Saint Helena 2017 2016 was the year St. Helena was supposed to change, but It didn’t and I’m glad. The changes were to come with the opening of an airport, bringing tourists, money and jobs. St. Helena, an isolated mountain peak eight miles long and five miles wide, jutting from the South Atlantic a thousand miles west of Namibia and two thousand miles east of Brazil, is all up and down. An airport had not been built earlier because there is no naturally level space long enough for a runway and creating one is expensive. Finally the British government, of which St. Helena is a dependency, came up with the more than $300,000,000 cost and an airport was built. However, inexplicably and incredibly, they built it in the wrong place, on the edge of cliffs on the southeast corner of the island exposed to almost constant trade winds. Any sailor, any pilot, any meteorologist, would know that when those trade winds hit the cliffs, they are deflected upward and increase in speed. A meteorological report presented before construction began said as much, but the runway was built on the edge of the cliffs anyway and there is so much turbulence planes cannot safely land and take off, and none do. I read that politicians say the ‘problem’ will be fixed. How you fix trade winds and cliffs I do not know. So St. Helena remains a place where, when any of the 4,000 residents see an unfamiliar place they know you have arrived by sea, probably on your own boat, and they are charmingly friendly. Honest, too. Most sailors arrive from South Africa where crime can be a problem. On St. Helena it isn’t. A five pound bill fell unnoticed from my pocket one day in Jamestown and a man ran after me to return it. On the water there have been some welcome changes since I visited almost thirty years ago in the form of twenty-three moorings and a ferry launch. There is no harbor at St. Helena. Just a slight indentation on the north side of the island off a deep ravine where the island’s only town, Jamestown, is located. In 1988 I had to anchor in 80’ of water and go ashore in my dinghy, which was a greater adventure than I wanted. The landing is a concrete slab on the edge of which stands an inverted U constructed of pipes. Six hawsers hang down from the pipes. Approaching the landing, I judged the swell. On the upward surge, Jill grabbed one of the hawsers and hung on for dear life, trying to pull the dinghy onto the concrete before the water retreated. The pipes and hawsers are still there, but catching them and stepping ashore is much easier from the ferry launch. The ferry runs from 4 am for local fishermen, usually making a trip to the mooring field every hour on the hour and can be called on Channel 16. A ride costs £1.50/about $2 US per person and is well worth it. The moorings are on the west side of what is nominally called James Bay. They consist of flat circular floats about a yard in diameter with an eye in the middle. They do not have pennants and are too heavy to lift, which sometimes makes them difficult to tie onto from boats with high freeboard. On GANNET I just leaned over from the tiller and ran a line through the eye. You have to clear in and out with three sets of officials, all of whom are relaxed and friendly. The Port Captain and Customs are in a building on the waterfront. Immigration a short distance away in the Police station. There is only one street leading inland from the waterfront. Just after you pass under the arch, the Police station is to your right and across the street is a small park at the back of which is Anne’s Place, the primary yachtie hang out with good food and Internet, neither of which are free. St.Helena differs from South Africa in a second way. South Africa is inexpensive. St. Helena is expensive. Rather slow Internet in St. Helena costs $8 US a half hour. A box of wine that cost $7 in South Africa, costs $26 in St. Helena. There are two currencies used: the St. Helena pound and the British pound. They are of equal value. St. Helena pounds can only be spent on St. Helena and Ascension Islands. There is one bank. No ATMs. I’m told you can get a cash advance on a credit card, but I arrived with an ample supply of cash and only had to exchange money. Four small grocery stores were better stocked than I remembered from 1988, but because of high prices St. Helena is not a place I would choose to provision. Water is available at the ferry boat landing and must be carried out in jerry cans, which is what I normally do anyway. I highly recommend taking a tour of the island. Mine cost $20 per person in a shared taxi. You will see the house where Napoleon died, spectacular views, and perhaps even the runway to no where. St. Helena is one of my favorite stops of this circumnavigation. I enjoyed it even more than in 1988. I don’t know that there is any rush, but you might want to go before they fix the cliffs and trade winds. (The airport became operational in late 2017 with a weekly flight to and from South Africa.)

Saint Helena

2017

2016 was the year St. Helena was supposed to change, but It didn’t and I’m glad.

The changes were to come with the opening of an airport, bringing tourists, money and jobs.

St. Helena, an isolated mountain peak eight miles long and five miles wide, jutting from the South Atlantic a thousand miles west of Namibia and two thousand miles east of Brazil, is all up and down. An airport had not been built earlier because there is no naturally level space long enough for a runway and creating one is expensive. Finally the British government, of which St. Helena is a dependency, came up with the more than $300,000,000 cost and an airport was built. However, inexplicably and incredibly, they built it in the wrong place, on the edge of cliffs on the southeast corner of the island exposed to almost constant trade winds. Any sailor, any pilot, any meteorologist, would know that when those trade winds hit the cliffs, they are deflected upward and increase in speed. A meteorological report presented before construction began said as much, but the runway was built on the edge of the cliffs anyway and there is so much turbulence planes cannot safely land and take off, and none do. I read that politicians say the ‘problem’ will be fixed. How you fix trade winds and cliffs I do not know.

So St. Helena remains a place where, when any of the 4,000 residents see an unfamiliar place they know you have arrived by sea, probably on your own boat, and they are charmingly friendly. Honest, too. Most sailors arrive from South Africa where crime can be a problem. On St. Helena it isn’t. A five pound bill fell unnoticed from my pocket one day in Jamestown and a man ran after me to return it.

On the water there have been some welcome changes since I visited almost thirty years ago in the form of twenty-three moorings and a ferry launch.

There is no harbor at St. Helena. Just a slight indentation on the north side of the island off a deep ravine where the island’s only town, Jamestown, is located.

In 1988 I had to anchor in 80’ of water and go ashore in my dinghy, which was a greater adventure than I wanted. The landing is a concrete slab on the edge of which stands an inverted U constructed of pipes. Six hawsers hang down from the pipes. Approaching the landing, I judged the swell. On the upward surge, Jill grabbed one of the hawsers and hung on for dear life, trying to pull the dinghy onto the concrete before the water retreated. The pipes and hawsers are still there, but catching them and stepping ashore is much easier from the ferry launch.

The ferry runs from 4 am for local fishermen, usually making a trip to the mooring field every hour on the hour and can be called on Channel 16. A ride costs £1.50/about $2 US per person and is well worth it.

The moorings are on the west side of what is nominally called James Bay. They consist of flat circular floats about a yard in diameter with an eye in the middle. They do not have pennants and are too heavy to lift, which sometimes makes them difficult to tie onto from boats with high freeboard. On GANNET I just leaned over from the tiller and ran a line through the eye.

You have to clear in and out with three sets of officials, all of whom are relaxed and friendly. The Port Captain and Customs are in a building on the waterfront. Immigration a short distance away in the Police station.

There is only one street leading inland from the waterfront. Just after you pass under the arch, the Police station is to your right and across the street is a small park at the back of which is Anne’s Place, the primary yachtie hang out with good food and Internet, neither of which are free.

St.Helena differs from South Africa in a second way. South Africa is inexpensive. St. Helena is expensive. Rather slow Internet in St. Helena costs $8 US a half hour. A box of wine that cost $7 in South Africa, costs $26 in St. Helena.

There are two currencies used: the St. Helena pound and the British pound. They are of equal value. St. Helena pounds can only be spent on St. Helena and Ascension Islands.

There is one bank. No ATMs. I’m told you can get a cash advance on a credit card, but I arrived with an ample supply of cash and only had to exchange money.

Four small grocery stores were better stocked than I remembered from 1988, but because of high prices St. Helena is not a place I would choose to provision.

Water is available at the ferry boat landing and must be carried out in jerry cans, which is what I normally do anyway.

I highly recommend taking a tour of the island. Mine cost $20 per person in a shared taxi. You will see the house where Napoleon died, spectacular views, and perhaps even the runway to no where.

St. Helena is one of my favorite stops of this circumnavigation. I enjoyed it even more than in 1988. I don’t know that there is any rush, but you might want to go before they fix the cliffs and trade winds.

(The airport became operational in late 2017 with a weekly flight to and from South Africa.)