SA Agulhas II visitors' activities 2026
Report and photos from Philip Kendall and Kelly Green
SA Agulhas II off the settlement, October 2026. Photo: Robin Repetto
The SA Agulhas II visit may have been a short one this year, but that certainly didn’t stop a huge amount of important work from taking place during those few weeks!
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| Chilling out and contemplating the ship offshore. Photos: Odile Cesari & Tracy Tough | |
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Healthcare and TrainingA team of health professionals worked hard at the hospital, providing a range of services to Tristan’s residents. The dental team and eye specialist worked incredibly hard to see members of the community, carrying out dental and eye assessments and helping people with their healthcare needs. Over 180 dental appointments were completed, alongside a similar number of optician appointments. |
| Left: Dental checkup. Photo: Kelly Green | |
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We also welcomed Dr Peter Smith, a general psychiatrist, and Rene, a child psychiatrist, who were part of the visiting healthcare team, offering specialist mental health services and support to the island’s residents. |
Professor Ian Cumming also delivered two UK-accredited training courses to strengthen our community’s emergency response skills.
The first was a five-day Emergency First Responder course (FREC3), covering trauma, immediate life support, choking, burns, major haemorrhage, asthma and heart attacks. All seven candidates successfully passed: Acela, Philip, Vera, Linda, Debbie, Tristan and Leon. Congratulations to everyone!
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| Above & below: Prof. Ian Cumming conducting First Response Emergency Care training. Photos: Philip Kendall & Kelly Green |
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The second was a one-day UK-accredited Basic Life Support course, focusing on essential life-saving skills, including choking and catastrophic haemorrhage. All five participants successfully passed: Stacey, Tracy, Odile and Benjamin. Well done to all involved!
One of the main reasons for Matt Dryden visiting, was to set up and improve diagnostic capacity for serious infectious diseases. So, he set up a machine that runs panels to detect the causes of respiratory infection, gastrointestinal infection, meningitis, and sepsis. He also checked out the blood sciences machines.
Ian Cumming and Matt Dryden had a review of the overall medical services, overseas referrals and how those might be future proofed.
It was a valuable opportunity for the community to access a variety of healthcare services and specialist support, alongside important training to strengthen local emergency response skills.
Building Inspections and Important Work at the Harbour
Outside the hospital, solar panels are being installed on the hospital roof, increasing the renewable energy capacity on the island, and the roads project is continuing to improve the infrastructure to the patches.
We also welcomed Dainah Smith, who was sent by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to inspect several buildings on the island for asbestos.
There was plenty of essential work taking place down at the harbour, too!
Overseen by crane engineer Sean Kryney, a dedicated team spent seven days carrying out essential maintenance and repairs on Tristan’s Liebherr LR1100 crawler crane, which is used to offload barges and bring vital supplies ashore.
Crane refurbishment and harbour team Photo: Kelly Green
The work included removing and replacing the track chains, grouser shoes, idler wheels, track slack adjuster cylinders, A-frame, load cells, X-frame, pendants and various other components. Completing this work was essential to help prevent a critical failure of the machine and ensure it remains operational. This piece of essential equipment is now good for another few years.
A big thank you to Sean and the entire team involved: Gerald van Heerden, Craig Kastoor, Vinini Xambesi, Sean Kryney, Jadin Arendse, Thulani Mofu and Paul Ferreira (Jurrie).
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| Refurbished caterpillar tracks. Photo: Philip Kendall |
The old track repurposed as a picture frame. Photo: Tracy Tough |
It is a great example of the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to keep Tristan running, from healthcare and building inspections to maintaining the equipment we rely on to receive essential supplies.
Making the Most of the Visit
Although the weather wasn't particularly kind during the visit, there was still plenty of time to enjoy island life!
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| Above & below: Wednesday Lunch at Café da Cunha. Photos: Ian Cumming & Kelly Green | |
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Everyone got to enjoy our busy Wednesday lunch at Café da Cunha, followed by a craft show at the Tourism Centre, which also gave visitors plenty of opportunities to browse and enjoy a bit of shopping.
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| Spinning and carding wool at the craft show. Photos: Paula Swain & Tracy Tough | |
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| Brian Rogers with some of his model longboats at the craft show, and Tracy Tough with the real thing in the Longboat Museum next door. Photos: Paula Swain | |
There was also time for some evening entertainment, with karaoke at the Albatross Bar giving visitors and locals a chance to get together, enjoy themselves and make the most of their time on the island. They clearly enjoyed belting out their favourite songs
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| Karaoke Night in the Albatross bar was popular with visitors and islanders alike. Photos: Philip Kendall & Kelly Green |
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Walks and Wildlife
Towards the end of the visit, the weather finally cleared just enough to allow for two mountain walks.
Dr Matt was taken up Burntwood by Philip Rogers, making the most of the opportunity to explore Tristan's spectacular landscape.
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| Visiting specialist Matt Dryden on the Base, and his guide Philip Rogers at Burntwood. Photos: Philip Rogers & Matt Dryden |
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The following day, Professor Ian Cummings and CTBTO representative Benjamin Duportal set off with Jason, Calvin and Nathan to climb the mountain from behind the village. They had hoped to reach the peak, but with such cold weather, the snow was lying much further down the mountain than usual. Instead, they walked across the lower slopes before descending at Green Hill.
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| The Conservation RIB leaving harbour to circumnavigate the island with visitors. Photo: Kelly Green | Happy visitors in the Conservation RIB heading west. Photo: Matt Dryden |
For those who didn't head out on the mountain, there was still plenty of adventure to be had. Members of the conservation team took visitors out on a RIB trip around the island, offering a fantastic opportunity to see Tristan from the sea. Some also got to experience a little of Tristan's deep-sea fishing, making the most of the chance to get out on the water.
Additionally, Eugene Repetto took his visiting Paula Swain and Tracy Tough out the Pigbite to see the seals and rockhopper penguins.
Some of the Wildlife Photos taken by Visitors
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| Left: A Peeoo or Sooty Albatross. Right: A Molly or Yellow-nosed Albatross on its nest on the Base. | |
Photos above and below by Matt Dryden
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| Rockhopper Penguins (not hopping!) | A Starchy or Tristan Thrush. |
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| A rockhopper penguin incubating an egg at Pigbite. Photo: Paula Swain |
Fur seal at Pigbite Photo: Paula Swain |
A Visit from Father DominicWe also welcomed Father Dominic Helmboldt to Tristan during the visit, who spent time with our local Catholic community at St Joseph’s Church. Visits from Catholic clergy are important to the island, providing pastoral support and opportunities for the community to come together in faith and celebrate religious services and sacraments. |
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| Farewell reception at the Residency. Photo: Philip Kendall | Fr. Dominic Helmboldt celebrating mass in St Joseph's church. Photo: Philip Kendall |
Philip Kendall's Agulhas II Farewell Reception Speech
On the 14th October, Philip and Louise hosted their last event in the Residency as Administrator - the Agulhas Farewell reception. The handover to the new Administrator, Andy Wells, took place the next day.
"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the Agulhas II Farewell Reception. This annual gathering gives us the chance to reflect on the visit and to thank all those who have contributed so much to the island over the past two and a half weeks.
First, I must apologise for the weather. It has not been the most cooperative — climbing the Peak or visiting Nightingale Island has been difficult. But we still have a couple of days left, so never say never.
This year, we have been fortunate to have people caring for our physical, mental, and spiritual health. My thanks go to the medical professionals who have looked after our teeth and eyes. Sandy, you are now so familiar with Tristan that you could almost apply for residency — six visits and counting! Thanks also to Ian and Matt for their work at the hospital, which now has the capability to diagnose the reasons behind the current coughs.
We are grateful to Father Dominic for tending to our spiritual health, and to Dainah for bravely crawling through the loft spaces in search of asbestos — and encountering a few dead rats along the way.
This evening is not only my fourth Agulhas Farewell Reception, but also my last. I want to extend a special thank you to the Tristan community and to the wonderful team I have had around me. All the Chiefs are here tonight: our Chief Islander, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Finance Officer, Chief Medical Officer, and Chief of Police — newly promoted Inspector Barry. And of course, not forgetting my Chief Wife, without whom nothing would be possible.
So please, raise your glasses with me — to the Agulhas II, to our visitors, and to everyone who has worked so hard to support Tristan during this visit. Thank you all."
A Short Visit with a Lasting Impact
Although the SA Agulhas II visit was shorter than usual this year, it was certainly a busy and productive few weeks for Tristan da Cunha.
From healthcare and specialist training to building inspections, essential harbour maintenance, community activities and opportunities to explore our incredible island, there was a great deal happening behind the scenes and plenty of memories made along the way.
Passengers and their luggage on American Fence waiting to depart. Photo: Paula Swain