Ascension Island.

We left St Helena heading for Brazil, but once the sails were up and the course set in the GPS, displaying distance to go 1950nm, we decided that sailing would be like everything else that we do...Change the plan without notice. Ascension was further north, but was only 695nm away. It was unanimously decided...
Lets go there!

ASCENSION
7 56'S & 14 25'W
ON THE MID-ATLANTIC VOLCANIC RIDGE

WELCOME TO ACENSION, THE STRANGEST PLACE IN THE WORLD, that is the huge billboard that greets you on arrival. The closest terrain on earth resembling the moon, it was used by NASA to test the lunar buggy. Being 1/2-way between 2 continents, it is also one of the darkest places on earth - in the early 50s, the US established a missile tracking station and a NASA earth station there for tracking the Apollo Mission.

This 34 sq mile island is a communications centre for Cable & Wireless, the BBC, the RAF, the US Air Force and the European Ariane project (Space station).

The terrain is truly moonlike. A mountainous peak rising from the Atlantic floor 2820 ft, lava flows have formed a barren twisted landscape, with brightly coloured pyramid-shaped mounds, scattered with craters. The purple and yellow swaying fields make patchwork of colours. Too much for the senses.

Ascension is home to over 1000 species of birds, who greet you 300 miles from the island. Blue fin tuna is to be had if you cast a line - make sure you can store it though as they only come in one size - X-large, 40kg-plus. We discovered this at sunset when the bungee tied into the parachute cord on our fishing line snapped. 6 knots under sail, I was on watch, Chris asleep. I hauled a 40kg blue fin tuna alongside the boat and Chris, still wiping his eyes, gaffed it and hoisted it onboard. The cockpit well is 4ft and it did not fit, so this giant tuna thumped and bled all over the cockpit, and Chris had to wrestle it in the now dark. "Kill it!," I demanded, "It's bleeding everywhere!"

Fish biltong..Somewhere in the Atlantic.

"I am trying to. It's not that easy when you don't want to damage the boat. Give me the hammer," he replied. The work had just begun. We would have to make fish biltong. We spent all night filleting, salting and cleaning up for our arrival in Ascension at daybreak.

Although the Green Turtles are found nesting on many tropical beaches around the world, the turtles that nest on Ascension are the largest of their species. 1.75m in length, up to 250kg in weight. Migrating from Brazil every year, 2000km against the current, they don't feed for the entire mating season, up to 6 months. The mating antics resembled bumper cars, and this they do right next to the boat, as we are anchored off Long Beach, the chosen beach for the mature 20 - 40yr olds. The female struggles up the beach in the dark, and all through the night they come up in the hundreds to dig their 1m holes and lay 120 ping pong sized eggs. They do this 10 -17 times in a season. And so even the beaches are littered with craters, and flipper marks the size of car tracks. They were the reason for Ascension today, as they provided passing ships with easy fresh meat and eggs. With 5000 turtles in a season, today they make up one of the biggest rookeries in the Atlantic. No meat is eaten now, as they are now protected.

Wideawake Airfield, named after the turns that breed here, has flights coming in with supplies, but not many, as the only shop on the island has a sign at the door: "To all visiting yachts. This store is not intended for your restocking. Leave some produce for the locals! Thank-you."

Population 900, none indigenous. You cannot stay on Ascension unless you are working, and most come from St Helena. They will not allow us ashore without medical insurance @ £3 per day. We are given a 4-day pass for £10, but must return to the boat by 19h00. A special pass is required from the police should you wish to stay till 23h00. No-one is allowed ashore at night!

This certainly is a strange place!