Visiting Pitcairn Island
A remote rock in the sea, that sailors like to visit.
Overview
Pitcairn is one of the most remote places one can find. It's the one of four islands in the southeast of the Pacific Ocean. Only Pitcairn is inhabited, and measures about 4,5 km². The population measures 40 people, mostly descendants of the survivors of the Mutiny on the Bounty (28 April 1789) . Pitcairn is a British overseas Territory.
Visiting
Now reading the above, why would anyone want to visit it? Well normal people don't, it's basically unreachable, twice a year a ship from New Zealand brings mail and supplies. But sailors, they have stopped in Pitcairn ever since they started sailing from Australia to round Cape Horn, or pass trough the Panama canal. For fun, for a break in on of the longest sailing trips one can take on this planet. To trade some diesel, fresh water, dry stores, and household items, against fresh fruits, fish, and artwork, or help the locals with some repair work to buildings or machinery, and even take mail and parcels from the island to more civilised places. Going home with a cool story and a stamp in your passport. Pitcairn is the last place where one can just stop by unannounced, unbothered by authorities. No-one needs to know. No-one cares, because Pitcairn is the middle of nowhere and there is nothing there.
The geography of the island makes it a bit difficult, there's no port, no harbour, not even a bay. Just off the island is deep water, so the ships that pass by cannot anchor and need to keep floating. But the island has boats, they can launch from a small beach in Bounty Bay to ferry people to and from ships.
The visiting ships is what makes Pitcairn a viable place to live, and is a very important part of it's self sufficient economy.
Red Sunrise visits Pitcairn
The Red Sunrise was cruising along nicely trough the Pacific Ocean, the sun during the day was not to hot, the nights not to cold. And Marshmallow had spotted an interesting phenomena, in the afternoon clouds formed, exactly over the islands scattered about. Probably it had some meteorological explanation, but he didn't know it. They had ran from the shipyard, a few weeks prior, and the small crew needed a break, before they dipped into the Antarctic Ocean, to head back to their home waters. So they were steering for Pitcairn.
The water and fuel tanks of the Red Sunrise were still full, and they used that to trade with the islanders for fruit, and a wood carving of an old style sailing ship supposedly resembling the Bounty. The islanders threw a big party in the square with plenty food, as they were the first ship to visit the island in three months. The pirates were happy with the break, finally letting go of the stress of stealing a ship from a shipyard owned by the Russian maffia. Bobby helped the electrician with some repairs to the islands power grid as well.
The mayor of the island had been talking with Rose most of the evening, asking her what kind of ship the Red Sunrise was, because he remarked smartly the crew did not make sense for a superyacht. Rose tried to be vague, but when the mayor assumed they were in the drug running business, she told him the truth, and then he refused to believe it.
The Red Sunrise left Pitcairn with one more crewmember then they came, a new ship's cat, unofficially already named
Roger II, until a fitting name could be decided upon.
Must be quite a hard place to live, honestly. I like the tradition of ships visiting it, though - that must help.
Explore Etrea | WorldEmber 2025
I have no idea about that, I've yet to visit Pitcairn.