Sand Island to the east, wooded, is the dredge spoil from the channel. We saw depths of 26 feet, but if you wander the edge is very abrupt and 2 vessels have been lost by being too far west. Just give 'Palmyra Island' a call on ch16, there is no one else around for hundreds of milesĮntry is 052 degrees from the SW (avoid the foul ground to the west) This is a dredged channel from the navy.To make it to Hawaii, most experienced skippers try to make it to Fanning Island before heading north, So Palmyra is too far west. On our way back from Samoa, we were hard on the wind and never got enough easting to get there, so tacking would have been in order, so if coming up from the south, make all the easting you can, when you can. The system moved just as we got there, and then the trip would have been much slower. Roughly 900 miles to/from Hawaii, we made the trip in 5 days in a very fast boat in June when we had a good window with strong NE trades and reached the whole way. Local weather conditions are just at the edge of the NE trades, and it rains, a lot averaging 175". The northern arch of islets is formed by Strawn Island, Cooper Island, Aviation Island, Quail Island, Whippoorwill Island, followed in the east by Eastern Island, Papala Island, and Pelican Island, and in the south by Bird Island, Holei Island, Engineer Island, Tanager Island, Marine Island, Kaula Island, Paradise Island, and Home Island (clockwise).Ĭharts Source Chart Number - Chart Name Chart Number - Chart Name Source Chart Number - Chart Name Weather The largest island is Cooper Island in the north, followed by Kaula Island in the south. The islets of the atoll are all connected, except Sand Island in the west and Barren Island in the east. It consists of an extensive reef, two shallow lagoons, and some 50 sand and reef-rock islets and bars covered with vegetation - mostly coconut trees, Scaevola, and tall Pisonia trees. It's 9 mi (14 km) of coastline has one anchorage known as West Lagoon. Palmyra is one of the Northern Line Islands (southeast of Kingman Reef and north of Kiribati Line Islands), located almost due south of the Hawaiian Islands, roughly halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa. Check if the rules have changed prior to going. Since the end of WW11, the island has been owned by various concerns, including a Judge in Hawaii, a fishing concern that never got off the ground until the Nature Conservancy acquired Cooper Island.Ī permit, acquired in Hawaii, is technically required to visit the island, with a limit of 2 yachts visiting at any one time, and a limit of a week total visit. Palmyra Island has an isolated location, and since there has been no human activity for 60 years since the navy left, the coral reef is as pristine as you are likely to find.
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