august 2007
SUWARROW ATOLL

One of the first entries in the visitors' logbook lying on John and Veronica's table in the "Yacht Club" reads:-

.."There are all kinds of ships
good ships and wooden ships
steel ships and hardships
but the best ship of all -
friendship..."

and that is what is found and made in Suwarrow Atoll. This middle-of-nowhere-atoll is for many cruisers one of the highlights of their circumnavigation.

Just think of it - living on an island - all for oneself; palm trees,blue skies,white beaches,fish...
Tom Neale did it, wrote a book and inspired hundreds of yachties to come to Suwarrow and live there for a while.

Unfortunately one cannot have this paradise all for oneself, good things are better when shared with others. Due to more and more yachties (because it is only sailing vessels ...and poachers or fishing vessels) that stop here, it has become necessary to have a ranger living on the island to stop the atoll from being exploited, raped - whatever, by those that are fortunate enough to get there.

John is the current Marine Park Ranger living on SUWARROW with Veronica his wife, and their 4 young sons. This family has tried for the last 3 years to bring back some order to SUWARROW. It is a marine park and there are rules to protect this atoll. I was shocked to read cruisers' logs of their stay on the atoll - reading about them having tern egg omelettes , having coconut crabs by the bags, catching and frying sea birds ...unbelievable!

IT IS NO MORE HAPPENING on SUWARROW!
Spear fishing is not allowed and it is only possible to anchor off Anchorage Island. Paradise is now being given a chance to restore itself and maybe more of us can share this idyllic place for longer!

What is still happening on Suwarrow are wonderful days spent enjoying the water and sea life, evenings spent with fellow cruisers having BBQ's and potlucks and endless long chats with John and Veronica who are always willing to make our stay as memorable as possible.

The sail from BORA-BORA to Suwarrow was one best to be forgotten as quickly as possible! We started out with perfect days, turning to windless conditions and then unsettled, boisterous wind and seas. Cruisers sailing in the higher latitudes towards Nuie and Raratonga had really bad conditions with unforecasted winds ranging from 30 to 50 knots.

It was our first long passage made in more than 2 years and we felt sick and did not enjoy it at all. I was so happy and relieved to spot the atoll early in the morning. We entered the passe just as the tide started to go out (I forgot to check the tidal conditions and we had a tough time motoring in against the outgoing tide). John explained later to favour the seaward side, enter at slack tide as the flow can reach up to 6 knots!

It is always a difficult decision when half of your friends take a route and the other half another route. We were faced with that decision at Bora Bora but in hindsight I am glad that we opted for the Northern route.

Suwarrow is a special place and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in this atoll. I will post photos as soon as we get to a place with internet facilities.

We will be heading towards Samoa soon and will spend the cyclone season either in Fiji or the Kiribatis, islands North of the Equator. We are still gaining information on these isolated islands , more news will follow when we have more news!

Greetings from all the PRRR's!