Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Neptune watching the GPS as Namani crosses the Equator
Dawn on day ten brought the sight of Cristobal's sloping, crater-poked form: our first Pa-
cific landfall. The only hiccup of a passage full of impressions (if not dramatic events)
came when we turned the key to the ignition and listened to the engine sputter, then die.
Having patiently waited all these days, we were suddenly itching to get in to port - prefer-
ably before the rapidly approaching Friday 5 p.m. mark in order to clear in. The clock, a
lesser member of our passage-making cast until now, immediately took center stage with
its loud ticking.
Just as Markus cleared up the problem (a clogged fuel line), the wind came back in a rush,
ushering Namani briskly into Wreck Bay. On the way in, we were treated to a final ocean
spectacle: a patch of boiling water stirred up by an agitated school of fish, preyed upon by
leaping dolphins and swooping frigate birds who delicately plucked snacks out of the sea.
We had “made it” on all counts: not just in to port, but with enough time to clear customs
and a full two days to spare before Bill's tour began.
This passage showed us the ocean at its most serene: the Pacific, it seems, could really
live up to its name. We grew to appreciate the value of a slow, even, and easy passage
(950 miles in ten days): our pick every time over a fast, uncomfortable one, especially as a
cruising family out to savor our time together in special places. And savor it we did, for
the duration of the passage and over the next three weeks in the magical Galapagos Is-
lands. Then it would be time to take the next deep breath and set sail for the big one:
3,000 miles to the Marquesas.
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