Pitcairn Islanders are very generous taking us into their homes and showing us all around the island. In return, they ask that we perform a talent show for them. The Port watch had done theirs on their first visit ashore, but Starboard watch had not yet done a performance. Sunday night everyone gathered in the Community Hall and the show got underway about 8pm. We had several people sing songs, an audience participation game, and a couple of skits which were hilarious. I laughed so hard that my face hurt and my sides felt ready to split.
After the Picton Castle crew finished performing, the Pitcairners sang a couple of songs for us. Actually it was a full multi-media performance with a computer run slide show with photos of Pitcairn scenes overlaid with the words of the songs. Very nicely done. When Cookie Mike got up to say closing words and invited Capt. Moreland to join him up front, one of the crew who has been to Pitcairn on previous voyages called out a request for the islanders to sing "In the Sweet Bye and Bye". At first the Captain said "we've heard that everytime we are here and we've heard that enough so we don't need to hear it again." But that was all in jest and after thanking the Pitcairners for their generous hospitality, he requested that they sing "In the Sweet Bye and Bye" for us since we will not be ashore when the islanders give the ship a final send off.
Traditionally Pitcairn Islanders sing "In the Sweet Bye and Bye" whenever a ship is leaving the island. This goes back for generations and all the times that "Yankee" visited Pitcairn that song was sung. In fact, at Exy Johnson's memorial service in Hadley, MA. this past December one of the "Yankee" crew introduced the very same hymn by telling the connection of "Yankee's" visits to Pitcairn and the song. So, when I heard the islanders voices reverberating through the Hall singing this song, it brought tears to my eyes and a whole new feeling for the song. That is something I will always remember.
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