The Yacht Angelito
The authentic Galapagos cruise yacht with a unique history!
The unique story
The Yacht Angelito belongs to two Galapagos-born brothers Leonardo and Hugo Andrade.
They were eight in the family. In the late fifties and early sixties, the islands were very isolated, the family poor, and their situation complicated, so their grandfather Angel raised them.
When the eldest children, Leonardo and Hugo, were 14 and 13 years old, grandfather Angel helped them to build a little fishing boat to give the possibility to support the family. To honor the grandfather, they named it Angelito, the nickname of Angel, which in Spanish means little angel.
During weeks over weeks on the sea, Leonardo and Hugo discovered the whole archipelago. They learned a lot about the most beautiful places, their natural wonders, and the history of the Galapagos. After this awakening and turning adults, Hugo started working as a captain on one of the first tourism boats in the Galapagos, the Santa Cruz. Meanwhile, Leonardo continued fishing aboard the little Angelito.
After Hugo worked a few years as a captain on the tourism yacht, the brothers decided to switch to tourism. As pioneers, they converted the fishing vessel Angelito to one of the first small Galapagos ships for tourism. Their first big step to focus on conserving the Galapagos!
In the eighties, in Angelito’s early days, when it still was a little vessel for only eight passengers, the boat was small, without luxury, but very lovably. Many of the cruises were for two weeks, with adventurous and nature-loving passengers, and we even went around the for others mostly unknown west side of Isabela!
However, it was the way that Leonardo and Hugo showed the Enchanted Islands, with so much passion and enthusiasm, that captivated the guests and gave them lifetime experiences!
This magical way to experience the nature and the wildlife of the Galapagos onboard this small yacht many years ago is how we still do it!
The little Angelito
The new Angelito
As time went by, and definitively this first Angelito was turning too small, so Leonardo and Hugo started the project of the new, bigger Angelito. The new yacht was built in Galapagos, also, by 13 local specialized carpenters, and the design based on the combination of experience and acquired knowledge about the guest’s need. The yacht Angelito I. was launched in August 1992. It was an impressionable big step for the family, extraordinary, and exemplary success.
The big refurbishement
But time never stands still, and so, in 2013, the family undertook a full, significant refurbishment of the Angelito I.
The Yacht Angelito I.
Technical specifications:
- Category: Custom Motor Yacht “Tourist Superior”
- Construction: Mixed wooden hull and fiber
- Year: built in 1992 and totally refurbished in 2013
- Capacity: 16 passengers / 8 double cabins
- Crew: 7 Crew members + 1 naturalist Guide
- Length: 22,3m / 70ft
- Beam: 6,6m / 22ft
- Engines: 2 new (2013) Cummins (Marine Diesel) 405 HP each and 2100 RPM
- Generators: 2 new (2013) Cummins CPG (Diesel) capacity 65 KW 60 HZ each
- PureVent Fuel CLEANER: a radical new approach to protect the environment
- Electricity: 110 Volts in cabins and bathrooms and 220 Volt socket in social area
- Water: desalinization system capacity of 65 gal/hour
Navigation and Safety equipment:
2 GPS, Magnetic Compass, radar with range of 36 miles, echo-sounders
- HUNTER: Satellite GPS Monitoring, with digital maps
Camera security control of all strategic points of the boat (p.ex. engine room)
- Safety Classification: SOLAS 74 (Safety of life at Sea) ISM and ISPS – MARPOL. Fire and smoke detectors in all cabins and all other areas of the Yacht.
- Life Jackets: life jackets SOLAS. 2 life Rafts
- 2 Zodiacs: 10 passenger each /ecological Yamaha motors 25 hp each with propeller protector
Facilities on board:
- Air conditioning in all cabins and social areas with individual regulation and with compressors that have the newest technology with a certification for using in protected areas.
- 8 double cabins, in main deck, with large picture windows, private bathroom, safety box, and hair dryer in each bathroom.
- Water, tea and coffee included in cruise price.
- Snorkeling equipment: mask, tube and fins with size 34 – 45 included in cruise price.
- Shorty wet suits in all sizes to rent on board.
- Library with a good selection of books about the flora, fauna and history of the Galapagos.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE YACHT ANGELITO
We are significant and mostly invisible machinery! We all fit together because each of us fulfills its role and collaborates for the best possible results! We love what we do, and definitively love to be part and make your Galapagos vacations unforgettable, being this because you’re coming to the destination you always dreamed about, or during a voyage in South America, or to spend time with your family at one of the unique and fascinating places of the world.
We are significant and mostly invisible machinery! We all fit together because each of us fulfills its role and collaborates for the best possible results! We love what we do, and definitively love to be part and make your Galapagos vacations unforgettable, being this because you’re coming to the destination you always dreamed about, or during a voyage in South America, or to spend time with your family at one of the unique and fascinating places of the world.
All of that starts with Hugo and Leonardo Andrade, the Galapagos born and raised brothers and owners of the Yacht Angelito: they oversee every single detail on board and on land, making sure that you feel comfortable, safe and happy on board.
Then, our Quito based office Cometa Travel, where they organize everything from marketing to the booking processes, and all needed details in between until you arrive at the Baltra Airport in Galapagos, where our guide will welcome you to start the great Angelito Experience.
Onboard, we have eight crew members: the captain, the first mate, the machinist, two sailors, the cook, and the auxiliary cook, all working 24/7 for our guests. Most of our crew are locals from the Galapagos!
The eight crew member is the guide who shares its excellent practice and knowledge during the land visits. We have two guides working with us; both are part of what the Angelito Experience is! Our guides value the importance of having enough time to see, to discover, and feel each visit.
Undoubtedly, one of our cruises’ most complex part is the logistical one: the Angelito’s office team on Santa Cruz Island takes care of all and any detail to fulfill all the visible and invisible requirements to make each cruise safe and successful. They are responsible that nothing is forgotten, from the food supply (important of course!), to have a complete crew, fresh blankets and towels, fuel, material for daily maintenance, communication and a hundred details more (that you don’t have to worry about, we are pleased to do it for you!)
OUR COMMITMENT WITH:
Responsible Marketing and Fair Trade:
Throughout all of our operations, we believe and practice fair trade as far as possible, from start to end, as well as we always keep a high standard of honesty and ethics. We are not just a business offering a product, we truly believe, we truly show and we truly sell what the Angelito is, and what the Angelito can offer, being honest in where our limitations are.
Throughout all of our operations, we believe and practice fair trade as far as possible, from start to end, as well as we always keep a high standard of honesty and ethics. We are not just a business offering a product, we truly believe, we truly show and we truly sell what the Angelito is, and what the Angelito can offer, being honest in where our limitations are.
Local Development:
As a local business based on Santa Cruz Island, founded and operated by two Galapagos born and raised brothers, we try to make sure that most of the benefits remain locally and so create positive local impacts. By supporting our providers, new entrepreneurship, and local alternatives, we encourage the empowerment of regional identity, well-being, and future.
The Environment and Protection of the Galapagos’ nature and employees:
Not only because the National Park entity continually inspects us, but our commitment is to achieve the environmental management standards they demand because we believe it’s the right thing we all should do! We also are regularly inspected by the Galapagos Navy authorities, as well as labor inspections, security inspections, insurance inspections, social security inspections, and many more!
Our employees have regularized contracts and so, also social security.
We are proud always to surpass the expectations because it’s our essence to take and fulfill all these things very seriously.
