Saturday 6 February 2010

Day 25 Feb 6 – Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile


Robinson Crusoe Island (Spanish: Isla Robinsón Crusoe), is the biggest island in the Chilean Juan Fernández Archipelago which lie about 425 miles off the coast of Chile in the Pacific Ocean.

The Archipelago is made up of three islands, Robinson Crusoe, Alejandro Selkirk and the small Santa Clara and covers an area of 70 square miles. They were originally named after the Spanish captain Juan Fernández who first landed there in 1574

Robinson Crusoe Island has a mountainous and undulating terrain, formed by ancient lava flows which have built up from numerous volcanic episodes. A narrow peninsula is formed in the south western part of the island called Cordon Escarpado.

The Island was formerly known as Más a Tierra (Closer to Land) before being renamed in 1966 by the Chilean Government to its more exotic present name. The other island, Isla Más Afuera, was also changed at this time to the name Alejandro Selkirk. It was hoped that these changes would promote tourism!!

The islands are volcanic in origin and radiometric dating indicates that Santa Clara is the oldest of the islands, 5.8 million years old, followed by Robinson Crusoe, 3.8-4.2 million years old, and Alexander Selkirk, 1.0-2.4 million years old.

Robinson Crusoe is 36 square miles in area and its highest peak is 3,005 feet. Alexander Selkirk is 19 square miles in area with a highest peak of 4,327 feet. Santa Clara is only 1 square mile in size, and its highest peak reaches a height 1,148 feet. As World Biosphere Reserves since 1977, these islands have been considered of maximum scientific importance because of the endemic species of flora and fauna (101 of the 146 native species of plants are endemic).

The Juan Fernández Islands are sparsely inhabited and are reliant on tourism and fishing. Practically all the population of 500-600 lives on Robinson Crusoe residing in the village of San Juan Bautista shown in the picture right.

Although the community maintains a rustic serenity with their dependency based almost exclusively on the spiny lobster trade, residents do employ a few vehicles, a satellite Internet connection, and many television sets. There is an airstrip on the island, near the tip of the island's south western peninsula. The flying time from Santiago de Chile is just under three hours and there is a ferry from the airstrip to San Juan Bautista. The Magellanic Penguin is found at Robinson Crusoe Island.

Tourists number in the hundreds per year. One activity gaining popularity is scuba diving, particularly on the wreck of the German light cruiser SMS Dresden, which was scuttled by the British Navy in Cumberland Bay during the Battle of Más a Tierra during the First World War.

It was here that the sailor Alexander Selkirk was marooned in 1704 and lived in solitude for four years and four months. The sailor inspired Daniel Defoe to write the classic novel, Robinson Crusoe. In 1840, Richard Henry Dana, Jr. described the port of Juan-Fernandez in his classic 'Two Years Before the Mast' as a young prison colony.

The self-imposed castaway seaman Selkirk had been gravely concerned for the seaworthiness of his ship, the Cinque Ports, and declared his wish to be left on the island during a mid-voyage restocking stop. His captain, Thomas Stradling, a colleague on the voyage of privateer and explorer William Dampier, was tired of his dissent and obliged by leaving Selkirk there.

All he had brought with him was a musket, gunpowder, carpenter's tools, a knife, a Bible and some clothing. He thought he would only be there for just a few weeks before being rescued by a passing ship but the weeks turned to months and years. He survived by hunting the feral goats that had been introduced to the islands by previous mariners wanting to ensure a supply of fresh meat on the high seas.

At shortly after 7 am our ship dropped anchor in Cumberland Bay opposite the small village of San Juan Bautiata. Lucky the sea state was such that the ship was going to be able to launch its tenders to take us ashore to this exciting remote destination. A truly Grand Voyage experience was ahead of us.

On the island there is a well marked self-guide 4-hour hike up to the spot where the hapless Alex Selkirk (Robinson Crusoe) eventual spotted his rescue ship. How many times must he have wandered up there to have a look out for that illusionary ship?

There are also the ruins of the home of the first settler on the island, Swiss Baron Alfred von Rodt, who died here in 1905. He was buried in the cemetery at the north shore by the fort. The fort was built in the 18th century, incidentally, to defend against pirates, normally British it would appear. The Cueva de Robinson (Robinson's cave), is the grotto cave inhabited by Selkirk during is self imposed imprisonment on the island. It is very much a major tourist attraction today.

Last night was a formal night and the Captain announced, in the very late afternoon, that wine would be served with dinner on his account as a thank you to us all for our cooperation the previous day during the super-sanitization exercise.

In addition to the free wine, we had as our guest of honour at out table tonight dear Frank Buckingham, HAL's resident travel specialist and reconnoitre extraordinary. His role on the ship is to give lectures and commentaries on the various places we visit. They say if Frank doesn't know the answer nobody does!!

Frank was in his usual excellent form with our table mates eager to engage him in conversation. When our common heritage became apparent, he is an Englishman from London, we soon started comparing notes. Well surprise surprise, he was from North London and had been educated at Finchley Grammar, a school I knew well. His headmaster of those days, Cannon Parsons, was a legend and a name well know to me. It transpired he even knew the slang name of the headmaster of my brother's old school in Stanford Hill, a certain 'Chang' (he was of partial Japanese decent). It then turned out that not only did he know about my own old school and its history but his father had been a pupil there some thirty odd years before me. What a small world!

There was no stopping us now, we just got on like houses on fire. What a lovely character Frank is. We didn't finish talking at the table, helped by the free wine no doubt, until after 10.30. when everyone had gone and the 'boys' were setting up the tables for breakfast. We had now missed the show lounge again but Frank had probably been more entertaining than tonight's cabaret there.

On returning to our cabin we found that Deden had added a lovely towel squid to our swan that we had kept from the night before.

Shortly after the ship had dropped its anchor I was up having my first coffee at around 7.15. Sunrise was still 30 minutes away so Robinson Crusoe Island was not really visible other than the lights from the scattered houses in the Cumberland Bay where we lay.

Within an hour the ship's tenders had been launched and clearance had been given for us all to go ashore after first being given a tender ticket in the Queens Lounge.

When Maria had had a bite to eat we headed down with our tender tickets and took the ten minute ride to the little pier on the Island.

It was cloudy with lots of low clouds hiding the highland peaks that form the backbone of the Island.

What a delightful scene awaited us. Old wooden houses everywhere making up this usually sleepy little village.

It was a Saturday so "Mayor spotting "today was going to probably be difficult. However at one of the tiny little shops near the pier I enquired as to the where about of the 'El Alcalde', or Mayor. I was told that he would be here at the shop at 1.00 pm. We were definitely in luck it would appear.

As the time was only shortly after 10 we had a few hours to kill exploring Robinson Crusoe Island.

After posing at various monuments commemorating the Islands namesake we walked round the town and headed out in an easterly direction.

The Island was very green and tropical vegetation was everywhere. Small mini-markets seemed to be plentiful presumably selling the same things.

We came across a couple of tourists from Santiago and they took our photo outside a small wooden building that seemed to serve as a café when open. They told us there was an excellent restaurant a little further on that we should visit. We soon came across the small place recommended and ventured in.

Fortunately one of the staff spoke English. Naturally Lobster or Langusta as its called here (that is huge lobster without claws) were on the menu as well as Golden Crab pasties.

After due consideration we did opt for a lobster each although Maria was worried about any reaction her tummy might have to this delightful meal. We were after all on an island where the only industry was lobster catching. I washed down mine with an out of date can of Chilean beer. Others from the ship soon followed us into the establishment and followed our choice for a meal.

It was time to wander back through town and out to the western side. By now it was busy with people from the ship.

Some were being more energetic and walked the few hour trip up to the point in the mountain where Selkirk had his ship lookout point. Others perhaps were walking the three hour trek to the cave that Selkirk lived in for the four years he was here. Others sat in the various little hostelries that were successfully plying their fare. After all only about 6 cruise ships a year visited this island.

We bumped into friends Gerry and Gary and also Jennifer and Robin accom-panied by Rosalyn whose husband George was still with the virus.

The west end of the village housed a very small museum that covered in particular the sinking of the German warship the 'Dresden' which was sunk here by the British navy during the first world war.

Just down the road from this was an amazing house built mostly of bottles. The old retainer was pleased to let us see round his dwelling which was fascinating but not somewhere we would chose to live!

With 1.00 pm quickly approaching it was time to head back to the little shop near the pier where we hoped to meet his excellency 'El Alcalde'.

The Canadian sisters and Robin didn't quite believe me that the meeting was about to take place but hung around just in case!! Then hey bingo, Leopold our Mayor appeared and I quickly introduced myself and Maria. He didn't know what had hit him until I explained I was from the United Kingdom and here to give him my personal greetings.

If I had better command of the language I would have added that I brought the best wishes also of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Government of Mr Gordon Brown to him and his lovely community. In the event Jennifer, a fluent Spanish speaker, said it for me!!

The Robinson Crusoe Mayor was now quite delighted with all this and with the gathering audience of passengers that were now looking and wondering what was going on. My dear friends, the Canadian sisters, were also soon in on the act with cameras eagerly snapping pictures of them in the company of this VIP celebrity!! Robin too was in on the act!

One woman from the crowd came up and said could she have her picture taken and I quickly asked her to wait a minute while I put my camera down and added that I would be delighted to oblige. She very pointedly said it was not me but the Mayor she was after.....b***h!!!

Well once again it was mission accom-plished and I could return to the Prinsendam - my home from home - in the knowledge that relationships between our respective countries had been well served today.

Our tender soon had us back on board which gave us time for a bite to eat in the Lido before retiring for the afternoon to our cabin.

Fortunately the ship was anchored pointing in the right direction as our cabin balcony overlooked the beautiful view of San Juan Bautista and the Island Robinson Crusoe.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Paul and Maria,

    I loved the photo of the lobsters as they look exactly the same as our wonderful crayfish and of course they too are found the in southern waters off our coast. I hope you enjoyed them without the melted butter and garlic that is served on the ship. The best way to eat them is to have some mayonnaise, vinegar and bread. Yummy. I bet you didn't pay the $85 a kilo that we have to pay here for ours as the tails are exported to Japan mostly.

    Jennie

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