Most passengers boarded the RMS St. Helena in Cardiff, South Wales. Some went on board in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Felix, who is of Spanish-Cuban descent, joined the ship in Tenerife, as the resort island is his home. He had never set foot on St. Helena.
This was remarkable, as Felix, who did not want his surname used, is a world traveler. He has his own travel-related business in Tenerife that makes it possible and even necessary for him to travel. He has been to Japan four times, and declares that he has been "all over the Japanese islands." His world count of countries visited is more than 150 and several of these places are difficult to reach. He has his own method of keeping tally of each year's expeditions. He has pinned up a large world map to cover a wall in his apartment. On it he has stuck red tacks in the places he has been to and white tacks in places he is going to in the current year. This makes it easier for him, he says, to plot his routes.
St. Helena is a fairly inaccessible place as it doesn't have an airport. The St. Helena is the only ship, carrying passengers and cargo, on a regular run to the island. Felix had to plan a sea voyage of eight days to get to St. Helena from Tenerife.