Cap Austral

The land

Open sea, 5284 m deep; within sight of a shore; temperate sea.

Cover

open sea

Depth

5284 m

Relief

broken hills

The sea

at sea

Climate

temperate sea

The patch

about 1.85 km north to south and 1.01 km across; 1,853 m north to south, 1,012 m east to west, 1.88 km²

Centre

56.9083°S 165.7250°E

What the land offers a builder

Of this land: timber, reed, sand, shell, hide, bone, cloth, rope, glass, water. The land allows: stilts, afloat, carved, spanning.

Now

Wind and mild here, 14:33 local, late spring.

The wild

Animals here this month: orca (feeding), seal (moulting), whale (feeding), shark (feeding), dolphin (calving), albatross (feeding).

This season: a seal haul-out.

The lay of the land

• The low knoll (knoll): a rounded rise with a clear view across the surrounding patch
• The north hill (hill): a broad shoulder of high ground dry underfoot after rain

What stands here

THE RAFT HALL — on the low knoll. House-sized, about 6 m. Timber, reed, sand. Afloat.
"A wide timber raft lashed with reed, a low cabin roof and hearth stone amidships"
A roof of reed atop the top: pitched low to shed rain and heavy gusts. A hearth of sand inside the centre: set with flat stones to hold the embers through the night. A doorway of timber facing the south: fitted with a heavy latch on the leeward side. A storage rack of timber along the north side, hung with dry provisions, cordage, and spare gear.
Of this land: timber, reed, sand.

THE OUTRIGGER BOAT — beside the north hill. Small, about 4 m. Timber, rope, bronze. Afloat.
"A narrow timber hull with rope spars and a lantern bracket at the bow"
A mast of timber atop the middle: stepped in a lashing block for running before the wind. A net rack of rope along the edge: coiled with weighted lines and floats. A bow lantern of bronze at the front: shrouded against salt spray for night watches.
Of this land: timber, rope. Carried here: bronze.

The story, as Pascal R. tells it

Of the place

• Long Floats Watch was laid out by Pascal Renaud, who marked the low knoll first and set the raft hall to face out of the prevailing weather.

Of the people

• They keep a dry stack of fuel beside the raft hall and share the first meal at the hearth with any traveller who crosses the low knoll. (heard when a people lives here)
• Before winter sets in they check the lashings and stones of the outrigger boat and sing the names of the first four who came. (heard when a people lives here)

The people

THE PEOPLE OF CAP AUSTRAL — fishers and sea hunters, settled, in hearth households.
Names from their own tongue. They hold the sea sacred.
They keep: boats sung in; burial in the water; the first-catch feast; shared catch; songs at the water.
They like timber, rope, cod, and the water. They dislike storm, fog, and stone. Open to strangers.
Their words: hearth wiuno, river or sea upu, winter or the rains leluwite, the dead uvuotie, home ulie, stranger tamekuami, feast anee, child kuuvatipi, old one ruuhata, the place Mutuetewi, the beast elamu, the sky oma.
Founders: four. Lore: 2 lines.

Ways

fishing, sea hunting

Settlement

settled

Kinship

hearth households

Marriage

either

Naming

given names

To strangers

open

They hold sacred

the sea

They keep

boats sung in; burial in the water; the first-catch feast; shared catch; songs at the water

They like

timber, rope, cod and the water

They dislike

storm, fog and stone

Founders

4

Counted

4 named folk, a household of 0, 0 born here, 0 died here

Founded

6 November 2026

Their words

hearth wiuno, river or sea upu, winter or the rains leluwite, the dead uvuotie, home ulie, stranger tamekuami, feast anee, child kuuvatipi, old one ruuhata, the place Mutuetewi, the beast elamu, the sky oma.

Their lore

• They keep a dry stack of fuel beside the raft hall and share the first meal at the hearth with any traveller who crosses the low knoll.
• Before winter sets in they check the lashings and stones of the outrigger boat and sing the names of the first four who came.

Named folk

The chronicle

Every line is a record the land wrote; the names in quotes are the owner's words. What the chronicle does not say did not happen.

Year 1

The annals: 1 founders; 1 people founded; 2 stranding; 1 telling; 2 tracks; 1 ways changed.

• Late spring, the first year of Cap Austral: the ways of the people changed: name. kept
• Late spring, the first year of Long Floats Watch: a orca stranded on the low knoll.
• Late spring, the first year of Long Floats Watch: dolphin tracks across the low knoll.
• Late spring, the first year of Long Floats Watch: the lamp-lighter "Elae" told the story of the people at the raft hall: "They keep a dry stack of fuel beside".
• Late spring, the first year of Long Floats Watch: a orca stranded on the low knoll.
• Late spring, the first year of Long Floats Watch: dolphin tracks across the low knoll.
• Late spring, the first year of Long Floats Watch: four came to Long Floats Watch and lit the hearth. The net-mender "Umevoku", the boatwright "Lokolohee", the fire-keeper "Ika", the lamp-lighter "Elae". kept
• Late spring, the first year of Long Floats Watch: Pascal Renaud called a people to Long Floats Watch: the people of Long Floats Watch. kept

Here now

the net-mender "Umevoku" (folk) · the boatwright "Lokolohee" (folk) · the fire-keeper "Ika" (folk) · the lamp-lighter "Elae" (folk)