The nearest land to us of current is Inaccessible Island, which at the time of writing is 372 Nautical miles to the Northeast. It is part of the Tristan da Cunha group of volcanic islands, one of the most remote volcanic archipelagos in the world.
Inaccessible Island is three miles long and two and a half miles wide. It is uninhabited and was declared a nature reserve in 1994.
Landing is not allowed without a permit which is usually only obtainable for scientific visits. In the age where the world has been explored, mapped, and imaged with humankind taking over almost every resource we can get our hands on, it is immensely special to be close to land that remains untouched.
The strange thing is, with our fleet of eleven boats compressing to be within 180 nautical miles of one another, it does not feel so remote. Funnily enough though, we haven't seen anyone else out for a jolly in their cruiser in the Roaring Forties yet.
To think that around 220 humans from across the globe, dispersed across our fleet are together in this inconceivably remote part of the globe, facing an ocean known for its majesty and power, all because of a vision Sir Robin and William Ward had many years ago to create an opportunity for ordinary people to take on earth’s greatest oceans, is phenomenal.
I feel incredibly blessed to be part of it. Maybe we should apply for a permit to visit Inaccessible Island and conduct some research down here in a SKIRR Adventures-esque fashion? That would be pretty cool, or maybe that would ruin the sacredness of an island left untouched.
Either way, to be close is special, and to be with our fleet is even greater.
Laura, Dan, and UNICEF team:)