Puerto Villamil, Galápagos, Ecuador
Our crew continues to explore this archipelago with its exceptional biodiversity. A profusion of marine and terrestrial species protected by preservation measures, but which are not sheltered from human activities, notably linked to the energy needs of the inhabitants.
Coming from: Puerto Ayora, Galápagos
Weather conditions: Sunny
Time of arrival: 9:00 AM
Galápagos Verde, for a sustainable water management system
In the Galapagos, a UNESCO biosphere reserve, optimizing water resources is a crucial issue for the preservation of degraded ecosystems. Since 2013, the Galápagos Verde project has been implementing solutions to slow down water absorption in these very dry soils. A topic to discover for the World Water Day about “valuing water” around the world.
Before sailing to the island of Isabela, we take the opportunity to make some repairs on the boat and especially on the OceanWings.
🇬🇧 ON BOARD l Mechanics to the port side🔧
Our stopover in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz island is also the opportunity for Julien, our systems engineer, to proceed to the optimization of our #propulsion systems. Here, the replacement of hydraulic cylinders on the port wing, in order to improve the reliability of our wings. Our boat remains an authentic laboratory of #renewable energies and allows us to test the performance of our embarked systems, aiming for continual improvement and #energyoptimization.
An archipelago in transition
The island of Isabela is home to a hydride energy production plant that our crew went to discover. The challenge of energy autonomy in the Galapagos Islands thanks to renewable energies is significant, but necessary. In order to make this transition, the island has built a hybrid power plant, which supplies 100% of the island's needs. Mostly solar, the plant also produces biodiesel and continues its transition to eventually be able to completely free itself from fossil fuels.
🇬🇧 PRESERVE l An unique species in the world🦎
At the crossroads of marine and terrestrial worlds, the marine iguana is an endemic species of the #Galápagos which is like no other! It is the only lizard in the world capable to live both on land and at sea. In 2001, the sinking of an oil tanker caused an oil slick, killing 10,000 marine iguanas and threatening the future of this species in the archipelago. The measures taken after this event allowed the population to rise again and thrive, being now under high protection.
The odyssey continues with a return to the island of Santa Cruz, in the footsteps of Darwin and the birth of his theory of evolution and adaptation of species.