We reached St Helena island on Monday morning around 12h00 local
time. Which is, of course, the same as GMT or UT.
This time our arrival went with less heartache than on the
previous occasion, as it was during the working week and during
normal office hours. The customs ladies were friendly and efficient
and we all went ashore together in the ferry. We spent the afternoon
doing all the rest of the paperwork, then had a hamburger and a beer
or two. We were also able to contact our loved ones via the internet
and share some yearnings.
Tuesday was very interesting. Dawid and I went on a tour of the
island, while Renier enjoyed his solitude and surfed the internet,
contacting his friends and family. In the afternoon it was my turn
for solitude and chatting to my beloved, while Renier and Dawid went
scuba diving. Imagine, scuba diving in practically the most remote
corner of the world. At present only reachable by sea.
The island itself is quite interesting, as it has a history as old
as South Africa, perhaps older. The Portuguese discovered the island
in the early 1500's (around 1531?) and apparently kept it a secret
for over 90 years, when the Dutch came to know about its whereabouts,
then the other European nations. It was annexed by the British in
17xx and has been under British control ever since.
Perhaps it is known best by its most famous inhabitant, Napoleon
Bonaparte, who spent his last years there in exile. The island has
special significance for us South Africans, as some of our great
grandfathers were interned there during the Anglo Boer War from 1898
to 1902. Dawid and I visited the little cemetery where those who died
during their internment are buried. The cemetery is kept quite neat
and is situated in a most beautiful glade on the mountainside near to
a little Baptist chapel.
We also had a look at Napoleon's home, Longwood House, as well as
the governor's official residence which goes by the name of
Plantation House. At Plantation House the grounds are home to a
number of huge tortoises, the oldest of which is 170 years old and
answers to the name of Jonathan. Well, in a manner of speaking.
We then had a look at Jacob's Ladder from the top. Another famous
landmark on St Helena, this is a set of steps, 699 of them, leading
up the mountainside from the town to the fort on top. It started as a
funicular railway to supply the fort and was then converted to a set
of steps. They are quite steep at 11” average per step. That's
about 27cm odd. Quite steep, even for going down.
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After the tour I was hungry as the day was quite cold, so I had a
hamburger and chips before settling down to load my blog. It took
more than two hours, as one sucks individual electrons through a
drinking straw for internet access. Or so it feels. The internet
connection is actually fast enough to Skype, but not all access is
fast. I managed to chat to Carol for a while before the connection
was promptly severed by the meter after my airtime ran out. The chat
made only a little dent in my longings...
On Tuesday night we had a beer in a different place. Then, by
mutual agreement, we went back to the boat and made dinner. The
mutual agreement was that the food on board is better than the food
ashore. Anywhere on the island. Period. So I cooked, as it was my
turn anyway.
We had Pasta Carbonara alla Ziets.
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Ingredients
250 g bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
½ sweet pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, chopped
½ hot chili, chopped
1 ½ cup pasta. We used macaroni.
1 envelope pasta sauce. We used chicken and mushroom, as this was
the nearest flavour.
Some salt
Some cooking oil
Process
Cook the pasta in fast boiling water. Add some salt and a dollop
of oil to the water before adding the pasta. This will keep the pasta
separated. When the pasta is done, pour off the water into a cup to
make the sauce. No use in wasting perfectly good starch water.
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Fry the onion and sweet pepper in medium hot oil. When the onion
goes glassy, add the hot chili and garlic. Stir fry this until the
onion goes brown, then add the chopped bacon. Stir fry until the
bacon is done to your taste, then add all the pasta and mix through.
Pour the sauce over this and stir fry for another minute or two, then
dish up.
A simple dish, quite delicious, using only two pots. And better
than the food in town.
This morning we serviced the engines, topped up the diesel and
water tanks, then went to town for our weather checks and last
shopping. We actually found some tomato paste for 10p a tin, as the
tins were just out of date. What a bit of luck! On the other hand,
there were literally no fresh tomatoes to be found in any shop in
town.
The last thing we did on the island was to take a shower in the
ablution facilities on the foreshore. We were hoping for some hot
water, but alas, there was none. So we took a cold shower using
shampoo to wash our bodies as all our bathroom kits were on board.
Dawid had taken shampoo along to rid him of the salt on his body
after taking a swim before we went ashore. This came in very handy,
as all of us had last taken a proper bath or shower some days
earlier.
We all felt a sense of relief when the anchors were weighed, the
sail unfurled and course set for the Brazilian coast. I guess the
last shower ashore may have been symbolical, washing away the effects
of the land on us. Perhaps a bit like the immortal words of John
Masefield in his poem Sea Fever, quoted here:
I
must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And
all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And
the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And
a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I
must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is
a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And
all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And
the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I
must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To
the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted
knife;
And
all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And
quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.
Authored by Johan Zietsman
Last updated on 2012-12-12
½ green bell pepper, chopped
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