Travel Drawings from Sketching in the Galapagos Islands
In May of 2013 I arrived sailing from Panama to Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands. I had come aboard Sarim, and after beaching the boat in Las Perlas islands, we took our 12 days to arrive here to Isla San Cristóbal. These travel drawings from sketching in the Galapagos Islands were mostly made over a span of two days, despite my being on the island for three weeks. A wooden beam on the catamaran was rotten, and we spent most of our time working to fix it.
This is a sailing drawing of my captain, Lido. We had caught a tuna on the trailing line, and now took to cutting it up.
Sarim was a Wharram of aluminum build. Lido had customized everything, and I made this drawing of the cabin.
Hiking on the far side of Isla San Cristóbal, I came across a cliff thick with these red-ring-eye birds. They shrieked and tried pooping on me when I came too close.
On the journey across the sea, I began created custom drawings of maps, and here’s one of the Galapagos Islands.
These massive Galapagos marine iguanas were intimidating at first. They hawk loogies from their noses, and nod as if to say “What of it?”
I was the translated for Lido in our dealings with this local woodshop in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the main town on San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands.
The sea lions in the port of San Cristobal were impressive. They were everywhere, on anything low enough.
A Galapagos tortoise drawing–the islands take their name from these ageless creatures that exist slowly.
Another Galapagos travel drawing, sketching the giant tortoises at the sanctuary where they are raised.
This is the first map I drew of getting to the Galapagos Islands aboard the sailboat.
A drawing of a slender iguana sunning on volcanic rock.
Sketching the Marine Iguanas would have been easy if not for other visitors scaring them away.
Sailing to the Galapagos Islands aboard the Wharram aluminum catamaran. We set out from Panama City to Las Perlas, and onward to Ecuador’s islands.
There was a seafront walk with covered areas and benches in San Cristobal, which were utterly occupied by sea lions. At least drawing them was easy.
A quick sketch drawing sea lions in the Galapagos.
These sea lions were smelly and lazy on land, but as soon as they entered the water they were nimble as circus folk. I swam with them and decided that they’re more like dogs than lions.
In the Galapagos Islands, sea turtle drawing is an easy passtime because they come onto the protected beaches to sleep. I camped nearby and came out to sketch this sea turtle.
I did not do a tour in the Galapagos, but leaving we came among a pod of whales, whose translucent bodies were visible through the surface.
Sketching the tour boats in the Galapagos port. These tours cost thousands of dollars. I was crew on a sailingboat spending nothing.
Another drawing of a sleeping sea lion, or sea dog.
Travel drawing in the Galapagos was a wonderfully rich experience, with sights such as this volcanic rock beach.
This travel sketch of a Galapagos marine iguana almost got me pooped on by birds or stung by wasps. Another story.
