Cruise Lines

The RMS St Helena was in the UK this week, making the first of two annual calls into Portland - a blustery spit of land off Weymouth.

The ship is a bit special on several counts. It is one of the last working Royal Mail Ships and a lifeline for the people of St Helena, a small and remote island in the South Atlantic - find Nambia in south-west Africa, look to the left and you'll see it.

Everything the Islanders need is brought in by ship (see the crane, to lift everything in and out of the hold); if they want to leave, this is the only way.

When I went to see the ship on Wednesday, they had just finished loading the cargo for yesterday's departure. There were cars, a minibus, concrete and an "unpacked" cat.

Being "unpacked", the cat didn't have to spend the crossing in the hold, which is good as it takes 14 days for the ship to get to Ascension Island, from where it's another 72 hours to St Helena. No one told me where the two crocodiles they once carried lived. Not really the sort of passengers you want wandering the decks.

The vessel's final role is as cruise ship, for people who want a "blue water" cruise experience. There's no glitz, no glamour. They sleep in ferry-style beds that pull out of the wall (my cabin, on B deck, was a good size but with a tiny porthole), bathe in the communal bath (but there was a toilet and shower of sorts in the cabin), and spend their days in one of the two lounges, reading a book, having a drink and watching the waves go by.

Come evening, the crew, mainly "Saints", lay on games in the lounge (we were treated to the joys of turtle racing) and I imagine most people turn in early, conserving their strength for another day of eating, drinking and basically doing nothing.

As Kedell Worboys, St Helena Line's sales and marketing director, put it: "This is an experience rather than a cruise."

Because of the ship's schedule, sailing from Portland to St Helena, between St Helena and Ascension Island, and between St Helena, Walvis Bay and Cape Town, you can go on for a few days a couple of weeks or a couple of months, depending how long you want to get away from it all. Bookings can be made through Andrew Weir Shipping.

There's no internet, but you can send emails. At £1.50 a minute, I guess most people stay out of touch.

Some 4,000 people live on St Helena, a British Overseas Territory, which measures just nine miles by five miles.

It's main claim to fame is that it's where Napoleon was exiled in 1815, after he was defeated at Waterloo, because it is so remote and inaccessible, making it impossible for the French to mount a rescue.

Even now, nearly 200 years on, it's still remote and inaccessible. They have their ship, but no port - the St Helena has to anchor and ferry all its passengers and cargo ashore. Likewise, passengers on passing cruise ships have to tender. That's if the sea is playing ball.

When P&O Cruises' Aurora arrived in January on its world cruise it was too rough to get anyone ashore so they just waved and then sailed on to Cape Town. Holland America Line's Rotterdam is due there in April. Let's hope it's passengers have more luck.