January 22 – Bartolome Island, Galapagos

A bus came by at around 5am and we boarded for our boat trip to Bartolome Island northeast of Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos. We drove from one hotel to another picking up saggy-eyed folks who probably realized the night before they had to rise so early.

We headed for the small port in Canal de Itabaca between Santa Cruz and Isla Baltra. Upon arriving the sun was just making a showing. We boarded a wooden hulled and framed vessel that made me think of the African Queen in the movie with Humphrey Bogart and . . . oh, never mind. Kathleen and I went top-side as the boat began to chug from harbor. And I do mean chug. Kathleen could have swum faster. Jeepers! Your dog could have!!

By 7am we were puttering out toward the Islands of Daphne Major and Minor while having breakfast of eggs, ham, cheese, and toast. Kathleen and I could see some bird life flying over the sea, however, we could only identify things to general family. The Magnificent Frigatebirds were easily identifiable at any distance.As the morning wore on, we began to make out details of our destination. Bartolome Island is one of the most photographed of the Galapagos Archipelago. Bartolome is situated next to the much larger Santiago Island which has had some volcanic activity in the last 200 years.

By shortly after 10am we were joining a number of other vessels who were visiting Bartolome. The National Geographic ship Endeavor was parked in the small bay. Kathleen and I marveled at the ship and recalled receiving brochures for Galapagos tours aboard this same ship. The cost of our entire two month South American trip would still not equal the price for one of us aboard the NG Endeavor. Our 57-foot boat is also pictured.

We took a small dingy over to Bartolome for a hike to the summit of the island. Our guide, Alberto, periodically gave brief lectures in both Spanish and English describing what we were seeing in geology and evolution. The views from the highest point of the island were great. The peculiar rock formation jutting skyward is actually a volcanic neck. The magma hardened in the throat and the softer material of the cone eroded away. The two dark colored mounts to the left of the picture here were once surrounded by water. An eruption on Santiago in 1893 created a lava field that encompassed the islands and added roughly 5-square miles to Santiago Island.

We dingy’d back to our homely but trusty boat and prepared to storm the beach of Bartolome with snorkeling gear. Our snorkeling was pretty good as Alberto spooked up a White-tipped Shark that was roughly 6-7 feet long. Kathleen and I also followed along with a Galapagos Penguin. We had never had such experiences before.

Back aboard the Homely, uh, well, our boat, we had lunch consisting of some type of tasty fish, rice, and French fries. Upon completion of lunch we got underway back to Santa Cruz island. The seas had become rough and our vessel swayed back and forth. A wind was laying a broadside making excellent lift for Magnificent Frigatebirds to just glide along on nearly a 5-foot wingspan. These birds are aptly named as, in the days of pirates and their use of frigates to swiftly move in and steel from other ships, Magnificent Frigatebirds do the same. The birds are deft fliers and can swoop in to pluck a fish from a pelican’s beak, or will pursue a seabird until they regurgitate their food they’ve collected for nestlings. Most of the time they glide effortlessly for hours on the slightest breeze.

I found Kathleen talking to El Capitan in the wheel-house. He owned the boat and worked a number of such daily charters for much of the year. Like many Ecuadorans we talked to on the Galapagos, he had been living on the islands for over 20-years. As his engineer went to check on the engines, which had gotten uppity earlier causing us to stop, I took a turn at the helm for about 20-minutes. Keep her just west of Daphne Major at 133 degrees.As we approached Daphne Major, Alberto talked about the couple who were conducting research on the island. Kathleen and I suddenly realized just how significant this football stadium sized island was. This is the island where Peter and Rosemary Grant are studying a finch which does not migrate on or off the island. Their into their thirtieth-some-odd year of study and are actually documenting evolution happening in the finches on Daphne Major. They’re findings indicate evolution can happen within a species or subspecies faster than previously thought in anything other than viruses. The couple live on the island for several months a year catching, measuring, and observing the finches. Their accommodations aren’t much more than a few tarps for shade and a couple dozen jugs of water and buckets to store food.

Passing by Daphne Major, Canal de Itabaca was soon in sight. By 7pm we were back on the bus headed for Puerto Ayora. We had a great trip and wished we had time to visit Seymour Island where we could walk among nesting seabirds. Perhaps another time.