During the transit, Captain George Gunther made sure the crew got some relaxation in a way few people will ever experience. He decided to make a couple stops along the way and if conditions permitted, put the crew ashore to explore these remote places and frolic on beautiful beaches that truly boggle the imagination. During the transit and these visits, I relaxed in my cabin, enjoying the fact that I had no schedule for the next few days and could disconnect in my own way. I wouldn’t necessarily say I made a mistake but I do regret not going on these trips, especially as I see the pictures showing the team having so much fun.

The first stop was Gardner Island, about two days after we left the search area off Howland; the second, a day and a half later, was an island called Swains that is actually part of American Samoa. Gardner is one of the islands where some believe Earhart and Noonan landed. The theory is Earhart turned around when she could not find Howland, flew 400 miles south on dwindling fuel reserves, landed on the water just offshore, and then made radio broadcasts over the next few days while the largest search the world had seen took place around her. The Waitt Institute doesn’t subscribe to this theory, but there are other groups that do.

Now known as Nikumaroro, Gardner lies in the Phoenix Islands and is part of Kiribati. I believe the first recorded discoveries of the island are in the early 1800s, claimed both by the Americans and the British, the latter very briefly and unsuccessfully settling it in the late 19th century. It remained unpopulated until the British settled it again in 1938, the year after Earhart and Noonan disappeared. Various colonial and military schemes by both the Americans and British finally ended in the 1960s when the lack of a stable, fresh water source forced abandonment. The island remains uninhabited.

We sailed past Gardner on the way to Howland, passing south and east of it. We observed shipwrecks off the northeast corner, and noted as well the island was six kilometers long and two wide with a large lagoon in the center running southeast to northwest. On the way up, we found a small channel into the lagoon; so, on our return, we tied up just offshore from there and ran folks into the beach.

In preparation, the deckhands on board (Loren Lange, Phil Kravitz, Chris Keene and Tyler Thayer and others) put together an outrageous and sweetly effective little swim platform from the most rudimentary materials. Constructed from three fender buoys, a piece of plywood, some line and a small ladder, the swim platform was also used by the crew as a loading dock in and out of the tenders. It was hilarious, especially when they demonstrated the flagpole, and it was pure genius.

The crew started making landings early and were back aboard by around 3 p.m. They rambled on the beaches, lay on the sand, explored the jungle, waded in the shallows, hung out in groups and took solo walks. In general, they did what any sane people would do when visiting what is truly a classic, deserted island-they power-relaxed. Some did a little snorkeling and others took the time between tender runs to get in some fishing. During normal operations the poles come out whenever there is bird activity and the ship can meander through the active area. However, the higher speeds needed for transit to and from recovery and deployment way points are not ideal for trolling up yellow fin tuna, one of the fastest fish in the world and, in my opinion, the best to eat.

The pictures tell the story—my friends Matt Tocchini, Andy Sherrell and Joe Lepore are featured, but the ship’s crew and others helped. I can’t even remember who caught them all. I just remember Matt, who has worked in Alaskan expedition ships as a chef and owned his own restaurants, and Joe, who has also been catching and prepping fish for a good long time, were like a couple of kids as they cleaned those fish. Everybody aboard enjoyed the results.

We got back on our way and arrived at Swains a day and a half later.

This small island is part of the Tokelau chain, referred to as an unorganized territory of the U.S. and administered by American Samoa. The island is much smaller, perhaps 1.5 sq kilometers of land around a lagoon in the center. Roughly 40 people live there, one of whom is acquainted with Stephani Gordon. Steph, as you might recall, is part of the film team and her specialty is underwater photography. We put together a little package for her friend, and tied up on the south side of the island. Pictures show the crew and the people on the island having a great time.