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Date: 10 Jun 2009 13:51:59
Title: 32 22'.7N 64 40.5W ST. Georges, Bermuda
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Bermuda has certainly been a nice stop.  It is pretty much a county designed to accommodate tourists, and a key defensive location - old gun emplacements and forts everywhere.  Over the last several days we have learned the bus and ferry system reasonably well, gone shopping in the local supermarkets, and seen several NCL cruise boats come and go.  We are tied up at 'Penno' marina with about 5 other sailing boats.  Other crews include Italian, Dutch, and two other American boats.  We have gotten to know the Dutch crew the best.  Four merchant marine sailors who came to America to buy a boat because of the favorable exchange rate.  They spent about 6 months fixing it up and are also bound for the Azores and then north to Holland.  They are going out of their way to speak English whenever we are around them.  Seiko reminds me of the Russian cosmonaut in the Armageddon move.  Same accent and mannerisms.  They are all very interested in what we think of Obama.  We have not gotten any state side news in about three weeks.  For all we know Key West has succeeded again.
 
We had planned to leave yesterday.  Picked up the latest weather and no wind again until about Thursday.  Chris and I went to see a movie 'UP' yesterday.  Not what I expected but somewhat appropriate.  We also stopped at the main marine store in Hamilton to look for newer maps of the Azores, our next port, and to replace the co2 cartridge on Chris's life preserver.  Chris was minding his business in the cockpit when a squall blew through and got his inflatable harness wet.  Poof the thing inflated.  Wish I would have had a camera to catch the _expression_ on his face.  Fortunately he had it on outside his jacket. 
 
A new British Admiralty chart of the Azores is about $60 here, would have been $12.50 at Pier 17 in Jax if they would have had it.  My present charts are fine.  They haven't moved the islands in years. George and I started up the water maker last night.  As expected leaks everywhere.  The main pump motor was also running backwards.  A quick international call to Bruce Backus, the engineer's engineer, and we got that fixed.  The watermaker should keep the erector set minded busy for days.  Frig and freezer still do not work.  We stocked up on Spam and corned beef - Chris is now our cook and I think we'll be eating lots of rice for the next 20 days.  I had a fairly competent repair guy in and he diagnosed the problem and told me it would take at least two weeks to get parts to the island.  I'll try to order them over the internet today and see if Mary can bring them in when she comes.
 
Phil got home ok and is lined up to see a doctor for his knees. He left his harmonica behind.  George almost coaxed a recognizable tune out of it last night.  Bet he can play it by the time you see him again.  We have several 'tall ships' tied up around us.    A replica of the HMS Bounty built by the movie guys for the 1960 movie is so close that I will have to watch not to get tangled up in his bow sprint on the way out.  The Pride of Baltimore is also here.  A bunch of the crew were singing and playing various instruments on deck to about 10:00 last night.  I wouldn't  be surprised to see Chris up there tomorrow.  The big race was canceled.  Hard to have a sail boat race without wind!  Seems to be a recurring theme in the sail boat business, "too much or not enough".
 
I'll stop with a paraphrase from Mark Twain I saw on a tour of the old Naval Ship Docks here,  'For those of you who believe in heaven, go, as for me, I'll stay here.' (Bermuda)
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