Crew Available: Castaway on Palmerston Island!

[willrowenaut]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

So what keeps you busy in downtown Palmerston island Will? Do you have a girl/boyfriend? What's your typical day like? Is there work there or is it all volunteer. How much longer are you planning to stay there? What are your living expenses and where do you live? Cheers, Robert

Haha, no love interest at present mate, I can't imagine sharing this amazing experience with anyone on a full time basis!

As for my daily routine, here is an extract from my FB blog:

"I have been on the island a week and a half now and am settling into a happy routine. Normally I'll arise about 7am, light a fire and walk through the bush to the beach about half a minute away to check the tide and weather conditions. By the time I return the fire usually has burned down to coals and I can set the billy on it.

Whilst waiting for the water to boil I'll wander off and find seven coconuts – four old ones from the ground, two that I take off of the trees using a long gaffe-like device called a Ro, and one uto nut which is a coconut that has sprouted with a shoot about a foot long. I then husk all of them using a big old iron crowbar with the end sharpened which is quite an art but easy once one has had a little practise. The four old nuts I crack open to feed the chooks and the two young ones off the tree I put in my supply of drinking nuts. The one uto nut is opened with the soft, spongy flesh extracted and saved for the nights dessert.

By this time it is pushing 8 o'clock and the billy is whistling merrily away so it is time for my habitual morning cup of tea and smoke. Normally this turns into two cups of tea and two smokes, and I always use the tea bags at least twice - there is no shop to which I can turn if I run out! Once the revitalising effects of the tea kick in I am ready to sweep out the entire house. The wind brings with it a constant fine dusting of atoll sand all over the floors and unless you desire to walk around in it like a swine, daily sweeping is a fact of life here.

Whilst cleaning the house I normally have some porridge heating over the fire. This goes down a treat with some treacle and is also a great source of fibre, which apart from coconut is scarce in the island diet. Sometimes I'll mix that up with a couple of slices of toast if I am still peckish.

From there I usually check that everything is in its place and functioning normally – the solar installation, battery and water pump, my tools and supplies. It is amazing how you can not leave these things to chance as the conditions are constantly changing. One minute a solar panel may have shifted on its mount, the next minute I have misplaced or lent a tool which I need to fix something. A common problem is ants infiltrating some food which has been not so carefully sealed. So it is good to have a routine every morning to make sure everything is in order.

Thereafter the day varies a great deal. I might head out to the reef with a rod and fish for lunch, or perhaps go and collect some cats eyes (the size of a fist) which I eat raw with freshly picked lime. Or I might be invited to help with a building or clean up job someone is doing. The routine resumes again in the afternoon when I will invariably head down to the Duke's Pool inside the lagoon for a swim with the sharks. The pool is so named because the Duke of Edinburgh actually swam there when he visited on the Britannia years ago. The swim is necessary because of the heat and humidity and is always a great relief.

After a swim and a shower back at home it is time to have another cup of tea and stoke the smouldering ashes from the morning fire in preparation for dinner. I get invited out for meals so much so far that I have barely had a chance to cook. But when I have, the meals have taken on a whole new amazing flavour due solely to the fact they're cooked over fire, as far as I can ascertain. Fire lighting is done by taking the previous days rubbish and piling six or seven dried coconut shells over it. This is all that is required for sufficient embers to cook.

In the evenings if I am alone I usually sit on my porch star gazing, ruining my lungs and sipping endless cups of tea, with some music in the background and my pet chook Hoof normally dozing beside me. See if you can spot Hoof in the photo attached to this post. She is always in attendance when a drinking nut is opened - she will lift her dopey foot up under her plumage and fall asleep standing on the other foot, with her head cocked and one eye open in case I try to neck her. I think eventually she'll realise that that's not going to happen".

There is plenty of work here and I do it voluntarily. I am helping to rebuild the family home of the people who made it possible for me to come here. I also find myself repairing outboard motors, freezers and all other manner of small motors and appliances. The clean up after Cyclone Victor was laborious and I was glad to be able to give something back to an island that gives so much to me.

I hope to be here for a while yet and am working through the visa requirements. This can only be done with the help of a local sponsor and I have received a lot of support from the locals which is very humbling.

I live alone in a house I am renting (for a very modest amount) from a good friend who is living in Rarotonga.

My expenses other than that consist only of internet usage, electricity and any supplies I choose to bring in on the supply boats. I say 'choose' because I can quite happily and healthily live off the island alone. These expenses never total more than NZ$150 a month.

Hope this answers your questions and thanks for your interest :-)

[willrowenaut]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

And by posting your email address like that on a public forum, spam will also find its way to paradise

You posted in "crew available". Where do you want to sail to?

Wise words! I probably shouldn't have posted my email :-(

I am not planning on sailing anywhere this season but will eventually be looking to crew from here to Australia, re-visiting all my beloved islands on the way. This post was more about meeting people who do the rounds and swapping information and experiences.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by willrowenaut

Haha, no love interest at present mate, I can't imagine sharing this amazing experience with anyone on a full time basis!

As for my daily routine, here is an extract from my FB blog:

"I have been on the island a week and a half now and am settling into a happy routine. Normally I'll arise about 7am, light a fire and walk through the bush to the beach about half a minute away to check the tide and weather conditions. By the time I return the fire usually has burned down to coals and I can set the billy on it.

Thanks for that, interesting lifestyle but you didn't answer the question about how long you planned on staying there. I realize that you may not be in control of that.
Sounds like a great opportunity to get to know yourself. There will be a day that you look back at this experience as something very special. Cheers,v Robert

Whilst waiting for the water to boil I'll wander off and find seven coconuts – four old ones from the ground, two that I take off of the trees using a long gaffe-like device called a Ro, and one uto nut which is a coconut that has sprouted with a shoot about a foot long. I then husk all of them using a big old iron crowbar with the end sharpened which is quite an art but easy once one has had a little practise. The four old nuts I crack open to feed the chooks and the two young ones off the tree I put in my supply of drinking nuts. The one uto nut is opened with the soft, spongy flesh extracted and saved for the nights dessert.

By this time it is pushing 8 o'clock and the billy is whistling merrily away so it is time for my habitual morning cup of tea and smoke. Normally this turns into two cups of tea and two smokes, and I always use the tea bags at least twice - there is no shop to which I can turn if I run out! Once the revitalising effects of the tea kick in I am ready to sweep out the entire house. The wind brings with it a constant fine dusting of atoll sand all over the floors and unless you desire to walk around in it like a swine, daily sweeping is a fact of life here.

Whilst cleaning the house I normally have some porridge heating over the fire. This goes down a treat with some treacle and is also a great source of fibre, which apart from coconut is scarce in the island diet. Sometimes I'll mix that up with a couple of slices of toast if I am still peckish.

From there I usually check that everything is in its place and functioning normally – the solar installation, battery and water pump, my tools and supplies. It is amazing how you can not leave these things to chance as the conditions are constantly changing. One minute a solar panel may have shifted on its mount, the next minute I have misplaced or lent a tool which I need to fix something. A common problem is ants infiltrating some food which has been not so carefully sealed. So it is good to have a routine every morning to make sure everything is in order.

Thereafter the day varies a great deal. I might head out to the reef with a rod and fish for lunch, or perhaps go and collect some cats eyes (the size of a fist) which I eat raw with freshly picked lime. Or I might be invited to help with a building or clean up job someone is doing. The routine resumes again in the afternoon when I will invariably head down to the Duke's Pool inside the lagoon for a swim with the sharks. The pool is so named because the Duke of Edinburgh actually swam there when he visited on the Britannia years ago. The swim is necessary because of the heat and humidity and is always a great relief.

After a swim and a shower back at home it is time to have another cup of tea and stoke the smouldering ashes from the morning fire in preparation for dinner. I get invited out for meals so much so far that I have barely had a chance to cook. But when I have, the meals have taken on a whole new amazing flavour due solely to the fact they're cooked over fire, as far as I can ascertain. Fire lighting is done by taking the previous days rubbish and piling six or seven dried coconut shells over it. This is all that is required for sufficient embers to cook.

In the evenings if I am alone I usually sit on my porch star gazing, ruining my lungs and sipping endless cups of tea, with some music in the background and my pet chook Hoof normally dozing beside me. See if you can spot Hoof in the photo attached to this post. She is always in attendance when a drinking nut is opened - she will lift her dopey foot up under her plumage and fall asleep standing on the other foot, with her head cocked and one eye open in case I try to neck her. I think eventually she'll realise that that's not going to happen".

There is plenty of work here and I do it voluntarily. I am helping to rebuild the family home of the people who made it possible for me to come here. I also find myself repairing outboard motors, freezers and all other manner of small motors and appliances. The clean up after Cyclone Victor was laborious and I was glad to be able to give something back to an island that gives so much to me.

I hope to be here for a while yet and am working through the visa requirements. This can only be done with the help of a local sponsor and I have received a lot of support from the locals which is very humbling.

I live alone in a house I am renting (for a very modest amount) from a good friend who is living in Rarotonga.

My expenses other than that consist only of internet usage, electricity and any supplies I choose to bring in on the supply boats. I say 'choose' because I can quite happily and healthily live off the island alone. These expenses never total more than NZ$150 a month.

Hope this answers your questions and thanks for your interest :-)

Wonderful experience something that will be with you for a lifetime.

[SaltyMonkey]

willrowenaut enjoyed your slice of life above. Thanks for that and I am glad you have found the rhythm of life there.

[willrowenaut]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Thanks for that, interesting lifestyle but you didn't answer the question about how long you planned on staying there. I realize that you may not be in control of that.
Sounds like a great opportunity to get to know yourself. There will be a day that you look back at this experience as something very special. Cheers,v Robert

Definitely a great opportunity to know myself and more importantly others. I do not need hindsight to know that this is a special experience.

You can't possibly realise that I am not in control of how long I stay here. If you did, you would not have questioned the answer I gave.

Thanks Robert.