Anyway, as you may have guessed this island got it's fame from those mutineers, way back in 1789. We are priveledged to have people on the ship with us that have studied this part of the world intensely and offer lectures daily. We will all come home with a "minor" in Polynesian history!
Here we go...Captain Bligh, captain of The Bounty, wanted to bring "breadfruit" back from Tahiti to the islands in the Carribbean for cheap slave food. His mission was to bring back a few hundred of these plants potted in small pots. He and his crew spent a few weeks in Tahiti while these "breadfruit" plants were being readied for safe travel all the way back to the Carribbean. The crew had a wonderful time in Tahiti and really did not want to leave the luxurious island but they had to complete what they set out to do. Some 3 weeks into the voyage back, the crew and in particular, Fletcher Christian were fed up with Captain Bligh. Fletcher Christian had reached the end of his rope with the harsh language and demands of Captain Bligh. So....one evening Fletcher Christian creeped into the quarters of Captain Bligh and took him hostage up onto the deck in his pajamas. Captain Bligh pleaded with Fletcher Christian saying he would make life easier for the crew yadda..yadda...yadda... This fell on deaf ears. Fletcher Christian put Captain Bligh, 22 men loyal to Bligh and several more men that knew they would certainly be found out about, on a small vessel and they left them to fend for themselves. They were given very few provisions. Bligh was a smart cookie. The mutiny took place about 30 miles from Tofua. Bligh and his "men" sailed there. There were not met by a "welcome wagon", rather a crazed group of natives that actually stoned one of the men on the vessel when they tried to make landfall and get provisions. Bligh had to think fast now. He knew if they could ration twhat they had, they MIGHT make it all the way to Timor! Go look at a map!! Timor is over 3,600 nautical miles from Tofua. It took 47 days but they made it with only the provisions they had, a sextant and a pocket watch! No compass, no charts, no GPS, no internet!!! Upon arrival Bligh reported to Great Britain the mutiny that had taken place. You can imagine what happened next....Great Britain sent out another ship, The Pandorra, to find the Bounty and it's mutineers.
Little did anyone know that Fletcher Christian had found a TINY rock of an island that you could hardly get to. He decided to sail back to Tahiti and get provisions, slaves and women!! He sailed back to Pitcarin and there were about 28 people in all. They agreed to burn the Bounty right there in the small bay, now called Bounty Bay. They did this as to get rid of the evidence that they were indeed the mutineers. As time rolled by, many arguments over food, land and women occured. They basically had their own version of "Survivor" going way back in 1790. Different men would side together and kill the men they thought were the troublemakers. Women were traded around when men died, children were born and thank goodness Hallmark had not yet invented "Father's Day"!! Who knew?? Sadly, it all came down to one man, John Adams, no not the president, that was the lone man standing so to speak of the original ones there. He had about 4 women left and there were over 20 children that had been born. Meanwhile....
The Pandorra found some of the men that had sailed with Bligh to Timor in Australia. The men gave themselves up, at least some did and were put in "jail" on the Pandorra. The crew of the Pandorra had to build a "jail" for these men to haul them back to Great Britian. The Box-like jail was on the front bow of the ship. The Pandorra did not make it back to Great Britian, as she ran into trouble and began to sink. The men in the box-like jail pleaded for the crew to unlock their jail and set them free....hence "the opening of Pandorra's box"!!!! Who knew that one????
Today Pitcairn Island has 48 people living there. Most of whom are direct descendants of the mutineers of the Bounty! They are ninth generation now. Since we were not able to go onto the island, the island came to us! About 30 of the people came onto our ship with their wares, stories, books...One lady, Betty Christian (yes, a direct descendant of Fletcher), gave a lecture on the ship. She showed us their homes, school, relics from the Bounty...it was VERY interesting. One of her daughters was selling t-shirts etc...up on deck and I had the chance to visit with her. She was educated like most 15-16 year olds that leave Pitcairn, in New Zealand. She has come back to help her parents and the people on the island. She is a trained Pharmacist. They have one doctor that stays on the island for one year and then is replaced. The island is now heavily subsidized by the UK. Not many people ever get to walk on the island, so they brought some dirt from the island so we could all stand on their "land". The people that came from the island did so in a small vessel, no lifejackets, and had to climb rope ladders with all their stuff to get onto the ship! Quite the show! They were all very nice, had many stories to share and seem to all live happily now...no people are mysteriously falling off those jagged high peaks anymore! We feel very lucky to have gotten to experience this tiny, beautiful speck of a place. The history and it's people are fascinating. The water is a new blue. Never seen a blue quite like it. Hope to see it somewhere, someday again!
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