Thoughts on Preparation

I've spent the past week refining my packing list for my stay on the island. Forty pounds is not very much stuff! I am just about down to that limit and will have the chance to look it over for several more days before my flight. Now that I'm mostly ready I have time to consider what is ahead of me and I sometimes wonder, "what am I doing?" though I'm still excited and am ready to get started. I fly to Honolulu on Sunday, and then on to Tern Island Monday, on a small 6 seat plane. I am looking forward to seeing the islands and reefs from above that I saw from sea level in 2000 from the deck of the Townsend Cromwell.



On a practical note, If you comment on the blog you will arrive at a screen that asks you to type the word that you see in some strange script. That step helps eliminate automated spam.

Northwest Hawaiian Islands in 2000

In June of 2000 I visited the NW islands on the NOAA vessel Townsend Cromwell as part of a Teacher at Sea program. This voyage enlivened my teaching for years and was the beginning of my quest to volunteer on Tern Island. The post below shows several pictures from that cruise.

Townsend Cromwell Lobster Cruise in 2000

From the top: 1. Snake eel. 2. Sharks always followed our lobster fishing and were put into a frenzy when we dumped the used bait into the water. 3. Setting lobster traps. That's me on the far right. 4. After being retrieved the traps were tied securely on deck and we moved to another location for the next set. Gary untieing traps to begin a new set. 5. Another beautiful eel from the lobster traps. 6. We measured all the lobsters that came up in the traps and returned them to the bottom. Most of them anyway. 7.This piece of equipment was lowered over the side every 12 hours for the whole 30 day cruise to measure and record water chemistry and physical properties of the ocean. Gary on the far right.

Where is Tern Island?

The maps that accompany this post will show you where Tern Island is located in the Hawaiian chain and the larger scale view of French Frigate Shoals will show the immediate area around Tern Island. The Hawaiian Island chain is approximately 1,700 miles from Kure Atoll on the north to Hawaii on the south. Tern Island is just about in the middle of the chain and is about 500 miles northwest of Kauai. It is the edge of the planet for lack of a better term. From Tern Island it is nearly 500 miles in any direction to the nearest permanent human settlement.