Genovesa

Anchored in the early morning in the flooded caldera at Genovesa Island. The overnight voyage had pitched us quite dramatically, nearly falling out of the bunks on a couple of occasions. Three quarters of the caldera remain, giving us some shelter here. But the morning is cloudy, murky, cold and a bit windy. The sea is grey.

Prince Philip’s steps

A booby chick

A panga ride to Prince Philip’s steps, names after a visit by RY Britannia 52 years ago. Initially looked like we wouldn’t be able to land; there was a swell of 1-2m on the stone we were supposed to jump onto.

Up the rough natural steps and past a pair of swallow-tailed gulls who had nested there to a flat island covered in the white, leaf-less trees and a vast colony of sea birds.

Nazca boobies

Mainly red and blue footed boobies, the former sitting in the low trees, the latter on the ground. Pairs of birds grooming each other and looking after large, fluffy chicks. Also Nazca boobies frigate birds and a few tropic birds, with their long tails. No sign of the owl.

Frigate chick

Frigate chick

After lunch we went to Playa Darwin, a small sandy beach within the caldera with more close-up views of nesting frigate birds and their young, boobies and an alpha sealion on the path.

Darwin Bay on Genovesa

Red footed booby

Despite the swell we had a snorkel near the cliffs. Scary before we got in but settled into fun. Water not too cold. I missed the hammerhead sharks, just seeing a trunk disappearing below me, but there were plenty of turtles and fish.

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