s/v Nine of Cups Trans-Atlantic Passage 2 St. Helena & Ascension Islands

Return to Home Page

February - May 2007

We had originally thought we'd leave the boat in South Africa and continue an eastabout circumnavigation after flying back to the States for our yearly visit and most importantly, our son, Brennan's wedding. After further consideration, however, we decided "what the heck" let's sail...it's only 7,000 miles (7,000 MILES???!!!). We left Cape Town on February 20th. As we left Cape Town behind, the autopilot began acting up and the jib furler fouled. Both required immediate attention and we decided we'd stop at Saldanha Bay (about 50 nm up the coast) to figure out the problems.

The Saldanha Bay YC (above) was small and friendly. We were offered a free mooring for the night (and up to 10 nights if we needed it). David diagnosed the problems immediately,fixed them within a day and we were off once again.

Above - Sunset in the South Atlantic...we never tired of them. Left - Though Jelly seldom goes ashore, she can smell land long before we can. She paced and paced as we neared St. Helena and appeared as excited as we were as we neared the island after 1,760 miles (12 days)  of fine sailing and dropped the hook off  Jamestown.

St. Helena Island (British Overseas Territory) Capital:  Jamestown Population: ~5,000 Area: 47 sq mi (10.5 sq mi x 6.5 sq mi) Highest point: Diana's Peak at 2,675' Currency: St. Helena Pound (1 StHP = $2.11 US - Ouch!) Exports/Industry: None; minimal tourism due to difficulty of access                           No airport, ship traffic only. Tristan da Cunha & Ascension are dependencies of St. Helena.

Getting ashore was a bit of a challenge. Since docking was an issue for boats, a water taxi used by the fishermen conveyed us back and forth to Cups. Long knotted ropes hung waiting to be grabbed to pull yourself off the taxi and onto the pier.

St. Helena is crusty on the outside (volcanic rock/cliffs) and lush on the inside. Above a view of Jamestown with Jacob's Ladder stretching up the side of cliff.

A view of the wharf area above shows some of the original buildings, still in use, built into the cliffside. Right, fairy terns nest in the rocks.

The archway entering Jamestown is quite grand. We were astounded as we passed through and viewed the island's only city for the first time. It had a Victorian flavor and despite lots of cars, it seemed that time had stopped here. The island was first discovered by the Portugese in 1502. The British took possession in 1659 and developed a "refreshment station" for replenishing ships en route. Many of the current buildings date from the 19th century. Though we call the residents "St. Helenians", they refer to themselves as "Saints".

There are lots of birds, most of which have been "imported" over the years. Above, a java sparrow.

We were lucky to see and photograph a rare wirebird, indigenous to and found only on  St. Helena.

Above, a colorful Madagascar Fody or Redbird.

We particularly liked Castle Gardens in the center of Jamestown. It was a great respite during the days of walking and wandering. Above a water lily in the small fountain.  To the right, we were asked by the folks in Saldanha Bay to bring a local South African rock and place it in Castle Gardens which we did. Their way of boggling the minds of future geologists perhaps?

St. Helena is probably most noted as the home of Napoleon, exiled here by the British in 1815 until he died in 1821. Longwood, Napoleon's home shown above, is French territory and when we took our tour, we were required to obtain permission from the French Consul in advance. We could think of worse places to be exiled. Napoleon's grave remains on the island, but his remains were removed and brought back to France in 1840.

Traveling to the interior of the island is going "up country". We enjoyed fresh spring water served from a leaf as we explored the areas that Napoleon roamed while he lived here.

Thanks to Andy Repetto on Tristan da Cunha, we were introduced via email to Gilbert Legg and his family on St. Helena. Gilbert, his wife Joan and daughter, Juliana, were wonderful hosts. They drove us all over sharing their beautiful island with us including a wonderful Sunday picnic "up country" at Colin's Bar.

As with many islands, donkeys were originally used as work animals to haul heavy loads, then abandoned when no longer needed. The Donkey Conservancy on the island provides a home for retired donkeys.

The views from "up country" were stupendous.

Above, a tiny church in Sandy Bay which is still used by worshippers on Sunday mornings.

Left, the view from the top of Jacob's Ladder's 699 steps. Built in 1829 as an inclined plane to haul manure and goods up and down, it remains today as an alternative, albeit strenuous, route to the "up country" from the city. Above, a view of Jamestown from an up country vantage point.

After a week at St. Helena, it was time to move on once again. We hauled anchor the hard way (the windlass was broken again) and set sail for Ascension Island some 700 miles away. A quick five days and we were anchored once again.

Ascension Island - Dependency of St. Helena, British Overseas Territory Capital (and only city): Georgetown Population: ~1,000; there is no indigenous population, only working residents Located about 500 miles south of the Equator. Discovered in 1501 by the Portugese. No permanent settlement until the British set up a garrison here to aid St. Helena in case an attempt was made to free Napoleon. Ascension is the most isolated tropical island in the Atlantic. Ascension is a working island. Both the U.S. and the British have air bases here. It is a communications hub for the BBC and a repeater station for VOA.. Every conceivable form of antenna and communication dish were seen throughout the island.

Once again, the landing area was a bit dicey.. Ropes hung to aid in getting ashore, but slippery, wet steps added to the challenge..

Jelly was quite enthralled with hordes of hungry triggerfish fighting over stale soda crackers.

There was little attempt to beautify the surroundings. Everything seemed built for utility not aesthetics.

The terrain was other worldy...moonscape-ish to be exact. Volcanic rock at lower elevations made hiking and walking difficult in some areas. To the left, one of many domes which dotted the island. To the right, the bus stop at One Boat, on the way to Two Boats.

Our son, Brennan, turned us on to www.geocaching.com which turned out to be quite fun. Folks who had visited earlier had hidden a "cache" of small trinkets and left lat/long coordinates on line. Others had discovered the cache and taken a trinket and left a trinket in its place. We found the cache, took a deck of cards and left some RSA coins..

Despite the heat and rough terrain, we did quite a bit of hiking. Above is Bonnetta Cemetery, a 19th century  graveyard for sailors from the ship "Bonnetta" who died on the island of yellow fever.

Ascension Island is the most important breeding ground for green turtles in the tropical Atlantic. Each year 3,000-5,000 turtles swim over 1,200 miles from the coast of Brazil to mate and lay eggs on one of Ascension's 32 sandy beaches. We were fortunate enough to be around for this annual natural event. Along with an island conservationist, we were able to witness the entire process. Above a female digs a hole in the sand. To the right, the eggs are laid...usually about 100 at a time. When done laying, she meticulously covers them using her strong flippers to shovel the sand. When done, the exhausted female returns to the water. The entire process takes several hours.

The eggs take about 6-10 weeks to hatch. While we watched one female laying eggs, several hatchlings scampered by on their way to the water. Only about 1 in 1,000 hatchlings mature and return to Ascension to complete the breeding process. In days of old, turtle corrals (right) were built to store turtles which provided meat to passing ships.

We also hiked in the island's Green Mountain Park. In contrast to the moonscape terrain at sea level, this tropical rain forest was lush and green affording a welcome respite from the heat. The views from the higher vantage point were terrific. We took several of the marked "Post Box Walks", trails which ended at a "Post Box" where you signed in and stamped a hiking booklet.(left) We did make it to the highest point on the island, marked with an old ship's chain (see David upper right). We found huge red raspberries en route and gorged ourselves. Lower right is the Ascension Lily, majestic and quite showy.

We could have stayed at Ascension much longer. The weather was settled and pleasant and there were several more hikes we could have taken, but it was time to move on. The trip before us (nearly 5,000 nm) was going to be long and it was time to get started. We checked out with Customs and Immigration and David once again, hauled the anchor manually (that darned windlass definitely needs replacing!) and off we sailed. Lots of people ask what we do on such long passages to keep ourselves from getting bored. It seems there is usually plenty to do...repairs (always), cooking, reading, keeping up with e-mails and my photo-journal, a myriad of celebrations. See below a sampling of our en-route activities. Makes you want to sail off into the sunset, doesn't it?

Our best find on the island was Susanna Musick, an American turtle biologist who had just arrived from the States for a 2-year stint on the island. She came out to "Cups" one night for pizza.

We try to exercise at least once per day. Jelly finds exercise quite tedious, but found a good use for the hand weights.

Then there's gardening aboard!

Celebrations take a good deal of time...the planning and then the actual celebrating. We crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, the Prime Meridian, the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer during this trip...all causes for celebration. Above, David toasts Neptune with a tot of rum as we cross the Equator.

We usually cook three meals a day. Towards the end of the trip, the cook becomes a bit more imaginative with the provisions that are left. Above, Jelly is giving Marcie some pointers...more fish, less veggies, please!

We arrived in Charleston, SC on 2 May...72 days after leaving Cape Town...a total of 60 days at sea. Heading up the river to the Charleston Maritime Center was like coming home. The staff, whom we hadn't seen for four years, was waiting for us and welcomed us warmly. This "tied the knot" for our South American circumnavigation. Charleston to Charleston, including that side trip to Easter Island, totalled 30,723 nm. Not bad for amateurs like us.

The final GPS reading when we arrived at the marina in Charleston... 7150 nm.

It so happened that the Tallships arrived within days of our arrival and we were afforded the privilege of staying at the marina midst these majestic vessels.

"Cups" and crew rested at the Charleston Maritime Center until mid-May then it was time to bring her to Bristol, RI for a summer mooring and some well-deserved maintenance and repairs. What's next? Stay tuned...we'll let you know when we figure it out ourselves!

The only pirates we saw on the entire trip were the polite ones from the local pirate camp that boarded us ONLY after making an appointment!

Return to Home Page