We arrived in St Helena after some great sailing for the last few days. The furling line for the main broke just as we approached the island so we motored the last few hours. We made it just before 5pm. We were greeted with a ferry service who graciously hooked the mooring buoy for us and the race organizer on board gave us a bottle of bubbly. What a welcome. We were promptly whisked away in the ferry and customs was waiting for us at the yacht club. We were then taken to Immigration at the local police station. Check in was complete and we barely had time to blink. A big thanks to the Governors Cup Race Committee. Our first impression of the island was stunning. We entered the main street through a arch over a castle moat. And the main street was of the same era. Not much had been changed over the years and the buildings were well preserved. Even on the inside there seemed little modernization. The whole town of Jamestown was rather quaint in its outlook, being built in a ravine floor with the hillsides rising steeply on each side of the town. The hillsides are very rocky and some of the larger rocks have been buttressed underneath with stonework to keep them from falling. The hilltops on each side were adorned with forts. It seem there are forts dotted all over the island, giving an indication of the strategic military importance this island has had over the years. After a cold beer at the yacht club, it was time to retire for the night and catch up on some lost sleep.