Pitcairn Island

Pitcairn Island

The original itinerary stated a day at sea with scenic cruising, which basically we did but the ship stopped about a mile out and 40 out of the 60  islanders that live there came on board. This is the exact opposite of what we usually do.

My knowledge of Pitcairn is the Hollywood  version of Mutiny of the Bounty. I remember Capt. Bligh as being the bad guy. The debate continues as to why the mutiny occurred. The scholars feel that Bligh was not an unusually harsh Captain.

The residents that came on board are all descendants  or Fletcher Christian and the other mutineers. They were multiracial in appearance and brought with them handicrafts made out of mainly wood, postcards, honey and of course tee shirts. They spoke English with a New Zealand accent. They gave a visual presentation and answered questions from the audience. It was fascinating to here about their lives. They have electricity just 10 hours a day, 5 in the morning and 5 in the evening. Supplies arrive from New Zealand quarterly. They chose to live this most isolated way, but can it last?Officially they are a British overseas territory. Passenger ships, 10 to 12 a year stop and give them food etc and let them on board as ours did. They have a Doctor and a teacher both from New Zealand. There is no water source on the Island, they collect rain water.

In 2008 a sex scandal became public. It seems incest and pedophilia are fairly common. There was a trial and some of the men served minimal sentences, mainly because their skills were need to help the island survive.

For all of us on board it was a very interesting day.

Gina Wagg