Ascension Island diary - December 28
Day 2 - December 28th
Wake up to warmth wafting in from open windows and a blue sky with wispy white clouds scuttling along at a fair rate. What a change to January in the UK.
Breakfast on the veranda and RMS St. Helena has arrived in the bay.
RMS St. Helena came into service in 1990 and sails between Britain, Ascension Island , St. Helena and South Africa, but its future is uncertain.
After breakfast time for a swim. Although Long Beach is just 100 yards away it is not suitable for swimming, so off to the Georgetown pool just 100 yards away in the opposite direction.
It is a bit of a time warp, the fading, peeling white/blue paint scheme, together with the fact that it is a sea-water pool brings back memories of British summer holidays in the '50s. Plus the no-nonsense, be responsible for oneself, approach to rules contrasts sharply with current UK cotton wool view of things.
Open door it might be but the water is just right and it is just great to have the pool to oneself for a morning swim.
Meanwhile the pierhead readies itself for unloading of cargo ...
and the RMS St.Helena tender has been busying itself ferrying people ashore.
The tricky process of ship to shore transfer of cargo and goodies for the island then commences ...
Today the sea was pretty calm but it must be a bit hairy when the swell is bigger.
Time for a siesta followed by a drive to Comfortless Cove to meet up with Johnny and Pete who had gone on ahead with the Scouts.
Unfortunately we hit Georgetown rush-hour but it didn't delay us too much.
Down on Comfortless Cove Johnny was busy organising the Scouts into three teams who were building rafts.
The white one, below, if you hadn't already guessed, is our Pete.
The race to the rope limiting safe swimming in Comfortless is on.
The blue flag is actually a Manchester United shirt.
May the best raft win.
Finally time for a gentle drive back to base as we had borrowed Johnny's Landrover. Gentle being the operative word as I had been religiously observing the mph speed limits but had not noticed for quite a while that whilst the Landrover was left hand drive (well that's my excuse) the speedo was calibrated in kph.
En-route we can see Green Mountain in the far distance and an "Irish Bridge" in the foreground. But more of these anon.
Another busy day on Ascension finishing up with dinner at Two Boats with Shub (the islands' doctor) and Raxa who have been on the island for over 25 years.
