Jamestown St Helena September 15th 6.00am

My last night’s sleep on the ship was punctuated by the vibrations of something in the wall or ceiling of my cabin which sounded like a phone ringing.  This was because someone had fallen sick and the Captain had ordered an earlier arrival in Jamestown.  I don’t think this ship was meant to go that fast!  Suddenly after five days of movement there was comparative silence and the bag I had hanging on a hook stopped behaving like a pendulum.  We had arrived.  Dawn was just breaking over the cliffs of my home for the next few weeks.  The sky was grey as was the sea and all I could see from the cabin.  Not quite what I had visualised back in the UK. 

Disembarkation was slightly tricky although nothing like the cargo containers.  They were placed on what looked like large rafts and gingerly aimed at the waterfront around a ¼ mile away.  See the picture I took.  I was placed in a lifejacket and climbed down the equivalent of a long fire escape down the side of the ship into a small motor launch.  Deposited on dry land I could have sworn the earth was moving under my feet, no wonder people say you have to lose your sea legs.  It took me almost two days to get mine back!   A welcoming committee was there to meet me, three of the team from the local tourist office; my new colleagues.  Cases were identified and whisked up to my new home for the next 6 weeks.  The two bedroom cottage (anyone want to come and visit me?) about three miles out of Jamestown is perched up a road called Ladder hill which is carved out of the sheer cliff and although one of only two main roads out of the capital is mostly single track!  I have been given a little Suzuki Jeep to drive for my time here and have been told I will probably never use 4th gear!

---