Tristan da Cunha
What can be more wonderful than an uninterrupted sea-view such as that possessed by most everybody who lives in Edinburgh-of-the-Seven-Seas' principal, indeed sole, settlement on the this remote south Atlantic archipelago? In some parts of the world that precious commodity sends real estate prices soaring. For guests on National Geographic Endeavour, as we cover some 6,000 miles of ocean and span four continents, taking over a month to make our leisurely way from south to north, there is but one view to surpass it: the view of land from the sea! Guests were up early yesterday as the Tristan archipelago came into view on the dawn horizon, the volcanic islands of the Atlantic Ridge towering several thousand feet out of the ocean. As usual the island peaks were capped with the tell-tale cloud that attracted the early navigators, in this case the Portuguese Admiral Tristan da Cunha who discovered the islands in 1506 and gave then their name.
The islands were first settled by a British garrison. In 1815, Corporal Glass, a Scot in the service of the British army, arrived on the island with instructions to keep guard against the French. They were thought to pose a threat to the safe exile of Napoleon Bonaparte on St Helena, a "neighboring" island hundreds of miles to the north. This morning some of us of visited the grave of Corporal Glass, the founder of the settlement, having already met his direct descendant, self-styled "Rockhopper Copper" the community's policeman who had given us an entertaining and informative presentation on board yesterday. In addition to idyllic ocean views, there is no significant crime on the island.
For today we set foot on dry land for the first time in several days. It's always a relief for the Expedition Leader when permission to land at Tristan is granted, the small harbor and huge ocean swells can make landings impossible for days and even weeks at a time. An added bonus for guests and crew was that we made landfall on Easter Sunday and many accepted the invitation extended by the local community to join them for Easter services at the Anglican or Roman Catholic churches on the island. The Roman Catholic tradition was brought to the island by shipwrecked mariners of Italian extraction, adding another thread to the rich tapestry of life on this island paradise.
What can be more wonderful than an uninterrupted sea-view such as that possessed by most everybody who lives in Edinburgh-of-the-Seven-Seas' principal, indeed sole, settlement on the this remote south Atlantic archipelago? In some parts of the world that precious commodity sends real estate prices soaring. For guests on National Geographic Endeavour, as we cover some 6,000 miles of ocean and span four continents, taking over a month to make our leisurely way from south to north, there is but one view to surpass it: the view of land from the sea! Guests were up early yesterday as the Tristan archipelago came into view on the dawn horizon, the volcanic islands of the Atlantic Ridge towering several thousand feet out of the ocean. As usual the island peaks were capped with the tell-tale cloud that attracted the early navigators, in this case the Portuguese Admiral Tristan da Cunha who discovered the islands in 1506 and gave then their name.
The islands were first settled by a British garrison. In 1815, Corporal Glass, a Scot in the service of the British army, arrived on the island with instructions to keep guard against the French. They were thought to pose a threat to the safe exile of Napoleon Bonaparte on St Helena, a "neighboring" island hundreds of miles to the north. This morning some of us of visited the grave of Corporal Glass, the founder of the settlement, having already met his direct descendant, self-styled "Rockhopper Copper" the community's policeman who had given us an entertaining and informative presentation on board yesterday. In addition to idyllic ocean views, there is no significant crime on the island.
For today we set foot on dry land for the first time in several days. It's always a relief for the Expedition Leader when permission to land at Tristan is granted, the small harbor and huge ocean swells can make landings impossible for days and even weeks at a time. An added bonus for guests and crew was that we made landfall on Easter Sunday and many accepted the invitation extended by the local community to join them for Easter services at the Anglican or Roman Catholic churches on the island. The Roman Catholic tradition was brought to the island by shipwrecked mariners of Italian extraction, adding another thread to the rich tapestry of life on this island paradise.
