February 13th

Threeships
Shaun and Ainur Weaver
Fri 13 Feb 2015 17:12
1630 GMT
15 55.4S 005 43.3W
At 0500 this morning a vague misty shape appeared away ahead of the port bow and as dawn broke the steep, arid cliffs of St Helena took form, an impressive sight indeed. A few miles further on the lights of St James town were a welcome change after 12 days on an empty ocean and by 0600 we were safely tied to a visitors mooring having an ‘anchor drop’ of rum orange – and very good it was too. Dinghy landing here is something of an adventure due to the constant swell so for 2 pounds a head return a local boatman provides a ferry service. Customs and immigration opened at 0830 and we were soon checked in by the most friendly and informative officials that we’ve met for a long time. Alison and I walked a mile up through the town to find the dentist – I have a loose crown and Alison a dodgy filling – while Andy and Fi went shopping for fresh goods and a guide book for walks on the island of which there are many.  Tonight we have a potluck with friends on an Aussie cat and then some sleep. We plan to stay for at least 10 days and will be able to retrieve emails from our normal accounts – wifi is available at 3.70 for 30 minutes so we won’t be doing much surfing. All well on board.