3 October 2025
The St Helena Maritime Authority spearheaded a successful week of activities to mark and celebrate World Maritime Day 2025, promoting and valuing the island’s deep-rooted maritime connections. The events, which took place across the island, engaged the community, schools, and local businesses in a vibrant display of St Helena’s seafaring heritage.
The week of celebrations kicked off on Sunday, 21 September, with an insightful ‘Walk and Talk’ event. The Museum of St Helena Director, Adam Sizeland, led attendees on a journey through the evolution of the wharf and highlighted historic points of interest. This educational experience coincided with a spectacular display of humpback whales in the harbour.
On Thursday, 25 September, primary schools hosted a Maritime Theme Day, immersing children in sea-themed activities. Pupils created boats, learned about the Titanic, sang and danced to newly-composed sea shanties, made treasure maps, and practiced the Phonetic Alphabet, Morse Code, and knot-tying. The highlight of the day was a fancy dress competition featuring impressive and creative costumes, including a yacht, the ferry, a marine scientist, the RMS funnel, a scuba diver, and a variety of pirates, captains, mermaids, and sharks. The Maritime Authority extends a big thank you to all teachers, parents, and pupils for their enthusiastic participation, and to the Tourist Office for donating the prizes.
Thursday evening offered a taste of nostalgia with an RMS-styled dinner at ‘The Deck,’ where Chef Roy Richards prepared an exceptional menu. Guests were treated to the familiar sound of the RMS dinner bell announcing service, evoking fond memories. The food received high praise, with guests describing the steak as “exceptional”, the prawns as “amazing”, and the vegetarian option as “delicious”.
Throughout the week, radio programmes were dedicated to maritime history, showcasing the careers and experiences of past seafarers and offering a moving tribute to the beloved RMS St Helena. Listeners provided positive feedback, noting that the programmes brought back sentimental memories.
Shared memories of the RMS were further celebrated on Friday afternoon, 26 September, with readings and extracts from the RMS Journals broadcast on the radio and shared in the Market, prompting laughs and reminiscing about life on-board.
Additionally, two engaging maritime displays were available for public viewing. The Tourist Office featured a collage of RMS St Helena memories, profiles of current and former seafarers, and historical photos, including images from the sinking of the SS Papanui in 1911. Visitors to the museum also had the opportunity to view further maritime-themed exhibits.
The Maritime Authority extends its heartfelt thanks and appreciation to everyone who participated in the week’s events. A special mention goes to Chef Roy Richards, Anya Richards, Mia Henry, Malcolm Bowers, Adam Sizeland, Sheena Benjamin, Shelley Magellan-Wade, Sebastian Stent, Sharon Wade, Ross Leo, Cheryl Herne, Gibby Young and his team, all primary schools, the Tourist Office staff, Donna at SAMS, Saint FM, and the Sea Rescue team for their invaluable contributions and support.
Get Involved
If you have an idea to promote or support maritime on St Helena, or have maritime skills you would like to share, please contact:
Wendy C Benjamin by telephone on 63351 or via email at wendy.benjamin@sainthelena.gov.sh.
Photos
The ‘Walk and Talk’ With Museum Director, Adam Sizeland and RMS Journal readings at The Market
Dishes served at ‘The Deck’
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