2026 voyages: Your boat will be a Fast 42 — a South African performance cruiser-racer with serious offshore credentials. Built in Cape Town and based in Port Elizabeth, she has raced the Cape to Rio twice, including the 3,800-mile South Atlantic crossing in 2023. Light, fast, and built for exactly the kind of deep-ocean passage-making the St Helena route demands: a high-aspect rig, deep keel bulb, and a hull that thrives in the trade winds.

2027 voyages: From 2027, departures operate aboard a Simonis 60. Designed for serious offshore sailing, this spacious yacht combines impressive passage-making ability with comfortable accommodation and generous deck space, making her ideally suited to extended ocean expeditions.

This voyage is designed for you to take an active role – that means everyone will take turns in cooking (all the menus are planned already and step by step instructions given, so you don’t need to be a masterchef!)

All sail levels are welcome but for ocean voyages it’s advised that you’ve done some sailing already before going off shore on a big trip!

Many guest crew have or are working towards Day Skipper, or RYA Yachtmaster or similar and looking for mileage and expert guidance to improve their skills.

Perhaps you have a boat of your own and want some ‘expert’ experience.

Solo travellers are welcome. Crew’s are usually a 50:50 mix Male / Female.

If you want to learn and share an experience with others but tend to be less about “instagramming everything” and more about experiencing in real-time with the people you are with then you’ll fit in just fine! 

Skipper Marlon Jones brings over 20 years of experience to the St Helena Expeditions. A Cape Town-based Yachtmaster instructor for the past eight years, Marlon is renowned for his generous, patient approach to sharing knowledge on the water — Crew consistently note how much they learn simply by sailing alongside him. Having cut his teeth on ocean passages including Cape Town to Bahia and the St Helena Race, Marlon combines genuine offshore credentials with an exceptional gift for bringing crew into the experience.

Leg 1: Day 1 to 3 – Prep Week

Your journey starts in Cape Town at the Royal Cape Yacht Club, where we spend the first part of the week preparing or the expedition ahead.  You will get to know your fellow crew and the vessel from end to end. We have a detailed checklist, deciding on a Menu plan, shopping, passage planning and much more – there’s a lot to do, but it’s fun and all under expert supervision.

Leg 1: Day 4 to 7 – Sail Cape Town to Namibia

A gentle sail up the beautiful African coastline. You will get used to the watch system and sailing together. For those who need, you can use this leg for your skippered 60nm passage, or just relax and spot the dolphins that often follow us up the coast.

Leg 1: Day 8 – 9 Exploring Lüderitz

We stay a couple of days in the historic, desert town of Lüderitz. Time to relax, stock up for the voyage ahead and also perhaps take a trip out to Kolmanskop – an abandoned German mining town where you can enjoy a guided tour on the town’s history and then wander at leisure, exploring the buildings slowly filling with sand.

Leg 1 : Day 10 – 17 Sailing to St Helena Island

We set sail for St Helena Island, more than 1,000miles in the middle of the South Atlantic. The weather and sea state tends to be gentle, but this is a true ‘blue water’ passage that will take approximately one week with days, far from the coast, where whales are often our only company.

Leg 1 & 2: Exploring St Helena Island

St Helena remains one of the world’s most isolated places – only accessible by boat until a couple of years ago and still wonderfully remote and unspoilt.  Arriving by yacht is the best way to appreciate it.  Once ashore, we settle into the cozy self catering cottage included in the trip cost. You can visit Napoleon’s house and indeed his tomb or you can say hello to Jonathan the tortoise, the world’s oldest living animal (190years old!). Relax with a beer in the old-world charm of Jamestown or take a hike into the jungle on one of the ‘post-box’ trails. There is so much to do and see. St Helena always gives the crew a fabulous welcome – we spend approx. 3 -5 days on the island, before we wave farewell and return to sea

Leg 2 : Sailing the South Atlantic Ocean to Cape Town

The return to Cape Town is a true expedition sail. Heading out into the wild South Atlantic, routing towards Tristan Da Cunha, you will experience every kind of weather. At times, this is really challenging sailing where you will make use of everything you’ve learned so far. Out here is the perfect place to learn and practice Celestial Navigation. We spend time each day on all aspects of sailing theory and practice. We’ve done the trip countless times and know these waters extremely well – so safety will never be a concern but it’s a long leg and when Cape Town appears on the horizon, you will know you have achieved a truly “once in a lifetime” ocean adventure.