'A little world, within itself, which excites our curiosity' Charles Darwin on St Helena
Saint Helena one of the most isolated places in the world. Found in the South Atlantic Ocean it is reachable only by boat and the second oldest remaining colony from Great Britain, visited by many famous people and also used as a place of exile for some famous prisoners.
The Geography
The island has a total area of 122 km2, and is composed largely of rugged terrain of volcanic origin. The centre is covered by forest, of which some has been planted, including the New Millennium Forest Project. The highland areas contain most of the island's endemic flora, fauna, insects and birds. The coastal areas are barren, covered in volcanic rock. The highest point of the island is Diana's Peak at 818 m.
Places to Visit
The island has two museums. Longwood House, Napoleon's home during the last years of his life has exhibits which make it the best Napoleonic museum in the world and the Museum of St Helena, dedicated to the history of the island. There are two National Parks. One helps protect some of the rare flora on the central ridges. Several of these species can only be found on St Helena. The second, at Sandy Bay on the southern coast, protects further rare native species and the spectacular geological structures which are a legacy of St Helena’s volcanic origins.
History of St Helena
St Helena’s checkered history is reflected in the island’s three thousand “Saints”, a rainbow mix of colours and races: African, English, Irish, Portuguese, Indian and probably a lot more. In such a small place, everyone greets you warmly in the street, so it is not just the language that makes you feel immediately at home. Quaint is the term that springs to mind whenever I think of St Helena, and it applies not just to the name of its inhabitants, but also to those of some its landmarks, such as Longwood, Levelwood or Deadwood. There is even an Alarm Hill where a canon was placed in wartime to sound the alarm if an enemy vessel was sighted.
The harbour is where the East India Company’s ships used to anchor to rest their crews and take on fresh provisions. St Helena was a welcome port of call after many months at sea on the return voyage from India. Today, since the opening of Suez Canal the number of ships calling here has dropped but this is still a great place to stopover for yachts .
The Napoleon Connection
One day we hired a taxi to take us on a tour of the island, which measures some six by ten miles, with steep roads and a hilly interior that rises to 800 metres. Some of the interior is surprisingly lush, with grassy meadows sprinkled with all kinds of flowers, whereas the western, lee side is parched brown. A windy road leads to Longwood, Napoleon’s residence, now a museum set in a landscaped garden that is sovereign French territory. Ever since Napoleon’s death the British have tried to make amends for the rather awful way they had treated their arch-enemy. The house where he spent his exile, and where he died of stomach cancer at the age of fifty-one, is now in much better shape than it ever was when the former emperor and his entourage lived there. Then it was a draughty, damp, rat-infested place with sagging floorboards, dripping walls and smoking fireplaces. As we walked around on the squeaky floors, Napoleon’s presence was almost palpable, a feeling undoubtedly helped by the fact that some of the original furniture has been preserved: his desk and chair, an ornate mirror, the large zinc bath in which he spent endless hours feeling sorry for himself.
World ARC in St Helena
As part of the sailing rules, the crews may elect to spend up to 72 hours in St Helena, the actual amount of time being taken off their total time in order to work out the overall results. During their time on the island the crews will meet members of the St Helena Yacht Club and will be treated with a BBQ ashore. |