Voyage to St. Helena

On Sunday, 26 February, we packed our bags and delivered them to the pier head by 8 am as required.  They passed through a scanner but no one checked our passports or tickets!  After breakfast, we attended a service at the Anglican church (fulfilling our promise to the vicar, whom we met the night before at a going away party for the St. Helenian who had showed us around on day one in Ascension).  The congregation prayed for, among a few others, those travelling by sea!  We reported back to the pier at 1 pm, waited a while, were asked to show our passports (but not tickets), put on life jackets, waited some more, and boarded a civilized (it had a canopy) launch for the RMS (Royal Mail Ship) St. Helena anchored about ten minutes away out to sea.  (Yes, there is no deep water port at Ascension.)  Fortunately, the sea was calm and we managed the gaps from shore to launch, launch to pontoon and pontoon to the ship's steep ladder steps without incident. The St. Helenian shore crew (stevedores) were in no hurry to ferry and load the ship, so a desired 2 pm departure became a 3:30 pm actual set off.  Most of the 54 passengers were St. Helenians.  There were about 20, all Brits but Jack, who are travelling, mainly for business.  The purser, who sat at our table at dinner, told us that there were six actual tourists. This gives you an idea of just how few tourists visit the island.  The RMS St. Helena is a comfortable and modern ship but at 100 meters long and 7,000 tons, certainly not a cruise ship.  Thankfully the seas were calm and we fell into the over-eating routine typical of ship life immediately!