Bermuda
It was an 8-day passage from St Martin to Bermuda. The wind started steady but dropped off throughout the trip and we ended up sailing about half of the 860 miles and motoring the rest. The day before we were due to arrive, we heard a boat trying to get the weather forecast on the SSB radio. He was drifting in light winds and his engine had failed. After making radio contact with the owner, we ended up making a detour of 65 miles (equivalent to a Channel crossing) to pick him up and towed his boat ‘Expresso’ (a 44 foot steel yacht) the final 95 miles to Bermuda. This meant entering St George’s harbour in darkness, through the narrow ‘Town Cut’ channel, which has several unlit buoys – not the ideal first entry to a new harbour.
Otherwise, it was an uneventful passage, with light winds and calm seas. We saw no trace of the infamous Bermuda triangle – no magnetic anomalies, weird fogs or little green men climbing aboard! There was, however, a noticeable drop in temperature the further north we got, we started the trip in shorts and T-shirts and ended it in jeans and jumpers.
We have spent a pleasant few days in Bermuda, the people are very friendly and it is a striking picture-postcard island. Everywhere you look the gardens are immaculate and the houses all freshly painted in various colours. The main thing that stands out are the white roofs. Every household collects its own water from the roof, which by law has to be whitewashed regularly to keep the water supply clean.
The mild but warm weather allowed us to put a couple of coats of varnish on the deck hatches and also to have what may be our last swim for a while. We also explored the island on the fantastic public bus and ferry services and saw magnificent beaches, well-kept old forts and charming scenery.
The only downfall is the high prices – a loaf of bread costs $4.50 (nearly £2.50) so the cost of living here ain’t cheap!
It’s now time to weigh anchor again, next stop Newport, Rhode Island, about 650 miles away and seven more days at sea.
Otherwise, it was an uneventful passage, with light winds and calm seas. We saw no trace of the infamous Bermuda triangle – no magnetic anomalies, weird fogs or little green men climbing aboard! There was, however, a noticeable drop in temperature the further north we got, we started the trip in shorts and T-shirts and ended it in jeans and jumpers.
We have spent a pleasant few days in Bermuda, the people are very friendly and it is a striking picture-postcard island. Everywhere you look the gardens are immaculate and the houses all freshly painted in various colours. The main thing that stands out are the white roofs. Every household collects its own water from the roof, which by law has to be whitewashed regularly to keep the water supply clean.
The mild but warm weather allowed us to put a couple of coats of varnish on the deck hatches and also to have what may be our last swim for a while. We also explored the island on the fantastic public bus and ferry services and saw magnificent beaches, well-kept old forts and charming scenery.
The only downfall is the high prices – a loaf of bread costs $4.50 (nearly £2.50) so the cost of living here ain’t cheap!
It’s now time to weigh anchor again, next stop Newport, Rhode Island, about 650 miles away and seven more days at sea.
posted by Katie at 1:43 PM
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