Welcome to Shoppolis Islands'

Tour

Continued

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My name is John, and I am going to be one of your orientation guides for the details involving Shoppolis Islands East and West, our capitol islands.  I will be joined by Jane, Alvin, Alicia, Bailey and others who know these islands as well as I do.  What you will see and read will be a mixture of history, graphics and more. Shoppolis Islands East and West are wonderful places, full of color, ideal commerce and interacting peoples of many cultures and professions. We strive to please Shoppolis Islanders no matter where they come from, no matter where they are going, no matter where they are. We hope you join us.  It is important to note that our other islands, not as advanced as SI East and West, are not featured here, but they resemble SI East and West in a more modest manner.  The current island under development at this time is Loveladies, with more islands to come.  Enjoy the details of Shoppolis Islands East & West and the overview on each additional island in the SI Island Group. 

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OUR FIRST ISLAND

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For an international place of business, SI is surprisingly relaxed and low-key.  Off-islanders, those who do not live, in one form or another, on one of our thirteen island groups or their "patches," often are surprised at our moderate behavior and logical ways.  We call all small associated island forms, patches, a name that goes all the way back to our beginnings in 1784.        No, SI is not for everyone, and we like it that way.  Our collective non ownership of our lands our waters and their resources reflects our communal approach to our tropical lifestyle.  No one person owns any land.  No one person predominates.  We all are temporary residents of life as well as SI.  We all rent or lease land even though we own and operate businesses and homes.  Our crime level is statistically low; each citizen is part of our non-centralized police force, army, navy, air force and emergency squads.

Each home and business has its own battery system, solar panels, self-contained water and sewage treatment systems, as well as freshwater traps.  There are no pipes nor formal water utility; we are on bottled water that we accumulate through available resources as well as through our desalinization plant which supplies SI as well as product to be be sold to other islands and customers.      SI is the result of volcanic activity as well as flooding, and attributes its oval ring of islands to chance.  There are thirteen islands, and Shoppolis Islands, East and West which serves as the capitol.  The other islanders are citizens of SI who have chosen to live a more remote and private life.  Yes, we do have an odd aspect to our islands, the four "impressions" that are mathematically associated.  This mystery, among others, makes our lives here interesting and mystical.  We manifest the supernatural at times.

It is true that up to recent times, residents of nearby islands would not step foot on these shores. There is no formal islandic name for our island group, but the Polynesian populations that grew from settlers from approximately 750AD, refer to our lands as the "islands that do not exist."  Superstition still remains strong, even though the younger generations are now moving away from this elderly stand, and we now have a number of young families from local island groups.  As you can see by the array of maps, we do exist, and each of our areas has a distinct name.       It has been claimed by sailors and flyers that they have sailed through our waters or flown over our lands without seeing us, but we believe we have been here all along, since March 20, 1784 to be exact.  That was the day Captain Everett Shopp and his crew and passengers and cargo arrived in what is now Shoppolis Bay aboard the square-rigger, Prize Mary.

From that day on, the island group has prospered under logical management, resourceful founders, educated leadership and cooperative, involved and concerned citizens who work our industries and businesses to the benefit of the world and SI. SI is not political, but it has served the world in many ways.       SI is not warlike, aggressive nor imperialistic, yet SI personnel have been involved in many aspects related to the wars and conflicts, issues and concerns that have surrounded us.  To this day, SI representatives quietly move about in other societies and business communities performing their jobs logically and methodically.       Many, not from our shores, use our islands for unique purposes because of our neutrality and concerns for all sides in any issue.  We consider ourselves to be unique and unusual.  We could be considered eccentric and could be thought of as quite self-serving.  That's fine with us.

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At this point, I would like to familiarize you with the 9 zones that are included in our Shoppolis Islands East and West. These zones are well-defined and account for 9 representative collections of people furthering their own personal and business interests as well as advancing that of our collective island population. These zones will be presented from the West Island first, then the East Island. There are three in the West, and six in the East. Zone 5, Shoppolis City, is the zone that includes our Executive Staff organization and its offices. Each island and island group also has its own grid of zones, but these are not open to development at this time; there are plans for the future.  As you progress through the zones, please take the time to visit the street maps that are offered.  Not only will you have all of our street names, you will also be able to see where some of our most-notable structures are. If you wish to view examples of properties on SI, both East and West Islands,  click HERE.

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The 9 Zones of Shoppolis Islands East & West 

On West Island, from north to south, the following zones are outlined:

1. Fishermen's End

2. Gallant and South Hook

3. Quayton and Sandy Point

On East Island, from top to bottom, clockwise, the following zones are present:

4. North Beach

5. Shoppolis City

6. Horseshoe Bay and East Park

7. Ben Bow

8. Gray Rock and The Gorge

9. South Beach

East and West Islands are linked with the Channel Bridge, constructed in the 1880s.

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Fishermen's End

    This zone got its name for obvious reasons.  Fishermen's Cove has, right from the beginning, served as the home for the men and women who left the islands each day to harvest a crop of seafood for the settlers originally, and the general populace ever since.  Their vessels, all of different types, accumulate all types of sea life, for instance, what is named in the table below the map of Fishermen's End.

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To view street names of this map, click HERE

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Sealife in the Shoppolis Islands Waters

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With this array of selections, the boats and crews of Shoppolis Islands have a great deal of diversification and specialty work.  They have to perform great tasks, and they have to ensure the quality of their equipment and the conditions of their vessels.  Not only do our ships extract from the sea, our island group "seeds" and puts back into the seas all the ingredients necessary for sustaining generations of SI people in the future, not to mention those around the world. 

Kitt, a town formed in late 1786, provided the first boatyard facilities even though they were crude.  Combined with the facilities just north in the Cove, the small number of boats and personnel grew and grew as not only the original settlers developed, but much later other ships arrived and more and more facilities were added.  In North Point, those who inhabited the area found homes and were able to enjoy the cove at Clearwater.  In particular is the notable Rambling Court, an estate built by Franklin Bonman, a ship builder who helped in the establishment of NavyShips our own SI shipyard on Gavin 1 and 2.

In Little Island Bay, more vessels were accommodated.  At first, it was just the Prize Mary and other wooden ships like the Fawn, and yes, even the HMS Bounty before she left for Pitcairn Islands to the east.  Little Island, a delightfully small and intimate islet now hosts one of the more successful restaurants and resorts in our area.  The Little Island Hotel is one of the oldest structures having been originally built in 1809.  Much of it has been lost to various fires, but the foundation and the Main Gallery have survived.  The docks and banquet hall are reasonably new, having been added in the 1920s and rebuilt a number of times.

Basin Point is a resort in itself, applying the facilities originally designed as an estate built and owned by Granville and Pennlyn Forrest who, at the ages of 19 and 20, arrived on the Prize Mary.  He was an accomplished loftsman's apprentice in New York before leaving for Canada, then England, and finally settling on SI.  His abilities in lofting provided him with an impressive income over the years.  He and Pennlyn had a number of children and built their estate, Granlyn in 1810.  It remained in the family for years, then was sold to an SI consortium for use as a hotel and resort, which it is today.

In order to process the various types of sea life brought in by the boats, an icehouse complex was built.  It did not have ice nor anything like ice, but the name stuck.  The facility at Icehouse Point eventually met with the sprawling complex of Kitt, a community developed by three families that arrived on the Prize Mary.  They were:  Soltan and Pitney Dzagar (fisherman and cook), Pitney and Marge Eggar (fisherman and wife) and Dagmar and Sadie Eltonite (shipwright and wife).  Together, they created the industry that flourishes there today.

A number of Irish settled in Bit O Ire and just east of the Ledges, cliffs overlooking the waters, and the unusual filling and emptying shelves that comprise our impressive Tidal Falls have become legendary, from the cliffs or from tour boats.  The Notch, a natural cut in our coast, provides a distinctly photographically intriguing sight.  All together, Fishermen's End is yacht, vessel and industry oriented, with much of the residency located in the lower areas of the Ledges and south.  In the remaining areas, business and residency is mixed.

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Gallant and South Hook

These two areas have a mutual story of interest involving two stalwart and staunch men.  These two men, Dave Ox, a 41-year old wrester/boxer and Carroll Layne, a 40-year old roper, both steerage passengers from the Prize Mary, were asked by Captain Shopp and the rest of the newly formed Executive Staff, to go to the West Island, make their way south and plan the area that they designated on the crude map made by Lyon Linear and his exploration team.  This area, now known as Gallant and South Hook, became an area of great disagreement between the two men.

Dave Ox wanted the area, a delightfully lush land with a magnificent lagoon to be the site of great homes of the future for those who succeeded in their chosen trades but were not bound by their land or environment.  Carroll Layne wanted to make the area a recreationally oriented land of fun and frolic with cottages abounding everywhere.  The argument lasted some three days, with those assigned to assist them walking away and entertaining themselves in the lagoon and surrounding vegetation.  When the yelling and shouting stopped, the support crew returned to the clearing to find the two men drawing in the sands.

The agreement led to the founding of Gallant with rows of fine homes, and South Hook having fun and frolic areas and rows of cottages.  The lagoon would be shared.  The irony of this marathon argument was not to be realized for some years, when Layne build a fine home in Gallant, and Ox, now teaching wrestling and boxing to anyone who would join in, settled in a small cabin in South Hook.  Needless to say, the entire community benefited from their differences and their ironical solution.  Both men remained close friends for the rest of their lives, and Dave Ox's daughter Penelope married Layne's, second son, Todman.

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To view street names of this map, click HERE

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Many of the original gracious "homes" have been long gone and replaced with newer mansion-type residences over the years.  There are only a few sites for these homes.  Designs include classicals with majestic Palladian porticoes and blocked eves, Georgians with their twin chimneys as well as a Queen Anne and various Monsards.  In keeping with this theme, there are no modern or ultra-modern homes in Gallant, yet South Hook has one of our most innovative residences, namely, Clifton.  South Hook offers a beach and includes The Rise, the original cemetery for West Islanders.  An exception is the estate of Gloria Petrovka, who when retiring from dance and marrying Garrison Pyotrofski, built the impressive Colombine overlooking The Shallows. Her descendants still occupy the home and live in regal style.  The Barrier Bridge, installed in 1951 includes a unique foundation of tubes that allow water in and out but no harmful creatures in.  Therefore, Shallow Cove is a playground for families, particularly those with small children.  The depth at the deepest point is six feet and has safety divers in the water 24-hours per day.  The Shallows, the waters to the south provide excellent wave patterns and is expressly used by fishermen and photographers.

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Quayton and Sandy Point

These are two very busy areas in Zone 3, an interesting amalgamation of different life pursuits.  In the north end, there is the SI South Pacific Sports World, a complex that includes every type of sport from sailing to polo to soccer to track and field.  In the middle, there is industry and business that includes the processing, storage and distribution of all types of materials unloaded at Quayton Wharfs.  In addition, materials and products made on SI are shipped out.  Quayton also serves as a wonderful waterfront paradise with Quayton Beach and Sandy Point.  There are many residences in the area, but they are mixed in and integrated with the businesses.  Sandy Point hosts our Coast Guard and pilot's docks and supports our defense system.  Regardless of how much industry is performed, the area is kept spotless and vibrant by a special task force of people whose exclusive job is to ensure the water and land integrity regardless of how much commercialism the area involves.  Ships that load and unload must be equipped with certain environment-control systems to be able to enter SI waters.  Materials that are hostile to the environment, but serves man, is transferred to special SI vessels and are not allowed at our docks. 

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To view street names of this map, click HERE

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Because of the commercial aspect of SI, this area was home base for the fleet of sailing ships that represented SI and performed trading around the South Seas and farther.  This deep-water area, part of The Passage, automatically qualified this island and its location to be the prime port for the SI Group.  Eventually, the fleet turned to steel and power and today comprises small freighters and tankers.  Since this is a small island, the industrial part of the area's personality has to be shared with its tropical paradise side.  Therefore the rows of cottages on Quayton Beach are line up across the street from brightly colored warehouses.

SI maintains its own commercial shipping fleet as well as accommodating other shipping companies as long as these foreign vessels qualify for SI-certification, which is performed at no cost to the owners.  The ships that belong to SI are all designed and built by our own NavyShips on Gavin 1 and apply the "scow" model in which a basic ship-hull is used, and modular inserts are lowered onto the deck and fastened.  Each hull has a different purpose, but the insert that controls it is standard.  Each combined unit accomplishes its own given purpose. 

This modular approach renders all ships interchangeable, and all ship hulls recycleable.  Almost all our commercial (and some privately owned large yachts and ships) are built on the "flat" trimaran hull configuration because of the shallow waters in which these vessels operate.  It also provides for a great deal of stability, even on the open seas, and the payload is increased.  Much of our ocean bottom is a considerable distance from the surface, and deep trenches exist everywhere, therefore, our vessels have integrated keel systems to make them overly stable in deep waters.  The current fleet of 200-footers includes:

• 2 fuel bunker tankers

• 2 food-grade liquid product tankers

• 2 general-purpose freighters

• 2 foot refrigerated and frozen product ships

• 2 car and people ferries

• 1 training vessel

• 2 military units

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     [continue with tour]    

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Copyright 2003, Gregory St. John Taylor, All Rights Reserved