That did not happen. Somebody suggested that we take the dinghy out as the basin gets strong surge from the waves outside and this was done quickly with an hydraulic winch. Melva had married an American and lived in Alaska for quite a few years, coming back to the island five years ago.

Islands have a special appeal. Pitcairn Island, a lump of rock situated roughly halfway between New Zealand and Chile, is probably the world's most remote inhabited spot. The island was named after Scottish Midshipman Robert Pitcairn, a fifteen-year-old crew member who was the first to sight the island. As much as we tried, we could not open the filter and left it immersed in vinegar in the hope it would clean the element inside it. The moment we cleared the southwestern tip of the island with its off lying two rocky islets, we could set a course very close to the one needed to go to Pitcairn with good SOG. 3.5.17 – Wednesday – When Danny took the watch from Zulu at 0300, the wind stabilized and came from the south, blowing 15-20 knots. I took out the sail repair tape and the three of us worked at taping both sides of each of those tears. We reefed and reefed some more, until the third reef was set and still the ride became pretty wild. At least the sea was calm. Going back to the boat was performed in two rounds; one was Danny and the fruit the second Zulu and I. The lady operating the V.H.F also gave us some directions and at 1120 we dropped two anchors in tandem. It was named after a 15-year-old Midshipman, Robert Pitcairn, who was the first to spot the island. It would be five years before the mutineers saw another ship from the island. This gave us an opportunity to see the island’s rich vegetation and wild shoreline plus exercising our leg muscles after a long sea voyage. I thought the problem lay at the salt water filter and we took it out to clean. In less than ten minutes a fish was on. Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions.

In contrast to the forecast (ENE 15) the wind was very light and we had to use the engine. The ship went on its way and when Britain’s famous Captain Cook was sent out to explore Pitcairn six years later, he of course couldn’t find it.

2.5.17 – Tuesday – I had the 0300-0600 watch; wind NNW 10-17, sea state – slight. 30.4.17 – Sunday – Morning came with much better conditions and we could put on full sails and go with the SE wind straight to Pitcairn; beautiful sailing! ( Log Out /  They treated us beautifully and our appreciation was not diminished by the fact that all that had a price and not a very cheap one. We started working on that, which took quite a lot of time and when we finished and commenced hoisting the sail up I saw that there were some tears in my new main! An isolated volcanic island 1,350 miles southeast of Tahiti, it was named after British midshipman Robert Pitcairn, who first sighted the island on July 2, 1767. ( Log Out / 

I tried starting it out of gear but could not hear the starter turning. Each time a squall hit we tried to console ourselves that it was the last and that after passing the cloud conditions will abate. Covering an area of several hundred square miles, Pitcairn has four main islands, with only Pitcairn settled. In the fading light we could discern a line of dark clouds and as they approached it started raining cats and dogs, wind going up by the minute. The remote island was colonised by nine mutinous sailors from the crew of the Bounty led by Fletcher Christian.

But recently, Britain's Pacific Ocean territory hit the headlines with the news it has received almost £18million in aid since 2011. EDF 9 funds were used for the construction of an alternative harbour at Tedside, on the western side of the island, which was completed in 2017. We could all now huddle inside, out of the rain and spray. Not that we did not experience that sort of wind before, but combined with the sea state it was too much. We sat down to consider the forecast. The forecast was for the wind to go down from 25 to 15 knots but in reality it just grew stronger, the seas getting bigger. Funding from the European Union has provided the means to carry out a number of important structural improvements on Pitcairn. Distance to Pitcairn at 0745 local time (we changed to u.t.c minus 8, Pitcairn time) was 288 n.m; Monday arrival (fingers crossed) seems assured. Only one man was lost on the more than 3,000-mile journey. In the late afternoon the wind abated, still gusting to over 30 from time to time and big clouds threatened from behind; we decided to keep sailing with just the reefed jib until assured of lighter conditions. We all took saltwater showers finished with a sweet-water rinse and I had a beer to celebrate. The only way to do it was by motoring. Why a tiny British island in the Pacific has 38 million pieces of plastic rubbish on its beaches

Those interested can check it up on the web. I later checked and found that the maximum wind was 36.7. I am not overlooking the shadowy occurrences that took place on the island in 2004. Zulu found the New Zealand equivalent of his favorite Marmite – yeast extract – on which he was raised during childhood. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. When Zulu took my place at 0600, we opened full sail; a beautiful day seemed to be ahead. The islands – the last British Overseas Territory in the Pacific – include the namesake Pitcairn Island itself, plus the uninhabited Oeno, Henderson and Ducie. I was happy to be able to speak with Gili on WhatsApp, download the weather and publish the last four posts, which were waiting impatiently in my computer. Tiny Pacific island was the hold-out for the notorious Bounty mutineers, with their descendants living on the remote territory to this day.

The Government of Pitcairn Islands is committed to making optimal use of the islands' environmental resources whilst conserving its natural heritage, unique biodiversity and the socio-cultural authenticity of the Legendary Pitcairn Island community.

Zulu cooked a good dinner and we started our night shifts; having been awake since very early in the morning I was lucky to have the 0300 watch and more than six hours to sleep. At 1530 we made some calculations. This is throught to have caused a civil war on the island, eventually leading to the community's extinction. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Sailing faster might mean a night arrival, which is out of the question. Only Fools actor Nicholas Lyndhurst's son dies aged 19 after short illness, Chrissy Teigen and husband John Legend reveal they've lost their baby 'Jack', Holly Willoughby reveals football rivalry at home with rare pic of son Chester, Corrie shock as Grace is exposed as Tiana's NANNY leaving Michael devastated, EastEnders star Jessica Plummer lands first role since Chantelle was killed off, ©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. … Today is the eve of Israel Independence day, it is also Gili’s birthday which, again, I missed; we had a long talk on the Iridium and I told her of my firm decision to be together on that day from now on. The census of December 2017 gave a total of 49 permanent residents and five expatriates. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click here. Henderson is one of the four-island Pitcairn Group, a cluster of small islands whose namesake is famed as the home to the descendants of the HMS Bounty’s mutineers.Pitcairn… Finding the right spot was difficult because a cloud covered the sky, making it impossible to read the bottom; the point recommended by our hosts was too deep, 24 meters and in addition big swell rolled into the bay. Pitcairn, the only inhabited island, is a small volcanic outcrop situated in the South Pacific at latitude 25.04 south and longitude 130.06 west. We asked Charlene to arrange that their boat, having a 40 H.P outboard, would pick us up; waves were too big for our dinghy, especially for its lifting up when we came back. we took the anchors up and motored to Down Rope bay. It took a while to understand the cause of the tears; when we took the sail down at the time of the high winds the sail-bag and sail rested, without any of us noticing, on the starboard solar panels, which have sharp edges. I was at the helm when a really big one lifted the boat to an incredible height from which we surfed down at 14 knots on the GPS. THE tropical Pitcairn islands are home to less than 50 people - almost all of whom are related to some of history's most notorious mutineers. Our Easter to Pitcairn leg took us nine days, we had two storms, one out of Easter and the other on Thursday; we had frustrating calms and some glorious sailing days. Britain has sent nearly £18m to the territory since 2011 in order to run its school, prison, ferry service and health centre. Our “routers” had sent confusing reports and suggestions so we ended up dealing with anything that came along as we saw fit at the time. The mutineers, sailing in the opposite direction, arrived on Pitcairn from Tahiti along with 18 Polynesians.

A beautiful day was finished by a meal of grilled tuna with potatoes fried in butter and olive oil, coleslaw on the side, washed down (as the standard expression goes) by Chilean out of the box wine. Children go to preschool at five years of age, then school; reaching the eights grade they are sent to a boarding school in New Zealand. I woke up a few times during the night and finally in the morning felt that I could not stay another night there. Danny took the next picture in which you can see me kneeling down, not in prayer, just taking the picture above…. Once the clouds went away the wind came back to the north and we could sail directly towards Pitcairn. Ride from boat to shore (return) on their boat – 50$ from Bounty Bay, 65$ from Down Rope for all pax. 8.5.17 – Monday – After we were securely anchored we took the dinghy to what they call here “ship landing point”, a rather small basin with a dock and a ramp for launching their long … We started the engine up and pointed the boat in the right direction. Ouch! I had to go up the salon roof to the mast to pull it down.

Pitcairn Stats. I checked the wind instrument and found out that the maximum value showed 47.8 knots; Wow…. In the afternoon we received the forecast from two friends in Israel; both sources said that on Tuesday we would have winds with a northwesterly slant. When Danny came to the cockpit he noticed that the first batten, the one closest to the sail’s foot was out of its receptacle. Nowadays it is in the past and this blog is mostly about the present. Posted by: catamarantwooceans | May 14, 2017 Pitcairn Island Visit. big fruit carton – 25$. The island was renamed by the British after it was spotted by the crew of HMS swallow in 1767. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The radio operator read the forecast and added that Anakena bay would be “very bad” today.

The final decision was to wait for the next day, check weather again and then decide. The first site we visited was St. Paul pool, which is one of the most beautiful seascapes I have ever seen. Fouled prop? I installed the filter, the guys started up – and water flow was now good. Pitcairn Island is located in the Eastern South Pacific, approximately 500kms from the Gambier Islands of French Polynesia. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 4.5.17 – Thursday – At 0300 Zulu took over the watch and I went to bed.