St Helena - A Rock in Atlantic Ocean

St Helena

A rock in the South Atlantic Ocean! (accessible only by boat) OK, so it's much bigger than a rock, its a volcanic tropical island that measures just about 16 x 8 km with a population of around 4,500 people. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. It's also Britain's second-oldest remaining overseas territory after Bermuda.

We had set sail from Walvis Bay, Namibia on the 16th March 2014 and arrived in Jamestown, the capital of St Helena on the 24th March. Our passage here was fairly pleasant and calm. We picked up a yellow mooring in James Bay - No. 11 (S 15.55.561 W 05.43.581) for 3 days.

Map of St Helena

Jacob's Ladder

A prominent staircase of 699 steps, built in 1829 to connect Jamestown to the former fort on Ladder Hill. It was originally built as a funicular in the early 1800s, but the rails and cars were later removed due to termite damage on the sleepers. 

This left the stairs in place, which became a tourist attraction connecting Jamestown and the suburb of Half Tree Hollow at the top of the hill. People from all over the world come to take part in the yearly "Festival of Running", which is a timed run up the Jacob's Ladder. Below is a photo of my tanned feet at the top of the stairs. My legs were wobbly from the climb. (Updated: As of 2016, the record time to ascend the stairs is 5 minutes, 16.78 seconds). I was no where close to that!

Jacob's Ladder & my tanned feet

View of Jamestown from the top of the hill

Houses at the top of the hill

I was delighted to find on display a uniface coin from Penang, Malaysia in the St Helena Museum, which is situated at the foot of the Jacob's Ladder.

A piece of Malaysia at the Museum

St Helena Currency is fixed to the British Pound (£1 SHP = £1 GBP)

Possibly the longest signage for No Parking

Spot Napolean

St Helena Flag

Birdie in St Helena

Alex untangling the mooring

St Helena Stamp

Here we met Allan & Ursula on S/Y Windward from South Africa. We also topped up our provisions for the passage across the Atlantic ocean. This is not a great place for provisioning but we always make do with what we have.