St Helena

Saint Helena was named after St Helena of Constantinople and is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. A volcanic island in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean., it is as far from land as one can get from all compass points. At the time of our arrival in 2003, the only route to the barren island was by the RMS St Helena, the only Royal Mail Ship in the world.

The island remains an untouched gem to this day, unspoiled by tourism and commercialization. I felt like I was stepping back in time 100 years. Jamestown consists of little more than a single street, running up a narrow, deep-sided valley for a mile to a height of 500 feet (150 m).

The island has a history of over 500 years since it was first discovered as an uninhabited island by the Portuguese in 1502. Britain's second oldest remaining colony (after Bermuda), Saint Helena is one of the most isolated islands in the world and was for several centuries of vital strategic importance to ships sailing to Europe from Asia and South Africa. For several centuries, the British used the island as a place of exile, most notably for Napoleon Bonaparte, Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo and over 5,000 Boer prisoners.

Jamestown is a seaport and the capital of St Helena, The town was founded in 1659, when the English East India Company built a fort and established a garrison at the site on James Bay.

We departed from the high sand dunes of the Skeleton Coast from the Namib Desert in early morning fog. By the next day, a gale roared in with the Benguela Current, sending "Scud" into a racing horse, surfing down big waves. She rose up on them in stately elegance, paused to gain her bearings by lifting up to surf down the side of a trough in grace.

We were amazed at how well our new boat handled in bad weather. It was a little frightening at first – especially when I found myself at the helm in the dead of night with the cockpit doors locked from the inside to prevent sliding open. After tying myself to the captain's chair, I began to enjoy the ride. All I needed was a half hour to see how "Scud" handled the rough conditions. Soon it became a thrill to drive her - no more tipping or gear crashing below. I began to sing, belting out my favorite tunes with the roar of the wind.

The south Atlantic gale was the only one of two we experienced around the world. The other was in SE Asia. With the St. Francis hulls beneath my feet, I felt confident we could ride through any type of weather.

Toward the end of our passage from Africa to St. Helena, we let ride our new chute - perfect in her glory in light conditions. What a joy to passage down wind, with the trades and following seas. Peter and I vowed to avoid beating to weather ever again, preferring the gentleman's way of taking her lady to the high seas.

On our third day in port, Pete and I walked the narrow road down to the ancient fort, where battery relics hut the rugged volcanic cliff overlooking James Bay. Images of British soldiers in red and white, brandishing swords drew us in and we had fun turning our stroll into a history lesson. Our four teens onboard declined, preferring to hunt down a game of field soccer, which they succeeded in doing. The soccer field is the only flat field on the entire island. Hot discussion around the tables of morning tea was to entice tourists to the remote port, by clearing the soccer field and supplanting it with an island airport. The added income may bring in tourists, but would ruin the island, in time, we felt. The beauty of St. Helena is that you can only get here by ship, keeping out the frivolous traveler, and bringing in the more adventurous. Selfish thoughts, I image.

The Benguela Current is the eastern boundary current of the South Atlantic Ocean. About two million years old, it formed when the straits connecting the Americas closed, and along with the formation of the Antarctic ice cap. These geological developments closed off the Atlantic Ocean, closing off an area for currents to circulate toward the equator.

A coastal, wind-induced "upwelling" occurs along the Benguela shelf. The Benguela Current's effect is enhanced by a southwesterly wind. As this wind strengthens, it drives the surface layers of the Benguela northward, almost parallel with the land. The Coriolis Force deflects this warmer water to the west, causing the colder, deeper layers to surface and replace it. The deeper water rises up from a depth of 980 feet, cooling the surface waters. All this in turn brings on changes in weather along the coast - some of it wicked and rough.

But, the deeper layers of the Benguela Current are rich in phosphates and nitrates, a result of the decomposition of animals and plants on the ocean floor. Since there is not enough light below 160 feet underwater to make photosynthesis possible, these nutrients are usually not utilized by phytoplankton.

The upwelling of these nutrients causes dense phytoplankton blooms. Zooplankton then thrive on these abundant phytoplankton blooms, attracting filter-feeding fish such as sardines and anchovies. These filter-feeders are in turn are fed on by larger fish, birds, and mammals such as seals and whales. Because of the effect of the upwelling along the Benguela coast, the Namib supports a biomass that has few rivals in the entire world. As soon as we set our trolling rig at sunrise and sunset, we had a catch. Many times, we sailed through thick blankets of the smaller fish. Not only was their presence in the waters signified by a darkening and jumping of the waters far ahead, but dozens of seabirds and often hundreds of dolphins would be following the swim of the tiny fish.

Jamestown is a seaport and the capital of St Helena, The town was founded in 1659, when the English East India Company built a fort and established a garrison at the site on James Bay. The small town consists of little more than a single street, running up a narrow, deep-sided valley for a mile to a height of 500 feet. The main sources of revenue for St Helena are customs duties, wharfage, and the sale of postage stamps to philatelists.

The town retains the Georgian style of architecture designed during the times when sailing ships from the East India Company anchored in James Bay to rest their crews and take on fresh provisions. The remote island became a welcome stop after many months at sea, en route from India back to England.

The Town Gate above to right were originally built around 1708, and rebuilt in 1989. Origianlly, they were closed at night. In front of the large protective gates is the main wharf, the only way one can land and enter the island.

Jacobs Ladder has 699 steps and is 900 ft in length. Whew.

It is one of Jamestown's most notable features, a long Inclined Plane that is reputed to "break your heart going up and break your neck coming down". It was constructed in 1829 to connect Jamestown to the garrison on Ladder Hill, and was used to haul ammunition. It is still used today.

Longwood House was the residence of Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile on the island of Saint Helena, from 10 December 1815 until his death on 5 May 1821. After Napoleon's death, Longwood House reverted to the East India Company and later to the Crown, and was used for agricultural purposes. In 1858 the house was transferred to the French Government along with the Valley of the Tomb for a sum of £7,100.

Today, the Longwood House is the best Napoleonic museum in the world.

To come ashore, you have to time the rise upon a large swell, grab the dangling rope from a fat bar on shore, then swoosh yourself to land upright - hopefully - before landing back in the drink. It's reputed that Prince Charles made a mis-timed his landing and had to be fished from the sea. The whole town still talks about it to this day, when we were there.