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Showing posts from March, 2017

Ocean trash disposal... what can and cant go over the side?

As we traverse the oceans we try not to leave too much of an environmental impact from the waste we generate aboard. There are some types of waste we cannot keep on board for any length of time, black water being the most obvious, although we do have a limited holding capacity for when we are in port or areas where it is against the law to dispose of human waste direct to sea. Out on the deep ocean we have no qualms of disposing of our sewage straight to the sea. The same is true of our vegetable and food waste, which we dispose of over the side in the hope that it will degrade without any measurable impact on sea life. As a crew we are all agreed that all plastic waste should be kept aboard but what has split the crew straight down the middle is what to do with metal waste? One view is that as long as you ensure that the tin can is guaranteed to sink, and that the sea bed deep enough, then we should go ahead and throw them overboard. This half of the crew feel that the steel or alumin

Galapagos tortoises...

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You can't go to the Galapagos without seeing a few of the giant tortoises.. Some are more genuine than others though!

3 more birds to identify...

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Here are 3 more birds I've managed to photograph... A finch, a canary and a flycatcher.

Name these birds!

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Here are four different birds spotted today on our walk (in tropical rain for much of it) At least one of these is not a native ofthe Galapagos probably having been introduced by ranchers in 1962 to eat ticks on cattle... Answers on a postcard addressed to... Or leave your answers in he comment box for this post.

Galapagos landfall

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Well, after almost two days of slow motoring through glassy seas, it's seven in the morning and we have the Galapagos within a few miles as we make our way down to our anchorage in the Port of Entrance, Puerto Barquerizo Moreno. Yesterday we crossed the equator and Neptune and his attendant made an appearance to quiz the two new line crossers, Emily and me.

Not everything in the sea is nice!

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I'm pretty sure you are a bit tired of seeing photos of us sitting in front of sunsets, lounging on white, palm fringed beaches and supping on exoticly named cocktails while we top up our tans.... and probably a bit sick of hearing how pretty, amazing, stunning, and all the other superlatives used in the various blogs being written from aboard Tin Tin , although I have to admit to not having read a single one of them (bar this one of course). Well as the title of this post suggests I'm trying to redress the balance (just a little bit...) by showing you that there are down sides to this life cruising the tropics. I've included a photo to illustrate the point (and solicit sympathy from all of you reading this!). A quick recap on my previous posting is in order as it is is linked to what I am reporting in this posting... ie. Pain! Justin and I decided that rather than sit on the beach in a pool of sweat we would do something productive and make a raft from material sca

The Great Raft construction..... Isla Casaya, Las Perlas

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Following our visit to Mogo Mogo island where the Bear Grylls Survivor programme is filmed, we thought about how we would manage in the same situation. Today, we all went ashore to explore the beach we are anchored off, on the island of Casaya in the Las Perlas archipelago. Our thoughts so turned to survival (and escape!). We started to search the debris line for suitable materials to construct a raft from which we could fish, or journey to neighbouring islands. It wasn't long before I found a large log and gave it a hearty kick to get it rolling down the beach.... It turned out to be a log of balsa so extremely light weight and with great buoyancy! We quickly sourced a long bamboo for an outrigger and two other shorter lengths of branch for stretchers whilst Emily returned with the perfect rope to allow us to make good strong lashings.. So within two hours of landing we had a working raft which Justin and I then paddled out to Tin Tin to fetch a hook and line for a bit of fish