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TO: NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE GUESTS
Have you found this Web Site because you are an going to visit Fanning Island on The Norwegian Cruise Line?
STATEMENT:
We are NOT affiliated with NCL in any way.
The Norwegian Cruise Line has been visiting Fanning Island since October of 1997 and we have this to say for those of you who are worried NCL is wrecking the island:
On all the different types of tourism the cruise ship industry offers the LOWEST Environmental Impact, NCL coming to Fanning has been a good thing for our island and country. 2,000 passengers arrive and for 6 hours spend their money and go. Our country, The Republic Of Kiribati makes $20 each for Visa fees. Fanning Island council, receives $1 for each passenger. This money is a significant important source of income for the people of Kiribati. Governmental wages start out at $1,500 per year and the per capital income hovers around $500-.
Some money being earned by the sale of handicrafts is being used to help send their children to school for further education, some to better their life with CB radios, (we have no phones) 12 volt lights, radios, bicycles, solar panels, 12 volts batteries, etc.
If you are planning to visit:
First of all, for your COMFORT!
Insect Repellent, (do not for get). The flies can be annoying and a little repellent will make a big difference. (any repellent works well)
Sun Hat and Water.
A small bag for the little things you might collect or buy.
If you like to bring some thing to share with our people:
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 store)
Educational materials,
Sports items, and old basket balls, soccer balls, volleyballs, nets.
Used tennis/sports shoes that can be used by our local soccer team. They often play NCL’s crew 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. These old pairs of tennis shoes would be appreciated by our local soccer teems who often play matches with NCL.
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 and line
Used eye glasses, magnifiers, prescription, sunglasses (even scratched ones)
Whom to give to:
It is more equitable to leave things with The Fanning Island Council 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 in the straw market and finding people or kids to share your gifts.
Or the schools, there are 3 primary schools on Fanning, One Junior Secondary School and one government boarding High School. Two schools are with-in walking distance The Junior Secondary School, closest, and NCL Primary School. (NCL Primary School was renamed in honor of the establishment of visits to Fanning in October of 1997.
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.
Population:
App. 2,400 most of the time and on cruise ship day 5,000.
Where Fanning Island is located on Planet Earth:
Fanning Island is the center in the Pacific. 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 2,500.
There is still no Telephone, no Internet, no electricity, no hospital, and we are often out of imported food basics. Compared to the West, nothing.
What to see: (still putting this together, email me to motivate me)
45 minute Walk, 1.5 miles rt, Aontenna Village one of 7 traditional villages where the majority of the houses are traditional thatched roof huts.
At the corner of the village is the small rock cottage and rock garden of Bruno Delala, an eccentric Frenchman who is a legend for sailing his little sail boats (he’s lost a few) between Hawaii, Fanning and Tahiti. Feel free to stop in and say hello, bring a few apples and oranges to treats to share.
Carlton Smith from Texas has been helping to find and deliver medical supplies to the Line Islands on his own with no strings attached for religious purposes. Some others have also helped but, with religious strings attached.
NCL has been very kind help in the most urgent cases. Please see the Humanitarian Page.
Map for walking tour.. (remind me please)
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
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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