Step one: Don't take a toddler anywhere if they are going through their worst terrible 2 phase ever..... Mia has hit a new high on the tantrum front. Clearly a late bloomer..... I can just see it now.... the looks & hushed conversation when we walk past.... I’m not quite sure how I’m supposed to avoid the other 126 passengers on board the RMS..... This is how Mia & I are supposed to be getting to the island but we might end up being banished to the life raft & towed behind if Mia keeps this us.
Thankfully, she does seem to be getting “better” or I’m getting better at distraction, corruption & any other ‘tion’ it takes to avoid a leg stomping, shrieking at the top our her lungs ‘display of independence’. If we were animals (I mean Zoo animals ;-) ) She’d be pee-ing on me right now, or at least on my bed J
Back to the matter at hand.... I’ve done my research on this gorgeous piece of maritime history – for practicality reasons but also to find all the good places to hide if Mia starts any “displays of independence’.
I really am a bit of a research nerd so you have to excuse all the info but for me...Knowledge is power – even if it’s only the power to appreciate. Things are so much more interesting when you know where they came from.....
I got most of this info from their website http://rms-st-helena.com/
Very cool website – go check it out!
The RMS St Helena is unique
She is one of only two ocean-going vessels in the world still to carry the venerable title of Royal Mail Ship, held in the past by so many famous British passenger liners.
In addition to carrying passengers in well-fed comfort, she is a lifeline for residents on her island namesake as she carries all their goods and supplies to St Helena. From wind turbines to automotive parts; sheep, goats, (Hoping those aren’t being transported on out leg J)and Christmas turkeys to furniture, food and paint, everything has to be carried by ship to the island. This is part of the fascination. RMS St Helena is not just a passenger vessel; it’s a working ship, plying the Atlantic Ocean, carrying goods and people nearly halfway around the world. When you sail on the RMS, you are following in the wake of the generations of travellers and explorers who crossed the world’s oceans in the leisured days before air travel.
Apparently, a voyage on the RMS is an unforgettable experience: a blue water voyage on a working ship to unspoilt and remote islands.... Ok – a small part of me is going – remote is very easily another word for isolated & forgotten...gulp ;-)
The Royal Mail Ship St Helena was built in 1989 specifically to supply the island. She is British registered, 6,767 gross tonnes and has berths for a maximum of 128 passengers plus 56 officers and crew.
Apparently she has all the modern facilities one would expect... although the only ocean liner I can compare her to is the Oceanos... after I co-produced the 2 hour piece on her sinking I haven’t had great confidence in Ocean going vessels - so my expectation really is...stay afloat & get us there safely J
Apparently she has stabilisers (So mommy doesn’t get sea sick – I don’t know if I am prone to it but you never know until it’s too late. Can you just imagine!), air conditioning and for those who worry about being too detached from their normal humdrum existence, fax, telephone and email by satellite communication systems. I will definitely be using those email facilities....
Where Mia & I will probably spend our 5 days....
She carries a doctor and has well equipped medical facilities. Classified as A1+ at Lloyds and sailing under the British flag means that the RMS St Helena is subject to some of the most rigorous safety regulations in the world. Her repeatedly high classification in the Berlitz Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships is a sure indication of the high quality of her facilities, crew and standards. This is a very good thing J
I’ve emailed the lady in charge & am waiting to hear if she can tell us which cabin we have.... I’m so excited & a little nervous all at the same time.....
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