The Car Rental

Renting a car on St. Helena is not like renting a car anywhere else. There are no shiny sedans waiting for you at the rental desk, you need to go to the tourist office to enquire about rental cars, they then will phone their connection and voila you can collect the car in the parking lot tomorrow after 9am. Keys? They will be in the car! We ended up with what can only be described as a well loved vehicle or not so loved, dented and scratched on every panel and looking like it had survived more than a few questionable driving decisions, not to mention the completely smooth tires. I am 99% sure it was not a real rental, probably the trusty old ride of a local. But hey, it had four wheels, windows that did not work and a functional engine, so off we went!

Driving around the island was pretty cool, as we were really excited to get to know this town. St. Helena has a very rugged beauty, steep cliffs, winding roads, and a very lush tropical vegetation. The roads are narrow, twisting, and clearly designed by someone who enjoys making drivers question their life choices. 

Before we left South Africa, we were given the phone number of a local and very interesting couple, whom we made contact with when we arrived, since we had ac ar we figured we would pay them a visit, they grow fresh produce on the island. Their farm/small holding called "Gift Cottage" sits on a stunning hillside, overlooking the valleys. The produce ware not your standard apples and carrots that we are used to. This was an assortment of mystery fruits and veggies - things that looked vaguely familiar that I would simply need to figure out when it was time to use them. If it is fresh, I am buying it!

They were not just farmers though, they were explorers and sailors as well. Turns out, they were the first people from St. Helena to comlpete a full circumnavigation of the world. And they did it with three children. Bruh! I can not even begin to imagine the challenges, and this was all before starlink.

After a full day of driving and sightseeing, we finally made our way back to the boat, our interesting product in tow. We had no idea what we were going to do with half of it.

When you rent a sketchy car, meet sailing champions, and buy alien-looking vegetables all in one day, you know ithas been a good day.

Naturally, after meeting the owners of Gift Cottage, we invited them aboard for drinks. As we also had another couple who were also in the marina joining us. There is one universal truth about life at sea, good company and a well-stocked bar make for a fun evening.

The night was filled with chatter, and exchanging of stories as we all had a common interest and that would be the love of sailing and adventure.

St.Helena had given us a very unique experiences, and now, new friends. But the ocean was calling and Brazil awaited.