Some Bermuda Pictures

The sun is setting over St. George and the anchorage is filled with boats waiting for a good opportunity to continue their voyages. Some, like us, are going to Horta in the Azores, others are en route to the United States or the Canadian East Coast. There are flags from Britain, France, Denmark, Germany, St. Kitts/Nevis, flown on sloops, yawls, ketches and even schooners of all sizes.






Small cruise ships also moor in St. George (as in only ten storeys or so high). They are one of the reasons that Bermuda Radio monitors all arrivals and departures - no other vessels is going to be able to transit the main cut into the harbour when one of these is going in or out.







These dinghies were racing out of the East End Mini Yacht Club (in the pink building), through the cruising boats and across the harbour. They looked as if they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.










From St. George we walked to Fort St. Catherine. On the way we passed beaches and there was a golf course that the roads ran through. The road going up to the Fort overlooked this small beach and gave us a different view of the other roads we had walked along.







All kinds of people ride scooters - all ages, shapes and sizes. Bermudans on their scooters seem so comfortable that it looks as if they were born riding them...










In the middle of this picture is one of the Fitted Dinghies, with its long bowsprit, large sails and low freeboard (sides). Six is the standard number aboard, necessary to keep the boat as level as possible and bail when needed - which seems to be often.









Downtown in Hamilton, capital of Bermuda, on a Saturday morning. There are lots of cars and scooters on the streets, and pedestrians on the sidewalks. People are out shopping and looking; for the young people we saw it seemed to be a "see and be seen" kind of day and place.

Working on the boat in Miami

The sun is setting over Biscayne Bay, as we look out from Hurricane Harbor. After working away , this was the part of the day which we most often enjoyed, watching the sun set and the birds and boaters settling in for the night.







The interior layout of our boat has been changing as we travel. Here you can see part of the starboard side, complete with fireplace, bin behind seat for supplies we want ready to hand while voyaging, food hammock and ventilation holes in the lockers and bulkheads.













Further aft on the starboard side: the table is tied back for traveling and has a storage area underneath it for larger pots and pans. It serves as our nav table while underway. Beside it the cooler has been set into the shelf; you can catch a glimpse of the potholders we had heightened to hold the pressure cooker. The curtains covering the outboard bin are meant to contain any implement trying to leave its normal place...










In the middle, the vee-berth is packed and ready to go, bicycles upright on either side and miscellaneous gear farther forward. The berth on the port side is made up for travel, with the lee cloth lying across it ready to be put up.













Leaving in the evening, the wind finally favourable - Key Biscayne is behind us as we motor out the channel and get ready to set our sails and wind vane on our way to Bermuda.

Bermuda

We knew that Bermuda was nothing like the Bahamas before we even got there. As you approach the coast by boat, about thirty miles or so off, you are expected to radio in to Bermuda Radio. They take information about your boat - type, size, equipment, number of people, expected time of arrival outside St. George’s Harbour. And they follow up - if you do not radio that you are at the entrance to the harbour at the time estimated, they call to ask for your current position and a new ETA. We were beating up the coast when they called to find out why we were not requesting permission to enter the harbour yet. If you do not radio in, they will call you - with a description of your vessel and your position. From their position on top of the hill overlooking St. George's they watch the coasts and monitor vessels arriving and departing by radar and radio. Immigration and customs are businesslike and pleasant, and you begin to learn about Bermuda as they fill out the paperwork and give you official permission to stay for three weeks.

By the time we leave we will have spent close to three weeks in Bermuda. They have been weeks of contrast - with weather ranging from rain and wind gusting up to thirty-five knots to sunny days with wind between five and ten knots - but far fewer of the latter. The island is lush and green - but water is a scarce commodity. Many of the islands’ houses are built over water tanks, which collect the water when it rains and stores it for their occupants’ use. Lack of rain means that they have to buy water, and they are not encouraged to buy too much. There are boats all over the place - moored in little bays and inlets, docked at marinas and clubs - and many Bermudans spend a lot of their time on, in and around the water, but boat parts are very expensive in the local marine stores and must add considerably to the cost of owning a boat. But then, many other things are more expensive here than we have been accustomed to - the Bermudan dollar may equal the U.S. dollar, but you spend them at twice the rate for basic food and transportation. In spite of that we plan to come back, to sample more of all the things there are to see and do here.

And we have managed to enjoy seeing and doing a variety of things. We went to a cricket match at the St. George’s Cricket Club, and enjoyed not just the match but the hospitality of the club members. For those of you who understand cricket: the match was 48 overs a side, and after a slow start the batsmen went after runs aggressively, hitting singles and fours and a few sixes. The home side won, but not until the last over of the 48, and then by three - because the batsman hit a four. It was a real family event, and both sides were fielding their young teams which meant that we saw a very good thirteen year old bowler and a couple more who were probably not much older. One of the younger players scored 108 before he was out - he would have been happier if he had not been clean bowled. It looks as if cricket is alive and well in Bermuda.

We happened to read about the Fitted Dinghy races, which are held every summer. Different clubs campaign boats in the event, and it is sailboat racing not quite like you’ve seen it before. For one thing, the boats do not have to end the race with the same number of crew they start with, and once you’ve seen the boats and talked to those involved you understand why. This is a one-design class - and what a design. Picture a small boat with low sides, a plumb bow (almost straight up) and a long bowsprit designed to carry lots of sail. Then think about the fact that because its sides are so low it has to be sailed level, or as near level as possible. This explains why there are five crew plus the skipper on this small boat - and why they have to be agile to get their weight wherever it is needed very quickly. All that, and bail like crazy whenever the boat encounters a wave or wake from a passing boat. Every now and then things get a bit hairy - as they are trying to fly the spinnaker, the boat starts rocking in a gust - then the mast hits the water, the hull fills with water, and over she goes. The crew stays with the boat and waits until their powerboat comes alongside and pulls the boat up. Then they bail like mad, and climb back on board for the next race. In the races we watched two boats sank in different races - including one from the Sandys Boat Club, where we were watching the races, just after it had taken the lead. And as far as ending with fewer crew than they start with - we did not see that, since there were good winds on the day we were watching. But we were told that on light wind days, especially if the racing is close, the crew will dive off the back of the boat one by one, pushing it with their feet as they go. If they do it right, there will be small enough distance to the finish line after the last crew member has dived off that the dinghy will make it across the line before it sinks...

Bermuda is a country full of forts, built by the British to defend their possession of it. Fort St. Catherine near St. George has been restored and has dioramas illustrating parts of Bermuda’s history, a self-guided tour through parts of the fort and videos. We walked there past beaches and houses and a very hilly golf course; the beaches are pinkish, but the tourists on them were mostly even pinker. Other days we went into Hamilton, and visited the Bermuda National Gallery and the Crisson and Hind Fine Art Gallery - the first had a good juried exhibition of local artists as well as some historical pieces; the second specialises in beautiful carvings by the Shona Master Fine Artists of Zimbabwe, done in very hard stones using hand tools. There we were lucky enough to spend some time with Dusty Hind, who is passionate about the works he sells and the artists who create them. Unfortunately (or fortunately, there being no space for carvings) we had to spend our money at the marine stores, also in Hamilton, instead. Talk about sticker shock - prices are twice to three or four times what they are in the United States.

Our bus trips took us on narrow, hilly, winding roads past colourful houses and rocky shores cut into by small coves and bays, some with beaches. The cars here are small, and there are scooters everywhere ridden by Bermudans of different ages, sizes and shapes. You can easily tell the Bermudan from the tourist on a scooter - the Bermudans look very comfortable. The tourists, on the other hand, tend to look a bit tense, especially as they are overtaken by a pink bus on a narrow road. There are a few bicycle riders on these roads with no shoulders, relying on the civility and kindness of Bermudan drivers in tight situations. There are places where there are no sidewalks either - it looks as if the original road was just too narrow to allow them to be built now.

There are many roads we have not travelled, many interesting places we have not been yet. So we plan to be back, passing through again and pausing long enough to visit and enjoy Bermudan hospitality a little more.

George Town and Other Pictures

Some of you who cruise around Lake Ontario may have seen John and his Alberg 30, Joy B, much modified for comfortable cruising. Here she is racing in the In The Harbour Race at the George Town Cruisers' Regatta, where she placed a very respectable fifth.





Winner of the B Class and first overall was Lollygag, a Canadian boat cruised by Matt and Madeline from Cathedral Bluffs Yacht Club, Toronto. They did not live up to their name and were across the line ahead of the boats in their class and in front of some of the A Class boats as well.









Cruisers Regatta Week also features dinghy races, with dinghies of all sizes sporting many different kinds and sizes of sails. In the end, waterline and sail size had a lot to do with who won...




The dinghy dock in Lake Victoria in George Town was almost always full when we went there. This was early evening on the night of the Regatta Variety Show - when we came back after, there were two or three rows of dinghies behind each of these.







The sun is setting over the anchorage in George Town's Kidd Cove after another windy day, as we prepare for another rolly night...









On the other side of the islands which shelter the George Town's Elizabeth Harbour lies the Exuma Sound. When the wind blows in from the east you can walk along the beach and watch the waves coming in.









This little store was where we found the most reliable internet connection, at very reasonable rates. The young man who runs the computer side of the business plans to expand and improve as money allows; the grocery store will soon be moving next door and this building will be devoted to computers and internet access. He was pleasant and hard-working - we wish him the best of luck.




On top of Monument Hill stands this beacon, showing the way to Elizabeth Harbour and George Town. We enjoyed anchoring off here, and using the trails across the island to visit the shore on the Exuma Sound side.







While in Black Point, Exumas for the second time we needed to replace the zinc on our prop. So we followed the suggestion of a friend (John on Joy B) and grounded Into The Blue on sand at half tide as the tide was going out. Then we waited for the tide to go down enough for Richard to stand and work, rather than swim. And while we were there we cleaned up the waterline and did a few other things as well...




Looking out across the sands to the harbour at Black Point Settlement on Great Guana Cay, with the tide coming in to cover the shallows. Many cruisers stop here - there is a good grocery store, a laundromat, a small marine supply store, and good local restaurants. Lorraine's Cafe is a hub of activity, providing information, internet access, a book swap, local bread and lunch and supper for the hungry.

Miami, then to Bermuda

Back to Miami

The first week of April saw us on our way back to Miami, with a brief stop in Warderick Wells to enjoy a swim and snorkel off the beaches and a hike across the island from the “bank” side to the “sea” side. Then we set sail across one bank, across the deep waters of Tongue of the Ocean that divide them and across the bank on its west side to North Cat Cay. Winds were light and sometimes blowing from the direction we were trying to go in, which made the journey a little longer than we had anticipated - such is sailing. After we crossed Tongue of the Ocean the wind shifted - it decided to blow from the direction we were going in. That had us tacking back and forth, and we decided stopping for the two nights we were on the bank and continuing on during the day was safer than sailing on in the darkness. Our second stop was just off North Cat Cay on the western edge of the Bahamas, where we arrived late and spent a bumpy night. That meant being up early was no challenge, and as soon as it was daylight we went through the narrow cut there and headed for the Gulf Stream and Miami. By that evening we were in U.S. waters, entering Biscayne Bay through the cut off Cape Florida in time to anchor for the night in the Bay. Next morning we called in, welcomed personnel from Homeland Security on board for a brief visit, and replaced our Q flag with the Stars and Stripes. By that evening we had had our passports officially stamped, and we were on our way to visit family. Then it was time to settle in for some more serious work to get ready for our next voyage.

Working on Into The Blue - Some More.

Most of April and half of May saw us hard at work. Our largest project was putting together a Jordan Series Drogue, something we decided we would rather have to help us in very heavy weather instead of wishing we had it should we ever need it. We saved some time by ordering a Sailrite kit with the one hundred cones we needed already cut. Then it was just a matter of cutting and sewing three hundred pieces of tape on to the one hundred cones and sewing the cones together; attaching those pieces of tape to umpteen feet of rope (each piece of tape knotted top and bottom through the rope); making the necessary splices; and attaching stainless steel brackets to the stern to fasten the drogue to. Other jobs were smaller - working on improving radio transmission, creating covers for the bins in the main cabin, raising the port berth in the main cabin to create chart storage underneath it, making sure that we can fasten down the floorboards and ice box lids should we need to, making baggywrinkles for our aft shrouds to prevent the mainsail from chafing when we are going downwind (bright yellow for now until the sun mellows them, they are nice and cheerful), and generally doing whatever we could think of to increase comfort and safety while under way. At the same time we were reprovisioning and stowing, bit by bit, and the boat was sinking lower and lower on her water line.

We spent days at a time in Hurricane Harbor, surrounded by large houses and protected not just from the weather but from much of the traffic on Biscayne Bay. Any weekends we were there we were joined by a few other boats, and saw many others tour through, but generally there was little activity during the week. When we wanted to spend time with family, we left the boat on a mooring in Crandon Park Marina and locked our dinghy into the dinghy stand. When we just needed to go to the grocery store then we spent the day in No Name Harbor, and biked in from there - Richard also made a couple of long bicycle trips into Miami from there, to get work done or pick up marine supplies.

As the middle of May drew near, we took stock of what we had done and decided it was time to go. Boat work never actually finishes - you just get used to doing it wherever you happen to be. But you do try to do the larger jobs where it is most economical, and hope that nothing too big sneaks up on you anywhere else. So - supplies bought and stowed and plans made, we lingered just long enough to celebrate Mother’s Day with family, including one daughter. Then we waited through thunderstorms and northerly winds, until the day the weather changed and the winds blew out of the south and the Gulf Stream showed its friendly face...

Bermuda Bound.

We set off on a friday evening, leaving Cape Florida behind us as the sun was going down in the sky. The winds were light and stayed light for the next four days, but at least we had the Gulf Stream to help us northward past the Bahamas. Then the winds grew brisker and we adapted to living life more or less at an angle. We tuned in to Herb on South Bound II to help us find friendly winds and currents and avoid any heavier weather. The days passed quickly, what with log keeping, standing watches, preparing meals, looking out for ships and figuring out where they were headed. We created our own routine, which suited our own sleeping habits...

When you look out over the blue of the ocean it is easy to feel that there is no-one else around. Then a freighter or cruise ship comes into view, or you hear on the net that there is another boat travelling close to you, going in the same direction. In our case there was Lapwing, a Valiant 40 - we talked to them once or twice a day on our SSB radio, comparing conditions and discussing our next waypoints. They arrived in Bermuda a day ahead of us, having decided to motor while we kept sailing, and were waiting to greet us when we got here.

Other less pleasant things remind you of the presence of man. We passed an array of things floating in the sea - from the drawers of a bureau to balloons to a yellow jerry can to plastic bottles and bits of foam to parts of crates and other wooden debris. We heard one boat radio in to the net that they had passed a semi-sunken powerboat, bow bobbing along above the waves.

Other creatures that travel and live on the sea are less intrusive. You have to take the time to look for the Petrels that skim low over the water, searching for food. The Portuguese Man-of War jellyfish sail quietly past. The dolphins catch your attention with the sound of their breathing, sometimes off in the distance, sometimes right by the boat. Most of the time they are in groups, but sometimes there is just one swimming along by itself. Two days in a row a Tropicbird came to look us over and try to land on our mast. The rope for the topping list, snapping around, and the array of things on top of our mast defeated him. He sounded indignant as he flew away.

A week and a half later we were approaching Bermuda. Since it is a set of islands surrounded by reefs, the approach to Bermuda demands respect and attention to charts and navigation. And once you are thirty miles or so off the coast every boat is expected to call in to Bermuda Radio on 16, and give details of their position, the size and type of vessel, the number of persons and safety equipment aboard and their estimated time of arrival off the cut which leads in to the harbour in St. George. Should you fail to do so, Bermuda Radio will hail you - and they will follow up should you not arrive at the time given. Once you are close to the cut, they will let you know whether you can enter or must wait for cruise ship traffic; once inside they guide you to the dock where you tie up to clear customs - or ask you to anchor off and wait. All very different from the Bahamas - and these are not the only differences we have been finding. But that is for next time...