Palmerston Island
We had a decent crossing from Bora Bora to Palmerston except for one nasty storm. In the several years we have been sailing we have never been in a real storm, we just don’t like sailing in bad weather. We checked weather religiously before departing, but the day before we arrived at Palmerston we were hit by a nasty storm. I was on watch early in the morning and the wind shifted just enough to require me to trim the sails. By the time I finished with the sails the winds were building quickly. In the time it took for me to call for Tanya we were hit with 40 knot winds, it was like being hit by a train. There were no angry clouds, no rain, no big seas, we had breaks of blue sky and sun from time to time, but still…POW. In 40kt winds and building seas we wrestled the sails in and started watching the clock, assuring ourselves that this is just a squall, it will all be over in a few minutes!
“squalls, they come on ya fast, then they leave ya fast”
Capt Ron
Within 30 minutes the seas doubled to eight feet, in another 30 minutes they increased to 10-12 feet and winds sustained 38 kts with gusts well above 40 kts. After about two hours of this we pretty much gave up on the squall theory. There was no picture taking during this but if you can imagine walls of water eight feet higher than the cockpit of your boat coming at you repeatedly for hours, it was a sight. After about three hours the winds began to drop down to the lower to mid 30s and the seas back down to about eight feet. Over the next 15 hours the storm slowly abated and the next day we made it safely to Palmerston.
Dea Latis took it all in stride. I never felt unsafe or terribly uncomfortable the entire time, I didn’t even get seasick, and we never took any huge waves into the cockpit. We skidded sideways down a couple of really big waves, buried the rail into the water, slammed into another wave, causing a huge tower of solid water to rise up and threaten, but it never came in the boat. I love our boat. The only thing that really bothered me was overlooking this weather. We are really diligent when it comes to trip planning, or so I thought.
There were two other boats in the general vicinity and we all ended up at Palmerston. We all went ashore together and our conversations and experiences regarding the weather were identical. Nobody saw that weather on any forecast, no obvious indications, no expectations, everything was identical. I don’t know if that is good or bad but it made me feel a tiny bit better. Anyway, that was an experience…that we don’t want to repeat!
On to Palmerston.
This is Palmerston Island:
Palmerston is a motu or island that is one part of an atoll in the Cook Islands, and it’s beautiful:
After a six day passage and one storm we were very tired. We arrived late in the day and were met by Edward and his son David. They directed us to a mooring and after we were secured, they welcomed us and gave a quick run down of what to expect the next day. They told us about the check in process, a tour of the island, and lunch, and if we needed anything to call on the VHF. We were quite happy to just collapse for the evening. The next day they ferried the officials to all three boats and after checking in we all went ashore:
…through these passes in the coral reef:
…inches from coral heads:
David was awesome, obviously having made this trip a thousand times:
Palmerston:
The water in the lagoon is so beautiful:
Shore side service!
The beach is wonderful:
Edward was our host for our stay so he led us across the island to his home where we met his family and completed a bit more paperwork. The island is so beautiful, it’s like a tropical movie set:
That hull and debris is from a sailboat that ran up on the reef in 2011:
…down the path:
…to Edward’s home:
They have a big sun shade made from the mast of the wrecked sailboat:
This is Arthur Neale, Executive Officer of Palmerston Island Administration, completing our paperwork:
After completing our check-in, Edward’s son David took us on a tour of the island. Palmerston is very well done, super clean and manicured, it is obvious they take great pride in their community:
I never expected to see street lights:
Arthur and the administration building:
Private homes:
Church and cemetery:
Main street looking west:
Main street looking east:
William Marsters settled Palmerston in 1863, this is his original home…probably not the original roof or electrical box on the front, but it’s the original structure from the 1800’s:
Beautiful Church:
Water supply:
Palms and ocean in the distance:
Private homes:
Solar powered internet service provider:
School with 11 students:
Solar power plant:
Continuing on with our tour:
Edward, his family in the background, getting ready to crack open lunch! Edward is also the Chief of Police:
Lunch was fantastic, chicken curry, rice and homemade bread:
After lunch we sat a bit, talked about storms, and heard about the history of Palmerston:
We are at the mercy of the weather and because of that we were only able to spend one day at Palmerston. I would have traded our time in Bora Bora to spend a few extra days here, it was wonderful! Edward and family, and Arthur, were some of the nicest people we have met in our entire Pacific crossing. I truly have to say our short visit to Palmerston has been the highlight for me. Heading back to the boat:
Afternoon view of Palmerston:
I wish I had wrote this immediately after our visit. Palmerston is an amazing and interesting place and the people are the best. I had read about Palmerston over the years and being such a remote place they often experience logistical delays and are grateful for anything people can bring. Before departing we were able to drop off lots of school supplies, basic food items, excess fishing gear and gasoline. We had been carrying those school supplies, specifically for Palmerston, since we left Florida so it was nice to get those off the boat.
The people of Palmerston are incredibly hospitable and generous. They invited us into their home, taxied us to/from our boat, gave us a tour of their island, fed us, and enlightened us on their history, and they never at any time asked us for anything in return. I was so glad I had read up on Palmerston years ago and was able to plan ahead for our visit.
I believe they had cleaned some fish earlier and threw the scraps to the sharks: