Bermuda
Tamarisk
Sat 20 May 2006 15:40
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We spent nine days in Bermuda, it's quite an
odd place, a bit like the Isle of Wight on a hot day but with a lot of American
cruise ships. Hamilton is the capital but yachts in transit come into St
Georges habour a few miles east. It's very British, there
are Union Jacks flying and teapots and tartan for sale. We
are now 12 degrees north of the Caribbean and the big shock is the
cold. Although it's warm, even hot, during the day the nights are chilly
and there's dew on the deck in the morning. We had to search out our
duvets and sleeping bags, stowed since November, I think we may have
to find some socks for the night watches to the
Azores.
Regina came in a few days before us and secured us
a place at the sought after Captain Smokes marina. It only takes about six
boats and they all turned out to be a very friendly bunch. Most of them
were headed north to the New York area but there are many yachts nearby leaving
for the Azores. Bernie runs the marina, he arrives every morning on
his scooter and tells us how much he loves Europeans, he himself is from Swedish
stock so Regina were firm favourites. Among the facilities Bernie provides
is a barbecue, it's almost like having a kitchen !
 From the left, Jonathan, Leon, Carolina, Jessica,
Penny, Anna and Jack. And by lucky conicidence this week, it
was Leon and Eddie's birthdays. Eddie decided to have an official birthday
while Andy and Jack and Regina were still with us, so managed to stretch his
celebrations from the..
 ..the 13th to...
 ...the 18th May.
 The party on the 13th began with a walk to a nearby
beach, Tobacco Bay. It's on the north side of Bermuda facing the
reef which protects the island, the sea is quite still, and the rocks
amazing, like hard pumice eroded into columns. Andy (once a geology
student) explained that it's sands dunes that have become limestone, well I
think that was he said...
 However the problem with the beaches on Bermuda is
the sea is too cold !!
 A bone chilling 23 degrees and not one of the
children put their shoulders under, the adults didn't even
paddle.
 We then walked around the corner to St
Catherine's Fort and back into St Georges.
 This is the view coming back into town with
Ordinance Island in centre and our marina behind.
 Later that evening we gathered on Regina where Leon
put on his birthday T-shirt. This is a Southbound II joke, and not a
reference to Leon's illicit passtimes, I'm sure he has none
!!
 We drank champagne and ate at Cafe Gio, a great
restaurant in St Georges.
 Andy was determined to see the whole island
before he and Jack went home, and the best way by far is on a hired
scooter. It was a great success and we all got ride around the
town.
 Still seeking more thrills Andy hired a jet
ski. Here he is with Jack on the back, with their guide and Anna close
behind, as they zoom past Tamarisk.
 On Andy and Jack's last day we took a ferry up to
the West End of Bermuda to visit the Dockyard. It's very similar to
Nelson's Dockyard in Antigua but bigger and with cruise
ships.
  After a little swimming and climbing, there was
time for a sit down and an ice cream.
 Tim had stayed behind to service the engine and try
to get our soggy radar fixed, he managed the first but the radar needed more
attention. So the next day we motored back the Dockyard to get the
work done. The quickest way was right through the centre of the island
along a wide inlet and out into the lagoon, here we are en route going
through the swingbridge.
 We tide up at the marina in the Dockyard and by
lunch time we had a working radar and we headed back to St Georges. The
weather was on the turn, a deep low was expected to cross Bermuda the next
day with 50 mile an hour gusts forecast. On advice from Bernie we
tucked into the south west corner of the harbour and waited for the wind to
come. We had the kedge at the ready and took turns on anchor
watch, fortunately in our sheltered position we rarely saw more than
30 knots.
 At 10 o'clock the next morning the cold front past
over us, the rain was tremendous and the visibility almost zero. But
in true Bermudan fashion by the afternoon the sky
cleared, the wind dropped to nothing, the
temperature soared and we were back at Captain Smokes
.
 This is Anna and Eddie on the quayside
with some Volcano Science homework. It involved some vinegar and some
bicarbonate of soda...a little shake...
 ....and we have our own pyroclastic
event. Great goggles Anna.
Another low pressure is coming this way next week
so all the yachts are moving to get ahead of it. We, along with friends
onboard Aromatic, are leaving on Saturday 20th. The ARC Europe fleet will
follow in a few days time. Most of the friends we've spent the
past year are at sea now, some have chosen to bite the bullet and head
straight for the Azores from the Caribbean on a three weeks
passage, others are on their way to Bermuda and we hope will be close
behind us.
 John Sprange - an old friend, who sails out of
Bradwell - has joined us for the crossing to the Azores. John is an ex-merchant
seaman, who used to crew Greenpeace boats. We'll be joined by his wife
Penny and daughter Sparky in the Azores. This is us having brunch just before
leaving
Bermuda.
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