From Island to Off-Grid Freedom - James Herne

Born on the remote island of St. Helena in 1972, James Hern spent much of his childhood in a children's home — but rather than letting that define him, he channelled his energy into books, self-reliance, and the sea. He taught himself to windsurf, built his own powerboat (becoming the first St. Helenian to do so), and went on to rack up over 100,000 registered nautical miles as a skipper.

In this episode, James shares the remarkable story of how he and his wife Hannah made a six-year plan to leave the UK, sail away through the Solent with three young children aboard their 40-foot Bavaria, and spend over six years circumnavigating the globe — homeschooling their kids along the way. Their eldest son, educated entirely on the boat until the age of 14, went on to achieve three times the government expectation in maths in his very first year at school.

Now back on St. Helena, James and Hannah have traded life at sea for eight acres of tropical farmland in Sandy Bay — growing papayas, avocados, flowers, and coffee, entirely off the grid. For the past 20 years they haven't paid a single domestic bill, powering their home with solar panels and a 70-year-old spring. And just like on the boat, they built it all from scratch with no farming background, learning as they go.

James's message is simple: every goal is reachable, the boat is only as strong as the skipper, and the one thing he'd do differently? Start ten years earlier.

Follow James:

https://facebook.com/james.herne.2025

Contact James here too if you are visiting St Helena by yacht and would like to reach out for his services.

On island find him at Gift Cottage Farm.

Transcript

Speaker 5 0:15

Welcome to Island Life Stories. I'm Darren, and today I'll be sitting on a farm, not just any farm. Eight acres of tropical land in Sandy Bay, Saint Helina, full of paw paw, honey des flowers, and the sound of birds that weren't here two years ago. My guest is James Hearn. James was born right here on Saint Helena. He grew up in a children's home, taught himself to Windsurf, built his own power boat from scratch as a teenager, and eventually racked up 50,000, registered nautical miles as a skipper. He moved to the uk, met a girl from New Zealand, did carpentry, worked on super yachts, and then through to form, did something most people would only ever talk about. He bought a 38 foot Bavaria, told his employer he had six years left, and sailed away with his wife and three kids. He and his family spent over six years on the water circumnavigated the globe, and then came to Saint Helena where they've spent the last couple of years building something completely off grid from scratch with no farming background whatsoever. James is someone who lives by a very simple principle. Goals are reachable. He just keeps proving it. Here he is.

Speaker 1:40

James.

Speaker 2 1:41

Oh, welcome to be here.

Speaker 1:43

Thank you so much. on this beautiful farm as well. Well- Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

Speaker 2 1:47

It's, it's, it's a lot of work but, it's getting there.

Speaker 1:49

Yeah. You've seen the start of it, Darren, eh? Oh, yeah. it's j- it's just, it's amazing. Absolutely amazing. What a place, a sanctuary. I ca- I can't believe you call this work. Yeah.

Speaker 2 1:58

it's our office. We've had lovely offices actually- over the years. It's been quite good.

Speaker 2:04

t- tell us how it all started. W- wha- what's your background? where did it all start for you?

Speaker 2 2:09

yeah, I'm born on St. Helena, 1972. Okay. I, didn't have a very good start in life. my, my mom and dad broke up when I was really young. They used to drink a bit, and I spent, about 10 years of my life in the children's home. Okay. But believe it or not, I'm not broken. no. Yeah. no. I always refer back to my carers at the time, what exactly I did those days, and they said, "James," they tell me, "you were in the corner with a book. Always with a book." Yeah, reading and, And, now I won't even pick a book up, you know- unless I'm, it's part of my work or something I'm really interested in. And, yeah, that's me, when I was younger but, by, be- having the absence of my parents I'd, was left alone to do my own thing really. Okay. And, so

Speaker 4 2:51

farm

Speaker 2 2:52

what I did was just push forward. I've always been told, to speak properly 'cause I didn't, don't speak St. Helenian. And, always force in the way of everybody else game, but I always go round against the grain. Always have- Yeah done actually. I just always have done things differently.

Speaker 3:07

do you think that's who you were anyway, or do you think the situation you were in has made you that sort of-

Speaker 2 3:12

man? I did quite well at school. Okay. Yeah. I think my schooling background, I went to a secondary selective school, from primary. obviously, I was able. And, yeah, I guess I just naturally wanted to be like that, And plus my reading and stuff like that obviously helped with, being vocal and, and, pronunciation of words. Don't get me wrong, my grammar's not always wonderful. But not everybody's isn't it?

Speaker 3:35

It's better than most people's.

Speaker 2 3:36

I do get questioned often about that, but, I just wanted to plug in and, just wanna fit in with the rest of the world, see what was happening and stuff. yeah. but as like you asked before about, what lead me on to where I am now and, first of all, throughout my younger, years, I windsurf. if it's blowing 30 knot, I wanna go windsurfing. And I would try anything, 'cause I loved the water, and it's always been watching other people doing it and stuff like that, but never got invi- invited to go out. So I built myself my own powerboat. And, it, it became a bit of a legacy 'cause I'm actually the first, St. Helena to build a powerboat on the island. Wow. Normally people build clinkers and, traditional build boats like every results. But, I was... I wanted to go faster, have more fun. Yeah. And I draw, I drew other people in as well, People that couldn't afford to buy a boat and stuff like that. And we used to go water-skiing and skin diving, windsurfing, sailing. And, as a kid, I feel I had a lot of opportunities at my fingertips, And, and then that leads on to other things, Keelboat sailing- Oh, okay offshore racing, yacht deliveries. And then lead on to, being a skipper, owning my own yacht. I met my wife here. She's from New Zealand. Wow. Yeah. And, 2001, I think it was, we met. Okay. And, as I was delivering yachts and stuff, I said to her one day, I said, would you like me to come to the UK?" And it was for Christmas, actually. Yeah. And, she said yes. And, so today, I think. I turn up at Heathrow-

Speaker 3 4:58

Oh. They've decided to book

Speaker 2 4:59

me up, Unfortunately, had a bit of problem with the, the authorities letting me come into the UK, 'cause, Saint Helena isn't quite normally, a traveling place or anybody or have any sort of knowing about Saint Helena. yeah. We're a little tiny island in the middle of the South Atlantic. you one side you got South, South America, and that side you got, Africa, And we're just pluck in the middle, But UK

Speaker 5:18

territory. You should be s-

Speaker 2 5:20

fairly straightforward. You should be. Not everybody knows, They should- They should but they don't know. And it, it just, every time I traveled, like I told you, Darren, we'd, I traveled around the world and, I'd always end up in the alien section, Yeah. Because my passport says, UK passport, UK independent territory, Saint Helena, and people didn't know where it was. So- Oh, yeah some people have go and check. And those were the days. There wasn't flashy internet and stuff like that, was there? It was like, probably have to turn some pages over in a book and look at an atlas or something. It felt like that, 'cause it took such a long time.

Speaker 5:52

so- But-

Speaker 2 5:53

the only part, from my sort of, ancestors involving the sea was my grandma, on my mum's side, who, used to go fishing with her husband on the boat. I think she used to go and, clap the fish, and that's it. it did. Yeah, it did. to an extent that, in 1998 I did the first or the second Governor's Cup Race, on a boat called, Group 4, which is one of the Challenge, globe boats, with Paul Bennett. And, met Mike Golding, which is a famous sailor in South Africa and stuff like that, and we came, back from Cape Town to here on a 67-foot yacht. Oh, wow. And I did it quite fast. this boat's, what, 42 ton, so it's not the fastest- yeah of boats, but it's designed to go the wrong way around. inspired me. You stand the helm of this massive yacht, sailing literally just enhances you and, and, it, it controls you, it's giving you, a sense of freedom and that's what I got from it, And no matter what type of sailing, whether it's on a windsurf or a sailboat, it's just the wind in your hair, and you're just gliding along, just using Mother Nature to drive you along. Yeah. And that is such a good feeling. To an extent where me and Hannah, within a year we were married and we're making plans, And, the yacht was one of them.

Speaker 7:01

do you think, 'cause obviously we've said you've worked on yachts and super yachts, Oh, yeah, so- later on in your career. But do you think going into the carpentry trade was a natural progression from building your own boats at a young age, would you say? so

Speaker 2 7:12

carpentry, So I'm a carpenter-joiner by trade. I'm also a teacher as well. Yeah. but, carpentry on Saint Helena is a little bit different to elsewhere. You are trained in every possible, nook and cranny of carpentry. Okay. So you're not just trained, to be specialized. You're trained to be overall, expected to do whatever carpentry's thrown at you. Okay. if I need to make a table, I make a table. If I need to make windows, doors, put a roof on, put tiles on the floor, that's, what is expected of you. Yeah. That's the carpentry level, I'm studying gills as well, is expected of you on Saint Helena. going to the UK, my skills are quite advanced. boat building, sparked off from my grandfather giving me a clinker built, boat building book.

Speaker 7:51

Oh, okay. yeah. And,

Speaker 2 7:51

and I was quite inspired. And when I did build the, my boat, power boat, I was broke for a whole year Literally broke my- Oh, did you? And I, and at the end I needed to buy an engine to put on the back, and those were the days when the, engines were a lot cheaper. And I went to my dad and said, "I need to borrow £3,500. Could you lend me £3,500?" Yeah. And, and his que- his, answer was, he said, "I can lend it to you." He said, "I want you to write up a business plan on how you're gonna pay it back."

Speaker 3 8:14

Ah, Yeah. And I

Speaker 2 8:15

must admit, I'm sure that set me up, you know- in a way where, to reach our goals, I plan... I feel like I'm planning it.

Speaker 3 8:22

Yeah.

Speaker 2 8:22

and I think that what set me up really, the fact I was reading and, and inspired, but, financially you need to be... And don't get me wrong, I work- like I told you, we work, in a, in the super yacht, industry. Boats I can't afford. 2 and a half million to 8 and a half million pounds worth of boat, can't really afford that. But there are boats out there, but, that are a lot cheaper. but with my skills in the boat bus- business as well, I could make the boat, ocean-going. Okay. yeah. So every boat's ocean-going, and like I've said before, the boat is only as strong as the skipper. So you can sell anything around the world. it, it all sparked off from, the whole boating thing was, we were gonna buy a house in the UK, and, and, it was £135,000. Went to, the, mortgage company and said, "Oh, can I have a mortgage for a house?" And, they listed out the payments, monthly and stuff like that, and I said, "What do we pay at the end of the contract?" And he said, no one's ever asked that." And when I heard, what you actually pay back, and I said, "Who the hell pays that?" He says, "Everyone." Yeah. And I just said, I can do... think of a, better ways to spend £200,000." And, that's what sparked us, to look at, buying a yacht.

Speaker 9:25

Ah, Yeah.

Speaker 2 9:26

Okay. But we wrapped all our money, all what's though, to buy and look at yachts,

Speaker 9:30

buying here and- Oh, okay. So it, the, that, that sort of, fork in the roads was pretty much there really. The fork, pretty much there, And said, "Okay, we're going down-" yeah "a life that we want," which is freedom.

Speaker 2 9:39

we had a plan. and, we bought a boat that was five years old, a 40-foot boat, and, we did it up and, I said six years. Told my mate six years.

Speaker 9:47

Six years.

Speaker 2 9:48

six years to do it up or was it- To do it up- and have savings to go traveling. And, six years came, and I just handed my resignation in, so did Hannah. We had three children by then, and, we just sail out of the Solent. Wow.

Speaker 3 10:01

And

Speaker 2 10:01

we never looked back. And, what you expect was, you know- People to, I, some family embraced us, but it was a shock for my work mates 'cause, they're like,

Speaker 10:13

I thought you were kidding." Yeah. And it never happened. they- just a pipe dream and not something- Yeah. I- get told

Speaker 2 10:18

that quite often actually, that, oh just like the other lads in the marine who say they're gonna do this, and they never get to do it. And what we've found is that, oh, we've heard of people that, oh, are preparing to go traveling and stuff like on their yacht and stuff like that. Retirement is not the time to do it. No. You gotta do it way in advance. Yeah. so far in advance where you can enjoy it. You don't wanna be old and struggling to, you know- no turn winches and climb through narrow things to get things fixed and, you know- you wanna do that when you're frisky and- fresh and And then the world becomes your oyster really. And don't get me wrong, it's not expensive to go traveling. The boat's the expensive thing, but if you can ma- maintain your boat yourself, the world's your oyster. Yeah. The kids come easy on the boat. schooling, homeschooling and stuff like that. You don't have to have a institutional, of, companies that provide schooling for you. You can do that all yourself. Yeah. And looking at the outcome now, we've got a 21-year-old who's just gone off into the world, sorted everything out himself, without our help. Just comes back now and again just to check if he's doing okay- Yeah and, and he was

Speaker 11:22

home educated on the boat-

Speaker 2 11:24

yeah basically. And he, and he- He only, he went to school for the first time- when he was 14. Wow. It's quite funny 'cause, his first year, he achieved three times more than the government de- government expectation in maths, in that first year. You have to notice that things to be able to push him on and on to be able to reach that level. Which I thought Saint Helena schooling did quite well, actually. Yeah. but all our kids, they are self-motivated and, and I think that came from the sailing. And then the, no matter... it's the whole, sequence of things you do which allows you to fit into any other, progression in life. And now we're doing the farming.

Speaker 11:56

and go, just going back to what you said earlier, it's something you wanna do when you're young because you're able to do it and enjoy it when you're doing it, but you're also showing the kids and creating a young family- Yeah memories from that young age and instilling in them, this is what's possible, this is what you can do. and look, like you said, look at your eldest son now, Joshua- he's just gone from leap- leaps and bounds and-

Speaker 2 12:18

so everybody should have some sort of goal, Yeah not everybody should have the same goal either. differ, from everybody else, Everything is reachable. Yeah. you... The problem with the, society, they make you believe that you are not unable, and, I've had that, living in the UK and stuff like that. But you have to reach out beyond that and you d- don't have to prove them. You prove to yourself. yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. That you can do it. And what that's done now is that all other goals that we aim to do is reachable. So we can talk about something and joke about it, and, and i- it's a seed set- Yeah in your mind for when we get to it, isn't it? You can't be stuck in the mundane way of thinking, and everybody can't be the same- No 'cause we are all different,

Speaker 12:59

so when you left the UK, obviously you've had your boat, you've had six years to build it, the, your plan's come together. Not to build it. I'm sorry, to- We actually bought to prepare it, to prepare it. Sorry, yeah. did you already know at that point you'd be coming back to Saint Helena to, to set up th- this farm or was that something that was seeded and thought through while you were on your travel? Oh, no.

Speaker 2 13:19

so yes. the plans were, to include our, living on Saint Helena. So the boat was our exit of Saint Helena if we needed to. Oh, okay. Got you. So that we weren't, relying on any other services. also, what we did, we lived on board for six years to make sure that- we were able to live and travel. Okay. we went sailing often for weeks at a time. Yeah. bad weather, calm weather. But I wanna make sure that Hannah and the children were able... I've, I... Before I even bought the boat, I have 50,000 nautical miles of sailing- That's enough miles to go around the world twice so I had, I'm, I've sailed extensively and, so I had to make sure that Hannah and the children were able to live on board as well. It's, not easy for someone just to- Yeah get on a boat or give up a house and then sail on a boat, No. There's, things are a little bit different. it's a bit eco-friendly. things, you have to ma- literally manage things. It's not just plug it in and switch it on and everything works and stuff like- yeah things and, just ring up somebody to get it fixed.

Speaker 14:18

A- and I imagine e- every day is different because you're adapting to different conditions- Different day to day as well, so we

Speaker 2 14:23

don't go sailing in bad weather. Okay. So weather's normally, predicted on seasonal style. Oh, okay. So if it's seasonal weather, that's the time to travel, and then you wanna be, in other places before the bad weather turns up. Yeah? Yeah. So o- obviously, you know- north and south, summer, winter, and then reverse. So you wanna make sure that you are in those places. So there's a lot of planning. so preparing, even like just, your provisionings, toiletries, fuel, sails, antifoul. All that stuff have to be done in advance in preparation, and you're gonna have to do it constantly as you travel. Yeah. so that's not just the one thing, and it's- that's it, all sorted. So we s- we tended to provision for at least, three to six months, which is quite fun 'cause you- you go to a shop and you just stick your arm out like a policeman directing traffic, isn't it? And you go, "This way," in the trolley. And then you've got these trolleys full of s- food and stuff then, and then you have to stow it away, So down in the bilges, into- Yeah nooks and crannies. Wherever you can get it, And the first thing happens is that the, the, the, oh, God, your waterline just disappears. Oh, okay. so we had increased- the waterline by six inches. Yeah.

Speaker 3 15:30

Really? yeah. Oh, wow. so now- the boat's way

Speaker 2 15:32

out the water, Yeah. so I don't, like I told you before, I don't have a very expensive boat. it's the Bavaria, 38, built in Germany, and it's an old, version. it sails quite well, quite strong, quite thickly laid up with, the GRP. And, we've, the first time I took it out, we took it out in the four seven. Sailed well. Okay. Handled Yeah, so I was quite happy with it. There's a lot of stigma around boats, so again, the boat's gotta suit you, not the people who think it's not.

Speaker 3 15:58

exactly. Yeah.

Speaker 15:58

So by, by the time you were per- permanently anchored off Saint Helena, everybody was well used to the boat, and the family and everything- Oh, no, no

Speaker 2 16:06

Oh, okay. So- so once we start our travels- Yeah that was it. Ah. Once we left the UK through the Solent, that was our start for my trip around the world. yeah. So five, five and a half years it took us, but by the time we stopped it was six and a half years.

Speaker 16:17

But,

Speaker 2 16:18

but what we did, we came to Saint Helena first, 'cause I didn't wanna go back to the UK to make my complete circumnavigation. So- coming from, the UK down to Saint Helena is pretty much not your normal travel. Okay. Yeah. It's normal people will probably go to Saint Lucia and through to Panama, and then come back to Saint Lucia. Yeah. once you go below the equator, south of the equator, obviously the winds are south-easterly, so that means you have to beat, which is like a zig-zag track. Yeah. 'Cause the boat can't sail directly into the wind. So we have to beat all the way down. So the trip from the Cape Verdes to Ascension Island took 21 days. So three weeks at sea. the boat was just heavily heeling. on each tack, so I think it was 37 tacks. Each tack ranged between 50 to 100 nautical miles. Yeah, and it was always on the edge like that. But luckily, we didn't have any trouble with the doldrums, so five degrees above the equator, the winds blew between 15 to 25 knots all the way. And then it was another eight days from Ascension Island to here. And then once we got here, it's all about recuperating, meeting family before we leave. we did, we took the trip to Cape Town, bought our provisionings. Yeah. Came back, lowered the boat down. I've Something new, Darren, ship to ship, you don't pay any tax. Oh, Yeah. If you- Okay if you transfer something off a ship to a ship- No tax no tax.

Speaker 17:35

Oh, that's useful. I didn't

Speaker 2 17:37

know about that. 2013 we set sail for Brazil, and with a two-year-old, three-year-old, and a eight-year-old. Ah, wow. Huh? We were a bit mad. Yeah. But I tell you what, it's the best thing- I've ever done for my children. I bet, and I just wanted to make sure that, that, that opportunity is for them when they have their own children as well. yeah. The boat's called Carpe Diem, by the way. it's called Carpe Diem of Gosport, but I don't think there's anything Carpe Diem but Gosport. Okay. I wanted to name it Carpe Diem Saint Helena. having a boat is, it's like having a house. The registration has gotta be official- Okay and above board, 'cause it's, that's what you need for all of your travels. They ask for it all the time.

Speaker 18:15

Yeah. Yeah, so anywhere- It's very important you wanna sail into, you've got to have it on. Yeah, you have the

Speaker 2 18:18

documen- the, documentation. You don't... if you're, you're just a captain, then it'd have to be registered as your captain, and the owner's name. Okay, yeah. So we're the owners, so we have- to have that documentation with us, And then coming to Saint Helena is that, we did prepare ourselves. our first idea, of, the private sector on Saint Helena was Saint Helena Yacht Services- Okay which we advertise around the world. and in a lot of ports when we were traveling, I would have seminars about our services that we would provide on Saint Helena. Also for travel as well, because the RMS St Helena was, also operating. we give people advice about venues, where to live, culture. And, it was fun. Yeah. 'Cause people... I don't think anybody's met somebody from Saint Helena. No. I tell you what, it's so rare. Yeah. It's really rare until you start traveling and start opening up your mouth, and then somebody in the corner goes, "I know somebody from Saint Helena." And you realize, how well-traveled Saints are, really. Yeah. In the n- in nooks and crannies of the world, there'll be somebody who has met a Saint Helenian. Yeah. And there's you thinking, "No, this is the first time." But do you know what was quite nice, in our travels is engaging with culture. And this is what I think leads onto, the farm and stuff. Before that, though, it was Saint Helena Yacht Services, but I'm glad we've moved onto the farm.

Speaker 19:32

So- so the yacht services was something that, you'd ob- obviously because you were talking about it before you actually got to the island, that was a preconceived idea of getting onto the island and setting yourself up. A very good

Speaker 2 19:42

business. yeah. A very good business. Okay. so the way it works is that, I do the consulting. I will go out there, ask, what they need done. I will have a look at it, and then I get the professionals locally go on board, have a look at it. And under the umbrella, they... Any mechanical engineering, electric engineering, sail repairs. I, also offer service to people struggling to get in at the middle of the night. I've been out 2:00 o'clock in the morning, a young girl all by herself, and I had to jump on board, take over the yacht, sail it in-

Speaker 3 20:09

Yeah

Speaker 2 20:10

berth the boat. Or people get tangled up in the mooring, going on board, taking over the yacht, driving it out, and then putting it on onto the mooring. Yeah. Or picking up a buoy, or helping to pick up a buoy. at the time we were still living on the yacht, so the service were easy to operate. Yeah. And, so I did that for two years. it was fun. The season is only for about six to eight months, so there's, there's a bit of gap that, needs to be filled. Yeah. we thought, we'd probably have a look. We need somewhere that's fixed to live, so we bought Gift Cottage in Sandy Bay. And I think that's when the farming start to, take over. Oh, okay. So we did start with, planting, avocados, 'cause avocados take a long time, so we had to fill another gap. Yeah?

Speaker 20:51

Okay.

Speaker 2 20:51

we look at it at the moment, the avocado orchard is for, our retirement. and Sandy Bay Station, which is we- the only tropical part of the island, is to service our daily needs. So- Okay and that's the way it works. so

Speaker 21:03

the orchard is at your house- Yeah which is just- Yeah at the, halfway up that mountain, basically. it's pretty much almost at the top of the mountain. Yeah. so the avocados are around your property, but then down here is the farm. Yeah It's the- It's the more

Speaker 2 21:14

tropical part of the island

Speaker 21:15

Eight, eight acres. Eight acres. Sorry. Bigger than that. Okay. Yeah. So there's

Speaker 2 21:17

two acres up at the hi- house- and, and eight acres here. Okay. I have no farming background. Nope. So there's no proceed- perceived ideas- Yeah about farming. and, me and Hannah, we're just learning. Yeah. we get told what to grow here, but it's not always best. No. And, it's, it's fun, Yeah. just learning what to grow here. And- So wh-

Speaker 21:38

when did you start this, About

Speaker 2 21:40

a year

Speaker 21:41

and eight months, I think. Oh, wow. That's qu- it's gone, become quite well-established- There was nothing here in a short space of time, isn't it? there was nothing here.

Speaker 2 21:48

It's funny. Me and Hannah always looked back. our travels is one, wham-bam-I-didn't-believe-I-could-ever-do-that. And now the farm, Yeah. and, the kids are now employed by us as well- in, in amongst school. And, opportunities for them after school as well, when they finish as well. So- Yeah, we wanna make sure that, they have a more, a stable platform to, to spring off into our, off, to reach out into the world,

Speaker 22:12

It's, it's a family business, isn't it? It's, Oh, yeah it's developed into that at least, Oh, yeah. Business happens around the ta- the dining table

Speaker 2 22:18

while we're having our dinner,

Speaker 22:19

yeah. when you established this, y- you s- set up, like the pawpaw trees, the, We didn't know it was gonna work, Darren

Speaker 2 22:26

a normal Saint Helenian living on the island. Yeah. we've always lived off grid. For the la- last- 20 years, we've not paid a domestic bill because we're, har- harnessing, nature. So on the boat, is everything ran by solar panels, wind genny. Runs off the engine, yeah, use a bit of fossil fuel. we don't need to plug in anywhere. No. no different here. Our house runs off solar panels. we have a spring to the house, which has been serving the house for the last 70 years. before we, went into it, we made sure that these services, for the house was available. Yeah. all domestic bills on Saint Helena with the war going on, fuel going up, that means all domestic bills are gonna go up. So we're not connected to any of that, like the neighbors around me, I said, "If the electricity goes off, ring me up. I will turn all my lights." just let everybody know that I'm up and I'm here." the whole off-grid living thing, it's part of everything we do, And also our sustainability, feeding ourselves and feeding the public as well. we we've got a different outlook, to most people. And that came from, being, managing our own life when we were traveling. the kids understand it. people normally can't, on Saint Helena, solar panels are normally related to water- Yeah not to electricity. And nowadays, coming from China, you can buy whatever you want. It's become more affordable now whenever- Yeah, it has. Yeah. More adaptable for your situation. And, so everybody on St. Helena can pretty much have half of it, you know- Yeah if they all had solar panels and stuff like that. That will eliminate, efficient, or provide efficient living. And a better... I think it's a better quality of life.

Speaker 23:59

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2 24:00

like I told you before, Darren, we didn't have no birds here, no bees. Now we do. And the same thing with up the house as well.

Speaker 3 24:06

Yeah.

Speaker 2 24:06

The same thing up there as well. there were no bees, no birds, insects, and now they're there. I- And so s- there is some damage being done, isn't it? Yeah with our mundane, having to switch it on whenever you need it, and independent of everything that's, services that's provided to you. Yeah. You get too dependent off- whereas then when you have to try and serve yourself, it's a little bit different.

Speaker 24:29

Yeah. so with regards to the, when you first started the farm, both down here and your avocados up the house, you were obviously focusing on, sort of staple crops. Yeah. But since then, you've quietly diversified. I can see you doing sort of flowers and bunches of flowers now, and I've... I know you- you're doing coffee up the house as well. You got your- yeah you're dipping your toe into that. Yeah. how is all that going? Are you, do you- So- Did you feel the need to diversify or was it something you were already planning anyway? There, the... So

Speaker 2 24:54

the flowers is to bring the bees- Yeah into the garden. We need, pollinators. The

Speaker 24:59

pollinators, yeah.

Speaker 2 25:00

also, repellents- to other, harmful insects as well. there's a high de- high demand for flowers on the island. Yeah. And also, it's also, beautiful for the landscape in-

Speaker 25:12

it's win- win really then, isn't it? Yeah, so- it's doing a job in the garden, and it's bringing you an income at the same time.

Speaker 2 25:16

for me, work need to be a whole environment, have to look, feels we need to be here. Yeah. And you only get that from when you embrace nature really. so now we're sitting around flowers and fruit and literally I can go and pick a papaya or a tomato or a cucumber and eat it, yeah. I don't even have to bring food here, Darren. No, I know. but you do just in case. Yeah. No idea why, but we just bring it anyway. But today's a special occasion, remember, right? Oh, yeah. You're here, Darren.

Speaker 25:44

I know. you got the kettle out and everything. Brilliant. I, yeah

Speaker 2 25:47

it's that sense of, a sense of freedom. That's what the yacht gave us. Yeah. And I don't think we've changed too far from traveling, just that there's no sea under your feet.

Speaker 25:56

yeah. And- And that's exactly the mindset to have, isn't it? Yeah. Exactly.

Speaker 2 25:59

And people should embrace it. People should go out there and, just, find something different that, might be interesting. Something that you've thought about. Give it a go, you wouldn't, be surprised I think. Yeah. Something we did when we were living in England, and that was with the kids, put the tent in the back, no sat nav and just get lost.

Speaker 3 26:17

And

Speaker 2 26:17

then, yeah, and then fumbly your way back into your, where your destination is, and then finding your way back home.

Speaker 26:23

it's fun, and it's teaching the kids curiosity as well, isn't it? It's okay to be curious. There's nothing wrong with that let's just go and see what happens.

Speaker 2 26:30

You know- living on Saint Helena, you have your little bit of problems with, not being able to go to the shop and have it today. But there's nothing wrong with waiting a week- No two weeks. There's nothing wrong with that, isn't there? I tell the kids as well, and you learn to be patient. Like yesterday I came down here, and so frustrated about other things that I need to do, and as everything's overwhelming me b- because I n- things that need to be done, and I just went, take a deep breath, and I just slowed right down. Yeah. And I was being able to follow the day right through. Yeah. I was by myself though. I didn't have the company of Hannah and stuff, like we can chat and exchange, opinions and stuff like. Yeah. By myself. And, as I got older, I'm, I've learned to, slow down.

Speaker 27:08

this is helping you slow down, isn't it? Yeah. who wouldn't slow down in an envi- working environment like this? It's telling you to slow down. And you wanted to know what I would've changed? what would you have done diff- would there be anything you would've done differently? Is there anything? I would've started 10

Speaker 2 27:21

years earlier.

Speaker 27:22

Ah.

Speaker 2 27:23

I've always said. Started 10 years earlier. I feel that now I'm hurrying along, I'm doing it at a slow pace. But I would've slowed down even more if I'd done it 10 years earlier.

Speaker 27:32

Brilliant. thank you so much, James. Thank you for sharing, your story with us.

Speaker 2 27:36

I just hope that some, a lot of people out there would be inspired. I think it,

Speaker 27:39

it's very inspirational. Definitely. A lot of people are gonna relate to that. Thank you so much. Cheers, James.