Page 100 - 2003 - Atlantic Islands

The people are shy but not unfriendly. If you speak to them, they will readily answer

and will also willingly supply the information you request. They do not look as

ethnically mixed as the Saints, but they do appear to have Portuguese and English

forebears. Some of the people we talked with (like Stan the Harbor Master) looked

quite handsome and Hispanic. Others looked like “John Bull” himself just transported

from a street in London. There are about 40 children on the island and they go to

school from primary school through the A­levels; after that, if they want further

education, they must go to the UK. We learned too that these people must be pretty

self-sufficient since their supply ship visits only in January though other ships do

bring supplies irregularly from other parts of the world.

The great concrete black “jacks” that create the breakwater for the landing quay are

made right here on the island. They weigh about 3 tons and are created by welding

metal sheets into a T-shaped form and then that form is put into a mold and concrete

is poured in around the form. In about 34-36 hours, the concrete hardens and then

the great barriers can be placed on the breakwater to shore it up. The lifting here is

done by a crane that was brought to the island in pieces. About 30 of these forms are

made each year to ensure that the breakwater stays in good repair.

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