One can get there by freighter from either Capetown or London, I think, but there is no airstrip, although I have heard that they are trying to figure out how to build one there. It is a mountainous island with no pains -- hence the problem for airplanes -- but supports a population of like 5000, all mulattos, and a central town, Jamestown, that is very quaint. Since there is no chance of escape they allow the prisoners in jail to roam around during the day, for one thing (although I did hear about a drug smuggler from the
Netherlands who did in fact escape by yacht). When I was there over ten years ago I remember reading the local paper which came out fortnightly or monthly and it was recounting the crimes and the only one reported was someone slashed the tires on a car outside the main pub in Jamestown. The scenery was very interesting -- you can walk up like a thousand steps from Jamestown, which sits in a valley, to the adjoining cliffs for an outstanding view. The people were more reserved than gregarious, but friendly enough. The only anchorage is there at Jamestown and it is a challenge to get to shore: they have a
dock -- you will think I am kidding about this but I swear it is true -- with a rail or something (I forget exactly) over
head high up with ropes that they swing out to you and you catch it and swing Tarzan-like back on the
dock. There must be photos of that on the web somewhere. (I am in NZ on a
boat at the moment and do not have those photos, none digital, with me.) St Helena is most famous for being the prison and ultimate death location of Napoleon. We bought
fuel there and locals delivered it to us in barrels from a
boat. We were on a 42 ft
catamaran sailing from
South Africa to
Brazil, and St Helena is a regular stop on that
route. I know a
delivery captain who
sails SA cats to the
Caribbean and has stopped there over a dozen times. There is a well-known yachtie restaurant called, I think, Mary's Place. St Helena is very British, but semi-Third World, too.
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