St Helena Trip, June 2011 “the island that time forgot” J. Fox, Getaway magazine

When comparing Justin Fox’s article on St Helena in 1998 with National Geographic’s article from 1978 it’s difficult to find changes to the lifestyle on St Helena in the last 20 years. St Helena Island is essentially cut off from the world – its only lifeline to the outside was, and still is, the Royal Mail ship. Lying 1400 miles off the coast of Angola, the island is reached by means of a 5 day journey on this ship. Although talks of an airport being built on the island have been given the go ahead, almost half the 4500 inhabitants on the island still oppose the plans and one can understand why;

	First settled by the English in 1659 and also used as a place to exile prisoners like Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the most famous inhabitants to ever live on St Helena, it is now Britain’s second oldest remaining colony after Bermuda. Measuring 16 by 8 Kilometers in size, this Volcanic island is not only known for its superb and unexploited diving but also for its lush green and mountainous natural beauty. Hiking on this island is a delight as one can see from the Seven Wonders of St Helena like Diana’s Peak with its 360 degree view, the heart-shaped waterfall and Sane Valley where Napoleon’s tomb lies.  The Journey Although 10 days aboard a boat to get there and back may sound like a bore, the St Helena holds charms found no-where else. The atmosphere aboard is described as a family one, apart from the fact that most of the passengers are from St Helena and many of the inhabitants there are related, there is also an intimacy on the ship which means you have made friends with most of the other passengers by the time you reach the island.

Days aboard are spent reading novels and lazing in at the pool on deck chairs with tall drinks. Sighting of dolphins, whales and albatross are not uncommon so keeping your camera with you at all times is a good idea. Entertainment among the passengers ranges from table tennis, bingo, quizzes and scrabble tournaments to clearing the  deck chairs for a game of deck cricket between passengers and crew. More unusual entertainment involves tortoise and frog racing on the pub and casino nights and the crew cabaret where crew dresses in drag (many have been known to weep with laughter).

Life aboard the RMS prepares your ear for the St Helena accent – a mixture of English, Australian and Jamaican. The "Saints", as the locals are called, are a happy and easy going people that come from a paradise free of worries, crime, pollution and cell phones.

Scuba Diving - Witte Leeuw shipwreck of St Helena

In the 17th Century, St Helena was used as a stopover for ships from Portugal and Holland who were on route to the East Indies. Here provisions were replenished and repairs made to vessels. But, unforeseen, in 1613, this would also become the battleground and watery grave for the Dutch East Indian ship – Witte Leeuw (White Lion). The Witte Leeuw, returning from the Orient and heavily laden with china, diamonds and spices, was travelling in convoy and thought it could take on two Portuguese ships anchored at James Bay, St Helena. The Captain underestimated the Portuguese and the Portuguese cannons damaged his ship so badly that it sank with all its riches.

A researcher and salvager of historical wrecks, Robert Stenuit, came across mention of Witte Leeuw and its treasures many times and eventually set out to explore the  shipwreck which was on route back from the Orient (Other East Indian ships had been departing Europe when they sank) with riches like the 1311 diamonds on board when it sank. In National Geographic’s October 1978 magazine his article details the rare Ming porcelain, cannons, bags of pepper (which surprisingly withstood being washed away through the centuries) that he found. These valuable items are now in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum and private collections. Alas none of the 1311 diamonds were ever salvaged. The explanation for this was probably because the stern section of Witte Leeuw had been blown up in battle before it sank and here the diamonds had been stored. They had obviously been scattered far and wide by the explosion. But a few personal items and pottery can still be found on this wreck and other wrecks around St Helena’s shores.

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