Santa Catalina and Carmen Islands
As our voyage progresses we find more ways to have fun.
Early this morning we landed on Santa Catalina (a granitic and very isolated island), where we hiked and found the fascinating rattleless rattlesnake, as well as plants that we hadn’t seen before, like the chicalote or prickly poppy. Then we conducted a relaxing swimming from the beach. Later we pulled up anchor and sailed to our afternoon destination.
A pod of perhaps 20 pilot whales showed on our way to Carmen Island, right after lunch. Harold, our Second Mate, maneuvered the Sea Voyager to be just in the middle of the scattered subgroups, led by a huge male. The pilot whales were traveling at a high speed, probably looking for food, but we were able to see different forms of behavior, as well as some little animals among the adults.
In the late afternoon we explored Arroyo Blanco, a beautiful location on Carmen Island, and swam a little bit more. Then the fun came unexpectedly. A gang of our little guests discovered a big sand dune. Escaping from all the inquiring adult sights, they started the game of throwing themselves down the dune’s slope, getting tons of sand all over their bodies and clothes. Their high metabolism made them go over and over in the game as the echo delivered back the noisy laughing. I considered these funny faces more expressive and descriptive of the delights of our voyage than the ones that we took of the rattleless rattlesnake, or the pilot whales.
As our voyage progresses we find more ways to have fun.
Early this morning we landed on Santa Catalina (a granitic and very isolated island), where we hiked and found the fascinating rattleless rattlesnake, as well as plants that we hadn’t seen before, like the chicalote or prickly poppy. Then we conducted a relaxing swimming from the beach. Later we pulled up anchor and sailed to our afternoon destination.
A pod of perhaps 20 pilot whales showed on our way to Carmen Island, right after lunch. Harold, our Second Mate, maneuvered the Sea Voyager to be just in the middle of the scattered subgroups, led by a huge male. The pilot whales were traveling at a high speed, probably looking for food, but we were able to see different forms of behavior, as well as some little animals among the adults.
In the late afternoon we explored Arroyo Blanco, a beautiful location on Carmen Island, and swam a little bit more. Then the fun came unexpectedly. A gang of our little guests discovered a big sand dune. Escaping from all the inquiring adult sights, they started the game of throwing themselves down the dune’s slope, getting tons of sand all over their bodies and clothes. Their high metabolism made them go over and over in the game as the echo delivered back the noisy laughing. I considered these funny faces more expressive and descriptive of the delights of our voyage than the ones that we took of the rattleless rattlesnake, or the pilot whales.
