Suwarrow

14th August 2009

13.14 S 163.06 W

We were glad to arrive in Suwarrow after a tiring sail in heavy weather. Suwarrow is a low lying coral atoll miles from anywhere and is part of the northern group of the Cook Islands. The lagoon, within the reef, is several miles across and there are a number of small islands, or motu, the largest of which, Anchorage Island, is only0.4 sq miles. Suwarrow has been declared a National Park to maintain its pristine nature and is inhabited only by birds coconut crabs and the caretaker and his family who stay there for six months of the year, during the cruising season.

The anchorage was quite uncomfortable when we arrived, the high winds were making a big swell inside the lagoon and the boats were bouncing wildly. However it was still better than being out at sea and as it turned out, this stop was an unexpected delight in ways we could not have imagined.

The day after we arrived an American came to our boat with a wedding invitation. He and his lady had been searching for the right place to get married and saw Suwarrow, with its white sandy beaches and coconut palms, as the perfect place. The couple were very lucky to have a harpist in the anchorage to play during the ceremony, helping to make their day even more magical. They stood under a palm arch, on the beach with the sun setting behind them to make their vows. It was very romantic!!

Because Suwarrow is a National Park we had to get permission from John, the caretaker, to visit one of the other islands by dinghy. He keeps a close eye on all activity and as long as we are not interfering with nature in any way he will allow us to explore. If an area is sensitive for any reason then the visit will only be allowed if accompanied by him.

Huge numbers of birds breed on the outer islands and, with our friends; we got permission to go out to see them. There are tropic birds, red footed boobies, frigate birds and many others. There are nests everywhere, on the ground and in low trees and bushes. The huge, fluffy chicks look odd in the small nests and it is hard to imagine them as the offspring of their sleek, streamlined parents.

The reefs in Suwarrow are healthy, with a variety of colourful coral, some that we had never seen before. The reef fish are numerous, and with no real threat from mankind they are unconcerned by our presence, except for the fry in their coral nurseries, who disappeared in a flash as our shadows pass over them. There are also many sharks around the reefs, mainly black tips, and we saw at least one each time we went out. On the outer reef there are also grey sharks which we were less keen to meet. When he prepared fish for his family John, the caretaker, threw the guts into the sea behind his hut and the water boiled in a frenzy of activity as the sharks hustled to get their share of the treat. Scary!

Outside the reef, where the water plunges to hundreds of meters, we saw a couple of humpback whales feeding. They patrolled the reef for over an hour giving us a ringside view of water spouts, tails and fins and at one point an impressive breach!

At low tide we were able to walk out on the reef and it was fascinating to see miniature coral gardens in the rock pools with tiny versions of the reef fish living there.

On one of our trips to the islands Andy found a message in a bottle which was put in the water in Chile in May 2007 by a 14 year old girl. His eye was caught by a green ribbon tied around the letter; otherwise it might have remained undiscovered. He is about to write to her which should cause some excitement.

At one point there were 16 boats in Suwarrow and 10 nationalities, including the first Japanese boat ever to visit!! John invited us all for‘pot luck’ ashore to welcome everyone, he cooked fish and we all took a dish to share. Musicians were asked to bring their instruments in for a bit of entertainment. We expected to see a couple of guitars but there was a squeeze box, a flute, a tin whistle and about 8 guitars. What a night that turned into. Who would have thought that there would be such a gathering in the middle of the ocean, several days from the nearest land?

The wind got up the next day and the anchorage became dangerous so there was a bit of an exodus. Those of us who were not ready to go were allowed to move to a more sheltered spot. It wasn’t ideal among the coral heads but at least we were safe while we made our preparations. We left the day after and sailed to Samoa in winds mostly 30 to 40 knots, so it was another lively passage. The boats that waited it out for better weather had to wait a week. They ended up motoring most of the way to their next destination, with no wind, so we are glad we left when we did.