Day 154, Year 1: Caught Another Fish—Wrong Place, Wrong Size
Date: Monday, March 20, 2006
Weather at Anchorage: No Change–sunny, clear blue skies
Daytime Air Temperature: 82 degrees F daytime
Water Temperature: 77 degrees F
Location: Academy Bay, Puerto Ayoro, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos

We caught a fish today, but not of the size or kind that we could eat. We were running the engine to charge the batteries and suddenly we heard this deafening sound. Not the high water alarm, not any alarm we have heard before, but as we followed the sound it led us to the cockpit where we saw that the engine overheating light was on. This meant off with the engine and down into the engine room to find the problem. Unfortunately, we found a beautiful trunk fish in our intake valve, blocking the way for water to get to the engine to cool it. We removed the fish and all was well with the engine. Never a dull moment!

We took laundry into town to be done for us–$1.25 per kilo and we had ~9 kilos, so the total will be under $12.00. This is well worth it for sheets and towels. I don’t mind doing our daily clothes on board, but the sheets and towels take SO much water that it is better to have them done when we are in port. Mark spent most of the day on the computer in town trying to deal with financial issues and then we went to the bank to get money from a Visa card. You can get money from an ATM on a Master card here, but Visa card business must be done inside. The lines were long, but after about an hour we had our money and were on our way.

We had a very late lunch in a restaurant known for its local fare. We both ordered shrimp crevice-and it was wonderful. This is a dish where raw meat is marinated in an olive oil and lime juice mixture. It was phenomenal. And the accompanying plantain chips were also very good.

We stopped by Aqua Magic on our way home to see if we could help with an electrical problem they are experiencing, but we were of no help. Not sure what tomorrow will bring, but whatever, it will be fantastic.