Dawn. Slow, soft light on the eastern horizon with Devil’s Crown in the foreground. We are anchored off Floreana Island, also known as Charles Island, named after King Charles, not Charles Darwin (as one might want to think).
An early outing took folks to a soft green sand beach. Nearby blue-footed boobies and flamingos. A white beach was used by green sea turtles the night before. Later we all went for a ride along the shores of one of the only two islands in the world to harbor a population of the endemic Floreana mockingbird. We saw it – but only at a distance. Red-billed tropicbirds, brown noddy terns, Nazca boobies and swallow-tailed gulls filled out the list of the air travelers, and the Galapagos sea lions played between the two worlds of air and water.
Afternoon had us visiting Post Office Bay, and exploring the area by Zodiac, standup paddleboard, kayak, by foot, mask and snorkel (marine turtles spotted!). Postcards were exchanged, now we must wait to see how long they take to be delivered! Wine tasting on the top deck for sunset was a delightful ending to the day.
