The anchorages were poor, very rolly, lots of traffic / wakes, etc. The weather was hot, humid and rainy. The supply of fresh produce was limited and the sea lions in San Cristobal were not cute, just dirty and annoying. But the larger issue was the Galapagos myth versus the reality.
The Galapagos we envisioned, the product of various documentaries and tour books, was teeming with a variety of species that evolved uniquely because they were on these remote islands, untouched by man. The Galapagos would be an opportunity to experience the environment which led to Darwin's epiphany on the evolution of species.
The reality is that humans had been harvesting and exploiting the Galapagos for 200 years before Darwin arrived, and for another 100 years after his visit. Tortoises were hunted, some to extinction, others to the brink of extinction. Invasive species were introduced to the detriment of species which had evolved for centuries in the absence of the invasive species. And there is a large human population (estimated at 40,000), most of which is, like the other species, trying to put food on the table, raise their children, and generally get by. For some reason the humans are a species that don't show up in the documentaries or guide books.
Another reality is that while there are some striking examples of evolution and adaptation which no doubt helped Darwin develop his thesis, many of the evolutionary examples are a fairly subtle for the layman. There are unique species all over the planet that have adapted to their ecosystem and niche. What Darwin saw, and what zoologist and biologist continue to study in the Galapagos, is not entirely obvious to the layman.
That Darwin's visit to the Galapagos spurred his thinking and made a valuable contribution to his knowledge base is well documented. But by analogy, a visit to the apple orchard that triggered Newton's epiphany regarding gravity and led to the development of calculus and Newtonian physics, would still be just a visit to an apple orchard. What Newton saw, and what I would see today are pretty different!
Casting aside the mythical Galapagos, we adjusted to the real Galapagos and there is quite a lot to enjoy. The islands which are not inhabited by humans, just visited by tour groups, had a unique and wild feeling. North Seymour, Bartolome and Genovesa were worth the trip on the tour boat. The birds were plentiful and showed little fear of humans, the penguins darted around us in the water, the sea lions were fast and graceful as they swam by. We saw fish we had not seen elsewhere (large Moorish Idols), the Golden Cow rays were impressive and the marine iguanas are just weird. With the exception of the birds, the other animals were not present in huge numbers, but they were enjoyable none the less.
Overall my conclusion was that the Galapagos was one of the few places we have visited where it would have been better to be with a good tourist boat than on New Morning. A striking contrast for example to the San Blas Islands. A full time guide, minimal interaction with the government bureaucracies, no necessity to attempt to purchase staples like food and fuel, no need to hassle with sea lions moving aboard, access to islands where private yachts are not permitted, and an itinerary that would basically show you the "Galapagos greatest hits" is the way to see the Galapagos. Book a luxury tour as even the back packers we met found the "first class" accommodations to be disappointing and the quality of the guides was also disappointing.
We came away with hundreds of photographs and when we eventually find an internet connection with good performance (something we didn't find in the Galapagos), we'll upload some great photos and movies that Fay captured.
As I write this entry, some dolphins are darting around New Morning in the dark. I can hear them breathing and chirping, and I can see the phosphorescence around them and in their wake. It's very dark tonight, but I even caught a glimpse of one making a big jump off the port quarter.
