Aqualung
andromeda of plymouth
Susan and Andrew Wilson
Mon 26 May 2014 19:36
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Dawn was chilly........
We are very sad to hear of the fate of the Cheeky
Rafiki - our thoughts are with the families of those lost......
Yesterday was mainly a day of recovery and drying
out - the trip to Bermuda was pretty tough, but when you added the storm and the
diving to clear the prop of a huge amount of plastic floating fishing line, we
were very, very tired. The fishing line was commercial grade, about 8-10
millimetres, and very strong, and resisted cutting - broke one knife blade
within minutes. We would definitely have welcomed an aqualung to to use to stay
down longer when trying to clear the prop - the diving took quite a bit of time
as Andrew can't hold his breath as long as he once could do. However he did get
it clear without drinking to much diesel and seawater - all-in-all it took about
30-40 minutes. At least we now know why we were slower than anticipated - all
that fishing line would have slowed us down by up to knot sailing at least and
considerably more when trying to motor, so the decision to get a tow was, we
feel, the right one, given forecast conditions. The amount Andrew cut-away was
about the same as we picked up off Guadeloupe and had to get cut away by a diver
in Point-a Pitre. Wrong part of the ocean at the wrong time it would
seem.
So once in Captain Smokey's Marina we started to
dry everything out and get some sleep. What a lovely and peaceful night we had -
scarcely a sound, until the boarding ladder started squeaking and I found dawn
quite chilly - we are getting north after all, and the days are getting longer
and the nights cooler - a taste of things to come!
It's a Bank Holiday in Bermuda today (Bermuda Day
and when they celebrate the Queens birthday) so not a great deal open, so we did
the washing, repaired the port primary genoa winch and dried out the last of our
once sodden clothing - our oilies are now no longer completely water proof in a
down-pour, which is a bit sad. Had another look around St. Georges today and
then its off to the supermarket in Hamilton by bus tomorrow, for a Wednesday
departure after fueling up and clearing customs, weather
permitting.
The German boat next to us in the marina,
Lemuria, lost a fore-stay a few weeks ago and are waiting for the new one
to clear customs tomorrow. They are then going to head to the Azores around the
same time as us, so we may have a little bit of company for a while. There are
quite a few boats leaving for the Azores every day it would seem as this is
supposed to be the best time to cross eastwarsd - we shall see what commanders
have to say.
More in due course....
Andrew & Susan
S/V Andromeda |