Pitcairn lies 300 nm southeast of Gambier, and can therefore be reached in just a couple of days sailing from where we have spent these past three months. However, the trade winds mostly come from the southeast, which means going against the wind, which is never fun. As it is summer here now, we do get the occasional northerly wind for a few days, and we were lucky to catch one as we headed for Pitcairn.
Pitcairn has become legendary due to what is probably the most famous mutiny of any ship in history. The Royal British Navy ship, The Bounty, was taken by the acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian and several crew members in 1789. The captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and 18 of his loyal men, were set adrift in a small boat. They (except one, who was killed on an island they visited to restock) were ultimately able to make it to shore and back to England.
Some of the mutineers stayed on Tahiti, while nine of them went to search for a place to settle, together with six local men, eleven local women and a baby. After a three month search, the group found the uninhabited Pitcairn Island, which had been mapped in the wrong location. The mutineers burned The Bounty to ensure they were not found and none were tempted to escape.
Due to the wrong mapping of Pitcairn, they were not discovered for 24 years, until 1814. By then, only one of the 15 men was still alive, John Adams. He was pardoned, as he was vital to the sustainability of the remaining population, consisting of nine women and 19 children. Today, the town of Pitcairn is called Adamstown, named after him.
The story about the mutiny and the settlement on the island is really fascinating. There are three movies made about The Bounty, in 1935 (featuring Clark Gable), 1962 (featuring Marlon Brando) and 1984 (featuring Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson). We of course prepared beforehand and watched the latest movie before we set out on this expedition. We definitely recommend watching one of them. We have also spent some time reading up on and understanding what went on during the years after they settled, and find the story quite intriguing.
The Pitcairn islands consist of a total of four islands; Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oneho islands. Only Pitcairn is inhabited, and has only 30 people living there. About 70% of them are direct descendants from the mutineers. The others are a mix between spouses of the locals, other nationalities that are attracted to the history and come for periods of times to live there and the police officer and doctor from New Zealand on 12 months contracts together with their spouses.
Pitcairn is the most remote place we have visited on this journey. There is no other way to travel here, than with boat. There are no docks for larger vessels, so everything is brought to shore via smaller boats from the supply ship. We have witnessed a weekly supply ship, MV Silver Supporter, traveling to Pitcairn from Gambier. The ship also accepts passengers, and the cost per person is EUR 4,000 for a roundtrip.
We met the supply ship during our last night sailing towards Pitcairn. It turns out that this was the last trip it made for a while, before heading to restock in New Zealand. It would be back in about two months time, which, in the meantime, they would only see the occasional sailors like us, and a few cruise ships stopping by.
We arrived in the early morning, to what looked like a rock in the middle of the ocean. The waves crashed on the shoreline, and we quickly witnessed that the tales were true that anchoring along the coast of Pitcairn is a challenge. As a result, only 15-20 sailboats come to visit every year. We sailed around the island, and were impressed by the dramatic landscape.
Finally, after several attempts, we were securely anchored in Bounty Bay. By coincidence, there were two cruise ships that arrived at the same time as us, so the islanders were extremely busy when we got there. Which was not really a problem for us, as the weather was shifting so fast and turned quite rough, which made it unsafe for us to go onshore anyways.
Only the passengers from smaller cruise ships can actually access the island, as the dock is not attainable for larger vessels. They go onshore using Zodiacs, which some smaller vessels have. We witnessed how the islanders solved getting visits by lager vessels.
They go out to the ship and visit them onboard. They give a presentation about Pitcairn, and sell local souvenirs and artifacts. They are also able to buy some supply from the ships. As there is no natural fresh water on Pitcairn, this is a vital product they are always looking for.
The three of us (we were joined on this trip by Gilles, a marine scientist from The International Research Center CRIOBE in Mo’orea – more about that in an upcoming post) waited on the boat in big waves at anchorage in Bounty Bay. We made a quick trip to shore, were able to check in with the local police officer, and went immediately back to the boat. It would take us another few days before we actually got to explore the island.
We were taken aback of the hospitality the locals showed us. We were greeted on the dock not only by the police officer who is in charge of immigration, but also several other members of the community, like Torika, who sells fruit and vegetables, and Rob, the American who volunteers at the museum.
The first day we went for a hike on the island, and made it to the highest point, where we had great views around the island.
We were really taken aback of the lusciousness of the island. The soil is very fertile, and the locals grow all kinds of fruit and vegetables. As we are here during summer, there as also many beautiful flowers around, which the captain eagerly took pictures of. We’ll find a way to share some of them!
After the hike, we were getting thirsty, and one of the guys we had met on our way, was Paul. He shared that he has a bar in his home, which of course we had to test out. Finding it wasn’t too hard, but as there were really no markings outside and we didn’t know where it was, it took a little searching around to find it. It turns out the bar is called Whale’s Tooth Inn, and has made it on a list of the world’s top ten remote bars (it turns out that the captain has visited three of these bars!)
The second day we explored the island, we stayed mostly in Adamstown. We visited the museum, the post office and the general store.
We also went back to visit Paul and Sue, as we wanted to put a Norwegian flag on their wall! Bruse’s dad gifted us an old Norwegian flag when we started sailing. We have kept it on the boat, and waited for the right moment to find a good place for it. And Paul and Sue’s bar seemed to be the perfect spot. Not only were they missing a Norwegian flag on their wall, but the flag was actually stolen from a commercial vessel. Ergo, what better way to gift it to a self proclaimed pirate?
Paul also paints and creates artifacts and jewelry. The admiral picked up the necklace she had selected the day before, which he had finished since the day before. We of course had time for another beer before we headed off, as well.
Most of the roads on the island are dirt roads, which makes the chosen mode of transportation quad bikes. We saw them in all shapes and forms, and the locals were zipping around on them. We were lucky to be transported by Charlene and Torika to their place, where we went to have lunch the final day.
We left Pitcairn the same night, and were so happy we decided to go there. It was rough, little sleep and this landfall is certainly not for everyone. The boat performed well, and we endured 2.5-3 meters waves at anchorage, which is the roughest we have ever had. We left the island thinking we are truly privileged who get to visit remote places like this. What a treat!
