The trip to Ascension was better with constant trade winds 10 - 20 knots all the way. We found that the wind picked up at night. The sea was lumpy, no sign of the big Atlantic swells. We had clear skies and sunny weather with a sea temperature of 29.9�C.

To Riaan's dismay the fishing was mediocre and there was not a lot of bird-life or sea-life.

Once again we didn't see any ships.

Upon arrival at Ascension we called Ascension Radio. We cleared in at the Police Station and once again had to pay an entry fee of �11.00 per person (excluding children under 12).

There is only one supermarket for provisions. Not as fully stocked as St Helena and more expensive. Bread was too costly at �1.50 per small loaf. Veggies were scarce and fruit and tomatoes not available.

You are not allowed to land your dinghy on Long Beach, Clarence Bay. I took it up with Geoffrey Fairhurst, the Administrator, and he agreed that he'd permit it but bureaucracy fouled once again when after a meeting between the Police and him it was decided that dinghies may not land on the beach. This prevented a yacht from actually going ashore when they arrived due to bad swells and the yacht left the island without managing to land their dinghy on the wharf at the pier-head and consequently not even being able to clear in.

We swam, dived, fished and surfed in the bay, but a shark swam up to Riaan while he was surfing and caused us to be very wary. I read that sharks are attracted to urine, as well as blood, and we assumed that the yachts that were anchored there and using the heads actually attracted sharks.

Landing on the minute wharf at the pier head is really an extreme sport when the swells come in. The swells came in 3 times in 2 weeks while we were there and lasted 3 days on average. It was really a mission to load our water and diesel jerry cans and get back to the boat safe and dry!

Water could be filled at a tap on the pier head, but because the tap belongs to the shipping agency and they are being metered and the water charged for, at .15p per litre. They felt that we should get our water from the swimming pool a few hundred metres further.

We used the tap with a hose at the swimming pool to do our laundry. There are toilets and shower facilities at the swimming pool. Basic, but neat and clean.

Cars can be hired from the Obsidian Hotel at �20 per day, but we hired a car from a local - Cedric Henry at �10. The filling station is only open during certain hours daily, so one should check before venturing off to "One Boat", where the filling station is. Petrol was available at �2.85 per gallon and diesel at .55p per litre. Diesel can also be obtained from the Marine agency on the pier head.

The petrol pump was out of order for the last 2 days of our stay, petrol was unavailable to the entire island for the next 2 weeks! The worst is that this is accepted by all very stoically.

Recommended Cruising Guide:
"Cape to Caribbean Cruising Notes" by Tony Herrick

More on Ascension island

The small island of Ascension lies in the South Atlantic (7�56' S, 14�22' W) some 750 miles northwest of the Island of Saint Helena and covers an area of 35 square miles. Being dry and barren it was of little use to the seafarers who discovered the island in 1501. In 1823 the island was taken over by the Royal Marines and from 1922 to 1964 the island was managed by the Eastern Telegraph Company (renamed Cable & Wireless).

In one form or other all the organizations on the Island are involved in communications. Cable & Wireless operate an international satellite telecommunications service, it operates the "Ariane" Earth Station on the Island, The BBC operates the Atlantic Relay Station broadcasting to Africa and South America, the Americans operate satellite tracking stations and other facilities. All over the Island are antennas and radar domes.

At first glance the Island is a rocky peak, purely volcanic in origin, brown and barren. Much of the island is covered by basalt lava flows and cinder cones. The last major volcanic eruption took place over 600 years ago, but volcanic activity was seen in 1838! The highest point (Green Mountain), 2817 ft, is covered with lush vegetation.

But we have had a great time here. After we arrived, I thought we would only stay for 4 days maximum. We have been here for over 2 weeks already! We are anchored in a beautiful bay - the only place to anchor, in 8-10 metres with a beautiful view of Green Mountain and a lovely beach - Long Beach. There is a small beach clubhouse in the corner of the bay, which has not been used since we were here. There were 4 yachts from SA anchored in the bay and we had a lovely fish braai (BBQ) on the beach using the beach clubhouse facilities.

It is a fisherman's paradise on this island! I took an early morning paddle and below me I was surrounded by huge shoals of Ignobelis (Kingfish) and the sky above me was flocked with Frigate Birds. Clarence Bay is alive with fish. Everything from tuna, jacks, pompano to sharks and dolphins are in this bay!

We spent hours in the water snorkeling, exploring the underwater lava flows, which are full of crevices and caves. The sea life can only be explained with my dictionary next to me. We saw moray eels, soles, shoals of fish - big and small, and they swim all around us, not shy of us at all. We had fun trying to stroke them underwater by hand! We fish off the boat - rock cod & kingfish and Riaan trawls for Tunny with the dinghy. The average sized Tunny caught here are 35+ pounds.

From January to May, green turtles migrating from Brazil over 2000 miles away, come ashore to lay their eggs on many of Ascension's sandy beaches. This almost always happens at night. The eggs are now hatching while we are here and the kids spent hours on the beach helping the little turtles into the water. The island remains one of the last undisturbed nesting grounds.

We are also experiencing the Atlantic Rollers/Swells - twice since we've been here and with swells approaching us again in 2 days. The normally smooth bay that we are anchored in is then transformed into something like a Steven Spielberg movie set. Riaan and Claude surfed the left breaks, to their delight. This left break is about 50 metres to the east of the Turtle Pond, directly in front off the yacht moorings on Long Beach and breaks onto a wedge shaped reef. The take off point is 2 rocks that stick out of the water at low tide and was aptly named Twin Peaks. The take off is hollow and down the line with 2 rocks that have to be avoided and then another really hollow section until the beach. It is an excellent wave, unassuming seen from behind the yachts, but the strength and speed of the wave is only appreciated once physically ridden. The only other comparative wave would be the wave at Kalk Bay, Cape Town.

Another surf spot that we have not yet had the pleasure of surfing is Pan-Am beach, in a small bay, mainly surfed by the American Air force personnel. This bay is situated approx.1 km from our anchorage to the SW. The prominent landmarks are large white holding tanks on the beach. This is also a left break that is a bit vulnerable to the wind. It wraps around the point and peals off into the bay. It is a slowish, larger wave, ideal for long boards but has one or two hot sections. The third known wave, is an outside bank off the pier jetty, 5 - 700 metres out to sea. It only breaks when the swell is larger than 6-8ft depending on the strength of the swell and is a definite tow-inn wave and breaks left and right perfectly. Rides are over a 100 metres long depending on the size of the swell. Large swells pull into Georgetown on an average of once a month, but are much more consistent Jan-March. All three breaks are well worth riding and a "rad" experience. The offshore winds are always evident.

We were unable to go ashore for 2 days because of the huge swells that make landing at the pier-head a very risky, adrenaline-pumping experience. We have been instructed to only land our dinghies at the pier head, but after a meeting with Geoffrey Fairhurst, the Administrator of the island, we asked for permission to land the dinghies on the beach. The big wheels of bureaucracy haven't turned however, and we were asked by immigration not to land on the beach. So, at the time of writing this update, we are not sure whether we may or may not land our dinghies on the beach. There is a web cam overlooking the pier head and can be seen at http://www.the_islander.org.ac/webcam. Look out for us!

Although the town's layout and buildings are typically military there is a supermarket, filling station, Internet facility, coffee shop/restaurant, and hotel with information bureau. Fresh produce is available in limited quantities, no cooking gas.

For a seemingly out of this world experience, a holiday on this island is a must. From the stark and dramatic beauty of the volcanic landscape to the underwater paradise, it feels as if one is on another planet. Probably why the island was used to film scenes of "Space Odyssey 2001" and it is not spoilt by tourism and commercialism. With the new laws imposed as to the opening of the island to tourism and encouraging yachts to land here, this pleasurable experience can be appreciated by anyone with adventure in their blood.