Saying farewell as we are going to slip our mooring later this morning.
We are on Plan A which is Ascension Island, 700NM to the NW of here - Plan B is probably sailing close by but continuing to the Cape Verdes directly.
I rather like Plan C which would be to head for Brazil and enjoy the trade winds for a bit longer, but unfortunately that would add some 2,500NM more to our voyage to the Med so not practical I'm afraid.
The first photo is of Jonathan in the lap of luxury in the privacy of the guvs garden - think he came here some 160 odd years ago when he was a teenage tortoise at the age of about 50. Anyway the key to a long life appears to be not to rush and sailing the trade winds from island to island suits that ambition.
The early governors used to live in the castle at the landing in Jamestown in the wettest part of the island only later building a house in a sheltered valley which hopefully the other photos will help illuminate.
We did a few hikes and on one passed over a windswept plain with a windfarm - this was where captures Zulu leaders were isolated in their canvas tents for the duration of the Boer War.
We also passed Longwood house, a modest affair where Napoleon spent his last days.
We climbed to Diana's peak, at 820m the highest point of the island and on the way passes Halley's rock ( of Comet fame) - he was here mapping the southern stars for the Royal Observatory in the late 1600s - however St Helena turned out to be a poor choice of location due to the abundance of cloud cover.
Any must be off. Next post should be at sea and probably without pictures.
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