St Helena...
W2N 'Where to Next?'
Rob 'Bee' Clark
Tue 3 Feb 2009 11:28
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I bet your wondering for what possible reason
a perfectly sensible (debatable, I know) bloke would want to sail the
wrong way down the Atlantic against the prevailing winds, currents and waves to
two of the most remote islands on this earth - right!?
Well, I've just arrived on an anchorage at St
Helena almost exactly halfway between South America and Africa and I'm really
hoping that the answer to that not unreasonable question lies ashore here for I
too have been wondering that exact same thing!
The leg from Ascension Island to St Helena was
always going to be a bit gruelling but the numbers speak for
themselves...
So, there were no real horrors; nothing more than
about 28 knots of (app.) wind. The SE trades blew fairly consistently usually
around about 15 knots and the waves were seldom more than about three or
four metres - mostly much less. The genoa halyard snapped but was furled to the
first reef at the time and stayed aloft for the remainder of the passage
although it wasn't pretty! Anyway, it's over for now and this morning's approach
to the island as the sun rose was perhaps the most dramatic arrival yet. I know
the people here are friendly as the population of Ascension is mostly from St
Helena and as I've already mentioned, they're a ludicrously welcoming bunch!
There are several yachts here on the anchorage too although I suspect they're
all heading north. I'll go ashore this afternoon and let you know how I get
on.
Oh, I meant to tell you about something
funny that happened on Ascension Island...
I think I mentioned that I'd hired a car and ended
up sleeping in it next to the 'giant turtle nesting' beach as I couldn't get
back to the boat. Well, that was of course the first time I'd slept ashore, on
stable ground, since leaving the UK in September. Well, maybe it's just me but I
think it's funny that I woke up that night dreaming that the car was floating
away. In fact, I came to my senses standing outside the car by the driver's door
looking a little bewildered and surprised to find that my feet were dry. 'Got to
be the work of a disturbed mind affected by four months (and 7033Nm) of constant
rocking!
So that's it from me for now. I've got an island to
explore...
Bee
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