We hope you all are having a great Holiday season! We’re very excited for a new development in our schedule – we’re planning to visit Palmyra next year! The Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge lies about 925 nautical miles SSW of Oahu within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. This stop is dependent upon the issuance of a permit, which we’re working with the US Fish & Wildlife Service to obtain. We’ve sailed with a few scientists who have worked on Palmyra, and they have all told us that it is incredible.
Palmyra was a US military base until 1959. While the navy was in residence, they extensively re-sculpted the landscape, building roads and runways along the reefs and between the islands. Since then, an extensive effort has been made to rstore Palmyra’s habitat on land, successfully eradicating rats and restoring native habitat. Underwater, Palmyra has extensive reef flats and a very healthy ecosystem, teeming with apex predators like sharks.
If we can’t go to Palmyra, we’ll instead stop at Tabuaeran (Fanning), a gorgeous atoll in the nation of Kiribati. If you’ve read Liz Clark’s “The Voyage of Swell,” you may recall that she spent time on an un-named island in Kiribati and recognize the geography as Tabuaeran! This is going to be a spectacular trip, so if you’re looking for a different sailing vacation this year, check it out! These islands are truly remote, and the best way to get to them is by sea. Come with us and explore some of the Central Pacific’s gems.