Landing on the wharf is like stepping onto the set of the Onedin Line, the swashbuckling TV series that aired on Sunday nights in the 1980s. The houses are a mix from Georgian and Victorian times, there are signal stations, forts, Churchs, protective gates and walls etc and an open ocean anchorage under high cliffs which give great protection from the trade winds and little else.
Yet there are signs of much changes coming for the island. A new container wharf along with an oil offload terminal which are recent constructions in nearby Rupert's bay means that commercial shipping facilities will be much improved. The monthly supply ship from Cape Town (a 5 day voyage) is now complimented by a new air service meaning that the St Helena is no longer totally out of reach except by boat. My wish is that it won't affect the lovely open friendly culture of the 5,000 odd souls that live in a paradisiacal bubble that is rare to find elsewhere anymore.
The way the blog works (it is set up so that posts can be sent and uploaded at sea) means that pictures seem to land on the page somewhat randomly so if any of the captions are out of sync then please reorganise them in your head!
1. The anchorage - a large well spaced mooring field under high cliffs - it is currently full so the rest of the Oyster Rally fleet (only Seabird and ourselves have got here so far) will have to anchor close so as to avoid depths rapidly dropping beyond 20 metres.
2. Main Street - it could be anywhere in England…
3. …until you look a bit closer at the individual buildings. Note also Browns Video Library next door - we have been reminded what life was like before broadband over the last few days.
4. The Yacht Club is housed in an wonderful old port building backed into the cliff.
5.Not to many inmates we believe - the most recent murder was 34 years back.
6. Jacobs ladder runs at about 45 degrees for 699 steps to the Signal Station.
7. Originally built in 1772 a fellow from Wexford must have been helping to keep the Anglican St James Church standing.
8. We believe that this method of handling containers is due to end later this year as the Rupert's Bay project mentioned in the introduction is completed.
Yesterday the crew of Ruth II had an amazing swim with the largest fish species on the planet. Hopefully there will be time to report on that before we leave this wonderful place in the next few days.
Also hoping to get a post about the rest of the Island - including our visit to Jonathan the Tortoise, Napoleon's naughty step, the terrible concentration camp to isolate Zulu warriors during the Boer War and our search for fresh fruit and vegetables for our next leg of the voyage.
TC
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