Arrival in St Helena

3 pm Nov. 17 2016

Halfway across the south Atlantic! It feels great to be here. We were worried about arriving after dark and having to heave to until morning but the weather gods were with us. We kept up a good enough speed last night and today to arrive in daylight. Tahawus arrived yesterday as well as Louise who passed us at one point a few days ago. Only 2 other sailboats are here
besides them. There are mooring buoys that are known to be a challenge to pick up with no lines attached. But they are large and flat topped so Rob managed to step down on it and get some lines through the ring on top.

The time zone here is UTC, the same as in England. That makes us feel closer to home.

The end of the sailing trip was as uneventful as the rest, which is the way we like it. We had to gybe regularly and the winds were up and down with varying directions but ok. It was great to have a full moon even though the skies were always overcast. You could still see a bit at night. Today was the first clear day which was a treat for seeing the island as we approached.

Customs are coming out to the boat 8:30 tomorrow so we can just relax onboard until then. It is now 18 degrees C so no more jackets for awhile. The scenery is dramatic coming in. There are very steep cliffs of rock with many birds  and caves along the face. The only town and capital, Jamestown, sits up on the hillside with some parts at sea level. Tomorrow we will get into town to finish the check in and get to the bank. They have their own currency here but also take British pounds. There are no ATM's, and credit cards are not taken anywhere. Cash is king but you pay for it and need to stand in line during bank hours. Wifi is supposed to be very slow and not widely available. We will stick to using the iridium email address on the sat phone.

Tomorrow we look forward to meeting some of the"saints", as the locals are called. The population is about 4000, and they are known to be friendly to outsiders. The history here goes back hundreds of years when ships regularly pulled in here on their way from Europe to the east, before the opening of the Suez Canal. We would like to visit Napolean's home in exile, as well as get in a tour of the island. Tomorrow, besides check in and  the bank we want to get to the tourist office, as well as doing the boring things like laundry and washing up. An early, and long sleep will also be a treat.