Monday 17th May (Lini’s Journal)
Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Fri 21 May 2010 23:47
Georges but it was afternoon before we’d finished pottering and got
Shovell inflated. The town was charming. Below the white roofs there
was a strong Portuguese feel to some of the immaculate pastel
buildings with their ornate facades and white edged towers. Phil had
told us the white roofs were made of slates cut from coral then white
washed. Si had read that their only source of water is rain and each
house has a large cistern underneath. Around the roofs were deep
gullies draining into the tanks. Outside the town hall a band were
playing and on benches opposite I desperately wanted to photograph a
row of elderly local ladies dressed in floral dresses with great hats
and umbrellas to shelter from the sun. They were enthusiastically
botty dancing and clapping. I wished I was my daughter who would have
flung her arms in the air with a cry of “Ladies! You all look
fabulous; can I take your photo so I’ll always remember you?” But I am
me and quickly put the camera away as soon as I was rumbled and soon
they will be faded memories.
The town was heaving with tourists from a cruise ship, mostly
extremely overweight Americans and all VERY loud. Although the town
has obviously adapted to cater for tourists, the various gift shops
were all terribly tasteful. We took a street north catching glimpses
of the narrow cobbled lanes each side with pots of pretty flowers
cascading down stone steps and nasturtiums dripping over walls by
candy coloured cottages. We saw the unfinished church and carried on
through a golf course to a wonderful bay encircled by craggy rocks
with people swimming in the shallow green water. The peace was
shattered by screaming Americans going berserk on Segway people
movers. On round the coast and we came to St. Catherine Fort which
never really saw any action. I wasn’t surprised as the reefs north of
Bermuda must have been impossible to navigate through before the days
of charts. We bought bread from a bakery in a huge building on the
hill which we think was army barracks then continued round and back to
the town. First impressions of Bermuda? - Wow!
The afternoon was now hot and we wasted no time in trying out a new
beer in the waterfront pub. Here I saw by first pair of Bermudian
shorts on a waiter, worn of course with long black socks. We also had
our first taste of Bermudian prices - $13 for two beers: We had been
warned. We called by to say hello to ‘Ocean Lady’ who are moored close
by and also went over to the yacht club to wish ‘Blonde Moment’ and
‘Fair Encounter’ good luck as the ARC boats are leaving for the Azores
on Wednesday. It should be busy on the water. Our Swedish friends from
‘Aurora’ that we first met in Dominica swung by earlier to say hello
and a Viking flotilla of several Swedish boats will all be heading for
the Azores Wednesday too. After negotiating a very rusty and wonky
ladder from the dinghy pontoon to the dock, then a shaky walk down a
steep plank onto ‘Blonde Moment’ we didn’t say no to another beer and
arrived back on Brindabella just in time to grab a bottle of wine and
zip over to ‘Festina Lente’ for the evening.
Once again we had a wonderful evening and Lynda had been very busy
in the galley cooking a great supper for us all. They are such good
company and will leave a huge void when they head off to the Azores
ahead us quite soon. After the beer earlier then wine all evening I
had to exercise a little caution when it came to clambering in and out
of Shovell.