Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris Sails the Galapagos Islands aboard the Samba

Samba photo
Samba

General Information

The Samba is a first class, 78-foot, steel-hulled motor yacht with stabilizing sail. Built in Holland in 1996, the Samba is a graceful, top-quality craft now owned by the Salcedo family, long time Galápagos residents and experienced in small-group tourism in the islands. A great ocean-going vessel with her specially designed high bow, she provides safe crossings and boasts a special stabilizing sail.

Facilities and Accomodations

The Samba accommodates 14 guests in seven air-conditioned double cabins with private bathrooms and hot water. The lower deck has six double cabins with upper and lower berths and the upper deck has one suite with a double bed.

The Samba includes an indoor salon and an outdoor dining area astern. The main salon and aft dining facilities make the Samba socially versatile while top-side settees and a flush and ample forward deck provide great getaways or extra space for group activities such as stargazing, whale watching, or simply sunbathing.

Dining and Environmental Impact

The chef on the Samba serves excellent international cuisine and is happy to prepare special dishes to fulfill dietary requests (with advance notice). The majority of the food on board is organic and grown locally. The beef is from Santa Cruz Island, the poultry and pork from Floreana, and fish is specially provisioned from carefully chosen fisherman known to the Salcedo family. Given the endangered status of the Galápagos Islands, it is very important to buy from fishermen with responsible fishing techniques. The crew take great care to make all aspects of the voyage environmentally friendly as well as socially responsible. The Samba is locally owned and all of the crew members are from the Galápagos.

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Specifications and Equipment

Length (L.O.A): 78 feet / 24 meters
Beam: 18 feet / 5.5 meters
Tonnage: 134 tons
Speed: 8.5 knots
Range: 2,500 miles
Sails: Steadying sails
Water capacity: 1,500 gallons and water maker
Electric Power Supply: 110V and 220V (A/C)

Equipment: Very efficient Twin DAV diesel engines 280 HP-CUMMINS that only use a remarkable 6 gallons of diesel every hour. Two generators each of 21 and 12.5 kW for 110 V and 220V A/C and 12V and 24V D/C, Furuno Navnet Radar, Plotter and Sonar, GPS, VHF and SSB radios, two tenders with outboard motors, 32' High Definition LCD TV, DVD video equipment.

Safety equipment: One self-contained 20-passenger life raft, EPIRB (Emergency Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon), two bi-directional VHF emergency-radios, one VHF (Motorola) wide-range radio, VHF and HF radios and one cell-phone communication system, life jackets, fire extinguishers, safety smoke and fire detectors and overhead sprinkler systems, A.B.C fire-control system and CO2 bank for the engine room.

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