as follows:
International arrival $0.014 per ton or a minimum
of $10
Zarpe $0.014 per ton or a minimum of
$10
Frequency use $15
Channel Access $0,41 per ton
Anchorage $2.21 per ton
Contamination fee $15
International arrival Navy $3 per ton
Immigration $15 per boat for entry and again for
exit
(for our 18t boat we paid roughly $150 when clearing
into Christobal) I think even for a short stay you would pay those fees.
(3)
You can easily at no extra cost get a permit to stay
up to 20 days, which is usually more than you need. Just ask the harbor
master, and immigration usually gives you a full month anyway. Like with a
short stay you can go onto tour boats and explore the island.
One day tours are typically around $70 per person
and include breakfast and lunch on board. As said before, more choices,
especially for day trips are available in Puerto Ayora (Academy Bay). Trips of
several days, with accommodation on the tour boat seem to cost around $120 to
$400 depending on the vessel.
The safer place to leave your boat alone at anchor
would definitely be Wreck Bay, San Christobal, with excellent holding and lots
of space. In Puerto Ayora there is always a swell running so that all boats
lay to bow and stern anchors. Especially towards shore, where you would
usually drop your stern anchor the bottom is sharp lava rock with a few
patches of mud, so use chain as many ropes have been cut by those rocks.
Normally you have to stay at the place you chose for clearing in until you
leave.
Once you clear out you can usually get permission to
stop for a few days in a secondary port, typically Vilamil on Isablella
island, which is on the way towards the Marquesas. The only other port that
could be visited with such an arrangement would be Puerto Velasco Ibarra on
the island of Floreana. But there is nothing in the village and the anchorage
is exposed and rolly.
Only if you can get both harbor masters agree, you
may get special permission to go from Christobal to Puerto Ayora or vice
versa. An agent may be able to arrange that for you.
(4)
With a cruising permit you can move freely between
the four ports, so that you have more flexibility with you itinerary. To get a
cruising permit you have to apply for it before you arrive in the islands.
From what we understand there is no limitation on those, you just need to get
the process going no later than two weeks prior to your arrival. This is best
done by getting an agent and faxing him, copies of ships papers and passports.
The price for a cruising permit is again dependant
on tonnage and the agent will add some percentage on top of it. We paid the
agent $150 for the permit for our 18t boat. A 55 ton boat was charged $300.
We also found out that every time you move from one
port to another, you need to clear in and out and that all costs you every
time, between $20 in the small ports and around $50 in the main ports.
(5)
Once you have a cruising permit, you can apply for a
permit to visit the national park areas with your own boat. You will need to
hire a licensed guide and take him with you, and you will also file a detailed
itinerary beforehand. Other than that and the high price, there is really no
other limitation.
Again it is best to let your agent do the
arrangements as it involves some paper pushing and you need to write a letter
to the chief of the park essentially saying that you are a nice guy and that
you will certainly respect all park rules.
The fee for the park is very high: $200 per person
per day. To this you need to add the fee for hiring your guide which would be
between $150 and $200 per day. We hired our guy through our agent and were
very pleased.
While this sounds very expensive, it seems within
reason when compared to the cost of going on a tour boat for several days.
Only with your own boat or by going for a few days onto a tour boat, will you
be able to reach some of the nicest, but more remote places. And then you have
your guide exclusively for yourself and you can do your visits to the best
places when it is not crowded. And finally you don't have to worry all the
time whether your boat is still safe.
There are some other fees that have been collected
from some boats and not from others. When it was collected it was in Puerto
Ayora:
General Park entrance fee of $100 per person or $50
per child. At the latest when you book a tour through an official tourist bureau
this is collected. It is automatically collected from people entering by air.
Fumigation: All boats are in theory required to have a
valid fumigation certificate, either from the previous port or from a local
fumigation service. Sometimes the harbor master will request it, not always
though. If you take option (5) the park authorities will ask for it. We paid $70
for the ' fumigation' which in reality was two guys coming to your boat who
spread some hi-tech cockroach poison from injection like dispenser with a needle
tip. They smear some of paste that looks like chocolate cream in some corners of
your cupboards. That's it. And off course, you get the required certificate.
By the way, unlike pointed out in some cruising
guides, crew changes are absolutely no problem.
For anything above option (3) we would strongly
recommend an agent. We have used Johnny Romero, who also acts as Transocean Club
Port Officer and has the FedEx outpost. If you need anything shipped in very
fast, this is the best service. He is a young hard working guy and his company
Naugala currently employs 4 people. Most of their business is handling the
logistics for the big private super yachts, who cruise the islands for a month
or so. He had just cleared out a big one when we arrived and was awaiting Paul
Allen's Octopussy. Never the less he seems to work equally reliable and
dependable for us small yachties. We have been very happy with his service and
therefore we give his contact details here:
Johhny Romero
NAUGALA Yacht Agency
phone: (593-5) 527403
mobile: (593-9) 9264355
VHF Ch 66
www.naugala.com