Throwback: Christmas in the Galapagos

Offshore Voyage 2 - Captain's Logbook (December 25th, 1989)

By: Tony Anderson, Captain

Christmas day started a bit differently for most aboard this year. 0600 brought out the chicken dressing party, and without getting into too much detail, our friends Oliver, Finnigan, Louis and Olga were prepared for dinner. During this process we found out that a desperate chicken can swim. Fuel for the Swift arrived at 1030 and with a polite but firm smile we were wished safe sailing by the port authorities. Christmas did not mean as much to the people of Academy Bay as it did to us. 1630 weighed anchor and laid a course for Pitcairn Island 3,000 miles across the wide Pacific, 3,000 miles without a stop.

Once underway everyone dressed in their finest clothes and gathered in the cockpit. Our friend Pacific Santa came and we had our gift opening ceremony. We had picked names in Costa Rica with the idea that everyone would make a present for the person they chose. Everything up till now had been top secret, but the gifts that were produced were unbelievable! There was everything from hand-painted t-shirts to very finely embroidered pillow cases, ditty bags and camera cases. This Christmas spent on the Swift at sea gave us all the chance to reflect uninhibitedly on the true meaning of Christmas. This will be a Christmas remembered by all aboard.

The cooks once again prepared an incredible feast for all. We enjoyed a Christmas dinner which consisted of ham, chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, pineapple and every kind of sweetbread and nibbly to top things off. After dinner, we had a service which was held with special meaning as we drifted west into the wide Pacific.