Location: Jamestown, St. Helena
On our last full day on land, we explored local treasure troves, learning about the unfamiliar history of the land. Twenty-two of us piled into three cars (one van, one open van, and a standard car), and we were on our way to learning about this incredible island that has already revealed so much of itself to us in its marine life. Jamestown is the epicenter of the island, and as we gradually pulled away on these vein-like roads, we got to see the beauty of the island as a piece of earth, rather than an extension of the ocean and aquatic life. We bounced down these uninhabited roads, our driver honking his horn at every turn, warning (usually) no one of our presence before turning around a bend at what seemed an impossible angle for the vans, but our skilled drivers had no problems. The open van took to singing songs throughout our journey, and a tour guide we met at Napoleon Bonaparte’s former home/prison commented on the closeness of the group.
The Saints have pride in their history and love Napoleon and his story; in learning about him, we all gained greater respect through this new knowledge of their history. We walked where Napoleon walked and stood by the place where he died.
Following the tour, we ate lunch and stopped to get ice cream, a highlight of the day. We proceeded to tour the island, stopping at various historical and local spots. You don’t realize how much you miss something like grass until you have been away from it for almost three weeks. We stopped to look out at Sandy Bay, an area we hiked around yesterday. The two donkeys in the neighboring field enjoyed our group’s boisterous presence, letting us come up to them and touch their velvety, soft noses. They were especially happy when Britt fed them the crusts of her sandwich.
The tour ended, and we each departed to various parts of Jamestown, gathering last-minute provisions before our upcoming passage. We have learned from our last passage that chocolate is gold and is the best bargaining chip on the boat, whether at sea or on land.
Nights out are always special because we get to gather as a large group and just get to know each other; the staff and the students relax and simply enjoy one another’s presence, eating and laughing together. Anne’s Place, the restaurant we ate at, set up an incredible buffet with chicken wings, ribs, fish fillets, baked beans, and so much more. We met up with a couple on a boat, Seventh Heaven, which has been following along the same track as Argo since before our journey commenced, in the Indian Ocean. Many enjoyed hearing their stories and telling the couple of the adventures we have shared together. This journey has been so incredible, and we are all learning so much about each other and ourselves. St. Helena, in its remoteness, has proven a great place for us to temporarily settle before continuing on our journey and our next passage.
Looking forward to the adventures to come!