Sea Life

Sea life, Ship or Boat are some of the topics which attract a topical collector. Recently a beautiful set of 4 stamps was issued on 24 April 2008 by Pitcairn Islands. The format of the stamp is Setenant strips of 4 vertical stamps with centre tab. Full sheet consists of 6 strips with a gutter. Please go through the Longboat History of Pitcairn Islands.

Pitcairn's Longboat History

Date of issue- 24 April 2008

Pitcairn has always relied on shipping as its lifeline for survival because of its isolation. Everything not produced on Pitcairn arrives by sea and is shipped ashore. In 1819 Captain Henry King donated a boat to the Island and in 1880 Queen Victoria gifted two whaleboats. The longboats of Pitcairn are reputed to be modelled on this whaleboat pattern. Over time the boats have been modified and enlarged but essentially retain the same look.

The Pitcairners built their own boats and up until the 1980s the boats were made of wood. The last boat was made in 1983 and retired in 1995 when it was replaced with a New Zealand made aluminium boat.

Pitcairn currently uses 2 aluminium boats built to the Islanders specifications and named “Tub”, and “Moss”. Each is around 13 metres in length and can carry up to 10 tonnes of cargo at any one time. “Tin” is a smaller third vessel but is rarely used.They are powered by inboard diesel engines and are used primarily to offload supplies from visiting supply ships and to take the locals and their souvenir products to visiting cruise liners and to bring visitors to Bounty Bay. Exiting and entering the harbour at the Landing can be extremely dangerous and requires great skill and experience. In rough seas especially it is crucial that the right time is chosen to enter the harbour.Other uses for the longboats are for fishing and for visiting the islands of Oeno and Henderson.From timber framed vessels to tough aluminium workhorses, the Longboats of the Pitcairn Islands provide that much needed community lifeline.