Remote Islands Quiz with Prizes

 

New Year Challenge: Who can visit the most remote islands?

It started with a wager amongst friends back in 2006, but it has become a bit of an obsession. Adventure charter skippers Adam and Debbie versus the Merchant Navy – represented by our friend Kirsty. The competition was: Which of us could visit the most obscure, remote islands in the world.

Debbie was quite proud of her Tristan Da Cuhna passport stamp after waiting 3 days for the swell to die down enough to land in 2007. Adam counts circumnavigating the island of Cape Horn on tall ship Europa in 2010 but Kirsty now has a shiny new Master Mariner ticket (congratulations) so does this mean she can take unfair little de-tours on her Maersk tanker ?

Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky

This beautiful and subversive little book of maps was a present from Kirsty and has kick started our remote islands competition. On the cover it lays down the gauntlet “Fifty Islands I have never visited and never will.” Well, YOU CAN and WE HAVE...or at least about 5 of them ! 

Looking at the map of the world we realised that Classic Sailing is pretty unique in sailing to some amazing islands – hot and cold, deserted or inhabited....in fact we counted over 250 small islands described in our voyage itineraries for 2011.

Our smaller pilot cutters have always featured island hopping rather than marina hopping. Wildlife seems to be more prolific on islands so many of our voyages seek out far outposts for unspoilt nature and curious creatures. The trade wind routes our tall ships follow often involve big ocean crossings where any inhabited island with an anchorage is a ‘jewel’ to be cherished because you are made so welcome by the local inhabitants....

 

New Year Quiz with Prizes

A Classic Sailing Quiz for anyone with Robinson Crusoe tendencies: Reach for that Atlas, and go on an imaginary journey with the help of http://www.classic-sailing.co.uk/  to research your answers, and satisfy your curiosity. See below for prizes and how to enter.

Q1: On which island might you beachcomb for glass beads from the wrecks of Spanish Galleons in Beady Pool beyond Wingletang, buy a pint in the Turks Head, and see the big Atlantic sun set over the rocky reefs that nearly sunk the whole British fleet under Admiral Cloudsley Shovel ?

(research Tip: - Try our website VOYAGE SEARCH for 'Eve of St Mawes' in July 2011 Or 'Eves Favourite Island Anchorages' )  

Q2: If you manage to land on this island you join a very small elite of guests and prisoners that have landed since its discovery including Captain Cook, William Dampier, botanists like Charles Darwin, exiles like Napoleon Bonaparte – who died on the island and South African Zulu Chief Dinizulu exiled in 1890, and 6000 Boer War prisoners.

(research tip: Have a look at our WORLDWIDE DESTINATIONS section under ‘The Ocean’ and check out our Top ten mile building ocean voyages. Can’t be many of our vessels sailing out of South Africa ?)

Q3 In the 17 ^th Century  a ship would come once a year with necessities such as knifes, needles and yarn from the mainland. These goods were exchanged for dried sea birds and tweed. The Celtic morning “Parliament” persisted. Every morning the men folk would meet on the Village Street and deicide what had to be done that day and who would do it.

(clue – you can sign up for a 10 day summer expedition to reach this wild anchorage from Oban on an original West Country trading ketch and visit other remote islands without leaving the UK. Look on VESSELS page to find the right ship.)

Q4 An island who’s Dutch name means ‘pointed mountains’ but also is know by an ancient Icelandic name? It is known for its awesome pristine landscape but the main town grew up around a coal mine. You have a fair chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis from our September voyages to this remote wilderness. It has some very wild four legged creatures so you will have a crew member with a gun when you go ashore.

(research tip: Try VOYAGE SEARCH for the combination 'September 2011' and 'wildlife voyages' and look in voyage itinerary)

Q5 This island has a dark history and is dominated by a 9280ft active volcano. In 1582 life was even more precarious when one hundred Europeans controlled a workforce of 13 700 slaves toiling in the coffee and cotton plantations. On a Classic Sailing voyage to this island this January you can climb to the crater that last erupted in 1995. 

Clue: Classic Sailing directors Adam and Debbie chose to play in the rigging and explore this group of islands for their  Christmas holiday. There is an 8 page PDF you need to read on Oosterschelde’s VESSEL PAGE

Q6 Visit the original bungee jumpers island on a wooden tall ship. During the yam harvest the islanders build 70ft towers without a single nail. The ancient Melanesian ritual where young men jump headfirst off the tower with only a vine around their ankle is still terrifyingly performed. 

(clue “I’m going to wash that man right out of my hair” name the musical, and enter South ........into DESTINATIONS. Try our Soren Larsen PDF to narrow down your search.

Q7 One of our pilot cutters has changed her home port and is now based on an island so you need to get a ferry to join her. The joining port has a Russian Tavern but it is not Novaja Zemla. In fact it is relatively easy to reach from Glasgow.

Q8 Your ‘island dream’ is the remote island you would most like to land on, and why you would like to visit on a sailing ship in 25 words max. Who knows, we might even be able to include it in a 2012 voyage.

How to enter

First three people with all correct answers with the most original ‘island dream’ entry will win a copy of Judith Schalansky’s 140 page hardback book “Atlas of Remote Islands” with charts of 50 islands that are impossible to visit without a ship. (Winner of the German Arts Foundation Prize for the most beautiful book of the year) Only one entry per email address. Closing date is 5pm 21st January 2011. Winners will be annouced by email in February 2011. Just enter your answers and original "island dream" in the email link.

Please use this email link to Enter the Remote Island Competition