Oliver, W6NV will be active as ZD7W from Saint Helena Island, IOTA AF-022, in CQ WW DX SSB Contest, 26 - 27 October 2024 and CQ WW DX CW Contest, 23 - 24 November 2024.
He will operate in SOAB Category.
QSL via W6NV.
Ads for direct QSL:
Oliver Sweningsen, III, W6NV, PO BOX 90, Orinda, CA 94563, USA.
DXCC Country - St Helena Island.
WAZ Zone - CQ 36.
ITU Zone - 66.
QTH Locator - IH74.
Visit to Saint Helena - entertainment for gourmet travelers
There are always tourists and travelers who are not attracted by the usual routes and classic places of mass recreation - they want more interesting and refined entertainment. A non-trivial adventure can be a voyage to the island of St. Helena, which is located in the Atlantic Ocean, somewhere between South America and Africa.
Since the distances between the nearest continents and islands are measured in thousands of kilometers, you should prepare for a long sea voyage. The Royal Mail ship is scheduled to call at St. Helena and Ascension once a week. However, soon the British promise to commission a new airport, so passenger traffic will become more intensive, perhaps increasing the flow of tourists who come here not so often.
Saint Helena Island ZD7W QSL.
What is there to see on St. Helena?
This small volcanic island of 122 km² was discovered and named in honor of St. Helena and is currently an overseas possession of Great Britain. The administrative center of the island is the capital and port city of Jamestown, where less than a thousand people live. Beautiful houses are built in a narrow gorge between two hills, going deep into the island. The fashionable Wellington House Hotel is located here, although tourists can save money by renting accommodation from locals not for 90£, but for only 10-30£ per day.
The main attraction of the city is the 700-step Jacob's Ladder, its height and steepness makes you really evaluate your physical fitness before deciding to climb Ladder Hill. Architectural treasures - the beautiful St. Paul's Cathedral, the luxurious residence of the governor Plenty House, the Customs House, as well as other mansions and old buildings erected from volcanic blocks in Gregorian style.
And, of course, every person planning a trip is aware of the role the small island played in the life of the great Emperor Napoleon. The locals will definitely organize an excursion for the guests, tell them about how the famous Frenchman spent the last years of his life. They will show the Longwood estate, where Bonaparte lived and died, as well as the grave, or rather a monument, because the remains were taken to France. By the way, 0.14 km² of land on which the Emperor's houses and the valley of the Seine Valley burial ground are built belong to France.
Lush countryside scenery showing High Hill in the distance and a young thorn tree in foreground on St Helena Island. Focus point is distant High Hill.
St. Helena: a little about nature and the weather
Tropical maritime climate has determined the characteristic temperature regime in winter +19 ° C, in summer +30 ° C. However, do not be deceived in the expectation of unbearable heat, it is necessary to take into account the specific geography of a small island surrounded by the waters of the vast ocean. Constant winds move masses of cool and moist ocean air, often the island is foggy, in December and January it often rains.
A windbreaker, as well as sports shoes, will not be superfluous in your luggage regardless of the season. Adventurers on the island of St. Helena will have to walk a lot, although there are good shuttle buses, as well as on the island you can ride on special jeep-sharabans. However, you can enjoy the beauty of the island landscape to the fullest by walking along volcanic hills and valleys, contemplating marvelous unique plants and stony wastelands.
The island was once covered with endemic rainforests, but it took only 50 years for the human settlers to destroy the forests. At first trees were cut down selectively - valuable species were taken from the island: black dwarf and mahogany, the wood of which is used for making elite expensive furniture. Then trees and shrubs endemics, such as tree ferns, white-stemmed and black cabbage trees, which have disappeared completely or are on the verge of complete extinction, were hit.
The extinction of rare plants that grow only in these isolated places is the fault of careless and inconsiderate attitude towards nature. The first settlers started destroying the forests, and subsequent generations continued when they started bringing plants that are not typical for the area to the island. Such "strangers" as pine trees, some kinds of berries, flax took root and brought dissonance to the formed ecosystem. In addition to plants, goats and some species of birds - grouse, pheasants, grouse - were introduced, which searched for food in the forests. All this led to the degradation of soils and weakening of the once diverse and lush landscape.
The current inhabitants of the island are doing their best to restore and preserve the flora. Felling of trees is forbidden here, no one makes fires or ravages nests. Quite strict rules of behavior are addressed, first of all, to tourists, who are recommended to move around the island accompanied by a local guide. Guests are not allowed to tear flowers, collect shells, approach birds or sea animals.
Boy visits Jonathan the tortoise on St Helena. Jonathan the famous giant tortoise who is estimated to be 150 to 200 years old weighing 440 pounds.
The life and times of the "saints" of the islanders
Not devoid of humor, the inhabitants of Saint Helena "modestly" call themselves "Saints" - simply "saints". Symbiosis of different cultures, diversity of traditions and customs of people who came to the island from different parts of the world for different reasons (for service, on watch work or in voluntary emigration), formed a distinctive colorful culture. Here you can trace original customs and philosophy inherent in different religions, although the main mass professes Anglicanism.
The locals speak English, which has many borrowed foreign inclusions. Islanders honor their family history, which in most cases begins somewhere in Scotland, Britain or Ireland. Calm, poised people are eager to socialize and welcome visitors to their homes, but are intolerant of unceremonious intrusions on private property.