Mary Anne Galapagos Cruise » Review

Pura’s opinion
Mary Anne is an exciting proposition. At 70m long she carries 24 passengers with acres of space. Most boats this size carry over twice this number.

Add to this the nearly 1,000m of sail and she is a spectacular sight on the water.

Owned and operated by the same people who bring you Sagitta and Beagle, Mary Anne comes from a fine stable of first class motor sail boats.

Expect very good food, top notch guides and crew and a comfortable, relaxed but not in any way flashy experience.

Mary Anne sits firmly at the top end of the first class sail boats, sometimes described as deluxe.

Cruise options
Mary Anne’s start day is a Wednesday. You can join the cruise from:

Day 01 to day 06 (five nights, route A)
Day 06 to day 11 (five nights, route B)
Day 11 to day 15 (four nights, route C)
Day 01 to day 11 (10 nights)
Day 06 to day 15 (nine nights)
Day 01 to day 15 (14 nights)

Star rating
Mary Anne is a first class motor sail boat. Whilst she has sails, she generally travels under motor with sails being used occasionally, to provide some extra oomph as well as lateral stability.

Accommodation
Passengers: currently 24 maximum

The twelve cabins on Mary Anne are fairly small, comfortable but functional – bed & bathroom. These cabins are designed as a place to lay your head rather than somewhere to lounge about and relax.

Responsible travel
The owners of this boat, the Angermeyers, are truly passionate about the Galapagos Islands.

Born and raised in Galapagos, and acquiring his skills firsthand from his father Fritz – a boat builder – Fiddi Angermeyer is a genuine pioneer of the Island’s tourist industry.

Their boat operations are all SmartVoyager certified – go to www.smartvoyager.org for more information.

The Angermeyers also work with the Galapagos Foundation to recycle garbage in the Islands as well as taking to the continent what cannot be recycled.

In addition they promote the coastal cleaning among the fishermen, as well as the manufacture of handicrafts using recycled materials.

Social responsibility projects are key to the Angermeyer operation. Currently they are working with an organic farmers’ association on the islands, a bakers’ cooperative, two different artisan projects and a micro-business support scheme.

Noise
You should be aware that on any small boat you will have noise from generators and from the engine when travelling. Even sail boats travel under motor.

You should be aware that on any sail boat you will have noise from generators and from the engine when travelling. Even sail boats travel under motor.

The engine room is towards the rear of the boat, well away from cabins.

Stability
Being a sail boat, you will get movement in the water. This will be most noticeable between July and October in the more exposed waters of the south west of the archipelago.

Who is it for?
The boat is comfortable but certainly not luxurious. The atmosphere is accordingly relaxed, friendly and informal.

Clients will tend to be a mixture of European and north American.