Kanton Atoll, Phoenix Islands

A sketchy anchorage

With cyclone season looming, we departed Pago Pago on November 23 racing to get north of 5° south and into the cyclone safe zone. We had hoped for 15 knots of wind out of the south east but instead had 10 knots out of the north east. This turned our expected 7 day passage into 11 days. But with the wind light and forward of the beam the sea was calm and the sails stayed full making the ride more than comfortable though it was hot. The trip was long and as we studied the charts I thought maybe a break would be a good idea. There are a couple islands on the way to Kanton, Manra and Birken Islands. Manra Island is the first island that we came to and we decided that if there was an appropriate place to anchor, we would stop. There is a lagoon in the middle of the island, but no pass to the inside though the chart marks a "landing" on the leeward side that looked promising. We arrived at about 10:30 in the morning, managed to set the anchor and went ashore. This island is uninhabited yet not untouched by humankind as the beach is fairly littered with fishing floats, some plastic drink bottles, flip flops and a TON of plastic bottle caps.

We were there to gather coconuts to fill our jugs with coconut water and to poke around. We made it to the beach no problem but it was about 12:30pm and so incredibly hot. We gathered coconuts from two trees and that was all we could handle. So we swam and beachcombed for shells, which there were thousands of. So many that we realized that no one ever stopped here as opposed to places like Suwarrow where there aren't too many worth collecting as the beaches were completely picked over by other cruisers.

Joining the predators working a bait ball

It was a fun departure from the beach. We stood watching the waves, timing our push into the water with the least amount of surf. As we sat watching, Tra, thinking she understands so much, said, "We're missing our chance! We should go now!" I said, "Ok, if you think so..." So we pushed off. Tra jumped into the dinghy first while I pushed from behind, preparing to jump in too. Then it rolled in, the biggest wave yet. Not scary big but big enough. "Oh shit!" Tra yelled. I yelled for her to paddle and she paddled hard with the nose into the wave - which is the way you want the dinghy pointing - but to no avail. Up went the bow and the last thing she must have seen were her own feet waving in the air as she and the dinghy went ass over tea kettle into the water. What a garage sale!! She was perfectly fine but our stuff was everywhere and I was holding my stomach laughing so hard. Good thing we didn't have the motor on there. We did lose Tra’s shoes and most unfortunately, one of our snorkeling masks. But items like our camera were in our dry bag and were nice and dry. So, she let me choose our next push off moment and we easily slipped off the beach and over the little, non-breaking waves.

We decided that staying anchored there was not a safe idea in case the wind swung around in the night and we would be in danger of being pushed on to the reef so we pulled anchor, set our sea anchor and drifted slowly in the current all night. We did head back to anchor again the next morning and to collect some more coconuts before the sun got too ghastly hot. On our way back in we passed a massive bait-ball of fish and I fished with the sharks and the birds to catch a couple of tuna. The fish around the beach were incredibly stupid and ridiculously easy to catch as well. We spent the day and after a couple early evening cocktails we decided to spend one more night. The next morning we started again on our journey to Kanton. We had about 100nm to go and with those light winds, I hoped it would only takes us a couple more days.

Kanton Atoll is in the Phoenix Islands. This group of eight coral atolls lies roughly 1000 miles east of the Gilbert Islands, 800 miles north of Samoa and 1800 miles south of Hawaii. Kanton is the only inhabited island of the group and the only one with a navigable lagoon. The islands have been little disturbed over the years and have recently been established as the largest marine protected area in the world (the Phoenix Islands Protected Area – PIPA). Kanton specifically has an interesting history as a pre- and post war stop over for flights to Australia, as a war time staging area, and through the 1960s and 1970s, as a tracking station for the moon landings. 

WWII Fox Hole

Now, hermit crab habitat.

 The island is now a part of Kiribati (“Kiri-Bass”) nation which maintains sovereignty through seven government employees stationed on the island (two school teachers, two ministers (Protestant & Catholic),  radio operator,  medic, and one police/Customs & Immigration officer).  These employees and their families make for a total population of around 35. Each family is stationed on Kanton for a three or four year term. They are provided with a salary and one of the old bungalow-style company houses (left over from the moon landing days) but other than that they are on their own. A supply ship out of the capital, Tarawa, may or may not arrive up to three times a year and will bring the supplies the residents have ordered through family via radio.

Kanton and the rest of the Phoenix Islands lie far off of all the regular cruising routes and are therefore rarely visited. We had read a little and had heard whispers about Kanton and I figured it fit well with my unquenchable urge to get as far away from civilization as possible. I don’t know my geography that well but 35 people in a 1000 mile radius might be as remote as it gets on earth. What we found on Kanton was quite the opposite of the solitude you might expect. 

WWII Air Strip

The new Ride!

Making Flower Head Garlands

We made it through the pass shortly after high water with no problems despite the gross inaccuracy of the electronic charts. After attaching a second anchor to our main one we were safely hanging to plenty of ground tackle. We had been anchored for about an hour when the radio crackled. The voice on the other end was surprised and curious as to how long we had been there. We quickly put him at easy and soon were on shore checking in with Tevesi (Tev-is). As the formalities for checking in were casually completed and we began to chat, Tevis told us of a celebration going on at lunch and asked if we would be interested in joining the village? We accepted, and an hour later were provided with our own scooter to drive the few miles of paved road from the landing to the village. Here we were sat, on a pandanus mat, under the mauri (community gathering place) at what I would describe as the “head.” Tevesi sat next to us playing translator and cultural guide. The rest of the community sat around the sides in family groups and soon someone stood up and made a speech in Kibibati. Then someone else stood and talked. This continued and I soon figured I would be next. I stood and thanked everyone for the warm welcome and lunch invitation, Tra says I did a good job. Lunch was next, many dishes set at a long banquet table at the opposite end of the mauri. We were the guests and so, after grace was said, went first. The fare was rice, ramen noodles, and an assortment of raw and cooked fish. After lunch more speeches were made and we presented a gift. Having only been anchored an hour the best we could come up with was a Halloween bag of chocolate bars. This gift was received by the Carise, the medic and chairman of the community. The gift was not immediately distributed but there was a bunch of talk. I felt awkward but soon came to understand; Karaiti stood and thanked us for the gift. He then gently forced a shy young man into the middle; Boia-2, his son, who taught us a series of claps. Everyone practiced the claps and when we all had the rhythm down he danced a sort of goofy routine to it. It was a thank you dance, though it took a couple of weeks for us to understand the significance. The chocolate was then passed around and the topic was changed to our Christmas plans. We were invited to join the community and we accepted.

Our arrival was on a Sunday and the village had planned a second celebration the next day, but unfortunately the wind had come up and was blowing five miles across the lagoon before it hit us. The anchorage was choppy and we were not comfortable leaving the boat. We ended up setting a second anchor line for piece of mind. We did drag the two anchors on the main rode but they managed to set themselves really well. After that day we were very comfortable with our holding even though the wind was a constant nuisance. 

It was a few days before the village held a welcome party for us. Again we drove the scooter to the village and were sat on the floor under the mauri. This time we had a different translator because Tevesi was acting as MC. Our new translator was Teitikai. Everything was very formal and once again speeches were made at all and any intervals. The whole village gathered in a tight group in the middle of the hall and with the help of two guitars and my ukulele, they sang for us. They sang a number of different songs, all harmony and with different parts for the different voices. The entertainment continued and soon the singing was accompanied by dancing. After the village had entertained us we were asked to reciprocate. Tevesi had warned me prior so I was prepared with a personal favourtie, “Willie the Gambler” and though I tried to get Tra to sing along I ended up having to stand it solo. I did a terrible

job but everyone clapped. Lunch followed; once again a variety of rice, ramen and fish. We, however; were presented with a giant lobster. Next on the agenda was us presenting the gifts we had brought.

Our friend Joe, from Samoa, has spent a lot of time on Kanton. His experiences and his suggestions proved to be invaluable, particularly in the realm of gifts. We understood that culturally it would be appropriate to bring gifts but what gifts would be best?  Joe’s big plan (and I was on board) was to bring soil, seeds and some breadfruit saplings. Kanton is not the lush type of island that one might imagine. Joe was certain that plants were the way to go. While we weren’t able to wangle a breadfruit tree, we did get our hands on a bunch of fruit trees. The college in American Samoa has an agricultural program to inspire Samoans to grow more of their own food. Joe and I trekked to the college on the bus and after chatting with the director, we left with about a dozen small fruit trees, a dozen packages of quality tested seeds as well as cuttings of some sort of leafy bush. By the time we left Samoa the boat looked and smelt like a nursery.  It was this selection of flora that we presented to the village during the welcome party and for which many thanks and speeches were made. By the end of that day, our welcome party was a highlight of our trip though we still had Christmas celebrations to look forward to.

Turtle in the coral

During the next couple weeks we spent our time exploring the atoll: snorkeling, fishing, lobster hunting and surfing. We labored on the woodwork of the boat and got most of the teak sanded and oiled. We visited the village by dingy when the lagoon was calm enough and during our visits I tried to fix a broken outboard and had long talks with Tevesi about the islanders’ skills at living off the land.

Other than trying to escape civilization the other

Eel Traps

goal of this trip is to further our education in hunting and gathering (ok, so it’s my goal but I think Tra’s on board). The people of Kanton are masters and I tried to absorb as much as possible. For instance, one of the staples is a syrup made from the coconut tree. They gather together the branches of the fruit bearing stem of the tree and bind it very tightly with rope. Next they position a bottle at the end, cut or shave this end of this stalk daily and catch the sap that drips out. The sap is then reduced to create a product just like maple syrup, just as sweet though with a bit different flavor. Tevesi said they easily get ¾ of a liter per day, per bottle and some trees were adorned with many bottles. The rope they use to tie these stems doesn’t come from Home Depot but is made by the women of the village from coconut husks. Tra says I almost started visibly buzzing when I heard this. I know about the cedar rope once used by the natives at home to catch halibut and harpoon whales but have never known how it was done. Tevesi couldn’t show me, it is strictly a female occupation, but soon he recruited Baniti who in under two minutes had rolled, twisted and attached multiple 10” bunches of husk fiber to produce a double strand rope about 30” long 3/16” thick. They dared me to break it but with all my might I could not. I was duly impressed.

Christmas arrived and we had been invited to be the eighth family on the island. We were excited and honored. Tevesi brought us a paper program earlier that day so we were able to prepare and appropriately pack our own necessities for our move into the village for a couple nights. The whole community effectively “camps out” under the mauri for the entire holiday season, moving all the important things from their home to this communal place. The festivities started with a religious service and then dinner. The evening consisted of many games, dancing and a gift exchange but began with a beauty pageant. The contestants competed in three different categories: evening gown, skill testing question and dance. These contestants were five of the young men of the village, Tekaruru, Boia-one, Toveri, Boia-two and Tiribei. We sat there laughing and laughing though I think the screams of laughter really began when the “beauty” queens had to pick a man from the audience to dance with. Tra may have come close to peeing in her pants as I danced with Boia-one. The evening continued until well after midnight and even the smallest of the children stayed up till the end.

Christmas morning we slept in and woke to the singing of the church service. The highlight of the

Unearthing the Pig

Christmas Day Celebrations   Te Kaimatoa

day was the traditional dance program and a pig roast for lunch. Tra had baked 120 ginger snap cookies and we marveled at the men, who are always first to eat, heap their plates with anywhere from five to ten cookies each (this happened each time she brought cookies to the communal feasts). The dancing started mid-morning (after all the flower garlands were freshly made), and was in full traditional costume and lasted many hours. The pig had been buried in a pit on top of hot coals the day before and was toasted to perfection in time for
Christmas lunch. We all spent the evening lying on our beds under the shared roof with popcorn watching the movies tra and I had taken of all the earlier festivities.

The next morning, at the end of all the festivities we were thanked for attending and told how much they enjoyed entertaining us. It was communicated that the village was going to spend the week before New Years practicing some new dances for the New Years celebrations.  We were asked if we would like to learn how to dance. Of course we accepted and practice times were scheduled. Karaiti, the village chairman stood and said, with a big grin, “we entertained you for Christmas, you can entertain us at New Year.”

Two of the elders on the Island at the moment are Dance Masters, Tekaiwa and Taouea. Between

Tekaiwa, Karaiti, Tevesi, Tekaruru, Boia (#1) and Tiim playing dress up with Brad

them they have recently inspired a sort of revitalization of traditional dancing on Kanton. The villagers have welcomed this and everybody is enthusiastic although a little shy to perform. They were very excited to teach us and they laughed hysterically at our first attempts. The laughter changed to cheers once we started to get the moves down. The week between Christmas and New Year we spent the days at dance practice and the evening participating in various fishing competitions. The highpoint of the week was the nighttime lobster hunt. All the young guys took us

Lobster Hunting Beauty Queens

out and together we moved in a line forming a wall and scoured the reef with flashlights. We only managed to get two, but they were dinosaurs. The guys explained that this was not enough for the village and would we please enjoy them ourselves. Needless to say, we dined on those monsters with gusto the next day.

During all the celebrations dancing was a major part, traditional and contemporary. Like our culture any celebration or party is not complete without dancing. At every interval of the party program people were asked to dance and with out fail the first people up would ask the two of us to be their partner. Once up and dancing other people would stand and walk around spraying the dancers with perfume. The way it was explained to us was that perfume is a symbol of wealth and giving it to a dancer is a way of thanking them for dancing. This concept also works in reverse, when a gift is given a mere verbal thank you is not sufficient. Therefore the gift of a symbolic dance is the expected reciprocation.  

After New Years we needed a break and were lazy for a few days. We then got ready to move on. We would have liked to stay but our timetable is tight. We were given a farewell party and danced again. I stepped it up a notch by doing a knee slap, arm twirl spin with my “Akai-I ya” and made everyone erupt with laughter. We were presented with gifts of coconuts, syrup and 5 fathoms of coconut rope. At the end, a receiving line was formed and hugs were shared. The little girls, who we had started calling our “fan club,” jumped to the end of the line to come around for a second set of hugs.

Residents of Kanton Atoll - December 31, 2013

 Kanton was a highlight of our trip and a place that will live with us for life. In travaling weeks out of our way we found the South Pacific culture of legend. We were given the benefit of the doubt and adorned with respect and hospitality that escalated as we reciprocated.  There were many awkward moments, and it was exhausting trying to communicate and not offend. The effort was worth the reward.  Our experience however had nothing to do with some “secret” island, unspoiled by western civilization. The people of Kanton are transplants from Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands and have lived there lives with the same influences as other Islanders. They are certainly not naive to the world. Our experience was simply making friends. In conversation I was asked by Tevesi why so few boats visit them on Kanton. I explained that it was out of the way but added that those who did visit keep it secret so it doesn’t get spoiled. This was the only offence I committed on Kanton. The subject was discussed without us and they decided we could redeem ourselves (and others) by telling the world the story of the people of Kanton.