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A DIARY OF THE FINAL CRUISE OF THE RMS ST. HELENA
TO TRISTAN DA CUNHA, JANUARY 15-28, 2004
By Ted Cookson
A Monograph Published in April 2004

To my mother and father, Jayne and Bill Cookson, who never set any boundaries

WHY I WENT TO TRISTAN DA CUNHA

A British overseas territory, the island of Tristan da Cunha (TdC), 1,750 miles (2,816 km) southwest of Cape Town and 1,450 miles (2,333 km) southwest of St. Helena Island, is the most remote inhabited island in the world. 

Roughly equidistant from Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro and situated just east of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, TdC rises spectacularly some 18,000 feet (5,486 meters) from the seabed.  Its peak, snow-covered during the Southern Hemisphere winter, lies 6,760 feet (2,060 meters) above sea level.  TdC is 38 miles (99 km) square and about 29 miles (46 km) in circumference.

There are six islands in the TdC Archipelago.  TdC, Inaccessible, Nightingale and the much smaller islands of Middle and Stoltenhoff form one cluster.  A sixth island, Gough (pronounced Goff), lies about 258 miles (415 km) to the southeast.

Discovered by the Portuguese admiral Tristao da Cunha in 1506, TdC has been inhabited almost continuously since 1810.  In 1816 a small British force was dispatched to the island for a brief period in support of Napoleons captivity on nearby St. Helena.  Sealers and whalers operating in the South Atlantic during the nineteenth century provided barter opportunities for the islands few inhabitants.  With population growth and successive shipwrecks which contributed additional settlers, the population of TdC has grown to about 285 today.  But there are only seven family names.  

The correct pronunciation of the Portuguese admiral's name is tristan da koon'yah.  However, modern-day inhabitants call their island tristan da koo'nah.

I have been fascinated by the geography and history of remote TdC since the early 1960's when I began collecting stamps as a preteenager in Coos Bay, Oregon.  My early philatelic interests included Pitcairn Islands and Norfolk Island in the Pacific as well as used U. S. stamps.  Had I had more spending money at my disposal as I entered my teenage years, I would have begun collecting stamps from TdC and Ascension Island also.  As it was, the small weekly allowance I received from my parents for helping with various household chores did not allow me to begin an Atlantic islands stamp collection too. 

Many years later in the autumn of 1999 I applied for membership in the St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Philatelic Society.  This was triggered by the fact that my partner Barbara Stein and I had just been accepted to host a group of Virtuoso Voyager Club passengers on a Silversea cruise ship across the South Atlantic.  In April 2001 we finally cruised from Rio de Janeiro to Cape Town on the Silver Shadow; and our itinerary included stops at both Ascension and St. Helena. 

Barbara and I are both members of the Travelers' Century Club also.  The Travelers' Century Club was organized in Los Angeles in 1954 by a group of the world's most widely-traveled people, and today it boasts over 1,500 members from throughout the U. S. and many foreign countries.   Membership is limited to those who have visited one hundred or more places on the clubs official list of 317 destinations.  TdC, Ascension and St. Helena are all included on the club's list.  TdC was to be my 307th Travelers' Century Club destination.

(For more information on the Travelers' Century Club, visit www.travelerscenturyclub.org.  You may also find it convenient to refer to my own web site, www.eptours.com, where, under World Travel Club, you can check off the Travelers' Century Club destinations you have visited and store them as a password-protected list.)

Although I have had a personal interest in TdC for some 40 years, it was my membership in the Travelers' Century Club which finally led me to consider booking a two-week round trip cruise from Cape Town to TdC on the Royal Mail Ship St. Helena (RMS) for January 2003. 

However, as events would have it, a unique opportunity to visit Pitcairn Island by cruise ship during the same January 2003 time frame led me to delay my cruise aboard the RMS for another year.  I reserved and paid an initial deposit in January 2003 for my 13-day RMS cruise to TdC in January 2004.

Launched in 1989 by H. R. H. The Prince Andrew, the RMS was the first vessel to be purpose-built for the shipping service to the U. K.s South Atlantic islands of St. Helena, Ascension and TdC.  In addition, it was the first passenger ship to be built in Britain in the two decades following the construction of the QE2.

This is the diary I kept on my round trip voyage from Cape Town to TdC January 15-28, 2004.       
 

CRUISING TO TRISTAN DA CUNHA ON THE RMS ST. HELENA

THURSDAY, JAN. 15, 2004:  I took a taxi from my hotel in Cape Town to Berth J at Cape Town's Duncan Docks, arriving just prior to 1:00 p.m.  Passengers had been requested to arrive at the dock between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., and I was only the second person to arrive.  I asked the other gentleman who had arrived ahead of me how far he had come, and he said that he lived in Richmond, South Africa near Durban.  As it turned out, Piet was to be my roommate for the next 13 days!

Inside the customs shed an official from the St. Helena Line inspected my South Africa tourist visa to make sure that I would be allowed to re-enter South Africa after the cruise.  As Americans are normally granted a three-month multiple entry visa when first entering South Africa, this was not a problem.  My luggage was also weighed.  RMS passengers were allowed one cubic yard of baggage, and no single piece could weigh more than 44 pounds (20 kg).  A maximum of two pieces was permitted in the cabin.  Any baggage in excess of the two pieces allowed in cabin was to be stored in the ship's hold. 

The Governor of St. Helena, H. E. Mr. David Hollamby, and his El Salvador-born wife Helena were due to board the RMS at about 3:30 p.m.  Meanwhile an oil tanker had pulled up alongside the RMS and was supplying her with fuel.  After photographing Table Mountain rising behind Cape Town, I walked around to a shady spot on the other side of the ship facing out into the harbor.  While standing there at the railing of the RMS I spotted a small jackass penguin swimming by.  Not long afterward a seal floated lazily along on its back with a flipper extended up in the air as if it were a shark's fin.

The RMS pulled away from the dock on time at 4:15 p.m.  Although the ship had a capacity of 128 passengers, only 57 were on board for this cruise.  The sky had been overcast the previous couple of days.  But the weather suddenly changed to blue, sunny skies for our departure; and the view from the deck of the RMS as we sailed out of the harbor was stunning.  Cape Town, with dramatic Table Mountain behind, must be the most beautiful port in the world.  As the RMS continued south along the coast the Twelve Apostles, rock formations adjacent to Table Mountain, all came into view.  The coastal resorts of Sea Point and Llandudno could also be seen. 

While sailing south off the Cape Peninsula passengers spotted Hartlaub's gull, southern black-backed gull (kelp gull), sandwich tern, Cape cormorant, sub-Antarctic skua and Cape gannet.

Along the way Warham Searle, our South African guest lecturer, provided a running historical commentary.  Abreast of the Slangkop Lighthouse, half way to Cape Point, the RMS abruptly turned and headed toward TdC which lay about 1,520 nautical miles (nm) to the west.  (One nautical mile equals approximately 1.15 statute miles.)

Then at 9:15 p.m. Captain M. L. M. Smith announced that, because the RMS was having trouble with the fuel pumps on both of its main engines, the ship would have to return to Cape Town!  Several days later one of the ship's engineers advised me that the RMS' spare fuel pumps had not performed properly either. 


FRIDAY, JAN. 16:  The RMS arrived back at Berth G at Cape Town's Duncan Docks at 1:15 a.m.

To compensate for the inconvenience of the unanticipated delay, an hourly minibus service to Cape Town's Waterfront was laid on.  In addition, a complimentary tour to Stellenbosch was offered with lunch and wine tasting.  34 passengers signed up for that tour. 

But as this was my fifth time in Cape Town since 1978 and I had never taken the cableway to the top of Table Mountain, I jumped at the unexpected opportunity to ascend in clear weather.  After telephoning the airline to delay my post-cruise homeward flights, I flagged a taxi to the lower cableway station. 

Unfortunately the cableway was not yet running due to high winds on top of the mountain.  But I made the decision to wait; and, luckily, nearly two hours later at 1:00 p.m., the cableway finally opened for the day.  I found myself spellbound on top of Table Mountain.  The views cannot be described in words.  I was on top for nearly two hours and have no idea where the time went.  After descending, I sent some e-mails and then returned to the ship by 6:00 p.m. as requested by the captain.   

At 6:15 p.m. the RMS again pulled out of Cape Town Harbor under a glorious blue sky.  Twenty minutes later as we headed down the coast the ship began to turn west.  But then our slight turn became a full U-turn.  The many passengers who were still out on deck admiring the view were dumbfounded, and rumors quickly began to fly.  As it turned out, it was discovered that the RMS had departed Cape Town without one of its engineers!  Dinner was served at 7:30 p.m. while the ship waited outside the harbor and the tardy engineer was brought out to the RMS by launch.  Finally, with our full complement of officers, we departed for TdC at 8:20 p.m. under cover of darkness.

Clocks were put back one hour tonight to GMT + 1.


SATURDAY, JAN. 17:  At 9:30 a.m. on nearly every morning of our cruise our guest lecturer Warham Searle assisted with bird spotting on the RMS's Sun Deck.  It was unusual that on our first morning out not many birds were seen.  Today passsengers spotted only white-chinned petrel, the most common petrel in the South Atlantic.

Navigational details as of noon:  Our position was 34 degrees, 17 minutes S., 13 degrees, 38 minutes E.  The RMS made 235 nm since departing Cape Town at an average speed of 14.2 knots.  We were still 1,238 nm from TdC while Cape Town was 235 nm astern.  The air temperature was 19 C./66 F. and the sea temperature was 20 C./68 F.  There was a force 4 wind (11-16 knots) from the SSE, and the depth of the sea below us was 4,300 meters.  (One knot equals one nm per hour or 1.15 statute miles per hour.)  Sunset would be at 7:30 p.m.

Today the RMS crossed the Benguela Current.  This strong, cold current flows north along Africa's southwest coast, bringing with it nutrient-rich plankton from Antarctic waters.  While I had thought the RMS would roll in the current, the effect was not nearly as pronounced as I had expected.

In the afternoon an interesting visit to the bridge was conducted by Second Officer Malcolm MacDonald.  The RMS featured an open bridge policy.  Passengers could freely enter the bridge 24/7 except when a local pilot was on board. 

On the tour of the bridge I learned that the regular RMS itinerary to TdC contained at least one spare day for delays such as that which we had just experienced.  Our arrival date back in Cape Town should not be affected by the extra day we just spent in Cape Town, and therefore I had delayed my homeward flights without reason.  The apparent good news was that the RMS itinerary normally included a return sailing via Gough Island, although no landing was permitted.  I was overjoyed to hear that we might sail southeast some 224 nm from TdC to see Gough on the return.  Though claimed by the U. K. as part of the TdC group, South Africa maintains a meteorological station on Gough which is normally manned by seven or more persons.  It would be a sail of 1,412 nm from Gough back to Cape Town.

At the captain's cocktail party this evening the very personable Governor David Hollamby hinted in a conversation that this might possibly be the final sailing of the RMS to TdC.  As was often typical for its annual January round trip sailing from Cape Town to TdC, the 57 passengers on board represented less than half of the ships capacity.  Indeed, with 56 crew members, the passenger-to-crew ratio was virtually 1.0.  And the RMS was carrying only 38 metric tons of cargo for TdC although its cargo hold had a capacity of 2,030 metric tons!  Governor Hollamby said that it was becoming increasingly difficult to justify the expense of the annual voyage to TdC when usage remained so low.  I heard a rumor from a fellow passenger that the RMS receives Sterling 1.5 million in annual subsidy from the U. K.  Apparently TdC also receives cargo via fishing vessels and via the South African survey vessel S. A. Agulhas. 

By way of background, TdC, as a dependency of St. Helena, also falls under Governor Hollamby's purview.  A permanent administrator on TdC in turn reports to the governor.  Although previous governors usually visited TdC only once during their terms, Governor Hollamby had taken a cabin round trip on the RMS run from Cape Town to TdC every January.  This was expected to be the final such voyage which Governor and Mrs. Hollamby would make as he expected to serve in his present capacity for only about nine more months. 

Governor and Mrs. Hollamby planned to stay ashore during the entire period that we were at TdC; and they were to be accompanied ashore by Russell Phillips, a London-based officer in the Overseas Territories Department of the Foreign and Colonial Office who was responsible for the U. K.'s South Atlantic islands.

When questioned about the status of the airport for St. Helena, Governor Hollamby explained that some 72% of the population of St. Helena had voted for the project.  He emphasized that those in favor of the airport even included an overwhelming majority of the crew members of the RMS.  This was the case even though it would certainly mean the loss of jobs for the RMS crew.  Once an airport became operational on St. Helena, it was presumed that RMS service to that island would be discontinued.  The RMS crew and others hoped to obtain employment related to construction and operation of the new airport. 

The British government had not felt that the financial resources of the firm which originally proposed to construct the airport and a hotel on St. Helena were adequate.  Therefore that firm's offer had been rejected.  However, the British government planned to re-tender the airport project in 2004; and the four potential bidders included such well-known names in the construction field as Bouygues of France.  Governor Hollamby noted that the hotel project now had been uncoupled from construction of the airport so as to avoid a commercial monopoly.  He added that it was his hope that the airport contract could be awarded later in 2004 prior to the end of his tenure as governor and that the airport would finally be operational by 2008 or at the latest in 2009.


SUNDAY, JAN. 18:  At the church service today Sterling 38.54 was collected for the RMS' charities.  The RMS had helped to finance an elevator for the museum in St. Helena.  Contributions had also been made to homes for aged sailors.

The RMS' shop sold postcards from TdC and from its other ports of call.  In addition, the shop stocked books on the various islands of the South Atlantic.  The RMS' bureau, or reception office, sold a small selection of TdC postage stamps at face value.  The bureau also offered free use of two rubber stamps.  One read, R. M. S. St. Helena - Posted At Sea,  and the other read, Tristan da Cunha - RMS St. Helena - South Atlantic.  The latter featured a yellow-nosed albatross plus a silhouette of TdC with the RMS in the foreground.  Passengers were cautioned not to use these rubber stamps to cancel postage stamps.

Navigational details as of noon:  Our position was 35 degrees, 0 minutes S., 6 degrees, 40 minutes E.  The RMS made 350 nm in the previous 24 hours at an average speed of 13.8 knots.  We were still 935 nm from TdC while Cape Town was 595 nm astern.  The air temperature was 18 C./64 F. and the sea temperature was 20 C./68 F.  There was a force 2 wind (4-6 knots) from the SSE, and the depth of the sea below us was 4,500 meters.  Sunset would be at 7:55 p.m.

Today passengers spotted great-winged petrel, Wilson's storm petrel and yellow-nosed albatross, which breeds on TdC.

I heard a story today from a fellow passenger that last year one  passenger on the RMS mailed 200 postcards from TdC, but none of the cards ever arrived.  It was rumored that postcards from TdC are sometimes stolen from the mails in Cape Town.  To defeat the supposed South African postal thieves, the passenger recommended that postcards be franked at TdC and hand-carried on to Cape Town before being posted onward under cover.  (All of my own postcards did eventually arrive.)

I found it interesting that postal officials at TdC were quite willing to frank postcards and covers and then allow passengers to retain their own mail.  An even more interesting fact was that mail franked at TdC could be posted for no additional fee at Stanley in the Falkland Islands.  I took advantage of this option myself recently while on another cruise ship.  At that time I had postcards franked by the TdC post office on board Royal Princess as she lay off TdC on December 24, 2003; and I posted those same cards myself in Stanley on January 3, 2004 when Royal Princess called at the Falklands.

An afternoon slide show on birds of the South Atlantic was given by lecturer Warham Searle.  I was surprised to learn that 30 million pairs of seabirds nest annually in the TdC Archipelago.  Tens of thousands of rockhopper penguins establish rookeries on Nightingale Island.  The yellow-nosed albatross nests on Nightingale Island too. 

The world's smallest flightless bird, the Inaccessible Island rail (called an island cock by Tristanians), is one of several species endemic to Inaccessible Island, which was designated a nature reserve by the TdC Island Council in 1994.  Tristanians retain the right to collect apples, driftwood and guano from Inaccessible; but all living resources are protected.  Inaccessible is a breeding location for at least 16 seabird species, including the northernmost population of wandering albatross.

The most distant island in the TdC Archipelago is Gough Island.  There are no traces of man on Gough aside from the permanently-manned South African meteorological station.  Hundreds of thousands of birds breed and nest there, and some of these species migrate from Gough as far afield as Newfoundland!  UNESCO declared Gough Island and its surrounding waters out to three miles a World Heritage Site, so the island's unique environment is now completely protected. 

According to Daniel Schreier and Karen Lavarello-Schreier in their book, Tristan da Cunha, published by Battlebridge Publications in London in 2003, on Gough humans rarely leave the (meteorological) station and dare to go hiking on the hills only infrequently.  Like all the other islands, Gough is very hazardous.  Since the 1960's at least three meteorologists have been taken by surprise by sudden changes in the weather, lost their orientation, and perished.

Volume II of the thirteenth edition of Africa Pilot published by the U.  K. Hydrographic Office in Taunton, England in 2002 gives the following description of Gough Island (40 degrees, 19 minutes S., 9 degrees 57 minutes W.):

Discovered by the Portuguese navigator Goncalo Alvarez, Gough Island is situated about 230 miles SSE of Tristan da Cunha Island.  It is about 7 miles in length and 4 1/2 miles wide and is a dependency of St. Helena.  It is well wooded and watered.

Behind narrow boulder beaches, cliffs rise steeply round most of the island; those at North East Point are about 365 meters in height and sheer.  Those between Reef Point (about 2 miles SSE of North East Point) and Haulround Point (about 2 1/2 miles farther SSE) are also sheer but not very high.  In most other parts of the island vegetation, chiefly tussock grass, grows on the steep cliffs up which routes can often be found.

On the west side of the island the steep cliffs attain a height of 460 meters in places.  At the south end of the island is an undulating plateau with an elevation of 600 meters or more from which the summits rise in easy slopes, the highest of which are Edinburgh Peak, Goncalo Alvarez Peak (Expedition Peak), Mount Rowett and South Peak.

In most places the cliffs of Gough Island rise steeply from the sea and numerous waterfalls descend in long cascades.  Kelp grows round much of the island.

Fish and crayfish (rock lobsters) are abundant close inshore.  Seals and sea birds can easily be obtained; and most of them, like the fish, are very good eating.  A bright fire at night will attract many petrels.  Wild potatoes and wild celery grow on the island, the latter being rich in vitamin C.  No shipwrecked mariner should starve.

Landing is not allowed without a permit from the administrator on Tristan da Cunha.  Permits are normally only granted for scientific visits.  Force majeur visits must be reported as soon as practicable to the administrator and must last no longer than is absolutely necessary coincident with safety and health reasons.
  

MONDAY, JAN. 19:  A documentary was shown this morning on the Union-Castle Line which used to operate passenger services between U. K. and South Africa until jets were introduced on that route in the 1960's.

Today passengers were advised that landing at TdC can be extremely hazardous.  Only in flat, calm conditions can the gangway be used.  If the sea were to be rough, disembarkation would be by the pilot ladder, which is a rope ladder from the main deck down the ship's side.  It can be difficult getting off the pilot ladder into the launch and also getting back on to the ladder when returning to the vessel.  All those going ashore must wear a life jacket.  Passengers were asked to consider these points before signing two indemnity forms, one for the RMS and the other for the TdC authorities.

Today at 11:20 a.m. the RMS crossed the Greenwich meridian.  We were then 5,233 nm south of the Greenwich observatory.

Navigational details as of noon:  Our position was 35 degrees, 43 minutes S., 0 degrees, 7 minutes W.  The RMS made 336 nm in the previous 24 hours at an average speed of 14.0 knots.  We were still 599 nm from TdC.  The air temperature was 20 C./68 F. and the sea temperature was the same.  There was a force 2 wind (4-6 knots) from the SW, and the depth of the sea below us was 4,850 meters.  Sunset would be at 8:20 p.m.

Today passengers spotted wandering albatross and ring-eyed petrel.  The latter, also called a spectacled shoemaker, is a sub-species of white-chinned petrel which breeds only on Inaccessible Island.

A fishing day was declared at TdC today as the sea and weather were calm.  Seven metric tons of crayfish were caught.

A very interesting afternoon slide show on the history of TdC was
given by lecturer Warham Searle, who had visited TdC nearly a dozen times.  The name of the settlement on TdC was changed from Somerset to Edinburgh following the visit in 1867 of the first Duke of Edinburgh, H. R. H. The Prince Albert, Queen Victorias second son.

After dinner a pub night was followed by the Governor's Cup darts match.

Clocks were put back one hour tonight to GMT, which is the time zone of TdC.


TUESDAY, JAN. 20:  A short documentary was shown this morning on the building of the RMS, which is twice as large as her predecessor.

This morning I calculated that I had spoken so far with 35 of the other 56 passengers aboard the RMS.  Since the ship was not filled to capacity, those like me who booked a berth in the least expensive accommodation, a four-berth cabin, were pleasantly surprised to find that their cabin was only occupied by one other passenger.  Similarly, those who booked into a two-berth cabin found that they enjoyed single occupancy.

As my four-berth cabin, which cost Sterling 1,070 for the round trip voyage and which I shared with only one other passenger, was situated down on C deck, nearly all of those passengers whom I had not met yet were in cabins up on A deck.  Since I am sometimes prone to seasickness, I was quite happy to be down on C deck.  Luckily, though, I had had no seasickness symptoms so far on this cruise.  (In fact, I was never seasick during the entire cruise, though I did wear one-third of a Scopaline patch behind my ear protectively.)

While the A deck cabins were certainly more spacious than our C deck cabin, which was akin to a cabin on a ferry, there was quite a bit more motion on the higher decks.  Also, due to the light passenger load on C deck, only five men shared the mens four-stall toilet, and eight men and women shared four shower stalls.  The crew, all from St. Helena, kept the ship spotless.

I should put in a plug for the tasty cuisine aboard the RMS also.  In fact, the food was much better than I had ever expected.  Assistant Hotel Services Officer Sadie Legg was very accommodating in providing me with a special diet which was both vegetarian and low in fat.  My South African roommate Piet and I were seated for dinner at a table for six.  Our table mates include two men from Switzerland, one man from New Brunswick and a gentleman from London.

Normally after TdC the dinner table assignments were changed.  However, we all opted to remain at the same table for the return voyage too.  On the other hand, there was free seating at both breakfast and lunch.  I enjoyed the salad bar at lunch up in the Sun Lounge rather than taking lunch down below in the dining room. 

Navigational details as of noon:  Our position was 36 degrees, 35 minutes S., 7 degrees, 3 minutes W.  The RMS made 341 nm in the previous 24 hours at an average speed of 13.6 knots.  We were still 258 nm from TdC.  The air temperature was 20 C./68 F. and the sea temperature was the same.  There was a force 4 wind (11-16 knots) from the NNW, and the depth of the sea below us was 4,240 meters.  Sunset would be at 7:50 p.m.

Today passengers spotted ring-eyed petrel, and a young wandering albatross very close to the RMS caused a temporary halt in the cricket match on board.

A short talk was given by Chief Purser Colin Dellar regarding the practical aspects of tomorrow's arrival at TdC.  Colin mentioned that the RMS would maintain at least 50% of the crew on board while at TdC in case the wind were to change.  Continuous blasts from the RMS whistle meant that all passengers should return immediately to the harbor.

Colin emphasized that, when re-boarding, it was important to step off the small, wide-lipped boat onto a high ladder rung so one's foot was not crushed by the small boat.  This was important when disembarking from the small boat in Calshot Harbor too.  Colin said that during the past 20 years no passenger injuries had ever resulted from the use of a rope ladder on the RMS at TdC.  But in 2003 one crew member did break his foot. 

Colin pointed out that Sterling was the currency used ashore.  But St. Helena currency, which was used interchangeably with Sterling on board the RMS, did not circulate on TdC.  Nor were credit cards accepted on the island.

Colin said that a retired shepherd used to organize hikes for RMS passengers up to the base, the island's high plateau.  However, these hikes had been discontinued as there was some worry that the elderly gentleman might not have been capable of handling an emergency situation if it were to arise. 

Finally, as the RMS had been in radio contact with TdC, Colin was able to advise that the wind was from the northwest, and it rained on the island today.  The Tristanians believed that the wind would shift to the west and then to the southwest by tomorrow.  If so, this would favor our landing.  Also, two French warships en route to Brazil paid a courtesy call at TdC today.  But they landed only a few passengers by helicopter as the sea was rough.  Had the RMS called at TdC today, no passengers would have disembarked due to poor weather.

Afterward a fascinating documentary on TdC was shown.  According to Colin this particular film, by Guido Lombardi and Anna Lajolo, was liked by the islanders as they believed it portrayed them fairly.
 

A DAY ON TRISTAN DA CUNHA

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21:  Sunrise was at 5:55 a.m. but, due to poor visibility, it was nearly 6:30 a.m. when the RMS was only about two miles (3 km) from TdC that the island could be seen finally through the rain and the clouds! 

Africa Pilot gives the following description of Tristan da Cunha Island (37 degrees, 7 minutes S., 12 degrees 18 minutes W.):

TdC is a truncated cone about 6 miles in diameter with its sides rising at an angle of about 45 degrees to a central peak 2,060 meters in height.  The sides of the island consist of walls of inaccessible cliffs from 300 meters to 610 meters in height which rise, except on its northwest side, directly from the sea.  On this side there is, in front of the cliffs, a comparatively low grassy slope from 30 meters to 60 meters high which terminates in Herald Point, the northwest extremity of the island.  The sides of the mountain mass as far as the central dome are covered with brushwood intermixed with ferns and long grass.  But above 1500 meters, coinciding with the normal upper level of clouds, the mountains consist of loose stones and volcanic rubble with occasional rocks and boulders. 

By 6:40 a.m. the RMS was one mile east of Sandy Point.  We quickly sailed along the steep-cliffed eastern coast of TdC around to the settlement of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas which is situated in the northwest of the island on one of TdC's few relatively flat patches of land near sea level.  TdC's entire population of approximately 285 resides in Edinburgh.  The RMS dropped anchor 4 cables off Edinburgh at 7:30 a.m.  There was a moderate swell.  (One cable is equal to one-tenth of one nautical mile.  One cable is therefore equivalent to 608 feet or 185 meters.)

Immediately some of the crew began fishing off the poop deck for yellowfish and fivefingers using hooks and lines with bait, and it seemed as if they were pulling in one fish after the next.  As soon as one fish was snagged, hauled in and placed in a plastic sack, each fisherman re-baited and awaited the next bite, which didn't take long.  The waters off TdC were simply teeming with fish.

The first boat from shore arrived at the ship at 8:15 a.m., carrying 
TdC Administrator Bill Dickson wearing a dark suit, Policeman Conrad Glass in his black police uniform and three uniformed immigration officials.  Chief Islander Anne Glass was not in the boat.

The immigration officials sat at a table in the main lounge where passengers who wished to go ashore paid the Sterling 15 (USD 28) landing fee.  In return, passports were stamped using a rubber stamp with a design showing a yellow-nosed albatross (known locally as a mollymauk), the silhouette of the island and the British crown along with the words, Tristan da Cunha - South Atlantic.  An RMS crew member also handed out launch tickets.
 
Governor Hollamby's official party was in the first boat to go ashore at 8:30 a.m.  I was in the first of two other passenger boats after that.  Our boat, which included Mrs. Hollamby, finally arrived ashore at Calshot Harbor at about 10:30 a.m.  Use of a rope ladder and safety harness off the RMS in a heavy swell had made it very slow going.  All but three senior citizen RMS passengers finally went ashore.  Twenty-three of the passengers who did go ashore had made prior arrangements to stay overnight. 

From 11:00 a.m. onward the RMS discharged nearly 38 metric tons of cargo through its number two hatch onto small boats.  This cargo operation continued until completion at 6:00 p.m.

Navigational details as of noon:  Our position in anchorage off TdC was 37 degrees, 3 minutes S., 12 degrees, 18 minutes W.  The air temperature was 16 C./61 F. and the sea temperature was 18 C./64  F.  There was a force 4 wind (11-16 knots) from the E.

Today passengers spotted sooty albatross and Antarctic tern (kingbird), both of which breed on TdC.  Also seen were dozens of yellow-nosed albatross plus sub-Antarctic (brown) skua and great shearwater (also called greater shearwater), named for its wave-skimming flight. 

The namesake of Edinburgh's shallow Calshot Harbor was the former Royal Air Force station near Southampton, England where the Tristanians had lived following the volcanic eruption on TdC in 1961.  Calshot Harbor's two jetties had been sturdily constructed of double-ended anchor-shaped concrete blocks.  Invented in South Africa and called dolosse, these concrete blocks were molded on TdC. 

In Calshot Harbor floated the local barge Atlantic Isle, and resting on a trailer on the far side of the little harbor was the bright orange fishery patrol boat Wave Dancer.  A myriad of colorful local wooden fishing boats, many stacked high with crayfish pots, sat on trailers on the near side of the harbor.  The biggest object harborside was the yellow 25-ton crane used to lift the boats into and out of the water.  Calshot Harbor could not hold all of TdC's boats at once.

After removing the life vest I wore in the boat, I walked up the paved road past a lovely rock planter full of introduced flowers to the often-photographed sign which reads, Welcome to the Remotest Island - Tristan da Cunha - South Atlantic.  Adjacent to that sign was a marker pointing the direction and mileage to various locations around the globe.  For instance, neighboring Nightingale Island was 22 miles (35 km) away, the Falkland Islands were 2,166 miles (3,485 km) away and London was 5,337 miles (8,587 km) away.

From there it was on to the post office where stamps and first day covers were sold as well as sweaters knitted from local wool and other handicraft items.  Postage for postcards worldwide was only 15 pence while postage for letters to North America also seemed inexpensive at 20 pence.  I handed the clerk some letters for free local delivery on TdC.  There is no local letter rate. 

Postmaster Ian Lavarello advised fellow passenger Dr. Stan Atherton that TdC's new postal code is TDCU 1ZZ.  Ian also mentioned to Stan, with whom he spoke at length, that currently he was frustrated with fishing boat captains who were careless about carrying the mails between TdC to Cape Town.  Sometimes the fishing boat captains neglected to pick up mail at TdC to take to Cape Town.  And, worse, even when the post office did manage to load TdC mail onto the fishing boats, sometimes the captains would simply forget to offload the mail in Cape Town and wind up bringing it back to TdC on their next run!  Ian said he just didn't know what to tell philatelic standing account holders anymore about long the delays in the mail.

From the post office I walked to the three-room museum and handicraft center.  The museum featured a copy of the flag of Jonathan Lambert, the American who had declared himself emperor of the Islands of Refreshment (TdC) in 1811.  The ensign of the Duke of Edinburgh, which last flew at TdC during the January 1957 royal visit of H. R. H. The Prince Philip, was also displayed.  In addition, a cannon ball and various old rusted implements were shown.  In another room TdC wingless moths were displayed as were various geological specimens, a TdC crayfish and even the head of a rare Tasman whale which had once beached in the TdC Archipelago.  In that same room was a photocopy of TdC's original constitution dating back to November 7, 1817.  The copy had been obtained from the British Museum.

Then I went by the Rectory to the Residency, where Administrator Bill Dickson and his partner resided.  There a vintage cannon rested on the well-manicured lawn near the flagpole from which the Union Jack flew. 

The administrator is appointed for a two-year term, which is sometimes extended for a third year.  Bill Dickson was scheduled to depart TdC in 2004 at the conclusion of his third year.  Administrators normally take an annual leave off island, and in fact Bill Dickson had returned from Cape Town himself only two weeks previously. 

Behind the Residency was a 9-hole golf course.  Apparently a spare set of golf clubs at the Residency could be borrowed, and a certificate would be issued to those who had played the course.  Blue TdC Golf Club ties were also sold as souvenirs on the island.

As I walked up the paved lane along the side of the Residency, I noticed a number of longboats which had been tied down there with ropes in order to prevent their being blown about by strong winds. 

As a young girl perhaps 12 years old passed me on that lane, I asked if she knew where Ernie Repetto lived.  Fellow Society member Mike Mueller, who had stayed with Ernie and his wife Daphne during his own visit to TdC in 1999, had asked me to deliver an envelope to Ernie on his behalf.  You can imagine my surprise when the girl answered that she didn't know who Ernie Repetto was!  I had thought that in a community of less than 300 people even such a young girl would know every other person in Edinburgh!  (I later returned to the post office and asked the clerk to make sure that Mike Mueller's letter was delivered safely to Ernie Repetto.)

Interestingly, when I asked the same young girl her name, she gave me only her first name.  When I then questioned which family she was from, she gave me the first names of her parents and began to give me a list of the first names of all of her aunts and uncles before I finally interrupted and told her that I had wanted to know if she was a Glass, a Lavarello, etc.  (It turned out that she was a Glass, and she pronounced her family name Glahss.)  The seven family names in use on TdC today  are Glass, Green, Hagan, Lavarello, Repetto, Rogers and Swain. 

The young Miss Glass pointed out Prince Philip Hall, the community center, before saying goodbye.  The roof of this hall was blown off during the hurricane which struck Edinburgh on May 21, 2001.  In spite of the early donation of new roofing materials by the fishing company, a new aluminum roof had just been completed very recently.  But the inside finishing had not been started, and there was no flooring aside from some asphalt.  In the interim, the school hall nearby was used for community gatherings.  Once completed, the new Prince Philip Hall will be considerably larger than the old hall. 

I walked through various paved lanes of the settlement past many small houses with lovely flowers in the gardens.  The most prominent flowers were hydrangeas.  As I strolled along, I was struck by the large number of automobiles parked in the driveways.  Most vehicles seemed to have four-wheel drive capability, but I did notice one small sedan car too.  Painted bright red, it seemed a bit out of place.  There was also a farm tractor with a flatbed trailer.

Then I crossed a small stream and struck out across a cow pasture spotted with daisies toward the lava cone formed by the eruption which began on October 9, 1961.  After climbing over a low lava rock wall and skirting a few inquisitive cows grazing in the fields, I hiked up along the grassy ravine adjacent to the volcanic cone, following some well-trodden cow paths.  About half way up I turned and took a photograph over the settlement. 

From my high vantage point I could also see Edinburgh's small water reservoir to my left at the base of the steep cliffs.  The water drunk on TdC is precipitation that has fallen high on the mountain in the form of rain or snow and has filtered down through the basalt, finally emanating from a spring near the settlement.  Those who have drunk TdC water say that it has a fine taste.

After carefully walking back down the grassy slope, I proceeded to Jane's Cafe where I found a number of other RMS passengers enjoying drinks, sandwiches and dessert.  Crayfish and other types of sandwiches were sold at the cafe as were chocolate sponge cake, beer and soft drinks.  The proprietress took little notice of me as she continued her knitting.  A notice posted on the cafe's bulletin board by Teresa Green, the dental nurse, warned that appointments for the upcoming dental visit had to be made at the hospital before January 28, 2004.  Outside Jane's Cafe were the only public toilets in Edinburgh.  

Finding the door unlocked, I photographed the interior of St. Josephs Catholic Church nearby.  Although I had passed the Rectory earlier, I never did find Edinburgh's Anglican Church which was said to contain an old photograph of Queen Victoria.

Continuing my walk, I passed Camogli Hospital.  The operating room and the X-ray machine in this facility suffered severe damage in the 2001 hurricane.  Nowadays from the outside one would never guess that the hurricane had caused one-quarter of the building to collapse.

At the far end of town was a typical British bus stop sign.  Walking down the cement road beyond the sign, I found myself at the bottom of a steep, dry ravine.  In rainy times I imagined that this gulch must turn into a raging torrent of water, pushing boulders in its path.  The road was not paved across the bottom of the gulch, but the cement did continue again up the other bank.  I walked to the top of the far embankment and saw a wide expanse of grassland ahead.  The paved road extended all the way beyond the grassy cinder cone in the distance to the potato patches which lay some 2 1/2 miles (4 km) away.  There islanders cultivate potatoes and other crops.  And I have read that on Friday afternoons a vehicle does in fact take residents from the Edinburgh bus stop to their weekend homes in the potato patches!  

Then I walked to the school on the opposite side of Edinburgh.  Along the way I took photographs of some of the settlement's dogs.  Though I passed many dogs today, not a single animal barked at me and only one even came up to sniff me.  In the school hall I purchased a first day cover from one of the women selling handicrafts and souvenirs.  I also made a donation to the headmistress for the school.

Beyond the school toward the lava flow lay three graveyards surrounded by low lava rock walls.  One graveyard was Anglican, another was Roman Catholic and a third was apparently for Freemasons.  All graves appeared to be well-tended and most were covered with cut flowers.  Cows grazed lazily in the fields outside the lava graveyard walls.

As RMS Chief Purser Colin Dellar had mentioned in his talk that rockhopper penguins could sometimes be seen at Pigbite, the beach beyond the 1961 lava flow, I next wandered in that direction.  The half hour walk over the lava flow to a beach with large boulders revealed where TdC's outdated heavy earth-moving equipment and various pieces of scrap metal had been junked.  I also saw just a bit of regular garbage along the way.  This was where TdC's garbage is burned.   

While I never did find any penguins, my walk over to the beach was an interesting one.  On the side of the road in the direction of Edinburgh I noticed huge fissures in the lava.  These fissures must have been created by earthquakes.  Then when I reached the far side of the lava flow I saw a small waterfall created by a spring emanating from a point low on the cliff.  The wind was gusting strongly as I stepped over a small brook and began to walk across a grassy field.  There I was able to photograph a few skuas resting in a depression.  The large birds let me approach more closely than I had expected, but eventually they rose and floated away in the wind.

From the beach I returned to Edinburgh.  Realizing that I was hungry, I dropped into the local supermarket where I purchased a small imported apple for eight pence.  The supermarket stocked many types of canned and dry goods plus frozen items and even handicrafts, including knitted sweaters.  While the fruit and vegetable department was nothing like back home, that was perfectly understandable, considering its location.  In general, though, I was surprised at just how much variety there was at the supermarket.  Adjacent to it were other stores with plumbing and electrical goods.

At 6:30 p.m. a final boat removed all passengers who wished to return to the RMS today.  I often prefer to be one of the last persons to enter a small boat in order to avoid having to rock and roll while waiting for all the other passengers to board.  Consequently, because of my physical position in the boat, sometimes I am one of the first people to disembark. 

That was the case this time.  When I climbed the rope ladder up into the RMS, the small boat was sitting relatively still in the water.  But I had to hang around to wait for my backpack to be lifted up along with all the other loose passenger gear.  So I was in a good position to hear the horror stories told by those passengers who did not disembark until the very end.  Apparently shortly after I climbed the rope ladder the wind had shifted, causing the small boat to begin to flip around fairly violently.

After a warm shower I felt ravenous.  At dinner I discussed the day with fellow passengers.  Few had made the five-mile round trip walk to the potato patches, and so it seemed that that would be the most logical excursion to attempt tomorrow.  The islanders predicted that the weather on Thursday would probably be fair enough to declare another fishing day.

Someone counted 58 street lights on TdC tonight.  There is electric power on the island every night until midnight.
 

GETTING AWAY FROM TRISTAN DA CUNHA

THURSDAY, JAN. 22:  This morning we learned that there had been a squall about midnight and that the RMS had dragged her anchor half a mile into the belt of kelp which virtually surrounds TdC to a depth of 20 to 40 meters. 

The weather was now such that the RMS could not disembark passengers again today.  We had left a total of 23 people ashore overnight.  Of those, 19 were due to return with the RMS to Cape Town.  The four who were to remain longer on the island had interesting reasons for doing so. 

John, an Australian, and Alfred, an Italian, formed the advance party for a United Nations team which was to install sensing equipment for nuclear testing.  These two men planned to stay on TdC for two months.  They were to be joined by a number of others in their party who would actually erect the equipment, and the entire party was to return to Cape Town on the fishing vessel Edinburgh which the U. N. had chartered for that purpose.

A couple from St. Helena, Dave and Fiona, planned to stay on TdC for about 15 months.  Dave was a member of the St. Helena police force, and he was to serve on TdC while Conrad Glass, TdC's only police officer, went to U. K. for training and a holiday.  Conrad was to leave the island in February, so the two men would overlap for about a month prior to Conrad's departure.  Fiona was originally from TdC, so this was a homecoming for her.   

The other 19 passengers who stayed ashore overnight had all obtained permission in advance to do so.  Permission is granted by the Island Council and the TdC administrator, who can be contacted via e-mail at hmg@cunha.demon.co.uk.

In addition to Governor Hollamby, officials from the fishing company operating in the waters of TdC also attempt to visit annually.  There was a three-person German television film crew too as well as those who simply stayed ashore with friends.

What kind of person would ever take a 13-day round trip cruise from Cape Town to TdC, you might wonder? 

The RMS passenger list included Jan and Kirsten, a Norwegian couple who seemed to specialize in traveling to obscure places.  Jan showed me his passport which contained a visa for the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, surrounded by Azerbaijan.  This enclave is not on the Travelers' Century Club list and, interestingly, Jan and Kirsten had never even heard of the Travelers' Century Club.

TdC was the 286th Travelers' Century Club destination for George, a retired American doctor.  After Cape Town he planned to spend five days on Rodrigues Island, a dependency of Mauritius, before flying home to San Diego via the Kalahari and the Algarve.  George was finishing a five-month trip in fulfillment of his quest.  And, though we were fellow Travelers' Century Club members, George's quest was much more complicated than my own.  In addition to traveling to every destination on the Travelers' Century Club list, he was also trying to visit all of the world's major natural features such as deserts, etc.  

Richard, the only other American on board, planned to travel on the Trans-Siberian Railway next year from Moscow to Vladivostok.  Like a surprising number of others on board, he was a repeat passenger on the RMS, having previously sailed to St. Helena and Ascension.

Stan, a retired professor of Canadian studies from Fredericton, NB, had been involved with philately since the age of six.  His interest in postal history led him to visit some stamp shops in Cape Town prior to the cruise in order to check out their covers.

John, a discriminating traveler from London, planned to take an 80-day round-the-world cruise on the Oriana next year.

There were five Swiss on the RMS.  Jean, Yves and Leopoldine, three friends from Geneva, were avid sailors who, in their younger days, used to sail their yacht around Europe at every opportunity.  Stefan, from Zurich, was an experienced and sophisticated traveler who had rented a house and car for a week-long holiday in a seaside suburb of Cape Town during nearly every Northern Hemisphere winter for the last 15 years.  He confided that South Africa represented excellent value for the Swiss. 

Stefan's lively and inquisitive friend Yalgin, of Turkish parentage but born in Switzerland and holding a Swiss passport, was interested in odd destinations.  Yalgin, who collected airline sickness bags, entertained us at dinner one night with stories about Busingen and Campione dItalia, German and Italian enclaves in Switzerland, respectively, and about Samnaun, a Swiss town which must be accessed from Austria as no direct road connection exists with Switzerland.   

Walter, one of a number of Germans on the RMS, was the Hamburg-based producer of the German television crew.  He once spent a week filming on Jan Mayen Land, a Norwegian island situated between Spitzbergen and Iceland; and had also traveled to remote parts of Iran and Oman. 

Incidentally, Walter, who once worked in Cairo as a journalist and is married to a Lebanese woman of Palestinian extraction, was the only other Arabic speaker on board aside from me; and we occasionally chatted in that tongue.  I majored in Arabic and Middle East Studies in university and have lived in the Middle East for 24 years.  I worked as a banker in Riyadh for four years in the early 1980s.  Then, through a quirk of fate, in 1985 I moved to Cairo, where I had studied for two years in the early 1970s, and morphed into a travel agent.  I have worked in Egypt in the travel industry since 1986 and have managed a travel agency in a Cairo suburb since 1988.

Dacre, a former pilot for British Airways and later, after retirement, for Singapore Airlines, and his wife Ann were booked on the RMS all the way to Ascension.  Both spent their childhood years in Chile, where they had met.  Dacre was fascinated by the controls on the bridge, and Captain Smith seemed to take special pleasure in explaining the instruments to him.  Dacre collected old airline timetables, some of which are apparently very valuable.

Others, like South Africans James and Tara, booked at the last minute and benefited from a 50% fare discount.

The remaining passengers were mostly British but with a number of Germans and South Africans also in evidence.  Surprisingly, several British senior citizens were also on the passenger list.  Some were traveling alone.  Eve mentioned that she had taken the RMS to St. Helena on another occasion and came along on this cruise to TdC as Captain Smith had told her how interesting TdC was.  Some of her companions were in the small group which stayed aboard at TdC due to difficulties associated with disembarkation via the rope ladder. 
 
The wind shifted overnight and began blowing from the east at force 6 (22-27 knots).  So at 7:15 a.m. Captain Smith set sail for nearby Inaccessible Island to seek shelter.  But as no shelter could be found at Inaccessible, the voyage turned into a circumnavigation of both of TdCs neighbors, Inaccessible and Nightingale Islands. 

Africa Pilot gives the following description of Inaccessible Island (37 degrees, 18 minutes S., 12 degrees 41 minutes W.):

Second in size of the TdC group, Inaccessible is 3 miles long and 2 1/2 miles wide.  Because the island was declared a nature reserve by the TdC Island Council in 1994, landing is not allowed without a permit from the administrator of TdC.  Permits are normally only granted for scientific visits.  The island is a high mass of rock with a table summit.  Its highest peak, situated on the west side of the island, rises to an elevation of 561 meters and is said to be a crater with water in it.  Thence the summit slopes irregularly, terminating on all sides in precipitous cliffs about 335 meters high.  The northwest coast of the island is low, and the cliffs there recede sufficiently to allow the summit to be gained without difficulty.  On the northeast side of the island the coast is also low and there are two waterfalls, the easternmost of which, being the larger, is more conspicuous.  

The RMS circumnavigated Inaccessible Island from 9:10 a.m. to 10:20 a.m.  While Inaccessible was clouded over during our visit, a number of waterfalls were visible.  One of the cascades on the south side of the island did appear to be especially powerful and quite spectacular, falling through 305 meters (1,000 feet).  We also sailed by Carlisle Bay where, according to Africa Pilot, there is a marked indentation at the northeast end of the island, at the head of which is a beach, a waterfall and remains of a hut.  A path leads from the hut to the top of the cliff.  The hut did not seem to be in evidence any longer and, unfortunately, we could not make out the path either.  It was probably  overgrown long ago. 

Frederick and Gustav Stoltenhoff attempted to settle on Inaccessible  between 1871 and 1873, but their experiment ended in failure.  Eric Rosenthals Shelter from the Spray, published in 1952 in Cape Town by George Allen and Unwin, details the adventures of the Stoltenhoff Brothers.
 
At 11:00 a.m. as the RMS approached Nightingale Island the ship suffered a blackout.  It turned out that the ship's cooling water intakes had been choked with kelp, causing both engines to shut down, along with the generators.

Navigational details as of noon:  Our position was 37 degrees, 52 minutes S., 12 degrees, 28 minutes W. off Nightingale Island. 
The air temperature was 17 C./63 F. and the sea temperature was 18 C./64 F.  There was a force 4 wind (11-16 knots) from the E, and it was cloudy with rain showers.  Sunset would be at 8:05 p.m.

Today passengers spotted southern giant petrel, Antarctic tern, wandering albatross and yellow-nosed albatross.  The Arctic tern was also sighted.  Incredibly, many of these fly all the way from the Antarctic to the Arctic annually.  This is a round trip journey of some 22,000 miles (35,398 km). 

Great shearwaters were seen in vast numbers both on the sea and in the air as the RMS departed Inaccessible for Nightingale.  The air was literally thick with birds like I had never seen before and never could have imagined.  My digital camera with its built-in wide angle telephoto lens is normally useless for bird photography.  But today, when it was as if I were in a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, all I had to do was point my camera upward and one or more birds would immediately fill the lens.

As Scott Weidensaul notes in his book, Living on the Wind:  Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds, published in 1999 by North Point Press, New York, NY, more than five million pairs of great shearwater breed on Inaccessible and Nightingale Islands and up to three million more pairs breed on Gough Island.  Aside from a tiny number of great shearwaters which breed in the Falklands, the small islands of the TdC Archipelago, roughly midway between South American and Africa, are the only breeding location of this pelagic species. 

During a nine-month period this remarkable bird migrates a minimum of 13,000 miles (20,917 km) annually, up the eastern coasts of South America and North America to Nova Scotia.  Many great shearwaters even continue as far north as the Davis Strait between Canada and Greenland.  The species then migrates southward via Europe and recrosses the Atlantic from northwestern Africa, returning to the TdC Archipelago by October, just as the next nesting season begins in the Southern Hemisphere spring.

Pelagic birds like the great shearwater have specialized glands behind their eyes which filter excess salt from their bloodstream.  This adaptation was necessary because such birds spend months at sea where fresh water is unavailable.        

Great shearwaters belong to a group of seabirds called tubenoses.  The name arises because their nostrils are situated in a tube-like external sheath above their beak.  But, unlike most tubenoses, great shearwaters have an excellent sense of smell.  In fact, it is thought that they might be able to smell some things from as far away as 2 miles (4 km)! 

After the engines had been turned on again around noon the RMS sailed around Nightingale Island in about 40 minutes. 

Africa Pilot describes Nightingale Island (37 degrees, 25 minutes S., 12 degrees, 29 minutes W.) and its close neighbors Stoltenhoff and Middle Islands as follows:

Nightingale has two peaks, the easternmost of which is rugged and precipitous, 337 meters in height, and appears conical when seen from the northeast or the southwest.  The other peak, 293 meters in height, slopes gently on all but its southern side.  With the exception of the northeast coast, the sides of the island are precipitous and cut into deep recesses and caves. 

There are some huts near the northeast landing, and a path leads to three ponds on the plateau.  The water on Nightingale Island tends to be tainted, possibly due to the number of birds; but drinkable water can be obtained in four large and several small ponds or bogs on the plateau below the lower peak and also in a small bay two or three cables west of the sealers' road leading from the northeast landing place. 

While some passengers spotted the Tristanians' huts on Nightingale, I was so busy taking photos and shooting video that I failed to notice them.  These huts suffered damage during the 2001 hurricane.

About one mile in diameter, Nightingale is visited by Tristanians several times a year for birds, eggs and guano.  During the breeding season of penguins and great shearwaters, walking on the island, except on the old sealers' road and on the plateau and ridges, is rendered difficult by the birds.  Their nests and burrows occupy almost the entire ground and tussock grass 2-3 meters in height overruns the island.   

Stoltenhoff Island is a flat-topped precipitous rock, 99 meters in height, and consists of one large and two small pieces, separated by narrow chasms which can only be distinguished on one particular bearing.

Middle Island is 46 meters in height.  Pin Rock, about 9 meters in height, lies off its northwest extremity.  Middle Island, also called Alex Island by the Tristanians, lies between Nightingale and Stoltenhoff.

After our circumnavigation of Inaccessible and Nightingale, the RMS sailed to Stony Point at the southern end of TdC where there is a hut and where wild cattle are allowed to roam.  This was a part of the TdC coastline which we had not seen Wednesday.  From there the RMS proceeded up the west coast past the potato patches.

Finally the RMS returned to Edinburgh where it anchored at 3:00 p.m.  Today's entire sightseeing cruise lasted more than seven hours.  No attempt was made to land passengers on TdC due to the poor weather.

At 4:00 p.m. a cocktail reception was held at the Residency in honor of Governor Hollamby's visit.  Had RMS passengers been able to go ashore again today, we would have been welcome to attend also.  Due to inclement weather the reception was held indoors rather than on the lawn of the Residency as had been planned originally.  I was told later that about 40 islanders were in attendance. 

In the afternoon the crew fished off the poop deck again, and in the evening they enjoyed a fish fry.  The RMS again overnighted off Edinburgh.

FRIDAY, JAN. 23:  This morning we awoke to a sea swell of up to four meters.  In fact, one wave knocked my cabin mate Piets teapot onto the floor in our cabin.  And we could hear when the very next wave knocked the teapot onto the floor in the cabin next to ours! 

Originally today Governor and Mrs. Hollamby and 17 other RMS passengers who slept ashore were due to return to the RMS.  Then we were to depart by 2:00 p.m. for Gough Island via Inaccessible and Nightingale.  But in the morning the boats could not leave Calshot Harbor due to the heavy swell and the fact that the wind was from the west. 

So Captain Smith decided to sail the RMS north and south off the west coast of TdC until conditions would finally allow the repatriation of those who had slept ashore the previous two nights.  We would sail for nearly two hours in each direction before returning via Edinburgh.  On our pass by the island at about 11:00 a.m. the clouds above the base on TdC scattered so that the 6,760-foot (2,060-meter) peak became partially visible. 

Brief navigational details as of noon:  Our position off TdC was 36 degrees, 24 minutes S., 12 degrees, 10 minutes W.  The air temperature was 17 C./63 F. and the sea temperature was 18 C./64 F.  There were rain squalls.

Today passengers spotted great shearwater, sooty albatross, yellow-nosed albatross and a single wandering albatross.  A white-bellied storm petrel was also found in and rescued from the ship's swimming pool. 

When the RMS returned to Edinburgh again at about 3:30 p.m., the wind had shifted around to the southwest.  But it was blowing at force 7 (28-33 knots) and there was still a heavy swell.  Captain Smith spoke to the harbormaster via VHF radio, and it was decided that an attempt would be made to load two boats of cargo and our missing passengers even though conditions were still far from desirable. 

I later learned that on the island each man concerned was asked individually if he agreed to participate in this dangerous operation.  This procedure reflected the egalitarian nature of society on TdC. 

Captain Smith steered the RMS sideways against the wind so that a lee was created.  This maneuver allowed the Tristanians to bring out the mail from the post office and for the RMS to unload a few last items, including a child's bicycle which had been missed during the cargo unloading operations on our first day at TdC. 

It also allowed the 19 passengers who had slept ashore for two nights an opportunity to climb up the rope ladder onto the RMS from a small boat.  During the loading process the ship drifted three cables off the lava flow.  Finally by 5:15 p.m. the RMS sailed past Edinburgh for the last time, blowing her horn three times in a farewell salute.

While we were glad to have our passengers back on board again, we were disappointed to hear Captain Smith then announce that the RMS would take another swing over to Inaccessible and Nightingale Island before RETURNING DIRECTLY TO CAPE TOWN!  Unfortunately, due to the delay in re-boarding today, the RMS had fallen behind schedule sufficiently that our planned pass by of Gough Island had now been cancelled.  Captain Smith later told me that he had calculated that, had we sailed to Gough Island at this late hour, we would not have arrived in Cape Town until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 28.  Since at least one passenger had an onward flight that same evening, this would not have been acceptable.

Incredibly, the clouds had all but cleared as the RMS reached Inaccessible Island.  Because the sun was low in the sky by then, I was amazed to see great masses of birds swarming not only over the sea but also above Inaccessible's high plateau. 

The RMS made a U-turn near Inaccessible's Carlisle Bay and then proceeded around to the islands most striking promontory, Michael's Massif.  As the ship turned away from Inaccessible and headed for its farewell pass by Stoltenhoff, most passengers put their cameras away and went down to enjoy dinner.  But I ate only my appetizer and the soup course and then returned quickly to the bridge of the RMS to obtain some final photographs of Stoltenhoff Island in the fading light.  And it was only then that for the first time I was able to verify that Stoltenhoff does in fact consist of three different parts.  After sunset, but while there was a faint bit of light still in the sky, I could also discern Middle Island's 9-meter-high Pin Rock.  

At 8:30 p.m. off Nightingale Island the RMS then turned and set a course for Cape Town 1,531 nm away.


SATURDAY, JAN. 24:  Navigational details as of noon:  Our position was 36 degrees, 53 minutes S., 7 degrees, 53 minutes W.  The RMS made 259 nm in the previous 18 1/2 hours at an average speed of 14.0 knots.  We were presently 225 nm from TdC.  (The reason why we were only 225 nm from TdC even though the RMS had sailed 259 nm is that the RMS visited Inaccessible and Stoltenhoff Friday evening after our departure from Edinburgh.  This exercise increased our total mileage without increasing our distance from TdC.)  The air temperature was 17 C./63 F. and the sea temperature was 19 C./66 F.  There was a force 4 wind (11-16 knots) from the SSW, and the depth of the sea below us was 4,193 meters.  Sunset would be at 7:40 p.m.

Today passengers spotted ring-eyed petrel, white-chinned petrel, great shearwater and yellow-nosed albatross.

A very interesting afternoon slide show on the history of St. Helena was given by lecturer Warham Searle.

After dinner a fascinating compilation of old movies on TdC was shown.  Several of the old films were appeals by the Society for the Propagation of the Bible made in order to further the Society's work on the island.

Clocks were put ahead one hour tonight to GMT + 1.


SUNDAY, JAN. 25:  At the church service today Sterling 37.08 was collected for the RMS' charities.

Navigational details as of noon:  Our position was 36 degrees, 7 minutes S., 1 degree, 11 minutes W.  The RMS made 328 nm in the previous 24 hours at an average speed of 14.3 knots.  We were still 981 nm from Cape Town while TdC was 560 nm astern.  The air temperature was 16 C./61 F. and the sea temperature was 20 C./68 F.  There was a force 3 wind (7-10 knots) from the SW, and the depth of the sea below us was 4,440 meters.  Sunset would be at 8:10 p.m.

Today passengers spotted white-chinned petrel, Wilson's storm petrel, great shearwater and wandering albatross.

At 4:05 p.m. the RMS crossed the Greenwich meridian.  We were then 5,245 nm south of the Greenwich observatory.

An interesting afternoon slide show on the history of the Cape was given by lecturer Warham Searle.

In the early evening an Uruguayan cargo vessel passed off the RMS's starboard side.  Our bridge had made radio contact, and it was announced that the ship was sailing to the Rio de la Plata to pick up a load of refrigerated cargo for South Africa.  Presumably that cargo was beef.

Tonight's dinner menu included yellowtail, a fish caught by one of the RMS passengers at TdC.  The texture and taste of the fish reminded me of chicken, and I had to turn it over to reassure myself that I was in fact eating fish rather than poultry.  (Although I am a vegetarian, I do eat fish.)

Passengers were invited to a disco tonight in the crew mess.


MONDAY, JAN. 26:  Navigational details as of noon:  Our position was 35 degrees, 18 minutes S., 5 degrees, 43 minutes E.  The RMS made 341 nm in the previous 24 hours at an average speed of 14.2 knots.  We were still 640 nm from Cape Town.  The air temperature was 19 C./66 F. and the sea temperature was 20 C./68 F.  There was a force 3 wind (7-10 knots) from the SW, and the depth of the sea below us was 4,310 meters.  Sunset would be at 7:40 p.m.

Today passengers spotted white-chinned petrel and great shearwater.

Tristan crayfish, donated by Andrew James of Ovenstone Agencies (Pty.) Ltd., the current TdC fishing concessionaire, was featured on tonight's dinner menu.  Andrew was on board the RMS with his wife and son.  It was his second business trip to TdC and the first visit to the island for his family.  He planned to return to TdC annually in order to keep the islanders advised as to the state of the fishing industry.

A fancy dress ball was held tonight.  Prizes were awarded for the best costumes.  31 passengers entered the contest.


TUESDAY, JAN. 27:  Navigational details as of noon:  Our position was 34 degrees, 31 minutes S., 12 degrees, 32 minutes E.  The RMS made 340 nm in the previous 24 hours at an average speed of 14.2 knots.  We were still 300 nm from Cape Town.  The air temperature was 23 C./73 F. and the sea temperature was 20 C./68 F.  There was a force 4 wind (11-16 knots) from the W, and the depth of the sea below us was 4,750 meters.  Sunset would be at 7:10 p.m.

Today passengers spotted Cape gannet, southern black-backed gull (kelp gull), cormorant and Stolemy petrel.

I had a chat over lunch today with Andrew James of Ovenstone Agencies (Pty.) Ltd., which currently has the right to fish in Tristan's waters.
A marine biologist with a PhD. in fisheries management, Andrew appeared uniquely qualified to head this firm which operates 11 fishing vessels worldwide.

Ovenstone purchased the firm which had won the TdC fishing tender originally in 1999.  Then in 2002 the TdC government agreed to extend the concession until 2011. 

Ovenstone operates two crayfish (rock lobster) freezer factory vessels in the TdC Archipelago.  The size of the Edinburgh, originally built in 1970 as an Icelandic coaster, is 1,085 metric tons.  The size of the larger, 74-meter-long Kelso, originally built in 1971 as a Japanese fisheries patrol vessel, is 1,678 metric tons.  Both vessels have a shallow draught of about 3.5 meters and operate with crews of 36 to 38 men.  Andrew guessed that the Kelso, with 8,000-horsepower main engines, is probably the most powerful lobster-fishing vessel in the world!  The factory vessels carry their own fleets of small boats which set crayfish traps and later return to the mother ships with their catch.

TdC's crayfish fishery dates back as far as 1948.  The old fishing factory was covered by lava during the 1961 volcanic eruption, and the current fishing factory was rebuilt in a new location in Edinburgh in 1966.  Aside from employing many of the islanders, the fishing factory also supplies electricity to Edinburgh from 6:00 p.m. until midnight daily.  Andrew noted that Edinburgh would have electric power available on a 24/7 basis once the U. N. nuclear test sensing equipment is installed later this winter.

Crayfish require six or seven years to grow to maturity, and those with a thorax less than 7 cm (2 3/4 inches) in length are not harvested.  The overall annual crayfish quota for the entire TdC Archipelago is 356 metric tons.  138 metric tons or 39% of this quota is allocated for TdC Island itself, and this amount is caught by the islanders in the 18 small boats which Ovenstock supplies for their use.  The islanders' catch is frozen in the Ovenstock factory situated above Edinburgh's Calshot Harbor. 

The crayfish industry is seasonal.  Ovenstone's two factory vessels normally depart Cape Town in mid- to late August so that they can be in place off Nightingale, Inaccessible and Gough Islands by September 1 when the season opens.  The Kelso normally returns to Cape Town in early to mid-December, while the Edinburgh returns in mid-January.  The autumn fishing period is called the big season.  For the little season the ships return to TdC as necessary in January in order to finish off any part of the annual crayfish quota which remains unfilled, usually finishing in April or May.

Both the Edinburgh and the Kelso have space for about a dozen passengers.  Under the terms of Ovenstone's fishing concession contract, these fishing vessels carry Tristanians back and forth between TdC and Cape Town for only about USD 100 round trip. 

While priority is given to Tristanian passengers, non-Tristanians wishing to visit the island may also apply to Ovenstone for carriage at a round trip fare of about USD 300.  Non-Tristanians must obtain permission in advance from the Administrator and the Island Council in order to stay on TdC.  While the price of transportation is favorable, the catch is that a passenger's schedule must be very flexible.  In order to avoid a lengthy stay on the island, it is probably best to plan to depart Cape Town in January.

Those interested in arranging transportation to TdC on a fishing vessel should contact either Dr. Andrew James or Mr. Dorrien Venn at:

     Ovenstone Agencies
     Units G7 and G8
     Victoria Junction
     Prestwich Street
     P. O. Box 727
     Green Point 8051
     Cape Town, South Africa
     Tel. +27-21-419-8670
     Fax  +27-21-419-8678
     E-mail:  agjames@iafrica.com

Half of TdC's crayfish is marketed in the U. S. as frozen crayfish tails.  The product is shipped in containers from Cape Town to New York City.  Due to its cost, TdC crayfish is sold at fine restaurants or hotels rather than in supermarkets.  Andrew mentioned that he had seen TdC crayfish on the menu at the Four Seasons Boston Hotel in Boston, for instance.  The menu price of a Tristan crayfish in the U. S. might be in the USD 30 range.  He said that TdC crayfish is popular in such cities as Cincinnati, Atlanta, New York, Chicago and Dallas.  The U. S. agent is Alba Specialty Seafoods, located in Fulton Fish Market in New York City. 

The other half of TdC's crayfish is marketed in Japan.  Japanese consumers prefer whole crayfish.  Therefore whole cooked frozen and whole raw frozen crayfish are exported to Japan rather than crayfish tails which go only to the U. S. market.  Andrew mentioned that TdC crayfish are served mainly at wedding palaces and at resort hotels in Japan.  Apparently red is an auspicious color in that country.  However, when business confidence is low, TdC crayfish, a luxury item, is replaced by other, less expensive red fish in the wedding halls. 

In addition to crayfish fishing, Ovenstone also operates a separate commercial long line fishing concession in TdC waters for blue nose.  While longliner vessels can fish up to 14,000 hooks per day, Andrew is keenly aware that, because seamount biomass is finite, a conservative fisheries management approach is required.  The TdC fishery is managed by quotas to which Ovenstone as a concessionaire vigorously adheres with a view to long-term sustainable utilization of the marine resources. 

Unfortunately the bait used by long line fishing boats is attractive to sea birds as well as to fish.  Ovenstone long line fishing boats try to minimize bird bycatch in two ways.  The indirect method involves the use of weights, which make the hooks sink faster, out of the reach of birds.  The direct method involves the use of water cannons and tori lines (streamers) to keep birds away until the hooks have sunk out of their reach. 

TdC has commissioned a Sterling 750,000 study for a new, deeper small boat harbor to the east of Calshot Harbor, the depth of which is only some two meters.  In addition to its shallowness, the current harbor suffers from the fact that waves can sweep straight into it. 

A suitable depression is said to exist already for the proposed new harbor.  What is required is blasting to open this depression to the sea.  The Tristanians hope to be able to attract funding from the European Union for construction of the new harbor.  Apparently the E. U. has been known to make funds available for such projects to remote European territories.

A new, deeper small boat harbor would benefit TdC by allowing better access for the boats which carry crayfish from the factory on the island out to the Edinburgh and Kelso which in turn transport the product to Cape Town.  At present substantial delays can occur if the weather is poor.  Such down time is lost money for the fishing company and thus for TdC.  

A deeper harbor would also benefit TdC as more cruise ship tenders would be able to bring passengers ashore.  Calshot Harbor now is deep enough to accommodate most tender boats at high tide only; and, understandably, many cruise lines are reluctant to disembark passengers into vessels other than their own for reasons of liability.  The result is that TdC is missing out on much of its sales potential vis-a-vis the cruise ship trade.    

This afternoon I was interviewed outside on the Sun Deck by the German television film crew.  When I was asked for the interview, I tried to argue that many other people had visited more Travelers' Century Club, Guinness World Records and DXCC (ham radio century club) destinations than have I.  These people include Travelers' Century Club member Charles Veley, now the world's most traveled man, who then was returning from a visit to Norways Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic, far more remote than even TdC.  But apparently my arguments were not very convincing.  And, of the two Travelers' Century Club members on board, I happened to have been the one with the higher country count. 

Interviewer Walter Helfer requested me to compare and contrast the three Atlantic islands of Ascension, St. Helena and TdC.  He also asked me some intellectual questions about isolation and islanders.  Walter said he expected that his feature program on TdC would be shown in the autumn in Germany and in France and that eventually it might also be purchased by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the U. S.

The captain's farewell cocktail party was held before dinner, and a passenger talent show was staged after dinner.

Clocks were put ahead one hour tonight to GMT + 2.


WEDNESDAY, JAN. 28: The RMS arrived at the Cape Town pilot station at 10:00 a.m., and the ship was alongside at berth F at Cape Town's Duncan Docks at 11:15 a.m.  After immigration procedures I disembarked and got a lift to my hotel with my cabin mate Piet.
 

POSTSCRIPT

Most passengers were surprised to learn that RMS voyage number 60TDC in January 2004 was likely to be the final voyage of that vessel to TdC after some two decades of service to the island. 

In a further attempt to reach profitability, the RMS will no longer sail between Ascension and the U. K.  Instead, on a trial basis, from early 2004 the RMS is scheduled to sail only between Ascension and St. Helena in the north and Cape Town in the south. 

The ship will also call at Luderitz and Walvis Bay in Namibia.  It is hoped that the addition of these African ports to the itinerary will attract short-haul freight and passenger traffic.  In particular, the RMS will provide a way by which vehicles can be transported easily between South Africa and Namibia. 

However, Captain Smith expressed a fear that, with the new itinerary, the ambience of the RMS would be changed.  With fewer long-haul passengers and more local passengers on board, he thought the character of the RMS might become more like that of a ferry rather than that of a cruise ship.  
 

HOW TO VISIT TRISTAN DA CUNHA YOURSELF

Those anticipating an overnight stay on TdC must obtain advance permission from the Administrator and the Island Council.  Applicants must state the purpose of their visit and length of stay.  All visitors must possess a confirmed and prepaid return passage, health insurance which includes cover for medical evacuation to Cape Town and sufficient funds for the duration of their visit.  Application should be made to the Administrator on the island: 

     The Administrator
     Settlement of Edinburgh
     Tristan da Cunha
     South Atlantic Ocean
     Marine Satellite Fax +874 1 455435
     E-mail:  hmg@cunha.demon.co.uk.

Those interested in arranging round trip transportation to TdC on a fishing vessel for about USD 300 per person should note the following contact details:

     Dr. Andrew James or Mr. Dorrien Venn
     Ovenstone Agencies
     Units G7 and G8
     Victoria Junction
     Prestwich Street
     P. O. Box 727
     Green Point 8051
     Cape Town, South Africa
     Tel. +27 21 419 8670
     Fax  +27 21 419 8678
     E-mail:  agjames@iafrica.com

The South African National Antarctic Program (SANAP) support vessel S. A. Agulhas sails from Cape Town to TdC annually very early in September.  Afterward it calls at Gough Island and then sets weather buoys in the South Atlantic, returning to TdC about three weeks later en route to Cape Town.  In the autumns of 2002 and 2003 one way passage on S. A. Agulas from Cape Town to TdC was Rand 3,350 per person in double, and round trip passage was Rand 6,700 per person in double.  The contact details for booking S. A. Agulhas are:

     Ms. Charmaine Davids
     Table Bay Marine (Pty.) Ltd.
     P. O. Box 557
     Maitland 7405
     Cape Town, South Africa
     50 Old Mill Road
     Ndabeni 7405
     Cape Town, South Africa
     Tels. +27 21 531 4700/22/27/34/49/58
     Fax   +27 21 531 4794   
     E-mail:  t_b_m@mweb.co.za

Those interested in sailing on the RMS St. Helena between Ascension, St. Helena, Walvis Bay, Luderitz and Cape Town (or any portion thereof) should note the following contact details:

     Andrew Weir Shipping Ltd.
     Passenger Services Department
     Dexter House
     2 Royal Mint Court
     London EC N4XX
     United Kingdom
     London Tels. +44 20 7816 4800
                          +44 20 7816 4801 
     London Fax   +44 20 7816 4802
     E-mail:  reservations@aws.co.uk
     www.rms-st-helena.com
     Cape Town Tel. +27 21 425 1165
 

RELATED LINKS

St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Philatelic Society:
http://www.atlanticislands.org/
http://pages.britishlibrary.net/philatelic/index.htm

Official Tristan da Cunha web site:
http://website.lineone.net/%7Esthelena/tristaninfo.htm

The Tristan da Cunha Association:
http://www.tristanassociation.org.uk/

The South Atlantic & Subantarctic Islands by Paul Carroll:
http://www.btinternet.com/~sa_sa/tristan_da_cunha/tristan_da_cunha.html

Inaccessible Island:
http://www.uclan.ac.uk/ldu/resources/accessibility/island/gallery/index.htm

The Annals of Tristan da Cunha by Professor Arnaldo Faustini:
http://www.btinternet.com/~sa_sa/tristan_da_cunha/annals_16.html

The Lonely Island (1926) by Rose Annie Rogers:
http://www.bweaver.nom.sh/rogers/intro.htm

Narrative of a Residence on ... Tristan d"Acunha (1832) by Augustus Earle:
http://www.bweaver.nom.sh/earle/earle.htm

Tristan da Cunha by Barry Weaver:
http://geosciences.ou.edu/%7Ebweaver/Ascension/tdc.htm

Home of the Greater Shearwater:
http://www.neseabirds.com/sheargreatmap.htm

Tristan da Cunha in Islander Magazine, by Michael Swales:
http://www.islandstudies.org/islander/issue2/tristan.htm

Utter Isolation by Brendan Boyle:
http://www.outthere.co.za/97/1211/feat2nov.html

Tristan da Cunha by Albert Beintema:
http://home.planet.nl/~beintema/home.htm

Tristan da Cunha by John Ekwall & Jan TunEr:
http://www.sthelena.se/tristan/index.htm

Tristan da Cunha Conservation: http://www.jncc.gov.uk/international/pdf/Tristan%20da%20C.pdf

Tristan da Cunha by Colin Topping:
http://www.btinternet.com/~colin.topping/trispics.html

United Nations System-Wide Earthwatch:
http://islands.unep.ch/INV.htm#910
http://islands.unep.ch/isldir.htm

South African National Antarctic Program (SANAP):
http://gough.sanap.org.za/

Biota Australis Terrestris:
http://www.ndsu.edu/subantarctic/index.htm

Tristan da Cunha Yahoo egroup:
http://www.egroups.com/group/tristan-da-cunha

Augustus Earles Paintings on Tristan da Cunha:
http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/earle/tristan.html

Roland Svenssons Lithographs from Tristan da Cunha:
http://www.sthelena.se/art/roland_tdc.htm
 

South Atlantic Remote Territories Media Association (SARTMA):
http://www.sartma.com/

South Atlantic Weather Map:
http://uk.weather.com/maps/geography.html

Allan B. Crawford's Penguins, Potatoes & Postage Stamps:
http://www.rapidttp.co.za/books/tristan/

The Peter A. Muench Tristan da Cunha Collection at St. Louis University:
http://www.slu.edu/libraries/pius/archives/collections/docmss2.html

The British Library Philatelic Collections Newsletter:
http://gopher.bl.uk/pdf/philnews.pdf

Loneliest Island May Hold Key to Asthma:
http://www.zamel.ca/articles.htm

Dutch Wooden Shoes on Tristan da Cunha:
http://home.planet.nl/~beintema/shoes.htm

Worldwide Fund for Nature:
http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/at/at0803_full.html

List of Tristan da Cunha Links:
http://users.zetnet.co.uk/johnfirth/tdclink.html

 

EXPLANATIONS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The half dozen or so photographs reproduced in this diary which were taken from a ship and which depict Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Middle and Stoltenhoff Islands were all taken on December 24, 2003 when Royal Princess called at the Tristan da Cunha Archipelago during its repositioning cruise from Cape Town to Valparaiso, Chile via Antarctica. 

I have taken the liberty of using these earlier photos, which I took myself exactly four weeks prior to my return visit to Tristan da Cunha on the RMS St. Helena, since they are clearly superior to those I shot from the latter vessel. 

The weather at Tristan da Cunha on December 24, 2003 was unusually beautiful.  On the other hand, the weather on the island January 21-23, 2004 usually varied from being partly or completely overcast to rain squalls.  Had I used only the photos I shot January 21-23, 2004, readers would have been disappointed.

Since no passengers were allowed to disembark at Tristan da Cunha from Royal Princess, all photos reproduced in this diary which were taken on the island of Tristan da Cunha itself were shot January 21, 2004 during my RMS St. Helena cruise. 

Royal Princess did not approach Inaccessible Island but merely skirted  Nightingale and its neighbors Stoltenhoff and Middle Islands prior to setting a course for Elephant Island in the South Shetlands.  All photos of Inaccessible included herein were taken from the RMS St. Helena January 22-23, 2004. 

I apologize for any errors or omissions in my diary.  I wrote it on a notebook computer during my cruise on the RMS St. Helena.  Unfortunately there was only time for limited editing upon my return home to Cairo, Egypt.  The publication of this document was expedited so that it could be distributed to the members of the St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Philatelic Society along with the April 2004 issue of the South Atlantic Chronicle.  This diary will also be made available to members of The Tristan da Cunha Association at the Annual General Meeting in Cambridge, England in April 2004.  

I would be interested in hearing from readers, who may contact me by e-mail at tedcookson@lycos.com.

I would like to give special thanks to St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Philatelic Society Director-at-Large Michael Mueller and to Publications Editor Dr. Everett Parker for their invaluable advice and assistance. 

I would also like to thank Allan B. Crawford, M. B. E. for allowing me to reproduce his 1937-1938 survey map of Tristan da Cunha; and I would like to thank Andy Repetto for the use of his maps of Inaccessible and Nightingale Islands. 

I am grateful to Yalcin Songur for allowing me to reproduce the photo he took of a Tristan da Cunha crayfish on his own dinner plate! 

Finally, I would like to thank the following other individuals, without whose help and kindness this diary project would never have come to fruition:

Dr. Stanley Atherton, RMS Assistant Purser Alan Bennett, RMS Second Purser Lyn Buckley, Charmaine Davids, RMS Chief Purser Colin Dellar, Stefan Ernst, Ben Fogle, Piet Graaf, Walter Helfer, H. E. Governor David Hollamby, Dr. Andrew James, RMS Hotel Services Officer Sadie Legg, Guy Marriott, Joanne Peart, Russell Phillips, Warham Searle, RMS Captain M. L. M. Smith, Yalcin Songur, Barbara Stein, Charles Veley and Maretha Viljoen.


Copyright by Ted Cookson 2004

 

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