Overnight visit to Stony Beach
A trip to Stony Beach
Report and photo from Odile Cesari
On February 26th, Martin Green’s two boats left the harbour at around 8:15 for Stony Beach, arriving at approximately 10:00. Travelling out were Steve and Sasha Swain, their children Sophie and Jake, Jamie Glass, Martin Green, Rachel Green, Leo and Liam Glass, Eugene and Ella Repetto, Cliff Swain, and myself.
The trip was made so that Steve and Jamie could continue working on their small separate cooking hut. Although conditions were good overall, there was enough swell to ensure that getting ashore by dinghy was a wet business for most of us! Some time was spent unloading gear and supplies and carrying them up to the huts, which are a fair distance from the landing.
Later in the day we enjoyed some of what makes Stony Beach such a special place, including a careful scramble through an old lava flow to collect apples, a walk to East Beach, and a short climb up Little Hill. From the top, we were rewarded with a fine panoramic view, with Nightingale, Inaccessible, and The Caves all visible in the distance, as well as the two eerily deep volcanic pipes at the summit. It was however soon time for the day-trippers to return to the village, and the rest of us waved goodbye from the shore. That evening, we enjoyed a well-deserved braai under a clear, starry sky, before settling in for the night.
At dawn the next morning, Martin returned with Andre, Eugene and Katie Repetto to mark one of his calves. After a hot and somewhat drawn-out chase, the calf was finally caught, and the five of us returned to the Settlement in the afternoon. Jamie, Steve and his family remained at Stony Beach for a few more days, and Martin sailed out again on March 6th to collect them.
Travelling aboard Martin's boat Ocean Venture approaching Tripot Bay.
(L->R) Jamie, Martin, Eugene, and Jamie’s dog Kip.
Getting ready to land at Stony Beach landing place, with Martin's smaller but faster boat Pescado on the right of the dinghy / RIB.
(L->R) Rachel, Leo, Ella, Liam, Jake, Eugene, Sasha and Sophie on top of Little Hill*,
Nightingale and Inaccessible Islands visible in the distance.
* Islanders now refer to Little Hill which was named 'The-Hill-with-a-hole-in' by the Royal Society Expedition in 1962.
Stony Beach looking NE and showing promontories, in order, The-ridge-where-the-goat-jump-off, and Lyon Point.
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| Sour unripe little apples on Ken’s apple tree. (Editor's note: They look better than any apples I saw on Tristan in the 1980s!) |
Simon, Larry and Wayne’s hut at night. |
Kip and Jamie walking to Simon’s hut.
Steve and Jamie’s hut. Sasha and Sophie in front at 21:15 in the evening.
Steve’s dog Spike at sunrise above Stony Beach on 27th February.
Jamie and Kip, spying on Martin’s little boat on the horizon at 06:42
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| A Northern Rockhopper penguin nicely photographed on a ridge. |
Rockhoppers in a rocky crevice. Penguins come ashore to moult after the breeding season as they lose their buoyancy and must stay on land. |
Jamie, Katie and Andre on the side of Little Hill.
Marking a calf. (L->R) Steve, Andre, Martin and Eugene, and the marked calf.
Sailhardy Rocks as seen from East Beach with Nightingale Island visible to the SW between the hardies.
Zoom view of Nightingale Island offering a clear view
of the smaller islets of Stoltenhoff and Middle or Alex Islands to the right.
Wild cattle gather in the foreground above East Beach
A zoom view of Inaccessible Island with a silhouette of a calf hunter on the ridge.
Preparing the dinghy / RIB to return to the village.
About Odile
Odile is the Enviroearth Station manager and has been working on Tristan since September 2024.
It is hoped this is a first of a series of web stories from Odile, leading up to articles in forthcoming Tristan Newsletter
As there have been very few reports and images from Stony Beach a large group of Odile’s photographs have been chosen which are displayed mainly in large format which we hope you have enjoyed seeing.