Itchy Foot and her crew spent ten days on Suwarrow (on some maps is is called Suvarov which is the name of the Russian after which it was named). It is an uninhabited atoll which is a nature reserve belonging to the Cook Islands and at the moment is looked after by two rangers. They get dropped off and spend six months at a time living on Suwarrow with a satellite phone to connect them with the outside world. While we were there we read An Island to Oneself in which Tom Neale tells his story of moving to this desert island and spending years there on his own. The story is worth a read and we loved his retelling of his adventures including the growing and cooking food, the chance visitors and all the chores he completed with hard work and applied practicality.

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We had our refuge with Itchy Foot nearby so we were sitting pretty out there in the anchorage. There were 15 boats there at one point during our visit and that is more than Tom had visit him in many years. It is a gorgeous place with lots of coconut palms, the most amazing colored water and coral sand. There are hammocks and picnic tables and three swings which were enjoyed by all, this big adult child included.

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We had a couple of pot luck dinners ashore with the rangers and the other cruisers. These events are wonderful and give us a chance to socialize together. It was really nice to hear what the rangers had to say about the trends in weather and sailing and they tell interesting stories about past visitors. They even told us they had heard of our visit to Penrhyn and all the time we spent with the schools there. Our Cobb portable grill always comes in handy at pot lucks (thanks a million to Clive!) and so do the catches Calle II make. They do a lot of spear fishing and often bring fresh tuna to the beach.

We went out snorkeling with Calle II off the reef as they were spear fishing and it is amazing to see how long Robert can hold his breath at the bottom waiting for the right fish to come along.

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Another day we went out snorkeling to look for manta rays at the cleaning station. Suwarrow is  full of impressive sea animals. One day there was a humpback whale inside the atoll and there were tales of turtles not to mention the rainbow of tiny tame reef fish. We have even come to love the black tip reef sharks swimming around the boats at all times. They are like puppies, and in my head I hear them saying “You like me right?” “Don’t you think I am cute?” and “Look at my smile.”

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The kids have spent a lot of time together and they are getting to know each other really well. The daily routine includes boat school in the morning and then various fun things in the afternoon. In Suwarrow there was a day learning about sextants, dinghy sailing, dinghy slinging, snorkeling, kayaking, board games and card games.  

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Suwarrow will always be special to me for one reason. Anna, a lovely Glaswegian from the boat Noomi, did yoga sessions on the beach with us most mornings and then taught us to belly dance, with veils and all. It was good for body and soul. I miss her already! We are hoping to connect again in Tonga and finish learning the moves enough to have a performance. Stay tuned!