Leaving St Helena…  Thursday, 03/07/2025

* I was unable to post this comment before leaving St Helena – the internet was not working properly. So it’s rather old, but hopefully worth reading – St Helena was a very interesting place! *

We are leaving St Helena today. I must say I’m sorry to be going! What a lovely place, and the people are so friendly. (In that regard, it is very similar to Christmas Island, another small community). But we must press on – and it will be a long sail to the Cape Verde Islands, about 2,200 nautical miles, taking us across the equator and around the bulge of Africa. We should make reasonable speed leaving here because the wind is fairly strong (every day it’s been 15-20 knots), but then will very likely encounter softer patches approaching the equator. We will be passing through the doldrums, which at this time of year extend up to Cape Verde, but the dead patches do move, and shrink and grow in size, so hopefully it won’t be too bad. But towards the end of the voyage it will likely be slow going. 

On Sunday I walked up on the headland to the north of Jamestown. Great views along the coast, and a number of old military fortifications up there, where cannons were stationed to protect the harbour. In one place there were extensive buildings, much of it underground – it looked newer, so I imagine it was a Second World War construction. 

On Monday I went to Longwood House, which was Napoleon’s residence and where he died. It’s a beautiful single storey Georgian house, looking out eastwards over the ocean. I took the bus, and then walked back – about 9.5 kilometres (6 miles), but mostly downhill (seriously downhill – at the top it was 600 metres above sea level!).  The house was only open for 2 hours, and I was the only visitor. Which made it interesting – I talked at length with the two women who were on duty. The French government bought the house many years ago, and run it as a museum.  All credit to them – it’s well managed and everything is in great condition, including the extensive gardens. On leaving, I walked past where Napoleon was buried, which is in the woods about 3 kilometres away, a spot which he loved and requested for his burial – he knew he was dying of cancer. The tomb is there, although of course it’s empty, his body having been removed to Les Invalides in Paris in 1840. All very atmospheric, and it was a great way of seeing the island. 

On Tuesday I went to Plantation House, which is the Governor’s residence. There’s a guided tour (only once a week out of season), and there were 10 of us. The manager of the house, a woman in her mid-60’s, was an excellent guide. Saw most of it, the only exception being the upstairs of the west wing, which is the Governor’s private rooms. Again, Georgian, but three stories high – and a beautiful place, which of course has been central to the history of the island. Governors are appointed from the U.K., typically for a three year term, although many seem to have stayed longer. Only once has a governor actually been a local, and that was in the 1880s. 

There is a famous resident in the garden: Jonathan, a giant tortoise. He came from the Seychelles aged 50, in 1882 – which means that he is now 193 years old. He is recognised as the oldest living creature in the world (in fact they have a certificate from Guinness World Records). Amazing – his eyesight isn’t too good, but he gets around and appears to be perfectly happy. You can go right up to him, he’s not afraid of people. Extraordinary to think that you’re encountering a living animal that was born in 1832! 

I had a busy day yesterday, filling up my fuel tank with the Jerry cans on board, and then taking them ashore to be filled (there is a boat that can bring fuel to a yacht, but unfortunately it’s under repair at the moment). Transferring full Jerry cans onto the little water taxi boat and then getting them up on Manuka with a one metre swell was hard work. Every day I’ve been filling three 20-litre water cans and pouring them into my tanks, so by this stage I’m pretty sick of it! Today I’ve come ashore to check out with the authorities and do a food shop, and then it’s off…