ADVENTURE CRUISING
comes in. One of the world’s last working Royal Mail Ships, she is the island’s life- line, a regular visitor from Cape Town with twice-yearly visits to the UK via Ascension Island and Tenerife. The 128-berth vessel is a true original, a unique blend of passenger ship and cargo vessel, being the sole source of supply of all goods to her island namesake as well as an experience of travel from a bygone era. Passengers are made up of tourists and St Helenians – or ‘Saints’ as they are known locally – travelling home, with a range of popular themed voyages throughout the year, featuring specialist guest speakers on music, ornithology and history.
T
he full voyage begins in Portland in Dorset and takes a month to complete, with two calls at Ascen-
sion Island and two at St Helena, including a two or three-night stopover to explore. However, the voyage can also be taken in 13, 18 and 24-day versions from Cape Town, providing more time at each of the south Atlantic ports of call and including Tristan da Cunha on one itinerary. The nature of the ship’s schedule also
allows for a variety of holiday combina- tions and the ability to ‘hop on’ and ‘hop off’ at some of the ports, staying longer at some destinations or connecting with international flights for onward travel. But those basics do not do justice to the experience that is RMS St Helena. Built in 1989 purposely to serve the island of her name, she weighs in at a scant 6,767 tons – barely a lifeboat by today’s mega-ship standards. But she carries 128 passengers in great style and affords the kind of travel adventure that is almost extinct these days. Of course, there are no casinos, show- lounges, fancy spas, golf courses, shopping malls and water parks. Instead, what you find is a relaxed, refined and thoroughly convivial mode of travel that is geared around social occasions like meal-times, lectures, film nights and cocktail parties. Good conversation replaces high-ener-
gy shows; a good-natured game of bingo becomes the daily pre-occupation; after- noon tea is more of a high point than the queue for the buffet; and the day’s events unfurl at a leisurely pace that allow for proper enjoyment of one’s surroundings, in the company of like-minded passengers and officers and crew who add a real hu- man dimension to the voyage. That isn’t to say the RMS doesn’t pos-
sess high-quality creature comforts. Passen- gers (and yes, they do still refer to them as such, not the ubiquitous ‘guests’ you find
“There is an UNDENIABLE AMBIENCE of NOSTAGLIA on board, harking back to a more GENTEEL AGE of CRUISING”
SAILING WITH THE SAINTS
1. HRH Princess Anne travelled on the RMS to St Helena in 2002.
2. The officers write, choreograph and perform the cabaret show.
3. Both captains of the RMS are from St Helena.
4. The most unusual passengers have been two crocodiles that travelled from Cape Town to Tenerife.
5. On the last voyage to St Helena from the UK, there was a fire engine onboard, donated by Dorset Fire and Rescue service.
elsewhere) are still looked after around the clock, with two bars, the full-service din- ing room, sun deck, shop, swimming pool, gymnasium and library to keep everyone entertained. There is also an undeniable atmosphere of nostalgia, as the range of informative talks, quizzes, films and other low-key en- tertainments hark back to a more genteel age of maritime excursions. You eat in the ‘dining saloon,’ not a restaurant; traditional deck games are on offer instead of basket- ball; beef tea is served in the sun lounge; and the Crossing The Line ceremony still exits for all those traversing the equator by sea for the first time.
In fact, once ensconced inside the surprisingly capacious interior, the RMS displays more of the characteristics of a distinguished hotel than a sea-going arti- san. The Purser’s office provides banking facilities, acts as a post office and pub- lishes a daily newspaper, The Ocean Mail. The shop sells souvenirs and essentials for the voyage. There is an efficient laundry service for washing and ironing but, should you wish to use it, there is also a personal, fully-equipped laundrette.
Autumn 2010 I WORLD OF CRUISING
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