Well , that was a quick Atlantic voyage! The short story is that we are now back at anchor in Bermuda. The longer version is that after the blow on the way here , we noticed a new noise from the steering pedestal. I disconnected it from the system and could not reproduce it so […]
From hamilton The wind has gone and we are once more anchored out in Hamilton harbour. The forecasters and computer models talked of sustained winds of 35 knots with gusts to 45 whilst the hurricane centre in Miami issued warnings that it might develop into a tropical cyclone , so you wont be surprised that […]
I am ashamed to say that I knew very little about Bermuda before arriving here , except perhaps that it was the setting for Shakespeare’s “ Tempest” . It appears to be an archipelago comprising the SE sector of a volcanic rim rising 2000 m out of the Atlantic . The rest of the rim […]
From St George Bermuda We are at anchor off the town of St George , going over the steering system ( essentially good news) and taking occaisional wanders ashore . The town itself dates from the first settlement with nice old buildings , and in high summer is probably aswarm with tourists. For […]
Last night I had to wear trousers! This may not seem strange to you but its the first time I have been seen without shorts or sarong since August of last year. I heard on Bermuda radio that the nightime temperature was 18 degrees C – so I guess that makes me a wimp , […]
The wind went ahead and fell below 5 knots yesterday at 1400, with the possibility of no more til Sunday , so there was much calculating and perusal on the backs of envelopes ( “240 miles mutter mutter about 120 litres mutter mutter how many litres per hour mutter…………..”) Well the upshot was that we […]
Well the blow has come and gone and the sun is out – but pleasant now like an English summer rather than the tropical heat further south. It blew and it rained , but most of all it bounced, and last night was particularly grim. We just sat “downstairs” in our shorts and teeshirts like […]
Yesterday evening was spent gradually reducing sail in preparation for the blow and we finally selected our “night rig” as a trysail and No 3. Progress was at first slow, but comfortable and we slept well. In my second watch I dreamt that I was attempting to steer Festina at breakneck speed down Hamble high […]
This is turning out to be a fascinating passage. First we had to avoid a thundery trough and then came the trying business of getting through it to more stable winds the other side . Next came 24 hours of light airs beating , employing every trick of trim and twist and balance to keep […]
We are hard on the wind. That probably sounds pretty macho , and perhaps by tomorrow it will be , but for the moment we are dribbling along at 3-4 knots and if it wasnt for the fact that we would like to get somewhere , it would be very pleasant. The sun is directly […]
We are reaching in gradually decreasing SE wind, heading E of rhumb line to Bermuda to try to avoid a thundery low to our North and to get some easting in for when it blows hard from the NE in a couple of days time. Currently idyllic conditions – except it is very warm, but […]
I recently discovered that my mother , bless her cotton socks , had saved my very early school books. When I came upon them I found that the first story I ever wrote began with the immortal words “Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest , Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum “. Now […]
FAKE PALM TREES IN VIRGIN BOSS TROPICAL HIDEAWAY From Necker Island Not content with mother nature’s contribution to his multi- million Caribbean island, Virgin Boss Richard Branson has added his own palm trees, writes our Caribbean correspondent. Necker Island lies at the eastern end of the volcanic chain that make up the British Virgin Islands. Branson […]
From Anguila How could we fail to fall in love with an island whose national sport is racing wildly overcanvassed wooden sailing sloops, and whose inhabitants “invaded “nearby St Kitts because they preferred to remain part of Britain rather than be ruled by another Caribbean island! The whole episode had an air of “Pirates of […]