Wednesday 16 February 2011

RMS St. Helena

On our helicopter trip the other day we happened to fly over the RMS (Royal Mail Ship) St. Helena, one of the last Royal Mail Ships in commission, having just returned from the South Atlantic Islands of Tristan Da Cunha and St. Helena.

This small passenger-cargo ship of 6,767 GT (Gross Tonnage) services the Island of St. Helena in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, and it will forever bear a special place in my heart. The RMS, as she is affectionately known, was the first ship I ever sailed on back in 2002, and it was while sailing on her that my love for the sea and all things maritime was further entrenched. My career with Mercy Ships is thus linked to this little vessel.

I highly recommend a trip to one of the world's forgotten jewels, St. Helena Island, onboard the RMS. For more on the RMS, click here.

2 comments:

Adrian said...

Hi - I'm a photographer who is really wanting to sail to St Helena on the RMS (have been for years!)

I wondered if you know much about the island? One of my questions is - would it be possible to hire a motorbike on the island (like a Yamaha DT125 or similar)? I need to have the freedom to travel all over the island withour relying on buses, taxis or other drivers. If you know of any good St Helena contacts, or sources of info, I would be really grateful :) Thanks

Murray Tristan Crawford said...

Hi Adrian,
Thanks for your comment. I spent two months on the island back in 2002 and so do know a little about St Helena - and I definitely recommend a trip to this lonely island.
I actually had a mountain bike when I was there and so biked around and it was nice to be semi-independent, but there are many places where you would need a car or motorbike to get to.
Whether you can hire a motorbike, I'm not sure, but I do know you will be able to hire a car. Here's the official St Helena tourism website, and their page on hire cars: http://www.sthelenatourism.com/pages/car_rental.html
Also, you can e-mail St Helena tourism with your question regarding hiring a motorbike and I'm sure they'd be able to help you out:
enquiries@tourism.gov.sh
Hope those are useful and you have a lovely trip when you do go!
Kind regards, Murray