Palmerston Atoll day 1

Nickanddenisesailing
Tue 12 Sep 2017 04:56
Wow so much has happened already!!!

So there I was yesterday evening just sending off the last of the emails. I get comfortable in the cockpit with my book and 'pooouufffff' a whale surfaces right next to the boat! I jumped out of my skin! Two large whales and a calf then spent the next half hour or so just leisurely swimming up and down the line of moored yachts. Always about 20-50m away from the boats. Nick and I in our panic/excitement chaos found our sleves running up and down the boat trying to work out if we should jump in the water and if so in what capacity. We went from deciding to paddle out on surf boards, to using the paddleboard to quickly deciding that we would just swim over with our snorkel gear on, when one surfaced again right by the boat. So we jump in the water and naturally I proceed to talk whale. We are both clinging to the ladder on the back of the boat because a. there is a 1000ft drop off just off the back of the boat, b. its sunset and shark o'clock and c. the visability has got reall
y bad
and we cant see much. So we are both trying to egg each other on to swim out into the dark blue abyss to try and catch sight of the whales underwater. We make it to the front of the boat and cling onto the mooring when one surfces about 20m away, we cant see it underwater and decide that probably our best view point is from the boat. So after all the excitement we get back on board and enjoy our cup of tea whist watching the whales during the sunset. Happy days.

So we went to bed on a real high and woke in the morning to more sounds of 'pooooooouffff' the whales were back!!! I grabbed the camera and tried to get a few shots before they swam away again. We decided to head in for a snorkel and were well rewarded with heaps of fish and even a sparkling blue fin trevally. After a little while the guys from Palmerston came out in boats to check us into the Cook islands. We were then invited ashore for lunch and a tour of the island.

What a crazy beautiful place this is! We were sat down at Bill and Metuas house where a feast of poissin cru, cooked parrot fish with onions, sausages, potato salad, rice, donuts, watermellon, lemon cake, ice cream and fresh cocnut water was waiting for us. They are amazing hosts and we spent a long lunch chatting about all sorts with their wonderful family and friends. A guy called Arthur who is really into all the planning of the island was there and we spent hours talking to him about aquaculture and the status of the fish stocks in the Atoll. They had recently had a chinese (with NZ permisson/cover) send a proposal to them for a fish farm. They showed us the document and it made both Nick and I feel sick. They really were just trying to trick the island with money and riches and trying to get full access without giving them any real solid info. We strongly urged them to turn it down - which luckily is what they had already decided to do.

We then spent the afternoon having a tour and learning a bit more about the island. So William Marsters was an ex whaler from Glouster (west country UK - cant spell sorry Dad) who populated his island with 3 polynesian wives, which then became 5 wives. The 56 grandchildern then took over the island and have made the population that is here today. He strictly said that the island could never be bought or rented and the inhabitants have kept to that. Its a wonderful set up and the people are very friendly. We have been made to feel so welcome and already feel like we are part of the family.

So that takes us to sunset time now where Nick is playing the guitar while I tip tap emails out on the tablet and intermittently we get excited and jump up as the whales come close to the boat. We like to should waaayyyooooooo wwwwhaaaaaallllle. As I typed that 2 are about 50m away haha! Wow what a life. Days we will remeber for the rest of our lives we are sure.

Whale commentary:

2 whales on surface, just hanging ouy. poooouuufff. more noises. Big one is diving, little on on surface. they are coming closer. Nicks guitar playing is getting more excited. they are heading for the boat. cant see them gap.....sun setting.... whale 'cant see them' interlude......ok could be waiting for a while - things we have figured out is they dont like to come up 1. when you have a camera out. 2. When you want them/ expect them 3. when you say 'where you are you???' loudly (a Lanah expression) haha!

Ok enough ramblings. Hopefully this gives you some idea of the extent of the excited-ness that we have about the whales.



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