Tristan da Cunha: Building the Most Remote Settlement on Earth

Chicago to LA. That... in the ocean.

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[garryfitnesspt]

I went there in 1994 with the Royal Navy, I got drunk in the bar and bough a Tristan tea mug, and yes, all the locals look the same, it was a great experience . Coincidentally I was drinking in a bar in Brighton and started a conversation with a guy who looked familiar and it turns out that he was from Tristan 😂😂, now that’s a small world

[vtecro]

Jim Sim...thank you for an accurate video without dramatization.. I lived on tristan from 1957...to1961... when the volcano erupted .my father got the job of ...agricultural superintendent. Which should be translated as ...all round tradesman and food production advisor he got the village hall built he installed running water plus stand pipes to houses plus external flush toilets . Also started planting canary pine forestry at sand point .we as kids had a fantastic time .my father let us roam with strict instructions .. if we heard the big refineries whistle we stop what we are doing and come home PDQ .we could hear that whistle at most places on the settlement plateau .the other thing dad did was show us how to do things safely using ropes when climbing cliffs not going into stupid places ..waves ..scree slopes ..cliff edges ..etc etc .. we were the only outside children who were ollowed to roam we played with the island kids and had fun .we also went out lobster fishing with the Francis repetto crew in the cobbles plus the tristania crew. We caught five finger snook mackerel took them home and had good fresh fish dinners .this place taught me more than most schooling I have had .I am useless with writing average at math but I am good at 90 percent trade or mechanical subjects .if it broke on tristan you fixed it or you did not have one . Untill the order you sent by sea to Capetown which was cabled to England. Then purchased by a relative .packed mailed via the next antarctic research ship usually John Briscoe or Shackleton or if lucky navy ..linx puma protector ...4 ...6 ...months later you get replacement .if it was a fridge bad luck our fridge ran on paraffin and was brilliant all cooking was on an assortment of primus stoves I think about 5 oven stove top griddle even the iron was pump up paraffin mum spent a lot of time pumping primusesplus iron .when I came back to England it took me 2...3YRS to get back to English ideas learning. I was backward . Secondary school I flew threw 4 th to 1st stream in1 YR due to practical subjects .a place like tristan can teach you a lot without schooling . But you will never work in an office .I like freedom of .movement open air and scenery to much ...

[ronatyler]

I lived here as a child and this video made me very nostalgic - great video!

[davidborowiec]

Omg this sooo reminds me of living on Midway’s Sand Island. 150 permanent residents with approximately 75 Filipino’s, 42 Sri Lakans, 12 Thai, 12 Japanese, a couple of S Koreans and a couple of Aussie. We used to believe we were the second most remote island group in the world. It was a Fish & Wildlife Refuge. Great video, thanks! 😁

[Kevin_C_Leonard_]

The construction of St Helena's airport is worthy of a Megaprojects video of its own given the remoteness. Even in the limited time it's been open pre-COVID flight operations were constrained by the cross winds at the site (only discovered AFTER construction was nearly complete) and the lack of a suitable diversion airfield apart from Ascension Island.

[labrat]

Must admit, I've always wanted to visit Tristan da Cunha. That boat trip put me off a spur-of-the-moment visit, but a more considered, perhaps lengthier visit is on my bucket list.

[gary]

What I believe is currently their sole supply ship, the MV Lance is currently berthed across the Quay from me in Cape Town Harbour. They are busy taking on supplies & cargo in preparation to depart later tonight for the Island.

[doctorlolchicken]

I became interested in Tristan as a kid when a man who had worked as a schoolteacher there for a few years came and gave a talk at our school. Tbh, he made it sound more developed and pleasant than it looks. A man who was the only policeman on Tristan wrote a book about his experiences around 15 years ago. It’s a good read with a lot of information about the island.

[michaelrobson]

I do remember the eruption in1961 as a 9 year old.I’ve been fascinated ever since.Thank you for the informative update.

[craigrowland]

I have visited the island twice, spending seven weeks there, and it is a dream of a vacation spot. The friendliest people you will ever meet who will feed you the best potatoes and crawfish (rock lobster) you have ever eaten. Circumnavigate the island and take a trip to Nightingale if you can. It's a weeklong trip by sea from Cape Town so the first encounters you will have with Tristanians will likely be on the boat going there.

[andrewhopkinson]

Brought back memories of when I was Foreign Office desk officer for Tristan. Never got to visit the place, no money available. But spent hours in London dealing with lobsters and conservation. Also spent a surprising amount of time in correspondence with Garter King of Arms about getting it a coat of arms

[WTDoorley]

Thank you for this introduction to Tristan da Cunha. The stories of how human settlements of all kinds are born and evolve are fascinating. Every one is different in some way. I think we should look to places like Tristan as examples for future (hopefully!) interplanetary settlements. Of course, on Tristan we can breathe the air and there's plenty of water, God knows, but this remote settlement has a lot to teach us about people and how they can work together, adapting to apparently impossible conditions.

[SparkBerry]

My late grandfather took part in the evacuation of the island in 1961 due to the volcanic eruption, sailing there from Cape Town. I have a stack of old photos that he took back then. He sailed the world, but he found the people from Tristan to be the most fascinating as they were completely cut off from the rest of the world.

[marvwatkins]

It is amazing a tiny, isolated place like that can keep a community viable and going all these years. Yet another excellent Simon Whistler presentation.

[ignitionfrn]

1:45 - Chapter 1 - Geography
3:45 - Chapter 2 - History
7:55 - Chapter 3 - Present Day
11:15 - Chapter 4 - New challenges

[TheQuickSilver]

This certainly was different, but I really enjoyed it. I always wondered what life would be like on such an isolated place, and now I have a better idea. Thank you!

[gingechef]

Great video Simon as always, I feel very privileged to have visited the island during my time the the Royal Navy on a trip from the Falkland Islands to Simonstown in South Africa back in October 2011. A fantastic bunch of people were there to meet us and make us feel very welcome. The one memento I have is the fridge magnet I have from there, one that I know not many people will have the good fortune to get. and the Crawfish were great too. As the ships head chef I had the pleasure of serving these local delicacies to my crew.

[exidy-yt]

LOVE stories like this! isolated island communities like Tristan, Pitcairn, Rapa Nui etc. endlessly fascinate me, and ive more then once seriously considered emigrating to Pitcairn. More like this please!

[randalscott]

By coincidence I was thinking about the people of Tristan earlier today, then up pops Simon with a video about the place! Nothing spooky though as it was news reports about Tonga and the volcano there that triggered the memory of the Tristans and their volcanic problems 60-odd years ago.

[nmxsanchez]

That was fascinating. Never heard of this island before and now I really want to visit. Such a unique place. What a cool story, thanks Simon and team!