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St Helena - from Cruising Information Community

https://forum.oceancruisingclub.org/Topic2150.aspx

By George.Curtis2 - 1 Jun 2015

25 May 2015 Jamestown – 15°55.00'S, 05°43.00'W
Christopher Marchant, 25 May 2015 There is information at the St Helena tourist board website sthelenatourism.com Aprroach and Mooring - Easy. The moorings are just north of...15 55.4S 05 43.05 W. They are large, secure and reasonably yacht friendly. Anchoring would not be easy and the moorings are charged at only £2 a day for the yellow ones (up to 20 tonnes) and the red ones £3 a day (upto 50 tonnes) There is also a one off charge of £40. The ferry service is reliable and prompt (£2 p.p. return) responding on Ch8. However it does not run after about 18:30. Leaving a dinghy afloat would not be easy, nor would lifting the dinghy out if using an outboard. Otherwise the landing was OK when we were there although we did not have much of a swell. The landing clearly has the potential to be very dangerous or even impossible, but by then you would not want to be on the moorings either!Formalities – Easy... see PdfFacilities - Jamestown is a very attractive small town reminiscent of Lymington, with Georgian buildings climbing the hill. There are a good range of shops which have a good choice of food except for fresh fruit and veg unless the RMS St Helena has been in. There is some veg grown on the island including potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, leeks and cabbage when we were there. The best local produce is available in the old market building but you need to be there early! There were also beetroot, onions and garlic available but no salad. If there appear to be no eggs available ask at Solomons Supermarket, they can probably get some for you. There are a couple of reasonable hardware shops.Shore side showers, loos and deep sinks for laundry are provided in the one of the harbour side buildings beside the yacht club. The code for this facility is available from the Harbour Master or Deputy Harbour Master. There are also public cold showers and loos at the pier head.Money - There are no ATMs but it is easy to withdraw cash on a card at the bank ...for a 5% charge, or exchange $, Euros or Rand. Some places will take cards but again at 5%. Do not get left with St Helena £ as these are not legal tender anywhere else except Ascension and cannot be exchanged either. Generally shopkeepers will try to give you UK £ if you ask.Water - Is available free at the landing stage.Diesel - A barge will come and fill your tanks or your cans for £1.08 a litre which is cheaper than at the garage for some reason. The office is in one of the stone buildings on the pier. Petrol from the garage.Gas refills - are also available at the garage and at Annie 's Shop but you may have to wait as they only usually make the trip to the gas depot out in the hills once a week. Best to check with them on arrival which day they will be making a trip to the depot.Wifi - Is availabe at The Consulate Hotel and Anna 's Restaurant for about £3.80 a half hour.Repairs - The local people ar every helpful and it seems likely you would be able to find some expertise locally. The crane on the pier looks as if it could pick up most yachts with ease but I have no idea if this could be an option in an emergency.Laundry - Annie 's Laundry is at the top of Napoleon Street, last building on left hand side. Usually ready later the same day if taken in early; excellent job and not expensive.She will arrange to leave it at Anna 's restaurant down in the small park at the bottom of main street if you ask, saves a walk.Sights - The tourist office at the top of the Main Rd can organise a hire car cheaply. (£45 for 3 days for us.) They also have details of guides if you want one. Some places such as Plantation House, the Governor 's residence, are only open 1 day per week. If visiting Longwood, Napoleon 's prison house, and his tomb you need to make prior arrangement. 3 days is plenty to see the island although there are good walks in the hills if you want to spend longer.Contacts - The harbour master and his deputy are very helpful and respond to emails on: asst.harbourmaster1@hmrc.gov.sh
...........as does the tourist office on: enquiries@tourism.co.sh

This information has been contributed by and is intended for use by competent amateur yachtsmen as general guidance solely to supplement research of their cruising plans.It has not been checked or verified by the OCC. The Information may be inaccurate or out of date and is NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION.
By George.Curtis - 23 Apr 2019

George Curtis - 6/1/2015
Jamestown – 15°55.00'S, 05°43.00'W
This information has been contributed by and is intended for use by competent amateur yachtsmen as general guidance solely to supplement research of their cruising plans.It has not been checked or verified by the OCC. The Information may be inaccurate or out of date and is NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION. Flying Fish Articles Christopher Marchant, 25 May 2015 Jamestown – 15°55.00'S, 05°43.00'W There is an excellent PDF available on line with more information at the St Helena tourist board website www.sthelenatourism.comAprroach and Mooring - Easy. The moorings are just north of...15 55.4S 05 43.05 W. They are large, secure and reasonably yacht friendly. Anchoring would not be easy and the moorings are charged at only £2 a day for the yellow ones (up to 20 tonnes) and the red ones £3 a day (upto 50 tonnes) There is also a one off charge of £40. The ferry service is reliable and prompt (£2 p.p. return) responding on Ch8. However it does not run after about 18:30. Leaving a dinghy afloat would not be easy, nor would lifting the dinghy out if using an outboard. Otherwise the landing was OK when we were there although we did not have much of a swell. The landing clearly has the potential to be very dangerous or even impossible, but by then you would not want to be on the moorings either!Formalities – Easy... see PdfFacilities - Jamestown is a very attractive small town reminiscent of Lymington, with Georgian buildings climbing the hill. There are a good range of shops which have a good choice of food except for fresh fruit and veg unless the RMS St Helena has been in. There is some veg grown on the island including potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, leeks and cabbage when we were there. The best local produce is available in the old market building but you need to be there early! There were also beetroot, onions and garlic available but no salad. If there appear to be no eggs available ask at Solomons Supermarket, they can probably get some for you. There are a couple of reasonable hardware shops.Shore side showers, loos and deep sinks for laundry are provided in the one of the harbour side buildings beside the yacht club. The code for this facility is available from the Harbour Master or Deputy Harbour Master. There are also public cold showers and loos at the pier head.Money - There are no ATMs but it is easy to withdraw cash on a card at the bank ...for a 5% charge, or exchange $, Euros or Rand. Some places will take cards but again at 5%. Do not get left with St Helena £ as these are not legal tender anywhere else except Ascension and cannot be exchanged either. Generally shopkeepers will try to give you UK £ if you ask.Water - Is available free at the landing stage.Diesel - A barge will come and fill your tanks or your cans for £1.08 a litre which is cheaper than at the garage for some reason. The office is in one of the stone buildings on the pier. Petrol from the garage.Gas refills - are also available at the garage and at Annie 's Shop but you may have to wait as they only usually make the trip to the gas depot out in the hills once a week. Best to check with them on arrival which day they will be making a trip to the depot.Wifi - Is availabe at The Consulate Hotel and Anna 's Restaurant for about £3.80 a half hour.Repairs - The local people ar every helpful and it seems likely you would be able to find some expertise locally. The crane on the pier looks as if it could pick up most yachts with ease but I have no idea if this could be an option in an emergency.Laundry - Annie 's Laundry is at the top of Napoleon Street, last building on left hand side. Usually ready later the same day if taken in early; excellent job and not expensive.She will arrange to leave it at Anna 's restaurant down in the small park at the bottom of main street if you ask, saves a walk.Sights - The tourist office at the top of the Main Rd can organise a hire car cheaply. (£45 for 3 days for us.) They also have details of guides if you want one. Some places such as Plantation House, the Governor 's residence, are only open 1 day per week. If visiting Longwood, Napoleon 's prison house, and his tomb you need to make prior arrangement. 3 days is plenty to see the island although there are good walks in the hills if you want to spend longer.Contacts - The harbour master and his deputy are very helpful and respond to emails on: asst.harbourmaster1@hmrc.gov.sh ...........as does the tourist office on: enquiries@tourism.co.sh

By alshaheen - 27 Apr 2019

George Curtis - 6/1/2015
25 May 2015 Jamestown – 15°55.00'S, 05°43.00'W
Christopher Marchant, 25 May 2015 There is information at the St Helena tourist board website sthelenatourism.com Aprroach and Mooring - Easy. The moorings are just north of...15 55.4S 05 43.05 W. They are large, secure and reasonably yacht friendly. Anchoring would not be easy and the moorings are charged at only £2 a day for the yellow ones (up to 20 tonnes) and the red ones £3 a day (upto 50 tonnes) There is also a one off charge of £40. The ferry service is reliable and prompt (£2 p.p. return) responding on Ch8. However it does not run after about 18:30. Leaving a dinghy afloat would not be easy, nor would lifting the dinghy out if using an outboard. Otherwise the landing was OK when we were there although we did not have much of a swell. The landing clearly has the potential to be very dangerous or even impossible, but by then you would not want to be on the moorings either!Formalities – Easy... see PdfFacilities - Jamestown is a very attractive small town reminiscent of Lymington, with Georgian buildings climbing the hill. There are a good range of shops which have a good choice of food except for fresh fruit and veg unless the RMS St Helena has been in. There is some veg grown on the island including potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, leeks and cabbage when we were there. The best local produce is available in the old market building but you need to be there early! There were also beetroot, onions and garlic available but no salad. If there appear to be no eggs available ask at Solomons Supermarket, they can probably get some for you. There are a couple of reasonable hardware shops.Shore side showers, loos and deep sinks for laundry are provided in the one of the harbour side buildings beside the yacht club. The code for this facility is available from the Harbour Master or Deputy Harbour Master. There are also public cold showers and loos at the pier head.Money - There are no ATMs but it is easy to withdraw cash on a card at the bank ...for a 5% charge, or exchange $, Euros or Rand. Some places will take cards but again at 5%. Do not get left with St Helena £ as these are not legal tender anywhere else except Ascension and cannot be exchanged either. Generally shopkeepers will try to give you UK £ if you ask.Water - Is available free at the landing stage.Diesel - A barge will come and fill your tanks or your cans for £1.08 a litre which is cheaper than at the garage for some reason. The office is in one of the stone buildings on the pier. Petrol from the garage.Gas refills - are also available at the garage and at Annie 's Shop but you may have to wait as they only usually make the trip to the gas depot out in the hills once a week. Best to check with them on arrival which day they will be making a trip to the depot.Wifi - Is availabe at The Consulate Hotel and Anna 's Restaurant for about £3.80 a half hour.Repairs - The local people ar every helpful and it seems likely you would be able to find some expertise locally. The crane on the pier looks as if it could pick up most yachts with ease but I have no idea if this could be an option in an emergency.Laundry - Annie 's Laundry is at the top of Napoleon Street, last building on left hand side. Usually ready later the same day if taken in early; excellent job and not expensive.She will arrange to leave it at Anna 's restaurant down in the small park at the bottom of main street if you ask, saves a walk.Sights - The tourist office at the top of the Main Rd can organise a hire car cheaply. (£45 for 3 days for us.) They also have details of guides if you want one. Some places such as Plantation House, the Governor 's residence, are only open 1 day per week. If visiting Longwood, Napoleon 's prison house, and his tomb you need to make prior arrangement. 3 days is plenty to see the island although there are good walks in the hills if you want to spend longer.Contacts - The harbour master and his deputy are very helpful and respond to emails on: asst.harbourmaster1@hmrc.gov.sh
...........as does the tourist office on: enquiries@tourism.co.sh

This information has been contributed by and is intended for use by competent amateur yachtsmen as general guidance solely to supplement research of their cruising plans.It has not been checked or verified by the OCC. The Information may be inaccurate or out of date and is NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION.

Note also that we now have an OCC Port Officer in St Helena, James Hearne, who is himself a circumnavigator and a native of St Helena. Contact details on the OCC website.
By Baxter.Gillespie - 13 Dec 2019

Here is some information from Cheryl Morice, SV Nomadica, Jamestown, St Helena Island, South Atlantic Ocean, Mobile:- 00 290 51563. E-mail:- cherry280379@gmail.com

INFO FOR YACHTS STOPPING IN ST HELENA ISLAND.
Hello fellow Sailors. We sailed from the Caribbean to St Helena Island earlier this year (yep not an easy trip) and will be basing ourselves here for the next year or two. I am from St Helena but hadn't spent any real time here since we sailed away 15 years ago. I have been in touch with a few boats that are heading this way this coming Summer.
One of the main questions I get is costs for stopping here. I have a few PDF documents from the Immigration and Port Control here that I would be more than happy to pass on. Not sure if I can post them here? However here is a basic breakdown of charges:-

Immigration - First 3 days are free. If you plan to stay longer it is 20 pounds per person one of charge landing fee valid for 182 days.
Customs - No fees just the normal Custom declaration forms to fill out.
Port Control - One of charge of 35 pounds Harbour fees. There is a Mooring field with yellow and red Moorings. These are regulated by weight. There is a limited amount of moorings and anchoring otherwise is in deep water (15-20m).
The following is taken from one of the leaflets.
Information on Moorings
The position of St Helena’s Yacht Moorings is
015° 55’ .400 South - 005° 43’. 500 West
We have 18 YELLOW BUOYS which have a maximum 20 tonnes displacement and 50ft (LOA).
And 5 RED BUOYS which have a maximum 50 tonnes displacement and 60ft (LOA).
On arrival
The Harbourmaster’s normal working hours are 08.30am to 16.00pm Monday to Friday.
The Harbourmaster is on call only, Saturday to Sunday.
The Harbourmaster operates on VHF Channel 14 during normal working hours.
If you should arrive during the hours of darkness (Monday to Friday), you should pick up the appropriate coloured buoy. Port Control can then be contacted on VHF Channel 14 from 08.30am.
If your arrival is over the weekend, you should contact St Helena Radio on VHF Channel 16.

All persons on board should have adequate medical insurance to cover emergency medical costs, including evacuation, for the duration of their stay. If persons are not covered by insurance or cannot provide details they might be required to purchase one locally. The price locally is 1.29 per day per person for Sum Insured up to 175, 000 pounds plus 10% service tax. If the insurance is for just a few days and equates to under 25 pounds a 5 pounds Admin charge is added.

Fuel can be purchase at 1.43 a litre. So quite expensive, so carry as much as you can. If you do purchase fuel it will be bought to you. If you purchase fuel you can get water for free. Otherwise a small fee is added if purchasing water alone. St Helena is currently going through a very dry period and water stocks are low so its a precious right now.

Internet is also very expensive here at 3.50 per half hour. So do as much downloads as you can before arriving.

All prices above is in Pound which is equivalent to the British Pound.

I hope this information will be helpful. If there is anything else please let me know and I will try to find out the information for you from the appropriate department. We look forward to Welcoming you to St Helena Island.