| FROM THE LOG #91
Ascension Island
A Rare Place to Visit
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The pier on a stamp from 1938 |
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| Just before leaving St Helena we became grandparents for the second time and our instrument panel was re-designed. |
We arrived in Ascension on 22 February after a 6-day passage from St Helena.
This report will be bief because lack of time and slow connections, and I have to let most of the photos speak for themselves.
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of . It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha,[1] of which the main island, Saint Helena, is around 1,300 kilometres (800 mi) to the southeast.
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| The anchorage in Clarence Bay at George town. We were three sailboats among the small local boats. |
Historically, it has played a role as an important safe haven and coaling station to mariners and for commercial airliners during the days of international air travel by flying boats and during World War II was an important naval and air station, especially providing antisubmarine warfare bases in the Battle of the Atlantic and throughout the war.
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| Slow internet speeds generate thirst. |
Lunch in a village called Two Boats |
The island is the location of RAF Ascension Island, which is a Royal Air Force station with a United States Air Force presence, a European Space Agency rocket tracking station, and the BBC World Service Atlantic Relay Station. The island was used extensively by the British military during the Falklands War. Ascension Island hosts one of five ground antennae (others are on Kwajalein Island, Diego Garcia, Colorado Springs and Hawaii) that assist in the operation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigational system.
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Water catchments at Breakneck Valley |
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There is no indigenous or permanent population on the island, although around 880 people live there as of 2010: 696 from Saint Helena nicknamed the "Saints" (who are British citizens), 106 British citizens from Great Britain, 70 US citizens and 12 of other nationalities. In order to enter Ascension Island, individuals need a written permission of the Administrator; we got our permits during our stop at St Helena.
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| Prickly Pear |
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Until 2002, tourism was virtually non-existent because of the inaccessibility of the island to transport, the absence of guest accommodation and the need for a sponsor. Limited air travel has, however, been made available in recent years to the public by the RAF, and the Georgetown Obsidian Hotel together with a number of guest cottages that have been opened. All visitors are required to obtain an entry permit before travelling. Sport fishing is the main attraction for many of the visitors. The island also boasts what is sometimes called the worst golf course in the world. That course, on the outskirts of Georgetown has since been replaced with a similar one located between the settlements of Two Boats village and Georgetown, the course has 18 holes and the greens are in fact 'browns', a reference to the sand and oil mix used to make them. The rest of the course is made up of volcanic ash and rocks (source: Wikipedia).
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| This is Elaine at anchor in Clarence Bay. Quite a swell! |
Our brief stop took place during a spring tide, and getting ashore was almost impossible and very dangerous. The photo of s/y Elaine above gibes an idea.
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| A game of Petanque - and the last shot with this camera? |
We are planning to leave Ascension on 25 February and sail to the island of Fernando de Noronha in Brazil. The distance is about 1,100 nm and we should arrive around 7 March.
LOCATION 
