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TO HOLLAND AMERICA ROTTERDAM GUESTS or OTHER VISITORS:
Maybe you found this Web Site because you are going to visit Fanning Island while sailing on the MS ROTTERDAM cruise ship, other ships or sailboats? Congradulations! You are one of the lucky few people in the world who will ever visit and see Fanning Island and its beautiful people and exotic scenery.
STATEMENT:
We are NOT affiliated with HOLLAND AMERICA in any way and desire that your voyage and visit to Fanning will be a wonderful experience that will never be forgotten. It is also our hope that you can help the island and not improperly influence its development or the people.
INFORMATION:
The Holland America Cruise Ship MS Rotterdam has recently included visiting Fanning Island during their voyages to French Polynesia and the Cook Islands since January 2010. There are more scheduled cruises in the future as well. Since 1997, there had been visits by a few of the NCL cruise ships, but they have discontinued traveling to Fanning in April of 2009 due to lost revenues while operating the Hawaii cruises, and had to travel to a foreign port (Fanning was closest port ) to fulfill the Jones Act.
We have this to say for those of you who are now worried Holland America or other ships are wrecking the island:
On all the different types of tourism, the cruise ship industry offers the LOWEST Environmental Impact. NCL, and now Holland America coming to Fanning has been a good thing for our island and country. Approximately 2,000 passengers arrive and for 6 hours spend their money and go. Our country, The Republic of Kiribati receives about $20 each for Visa fees. The Fanning Island Council however receives about $1 for each passenger. This money is a significant important source of income for the people of Kiribati where governmental wages start out at about $1,500 per year and the per capital yearly income could be around $500.
Some of the money earned by the sale of handicrafts at the local market, which is set up during the passengers visit, is being used to help send the children to school for further education, provide communications with CB radios (we have no phones), 12 volt lights and batteries, radios, bicycles, solar panels, water needs, food, clothing and other important needs.
If you are planning to visit:
-First of all, for your COMFORT! Do not forget to bring some Insect Repellent. The flies can be annoying and a little repellent (any repellent works well) will make a big difference
-wear lots of sun screen. The sun is very intense here and will burn quickly
-Bring a Sun Hat and a good amount of fluids to drink. It is very hot and dehydration can be possible
-umbrella and rain gear
-snack food for energy
-wear good walking shoes, sandals or foot-ware that is comfortable and can do well in muddy water or wet terrain and while walking on loose rocks, sand, coral or the beaches and lagoon swimming area
-A small bag for the little things you might collect or buy. Ask about dangerous cone shells or other not recommended items to handle or take away.
If you like to bring some thing to share with our people:
Your surplus can be their most important needs
Buying supplies in bulk at Costco and other department stores is recommended
-Please NO SUGARY CANDIES, the dental hygiene is generally poor and this adds to making smiling faces toothless faces. Tooth paste, tooth brushes (try the dollar stores before going to Fanning)
-Medical supplies for use in the 4 small island clinics are very much needed. Band-aids, cleaning solutions, hand soaps, wound care items and all other health care needs are most needed and important. Treating infections and health matters are a matter of life or death. To see a list of other health needs and supplies to donate visit: www.pacificCAREmissions.org
-Educational materials and school supplies are great items to bring and donate
-Sports items, basket balls, soccer balls, volleyballs, tennis balls, nets etc.
-New or used tennis/sports shoes that can be used by our local soccer team.
They often play soccer and volleyball with ship crew and passengers on ship day. The larger & wider the better, some have described most of the feet as wide-fat-flat “Flintstone type Feet” from going barefoot.
-Vegetable seeds, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, cucumbers, corn, melons, egg plant, green onions, and others that do well in a hot humid climate
-Musical instruments particularly guitars, ukuleles, keyboards, any thing except more kazoos to the kids on ship day (drives us crazy, ha!)
-Fish hooks, line and gear
-Used eye glasses (prescription and reading), sunglasses (even scratched ones)
magnifiers
- Some new and good condition clothing is helpful and make for great gifts to those in need, especially the guides that may help you.
- of course money! There are many opportunities to take pictures of people and tipping them is normal and well received. Usually $1 helps greatly. So, bring lots of single American dollar bills and plan on buying souvenirs at the market to remind you of your special visit to Fanning Island!
Whom to give to:
It is more equitable to leave things with The Fanning Island Council Donation Committee to be shared with the 7 villages. The Island Council President or Clerk will be near the Council Office to assist you.
Or, you can have fun visiting the sellers at the market area and finding people or kids to share your gifts with. Also suggested is to tour on one of the locals tour trucks or bicycles up the island and give to those along the side of the road selling their crafts or allowing you to take their pictures.
Or visiting the schools and giving your supplies is definitely recommended. This can be done if the schools are in session during the week and not on the weekends or breaks. There are 3 primary schools on Fanning, one Junior Secondary School and one government boarding High School. Two schools are with-in walking distance of the pier. Those are the Junior Secondary School (closest) and NCL Primary School (NCL Primary School was renamed in honor of the NCL establishment of visits to Fanning in October of 1997).
Island Info:
Weather: HOT and mainly fine with the possibility of short showers. After you get off your air-conditioned climate-controlled cruise ship (ha), the island may seem hot and steamy. To prevent condensation on your camera gear after exiting air conditioning, place cameras in a sealed plastic bags (such as Ziplocks) and let it acclimate to same temperature as outside before using it.
Population: App. 4,000 most of the time
Location:
Fanning Island is in the center of the Pacific Ocean. Draw a line from Santiago Chile to Shanghai China, then draw one from Sydney Australia to San Francisco
Where they cross make a microscopic dot. That is Fanning Island. In fact about once every 6 weeks we will see a ‘heavy lift’ container ship traveling from Santiago, Chile to Shanghai, China, and about once a month we see the “Columbus Line” container ship on way to Sydney from San Francisco. They do not stop, though I have often had short conversations with them on the VHF marine radio.
Fanning in 1997 had one working tractor, 3 working motor scooters, one small flat bed truck, about 100 bicycles for the 300 families totaling about 1,900 people.
Today is not much different, there are 5 flat bed trucks, 20 motor scooters, 270 working bicycles and our population has increases to about 4,000.
There are still no telephones, no Internet, no electricity, no hospital, and we are often out of imported food basics. Compared to the West there is nothing.
What to see: (still putting this together, email me to share you experiences and sights seen)
Note: there will be a few local English speaking guides to help you tour the villages. They do accept donations and is recommended. Ask them what their fair price is for a tour and tell them what you want to see for their suggestions and input.
Suggested walk: 1 hr/ 1.5 miles RT: Walk past the new Government Building (will be on left side of road) and the new large Metal roofed Miniava (meeting house will be on right side of road), to tour one of 7 traditional villages named Aontenna Village. This is where the majority of the houses are traditional thatched roof huts. Keep walking towards the ocean and visit the newly built Health Center, and also look inside the metal building to see what use to be the clinic. The nurse there will be glad to show you around and answer questions, especially about their needs.
Walk further down road and there will be a large cleared area near the ocean which is a Protestant church village. A little further down the road on left side, at the corner of the village, is the small 2 story rock cottage and rock garden of Bruno Delala. This also is a Bed and Breakfast for visitors. Bruno is an eccentric Frenchman who is a legend for sailing his little sail boats (he’s lost a few) between Hawaii, Fanning and Tahiti. . Along with his wife, and sometimes visiting daughter Magale, they are great people to visit with and see how the best living conditions are on Fanning Island. Feel free to stop in and say hello, bring a few apples and oranges and treats to share. Be sure to visit the cemetery across the road and see the graves.
Further down the road are the new Catholic Church and more of the village.
Helpful people to the Island:
Hawaii resident Rich Smith of Pacific CARE Missions has been helping to find and deliver medical supplies to Fanning Island since 2003 while sailing on the NCL cruise ships and being a lecturer during the voyages. He has visited the island over 20 times and continues to travel on the available cruise ships that would call on Fanning. He has been able to network with other people who are involved with building the new Health Center on Fanning and meet other important needs that others can help with. Presently he has been able to sail on the Rotterdam and usually brings supplies to help the Health Center and the people on the island, and tries to inform the passengers during the cruise of the needs and activities available when the passengers arrive for their visit. His information and suggestions about how you can help can be viewed on his website: www.pacificCAREmissions.org
Carlton Smith from Brownsboro Texas is a very compassionate man who also collects supplies and equipment for Fanning, Washington and Christmas Island clinics and also the Capitol island of Tarawa and Christmas Island hospitals. For the most part, Carlton gathers and delivers most of the much need medicines the islands need.
His latest visits and missions have been with visiting Drs. and nurses who diagnose cardiac needs, eye problems and other health needs. Many people have been blessed to have surgeries done locally or in the states, by the visiting drs..
He also is responsible for providing the communications radios that the nurses and facilities use to communicate to each other and the Hospital on Christmas Island.
More about Carlton and his organization can be found on his website: www.pacificislandsaid.org
Rollin Caristianos from Little rock Arkansas is another compassionately led person that has an interest to help the people of the Line Islands. After his initial visit on a NCL cruise-ship in ’05 he felt he needed to go back again and bring supplies. He has done that with integrity and the year of 2010 he has tried fervently hard to get supplies and equipment, and even animals such as chickens and goats, delivered to the islands. He did do a brief 2 week mission trip in January ’09 with Rich Smith, retired Dentist Bill Molpus and Physical Therapist Stan Harris. Over 2,000 pounds of supplies were delivered by chartering Chuck Corbett’s sailboat, and more than 650 teeth were pulled by Bill and Stan on Fanning and Washington Island. He also did a one week mission trip in January of 2010 to Christmas Island and shipped another 2,000 lbs of supplies, and flew baby chickens on the airplane with him with the hopes that they will be raised for food purposes on Christmas Island. Rollin can be reached by phone at: (501) 425-4548
There are so many other important people who have helped in past and it is our hope you will see the needs and desire to help as well.
Books to Read:
Sex Lives Of Cannibals, Maartin Troost
The Book of Pukapuka, Robert Frisbee
Kiribati, Aspects of history
Of Men and Islands, H.E. Maude
Pattern of Islands, Author Grimbal
Return to the Islands, Author Grimbal
Robert Louise Stevenson in the South Seas
South Seas Super Cargo
Cinderellas of the Empire
Most of all, I hope your visit to Fanning will be a pleasant one!
Chuck Corbett
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FISHING
FLY FISHING
Bone fishing
Casting
Spinning
Off-shore fishing
Spear fishing
Bone Fish: FLY
Fanning has a few spots that get as good as it gets. These spots take about 45 minutes to get to. Best time are similar to Christmas Island. It is possible on cruise days for Fly Fishing. You must make reservations in advance. Several guides are available.
Bone Fishing: Spinning
We also have different types of bone fishing, the spots are only five
minutes travel by boat we have some good deep water spots that with our local ways can be very fun!
OFF SHORE FISHING
There are no fancy boats on Fanning, just a few ply wood skiffs. They do have have a spare engine, VHF, and flares.
It is very simple.
Easiest Fishing is for Wahoo, Yellow Fin Tuna, Skip Jack Tuna. Time to the fishing grounds on cruise ship day: 90 seconds.
There is also Marlin but they are not set up for that at present, unless you like it the hard way in a small boat with stand up gear. With only 6 hours docking we will wind up have to cut your line or you can miss the ship, up to you!
Any Questions contact:
Chuck Corbett at chuck@fanning-island.com
I personally love to fish any time any where any how. I also have a good friend, the judge, who also loves to fish and is a great guide.
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