Who's Been to Palmyra?

[Nagivator]

My husband stopped there in 1998 while delivering a boat from California to American Samoa, as a much needed rest stop. No permits were required back then. He said Palmyra Atoll was one of the most beautiful pristine places on earth. BUT the entrance path through the reefs is long and tricky, would be a really bad place to damage your hull. The anchorage can get rough. You can't eat the fish due to ciguatera. Thousands of giant crabs roamed the land making it difficult to walk ashore. We knew of Mac and Muff from San Diego, and learned what happened to them at Palmyra. Sad story. Palmyra is important as a brief rest stop for yachts crossing the Pacific on some specific routes, i.e. Hawaii to AmSam, but it's not a destination.

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

Sounds like you have been there?

No. Just performed a lot of research and talked to a few important folks, as a possible short term port on the way to NZ.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Friends of ours left there because she felt bad vibes. Their friends stayed. The friends were slain, the remains some fed to sharks, some buried ashore. Our friends' friends boat was stolen. It was re-painted, sailed into Hawaii,....

Ann,

Did you friend say what gave them the bad vibes? Was it the guy/couple that killed the other cruisers?

Later,
Dan

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by gonesail

$6 for a pint of decent beer is a bit high but not so unusual anymore .. i can get a pint of ice cold pabst blue ribbon at the local pub for $2

And I thought you said GOOD beer?

[adlib2]

Originally Posted by gonesail

$6 for a pint of decent beer is a bit high but not so unusual anymore .. i can get a pint of ice cold pabst blue ribbon at the local pub for $2

I pay $6 and more for a 20 oz Pint of Draft Guinness often. Happy to do so, cos I drink Guinness.

[Krawdad]

Haven't been there but if you decide to read the book for insight into Palmyra be forewarned it is bar-none the worst piece of so called literature ever written. Bugliosi the author/lawyer pads the story so profusely with vain, shameless self-aggrandizement about his skills as a lawyer it is absolutely nauseating and difficult to read. The only redeeming factor that prevents it from being total literary garbage is the fact it does accurately portray the events leading up to Mac & Muff's murder. The scum bag Walker who killed them was released after 22yrs & I am pleased to say died a few years later, his blonde half wit sidekick never served a day.

[Shan]

Palmyra was an outrageously gorgeous place to visit and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
I was there a long time ago and during the almost 6 months that I was there I found the remains of Muff Graham. (I too wrote a book). I didn't agree with all that Bugliosi had said and was fortunate to also have read the book written by the person that was convicted, Wesley Walker aka Buck Walker. It gave me lots to ponder about.
I'd love to go back there now and see what it looks like today.

[savoir]

Originally Posted by weavis

You think Palmyra is bad.

There is a small Island off the west coast of the UK with a pub on it. They charge 4 pounds a pint!

Dont visit!

They charge 4.50 pounds in Dublin so you had better not go there either.

[Clamdigger]

Originally Posted by Shan

Palmyra was an outrageously gorgeous place to visit and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
I was there a long time ago and during the almost 6 months that I was there I found the remains of Muff Graham. (I too wrote a book). I didn't agree with all that Bugliosi had said and was fortunate to also have read the book written by the person that was convicted, Wesley Walker aka Buck Walker. It gave me lots to ponder about.
I'd love to go back there now and see what it looks like today.

Would you be willing to give further information about your 6 months there? Curious about freshwater source you used, what animals and plant life you encountered, shipwrecks encountered if you snorkeled,etc.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by savoir

They charge 4.50 pounds in Dublin so you had better not go there either.

It was 1.80 punt a pint when I was based there in 90-98. (Went to 2.20)

Here I pay 1.90 a pint of bitter and Guinness is 3.90 a pint. (Sterling)

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by gonesail

$6 for a pint of decent beer is a bit high but not so unusual anymore .. i can get a pint of ice cold pabst blue ribbon at the local pub for $2

I didn't know they still made that belly wash.

[alansmith]

U can get murdered any where. The killers were almost out of supplies and a messed up boat. The slain couple befriended and fed them. Wouldn't let that fend u off. We wouldn't go anywhere if past murder was on the check list. Smile.

Right place at the wrong time.

[Rigger Bruce]

I was there just before the famous murders. I was delivering a wellington 47 back from Ponape and spent a week there,before the poor couple sailed in. The murders were there and the guy had a 22 and lots of ammunition, shooting sharks all the time, asking us if we had any arms as we were going lobster hunting on the north reef one night with this clown. he was checking to see if we had any way to protect ourselves.As we were leaving the girl ran down and begged us to take her with us back to hawaii, but we had our crew and left without taking her with us. It was a lively place and is now a reserve, you need to have your boat hauled and no coral and anything that could hurt the environment including the vessel deratted and certified before leaving. They spent a bunch of money derating the island which was over run for years.
But you just cant show up. They have a bunch of scientists there and security when they leave in November as we wanted to try stop last November and talked to the reverent people for permission and coming from Fiji on a 144' sloop it was going to be too hard, so we gave it a miss. The book and movie was close to what happened, been there a few times over the many years going back and forth 20 years ago or more.But seems like no more unless you will jump through the hoops they insist on.
Part of venturing is worth looking into it if you are willing to follow the rules.Sail on, Bruce

[JPA Cate]

Dannc,

Yes, the lady in the couple felt "bad vibes", possibly from the behavior described in post#29 by RiggerBruce. She talked her husband into leaving. The woman friend of the couple told her that she did not think she'd ever see her again. So the sense of danger must have been palpable.

....a difficult enough incident to process that they were discussing it with us visitors, before the case went to trial, and afterward, too.

Until then, our friends had been making an annual sojourn there, it is a cruising destination from HI. Especially if off the beaten track is your thing.

I remember reading the book after it came out. It didn't have near the impact on meas the tears in the eyes and husky voices of our friends.

Ann

[Boatguy30]

I really doubt anyone on here is personal friends or connected in anyway with a murder that occurred in 1974. Maybe just old enough to confuse their personal experiences with a TV miniseries.