S/S Sagitta

First Class Sailing Ship

Overview

Beautiful, spacious and sturdy, superb crew and great itinerary.

Category	Length	Guests	Cabins
First Class	120 ft / 36.6 m	16	10

A beautiful and spacious first class 3 masted motor sailor, Sagitta is one of our favourite yachts thanks to her superb crew and a great itinerary. Built in Sweden in 1961 and completely remodelled in 1998 she carries 16 passengers in 10 air conditioned cabins. She is a very stable yacht which makes her a great choice for those finding their sea legs! The stern has a salon/bar with a shaded area for al fresco dining, whilst the prow has a spacious area perfect for lounging, birding, watching dolphins or stargazing. The Sagitta crew have one of the best reputations of any yacht, for offering fantastic service and being extremely kind and very professional. The yacht has been awarded the Smart Voyager certificate for adherence to sound environmental practices.

Cabins:

10 double cabins with private bathrooms, hot water and air-conditioning. Each is desgined with one double lower berth and a single upper berth.

Rates:

Prices start at US$3,400 (GB£2266) per person for an 8 day cruise

Sagitta is available to charter
Discounts available for groups
Including all accommodation, food, services of a top class naturalist, $10 Galapagos Migration Card.
Excluding flight to Galapagos, $100 Galapagos National Park entrance fee, bottled and alcoholic drinks, tips and personal expenses

If you would like any more information or to chat over the details of the trip we would be delighted to help. Telephone 01482 872 716 for more information or email us today.

Itinerary

From 2011 the Galapagos National Park is changing all yacht itineraries from 8-days to 15-days in order to spread more evenly the number of visitors to each site. This 15-day itinerary will run from 11th June 2011 6,11 and 15 day itineraries available.

2011Sagitta Itinerary Download large jpg version of this map: Detailed Itinerary

Itinerary “A” Central and Southern Islands

WEDNESDAY
Baltra Arrival at Baltra Airport and transfer to the yacht.

Mosquera Mosquera Islet is a small, flat, sandy islet almost devoid of vegetation. Good area for lava gulls and coastal birds. Afterwards you will visit Punta Carrion to enjoy some snorkelling.

THURSDAY
South Plaza This is the best island for observing land iguanas, along with cactus finches, tropic birds and sea lions. One of your first stops will be through a small “forest” of prickly pear (Opuntia) cactus. The walk along the sea cliffs is a wonderful experience, with Audubon’s shearwaters and red-billed tropicbirds and swallow tail gulls gliding by. Towards the end of the walk is a bachelor sea lion colony, with a battle-scared collection of old bulls in various states of recuperation or total retirement!

Santa Fe A volcanic uplift, this island offers a great chance to see the land iguanas (Conolophus pallidus) endemic to Santa Fe Island. Some of these can be 5 ft long and have a beautiful golden-yellow colour that shows off the scales to advantage. In the same area you’ll also see a forest of giant prickly pear cactus. After your visit swimming and snorkelling will usually follow.

FRIDAY
Cerro Brujo (San Cristobal) This is one of the most scenic beaches in Galapagos. A salt-water lagoon right behind the beach reveals birds like the black-necked common stilt and white-cheeked pintail duck. Wet landing onto a white sandy beach. An ideal place to swim, snorkel, or stroll in the company of Galapagos sea lions.

Punta Pitt Located in the northwest of the island, this is a large eroded ash cone with dramatic volcanic scenery and is home to a large colony of sea lions, as well as red-footed boobies, blue-footed boobies and Nazca boobies.

SATURDAY
Espanola This island is one of the highlights of any visit to Galapagos (it is Santiago Bejarano’s favourite island). Espanola is the southernmost island in the Galapagos, and is considered the oldest. Numerous sea lions are seen here, plus hundreds of marine iguanas basking on the rocks. Espanola’s marine iguanas are unlike other Galapagos marine iguanas in their bright colouring, and the lava lizards are distinctive too. The island is home to thousands of nesting seabirds between April and December , with the Waved Albatross, perhaps the most spectacular of Galapagos birds, returning to Espanola by the thousands in late March to perform their amazing mating dance and produce the next generation. Almost the entire population breeds on this island April through November; they spend the rest of the year at sea. You’ll also witness courting blue-footed and masked boobies, and hopefully see their offspring of the year. At Gardner Bay there’s time to hang out with sea lions and snorkel, as well as walk the beautiful white sand beach.

SUNDAY
Floreana At Punta Cormorant you’ll walk on an olivine beach (a mineral known for its olive-green quality, that is found in meteorites, the moon and mars as well as on earth), visit a large lagoon where great flamingos sometimes nest, and walk over to Flour Beach, a beautiful white sandy beach to look for green sea turtle nests. Snorkelling at Devil’s Crown, a partially submerged crater teeming with parrotfish, wrasse, surgeonfish, and damselfish among many other varieties of tropical fish. Post Office Bay is where people leave their mail to be picked up and delivered by others in the “post office” barrel—a time-honoured tradition begun by whalers hundreds of years ago.

MONDAY
Santa Cruz This island, the second largest in the Galapagos, is near the centre of the archipelago. It is the most developed island and has the largest human population in the Galapagos. Most of the restaurants and souvenir shops in Galapagos are located in the town of Puerto Ayora or Academy Bay. There’s a road that crosses the island by way of its lush highland interior. The highlands of Santa Cruz are home to fascinating geological features, like lava tubes and the twin sinkhole craters of Los Gemelos, which are home to some 300 different fern species as well as a “forest” of Daisy related plants ( Scalesia) as well as some elusive endemics like the Woodpecker Finch (one of only two bird species in the world to use twigs as tools), the Small Tree Finch, Vegetarian Finch and Galapagos Rail all found in the lush forest of Scalacia (Giant Daisies) . This part of Santa Cruz is one of the best places to see Giant Tortoises in the wild, particularly October through December as these magnificent giants undertake their seasonal migration from the lowlands to the lush grazing of the highlands. You will spend all day on this Island which will give you a chance to experience this unique environment of the Islands and also visit the installations of the Charles Darwin Research Station.

Itinerary ‘B’ Western Islands and Beyond

Santa Cruz - Charles Darwin Research Station The Charles Darwin Research Station offers a great chance to learn about the work being done to conserve and protect the islands wildlife. For some visitors (depending on the time of year) this is the only time to see Giant Tortoises and certainly the closest range opportunity. It is also a great chance to see the Tortoise Rearing Centre. You can also visit the pen of the famous Lonesome George, the last-surviving member of the Pinta Island sub-species – he may not always be lonesome….as he is still young by tortoise standards, and the Station is actively working to try and encourage him to pair up with some females from closely related subspecies. For the latest details on Lonesome George’s love life you will have to ask your guide!

TUESDAY
Isabela - Punta Moreno Measuring over 1800 square miles, and accounting for over half the land surface area in Galapagos, at about 80 miles in length, the seahorse shaped Isabela Island is the largest in the Galapagos. Isabela is formed from six separate volcanoes (Alcedo, Cerro Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra and Wolf). With dramatic seascapes and one of the best sunrise areas in the Galapagos, the visit to this site begins with a panga ride along the beautiful rocky shores where shore birds, penguins great blue herons and Flightless Cormorants can be spotted. The panga then enters an area of mangroves before you disembark. This enigmatic area is one of the driest lava fields you will ever see, but is punctuated by small lagoons and ponds containing and abundance of wildlife including flamingos, black necked stilts and pintail ducks.

Isabela - Elizabeth Bay This makes for a beautiful panga (small dingy) ride. This is one of the best areas to see Galapagos Penguins as they prefer the cooler waters found in this area of the archipelago. Flightless Cormorants and giant marine iguanas, which have grown so large thanks to the plentiful food in this area. As you then enter a narrow cove lined with large Red Mangrove trees, you can see Green Sea turtles, rays and shore birds.

WEDNESDAY
Isabela - Bahia Urbina In 1954, almost 4 miles of coastal seabed, with marine-life and all, were dramatically and very suddenly uplifted about 15 ft. This area is now a nesting site for large land iguanas and if you are lucky a giant tortoises can be seen too . Brown Pelicans, several species of Finches and Galapagos Hawks are common now at Urbina as well as Flightless Cormorants. The black sandy beach provides a great snorkelling opportunity to see some sea turtles and some colourful tropical fish.

Fernandina - Punta Espinoza The youngest of the Galapagos Islands at just over 400,000 years old, this is the most pristine and untouched of all the islands (not just in Galapagos, but in the world). Volcanically it is still active with eruptions occurring every few years. Punta Espinosa, is a truly spectacular visitor site and a real highlight. A narrow strop of land extending out from the base of the Fernandina Volcano it offers the best chance to see Marine Iguanas with the largest colony in the Galapagos. You will also have the chance to see Flightless Cormorants, Penguins, Sea Lions , Lava Lizards and Galapagos Hawks in one of the best Galapagos landscapes .

THURSDAY
Isabela - Tagus Cove The land tour here takes you up the slopes of the Darwin Volcano up to a salt water lagoon at the top, providing a great view of the fragile lava fields, the volcanic formations as well as the ocean. A great part of the visit here is a panga ride along the coast, with dramatic colours and beautiful tuff formations, with Blue-footed boobies, penguins and marine iguanas.

Isabela - Punta Albemarle One of the most pristine visitor sites within the Galapagos National Park. Dry landing onto a pahoehoe lava flow, where huge marine iguanas and flightless cormorants wait to greet you.

FRIDAY
James Island - Espumilla A wet landing onto golden-coloured sand, where green sea turtles nest. A trail will take you through a Palo Santo forest containing the largest specimens in the islands. Lots of land birds: yellow warblers, Darwin’s Finches, Galapagos flycatchers.

Sombrero Chino "Chinaman’s Hat” is arguably the most scenic islet in the Galapagos. This volcanic cone is separated from nearby Santiago Island by a turquoise water strait, where Galapagos sea lions swim. Wet landing on a sandy coralline beach.

SATURDAY
North Seymour A great variety of Galapagos wildlife is provided in the loop trail on this small island. The highlight of your visit here will be the largest colony of magnificent frigatebirds in the Galapagos as well as a colony of blue-footed boobies. In addition there are sea lions, marine iguanas, lava lizards, swallow-tailed gulls, and a few secretive, but very large, land iguanas.

(This day guest can be transferred from and to the Airport)

Black Turtle Cove A beautiful mangrove lagoon on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island. The yacht anchors just outside the cove and you enter on a dingy, paddling through the calm water which is a resting site for Green Sea Turtles (they are on the rare and endangered species list). A wonderfully quiet journey, through a beautiful and unique habitat and with good luck as well as the marine turtles you will see different types of sharks and schools of Golden Rays swimming just below the surface, whilst yellow warblers sing from above.

SUNDAY
Genovesa (Tower) A highlight of any visit to the Galapagos, a truly beautiful island thanks to the richness of its birdlife. Located in the northeast portion of Galapagos, the island is an outpost for many seabirds (as is Espanola in the South). Interestingly there are no land reptiles here and only very small marine iguanas, due to direction of ocean currents which apparently would not have carried terrestrial animals there. You will visit the following sites

Darwin Bay This bay is actually the caldera of an extinct, partially eroded volcano, with the surrounding cliffs forming the inner portion of the rim. You arrive on a corral beach, and will immediately be struck by the birdlife. Great Frigate bird males which during March till early June display their fully inflated pouches to attract females, Red-footed boobies nesting in the mangroves, Swallow-tailed Gulls, Lava Gulls, and Yellow-crowed Night Herons can all be seen along the sandy trail .

Prince Philip’s steps The visit begins with a great panga (small dingy) ride along the base of the cliffs where you see Redbilled Tropicbirds trying to make a precise landing in their nest. Squadrons of Frigatebirds are seen flying back and forth, whilst Red-footed boobies perch on branches of Palo Santo trees which seemingly grow out of the cliffs. Once you arrive on land and climb to the cliff-top, you enter an area where nesting Nazca Boobies and Great Frigate birds are found. It is also a great place to see Galapagos Doves and Vampire Finches (sharp-beaked ground finches)…ask your guide for the full story on the name! You will also see great numbers of Storm Petrels here, sometimes in tens of thousands. If you are lucky, you may also see a short-eared owl hunting Petrels during the day.

MONDAY
Bartolome Home to one of the most iconic scenery shots of Galapagos, this small island located off the eastern shore of James Island is home to beautiful panoramic views. The striking volcanic landscape, looks almost lunar and provides a great introduction to the volcanic origins of the islands, with spatter cones and cinder cones. You will also see Pinnacle Rock, a striking example of a tuff cone, and good examples of pioneering plants, including some beautiful stands of lava cactus. At sea level, this is a great place for swimming and snorkelling, if you are lucky with Galapagos Penguins

James Bay James Island This was the island where Charles Darwin spent the majority of his land visits in Galapagos. At James Bay, the Fur Seal Grotto provides great chances to get close views of both fur seals and sea lions in a series of rocky pools. This visit also provides some of the best opportunities for tide-pooling in the Galapagos, with the chance to see plovers, herons and oyster catchers and the best sights of the colourful sally light foot crabs with some good swimming and snorkelling off the beach.

TUESDAY
Rabida A red sandy beach with sea lions and nesting Brown Pelicans, which sometimes afford a rare glimpse of chick feeding. A short walk from the beach is a sea water lagoon, where flamingos can sometimes be seen. Geologically, Rabida is said to have the most diversified volcanic rocks of all the islands. It also provides a great opportunity to snorkel with sea lions and has a great diversity of near-shore and pelagic fish

Cerro Dragon Santa Cruz Cerro Dragon or Dragon Hill, has recently been opened by the Galapagos National Park. After a dry landing, the walk at this visitor site takes you to a hypersalinic (saltier than the ocean) lagoon behind the beach where you can often see flamingos, pintail ducks, common stilts and other species of bird. A short walk to the hill, offers a great view of the bay and a nesting site for land iguanas, many of which have been repatriated by the Charles Darwin Research Station

WEDNESDAY
Bachas (Santa Cruz) Wet landing on a white sandy beach. After climbing a sand dune, where green sea turtles nest, we will find a colourful salt water lagoon with greater flamingos. Marine iguanas and Darwin’s finches will escort your way. And then, to the airport.

Baltra Flight back to the mainland.

Please note: Itineraries are unlikely to change significantly but are subject to change. Weather, wildlife breeding, instructions from the Galapagos National Park, specific abilities and interests of passengers as well as operational matters may cause your guide or captain to change the times or nature of your visits. Your guide will always endeavour to have the best itinerary for you within these constraints.

Deck Plan / Spec

Sagitta Deck Plan

Facilities

A lounge area and bar area, dining area, multi-purpose audio/video room with well stocked-library, shaded salon/bar area at the stern, spacious sun deck on the prow, kayaks.