Mar 12, 2010 - Tristan da Cunha

This morning we awoke to calm seas and sunny skies. What a treat – we were told that we would go ashore starting at 8:00 AM and that the last return was to be at 1:00 PM. To top it off, it was to be a dry landing which meant no boots, parkas, or rain pants. What a deal!! Our group was the last to leave the ship. We were about 1000 yards away when the driver received a message to return. It turned out that the ship’s Captain wanted to go ashore and that he had missed the boat. We thought that that was a laugh. He told us that he had been...

Mar 11, 2010 - Tristan da Cunha

We arrived just off Edinburgh of the Seven Seas on the island of Tristan da Cunha just before breakfast time. That is a big name for a small town [about 270 inhabitants]. The island is obviously a volcano. It looks as if there is very little usable land – most of the island is nearly vertical. It was easy to see the new vent. In 1961 a vent opened right outside the town. It made a mini-cone and spewed ash and lava. The islanders were forced to flee without much warning. Instead of burying the town, the lava flowed directly to the sea....