The curious thing about Tristan da Cunha is that it may be the World’s Most Remote Island, but its inhabitants are definitely not isolated. On our second day in the area several islanders came onboard to speak with us about their island and its lifestyle.
A teacher from the school told us how they run the school under the British system closely following that curriculum and having their students tested accordingly. The students do very well on the tests. The school is very small. The largest grade has 6 students and the smallest grade has only 1 student. The islanders are very dedicated to educating their children and work hard to get them the best education possible. Sometimes they have guest teachers, including scientists that come to island to conduct studies in marine science, weather, air quality, etc.
We also heard presentations about the fishing industry and agriculture on the island. The big money maker for the island is exporting rock lobster to South Africa. On fishing days, the locals all come to the docks to help process the catch. Everyone on the island benefits from the income produced from this industry.
After hearing from the local islanders, we did a slow, close circle trip around the 2 uninhabited islands. We listened to the storied history of these 2 islands over the ship's public address speakers from Conrad Glass, the Police Chief who was born and raised in Tristan da Cunha. He shared his personal experiences with us in his commentary. It was fascinating.
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| Uninhabited Inaccessible Island |
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| Dangerous, but beautiful coastline of Inaccessible Island |
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Small rescue cabin on Inaccessible Island
in case of a shipwreck |
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Approaching uninhabited Nightingale Island as we
listen to commentary from Conrad Glass |
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Beautiful Nightingale Island, a bird sanctuary
and home of penguin colonies
GREAT EXPERIENCE IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN. NEXT STOP...NAMBIA, AFRICA IN 4 DAYS.
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