World’s Most Isolated Island

Tristan da Cunha bills itself as, “the most remote island in the world.”

As you can see from the maps I’ve shared, it really is remote. Not a good place for a heart attack.

Just saying…

The island has a population of 238 people. And yes, they do have a cemetery!

Despite emailing Tristan da Cunha’s tourism coordinator and making arrangements to visit the local cemetery and learn about their funeral customs from a local elder, it was not to be.

Unfortunately, a big challenge when visiting small islands in the middle of the ocean is that they do not have docking facilities. This means the ship must anchor and ferry passengers ashore using its life boats.

All too often, the waves are so rough that this isn’t possible, and that’s exactly what happened to us today.

Last year, for example, we attempted to visit St Helena but the ocean swell was too big for us to go ashore. (Napoleon’s tomb is there, so you can imagine how disappointed I was!)

So instead of going ashore, our ship circled the island while we wistfully gazed ashore.

I had also been looking forward to seeing the island’s textiles. Citizens of Tristan da Cunha have their own brand of hand knitted garments called “37 Degrees South.”

They also have a unique tradition of knitting “Love socks.” When a young man fancies a young lady, he visits her house. She, in turn, knits a pair of socks for him. The colored bands on the socks reveal a hidden message, letting him know if she wants to date him, or if she would rather be “friends forever.”

While I’m disappointed that we were unable to go ashore, at least we got close. Next time!Read more