If you thought it was hard to get to Saint Helena Island when Napoleon was here, brace yourselves.
For yachtsman they will ONLY give you a Covid-19 test on Thursday, unless you fail the test after 10 days at sea then they are prepared to test you on a Saturday and Sunday. For a community that gets much of its revenue from tourism, we found it unbelievable to get greeted with rules:
- No swimming
- No fishing
- No boating
- No alcohol available for those that may still have the dreaded lurgies
Steve (our commodore), Roy and the others were actually very helpful in getting us water but the logic behind Covid laws on St Helena were nothing short of baffling. It seems that it is a human resourcing issue which is a vicious circle, because if you keep the only spending tourists confined to their yachts, you also reduce the potential income of the island.
Having spent seven days on Quazami anchored at the island, if we did not have to provision (you can get food and water but not diesel) we would have left this dream of visiting the island behind. If you are heading to St Helena (as of the day of this post) you really want to time your arrival for a Tuesday or a Wednesday, so you don’t have to wait an entire week chatting to the seagulls.
When we finally got ashore, the people were all fantastic and the hiking options endless. The population is so friendly that you literally wave and greet every person that passes by. If you are an historian there is tons of history to the island. At the time of writing the Mantis Hotel in Jamestown was closed due to a lack of tourists but the Consulate Hotel was open for day visitors. Hazel the owner is from Botswana and we discussed the people we mutually know in Maun. Visiting the hotel in the morning and having a coffee with a croissant was one of my favourite things to do. The hotel has so many pieces of old artwork and memorabilia that it really did encompass the amazing history of the island.
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As with any small community – St Helena has a population of about 4000 – everybody knows everybody and while also having lunch at Ann’s Place provided a great opportunity to meet others. Ann’s Place almost served as the back-up yacht club – great food, internet and a cold beer meant that this was generally where we would meet.
The St Helena yacht club also turned out to be one of my top places to go when open. Steve and his team went out of their way to make us feel at home. The club offered shower facilities, a feeling of homeyness and genuine keenness to help us enjoy our stay.
The economy of St Helena costs the UK government a considerable amount annual as there is very little grown on the island. Solomons is a client of ours and while chatting to the CEO, Mandy Peters, she mentioned that the island does ship its coffee beans internationally and is a good example of some of the commerce potential the island holds. It did strike all of us from Quazami odd that there was not more farming on the island and most of the food is shipped into the island. When one ventures into the interior, you cannot help but notice the rich soil and green pastures that must hold real farming potential.
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We also noticed that there were not many active sports on the island and that most people commute around the island using a motor car. The land does have several hills, so walking is certainly not easy. For those looking to burn some serious calories, Jacob’s Ladder is an epic climb of 699 steps ending with a fantastic viewpoint of Jamestown and the bay. We did this a couple of times and certainly did leave us with very stiff legs.
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The highlight for all of us was the whale shark diving with Johnny, who also helps with the yacht ferry service. For 20 pounds we were taken out on a 20-minute boat ride to a peninsula where the sharks tend to feed. On entering the water and being briefed on the viewing protocol we were treated so an amazing sighting. Swimming alongside this giant fish will remain a very special wildlife encounter for all of us.
After three days on St Helena Island and having left out Napoleon’s House (only Ant, Jules and the kids did it on the Sunday with Peter from the Consulate) it was time to leave. We still had some 1800 miles to go to get to Recife in Brazil and with a degree of trepidation given the Covid restrictions on St Helena, we felt we needed to get going.
For those not keen on being on a boat for days, you don’t have to sail to St Helena to see it. Our client Airlink, flies to the island and start their schedule flights in March again, much to the excitement of the local community. Cape Town is the most convenient destination to get on and off the island; London is also an option.
If you are sailing to St Helena, I would strongly recommend emailing St Helena government Customer Services Department to check what days they are testing to avoid the disappointment of having to remain at anchor for as long as we did.
