Day 19 January 23

The People of Pitcairn

Pitcairn

Meralda Warren with CD's for sale

 www.meraldaonpitcairn.com

Pitcairn Island, SE Pacific

Awakened early again due to time change last night and managed a 2 mile deck walk. The winds are light, swells very low, no white caps and a fine South Pacific day for what lies ahead. The cap of the island appeared and at 16 knots we closed quickly. By 0900 we were standing off Pitcairn Island and marveling at the brilliant colors of rock, sea and foliage. With no pier on the island we would not tie up of tender ashore. The island would come to us. And they did; a surf boat or whale boat was launched ashore and brought out half or more of the islanders who climbed a Jacobs ladder to board the Amsterdam. Children included. Very few visits are paid here and for those who do make it here the weather must allow for boarding or small boat operations. A supply ship visits quarterly.

Today is Bounty Day, an Island Holiday commemorating this day 221 years ago when the HMS Bounty was burned in the “bay” leaving the inhabitants no means to leave. Since that day, the British sailors and their Polynesian wives and their descendants have occupied this island. Today there remain some 45 inhabitants in 9 families. 10 are children.

The islanders were welcomed aboard and they set up tables around the midships pool to sell their wares. This is a major source of income for them and I do believe they did well judging from the crowd. There were wood carvings, postcards, famed Pitcairn Stamps, baskets, jewelry, tee shirts, polo shirts, hats, walking sticks, soaps, honey and books. In the theater we were treated to s slide show and talk about the island given by two descendants of the mutineers John Kerry Young and Andrew Christian. Amsterdam passengers and islanders had a chance to mingle and get acquainted for the 5 hours we were there. I think everyone enjoyed the experience, especially the islanders who the ship fed free. The Amsterdam slowly circled the island twice during the visit and finally, at about 2 pm, the surf boat came back out, the islanders rapidly packed their remaining wares, visited duty free, and clambered back down the ladder into their boat. The Amsterdam had provided, as a thank-you to the people of the island, cartons of fresh vegetables, fruit, frozen chicken and beef, soft drinks, wine, beer, champagne and for the kids; ice cream. As the heavily laden boat pulled away and headed back to the shore, everyone was waving and the Amsterdam blew her 3 blast departure farewell. That will be a lasting memory, the sight of the surf boat full of waving islanders on the blue waters with the backdrop of the surf, cliffs and foliage of the island behind.