The world marvelled at the expedition of the NASA astronauts to the dark side of the moon, but more than 70 years ago a retired Royal Navy commander undertook a journey that in its time was equally remarkable. Victor Clark , who had been twice decorated for bravery during World War II, spent six years sailing 48,000 miles, 77,200 kms round the world in a tiny ketch. That’s still believed to be the longest ever trip made by such a small craft.
Clark was cast in the mould of the great Sir Francis Drake on an adventure worthy of that iconic explorer. His epic voyage took him to dozens of out the way places, but few more remote than Palmerston in the Cook Islands where his vessel was wrecked and he spent nearly a year marooned there.
In this podcast his daughter, Ros Clark tells his amazing story and also how she too visited and worked on the island and has established strong lifelong links with the islanders. Victor told his daughter Palmerston was his favourite place in the world. Ros is now writing new books about her Dad and about the island and says that like him, Palmerston will forever have a very special place in her heart.
Commander Victor Clark told his story in his book “On the Wind of a Dream. The saga of ‘Solace’” which was first published in 1960 by Hutchinson & Co. London
Find out more about Palmerston at https://tinyurl.com/palmerston-cookislands
ABOUT ME
I'm a retired BBC radio and TV journalist and presenter who's been having a long distance love affair with the Cook Islands for nearly 40 years and I've featured in media worldwide as an expert on this remote islands nation. CONTACT ME if you'd like to sponsor this podcast or just want to ask questions about the Cook Islands. Email kiaoranawebsiteauthor(at)cookislands.org.uk (Replace “at” with @)
MY BOOK ABOUT THE ISLANDS
Whether you're planning a visit or just armchair travelling, you'll discover stories of buried treasure, ghostly fire, real-life Robinson Crusoes and the mafia, and a wealth of useful information. 'Around the Corner from Nowhere: The Cook Islands Rediscovered' is available as an ebook (https://getbook.at/Cook_Islands-ebook) or paperback (https://getbook.at/cookislandsbook) through Amazon All profits are donated to dementia charities
EXPLORE ALL 15 OF THE COOK ISLANDS
My website is the most detailed guide on the net at Cook Islands complete guide. It's also THE ONLY TOTALLY INDEPENDENT GUIDE ON THE INTERNET with information about each and every one of the 15 islands
