C.I.: Palmerston Atoll

Only 275 miles from Rarotonga, a 2 1/2 day sail, Palmerston Atoll beckoned. With such fond memories of the Tuamotus, we were excited about another opportunity to stay at an atoll: an isolated reef and motus (islets)--a microcosmos in the middle of nowhere--held deep visual and emotional appeal. 

Just as important, though, was the backstory. Palmerston was settled in 1863 by one Englishman and his three Polynesian wives, and to this day everyone on the island is still a member of the same extended family. There are three distinct branches, but they are all Marsters (if a female Marsters marries a man from elsewhere, their children keep the Marsters last name). There are Marsters spread throughout the South Pacific, though only 68 people live on Palmerston Island--the most protected motu in the atoll--at this time.

Part of their mission from the beginning was to offer hospitality to passing boats, and they keep this tradition alive and well! They've installed 4 mooring buoys to attract visitors (it's risky to anchor outside the reef, and the pass through the reef is too shallow for most boats), and someone comes out every morning to bring cruisers to shore in a small motorboat.

Knowing visitors enjoy snorkeling, the first stop is usually this spot. The water was studded with rocky plateaus that rose nearly to the surface, and the area was teeming with fish. Art saw a stingray ballet and I watched four large reef sharks; it was delightful!

Host families provide lunch every day (fish & rice). The families don't ask for payment, but almost everyone brings gifts--food, fuel, etc. The supply ship comes just once a month, so both staples and treats are well received. (With Art is 

John Marsters, 16, and a fellow cruiser from New Zealand.)

A primary "road" on the island

If it had a name, this would be Main Street. Ironically, almost all of the islanders had gone to Rarotonga for the festivities there, so it looked and felt like a ghost town. The dozen remaining residents enjoyed the rare peace & quiet, but the cruisers would have preferred to see it humming with activity. Fortunately, Art & I got to hear the Palmerston group's energetic singing at Island Night on Rarotonga, and we happened to sit amongst them at the main Constitution Day event, so we did get a chance to visit with a variety of Marsters. 

Another street scene
(we imagined it full of running children and conversational adults)

Groomed side paths, with occasional old split log benches and/or new street lights, lead to smaller groups of homes

A typical house: simple construction, upside down bottles in the sand surrounding landscaped plants, 

and an ATV for transportation

Next door, another typical house: woven fronds for walls, and plenty of hammocks. Goodly Marsters, 

owner of the ATV in the previous photo, encouraged Art to try one out!

Juxtaposition of old and new

The island's electric needs are fulfilled with this large array of solar panels

Water, however, must be collected in cisterns

Fishing is the island's mainstay; everyone fishes, and they export large quantities of parrotfish to Rarotonga. In one of the high points of our whole trip, our host family invited Art to fish with them! It's done the old-fashioned way, chasing fish into a net--though the net is now set with the aid of a motorboat. Art and the two sons put on boots and ran through the waist-deep reef water, pounding the surface with long sticks. Smaller fish slipped through, and the parrotfish were caught in a gill net. It took about an hour to make two sets, each netting about 50 fish--a typical catch for the day.

Splashing the water to chase the fish toward the net

Checking the net for fish

Hauling in the net

Catch of the day

In addition to roosters running around on South Pacific islands, most places also have free-range pigs (yes, they do eventually end up as dinner). This one, named Bacon, was particularly affectionate!

The next day we spent some time with Inano, the matriarch of a different branch of the family (also pictured is Martha, the island nurse). Probably in her 70's, Inano walked slowly but still sparkled. When we told her how much we enjoyed hearing her relatives sing at Rarotonga and asked what the song was about (they only speak English, and the song, typical for Cook Island music, was in Maori), she laughed, "We don't know! We just love to sing!"  A kindred spirit, sharing the joy of making music...

(Tangent: the Picton Castle also calls at Palmerston. When they said the Picton had visited 5 years ago, we wondered if Katelinn had brought her violin ashore and played for them, as she did in several places. "Oh yes, we remember the lady with the violin!", they enthused. Wow...it really is a small world!)

Small boats are tucked along the shore--mostly for fishing , but also for pleasure excursions to the other motus. 

The sky is darkening...

...and as I sit and watch the weather deteriorate, we know it's time to leave Palmerston.

We had hoped to stop for a couple of nights at Beveridge Reef. The reef used to sink boats and was given a wide berth, but with accurate GPS coordinates (so it's encountered intentionally, not accidentally) and a fair weather forecast, cruisers now choose to stop there. If we think atolls are alluring, anchoring at a reef--no motus, nothing in sight, just underwater rocks to break the waves at the surface--could be even more fascinating. But alas, high winds were predicted to arrive in a few days, so we felt it best to abandon that plan and head straight to Tonga with its aptly named Port of Refuge. A great sail and another great destination lay ahead!