21 May 1996 Titusville Marina to St Georges Harbour, Bermuda (Day 5)
I was woken up at four o’clock in the morning by the sails slatting and the genoa cars banging. The wind had dropped to about 5 knots, but we were left with a southerly swell. I got up at five o’clock at the start of my watch and decided to run the engine for a few hours hoping that the swell would die down – it was only 3-5ft but making us roll unmercifully! By eight o’clock, the wind had picked up enough to start sailing again – just!
The weather forecast says that a low is coming from the Gulf of Mexico and will pass to the NW of us. We may get S to SW 20-25 knot winds tonight and tomorrow. We spent the day heading east with a pleasant 15 knot wind. The sky remained overcast and the sun only peeked out a couple of times. At dinner time, we had a SSE15 wind with some darker looking clouds to our NW. The pressure has stayed constant all day, so we’re hoping that we won’t be clobbered too hard!
We've slipped into a nice routine now:
0800 Glenys and boys get up
0900 Weather check and breakfast
0930 Neville to bed
1200 Neville gets up
1300 Lunch
1400 Glenys to bed
1600 Glenys gets up and we have a cup of tea and cake
1830 Dinner
2000 Neville to bed
2300 Glenys to bed
0200 Neville to bed
0500 Glenys to bed
We had a pleasant, fast but windward sail until midnight.
22 May 1996 Titusville Marina to St Georges Harbour, Bermuda (Day 6)
We had steady 15-20 knot winds all night and managed to keep up a good six knot average. The morning went as usual, weather forecast for S to SW 20 winds. I had my morning sleep and then Glenys made lunch. An hour later, we had a 25 knot squall which drenched us with rain - we just ran downwind.
The afternoon continued to be bouncy with the odd squall. After dinner, just as I was going to bed, we had another squall with 30 knot gusts, so I stayed up to give Glenys moral support and to change the sail plan to reefed mizzen and a small amount of jib. It was as black as the ace of spades, so we decided to change to two hour watches. I went to bed at half past eight and it was miserable.
At ten o’clock, I was awoken by roaring wind and Glenys screaming for me. I scooted upstairs and released the jib sheet, so that we could bear away in the 40 knot winds. I went back below to put on my oilskins and then dropped the mizzen. I then took the wheel to relieve Glenys and we ran downwind for 15 minutes in gale-force winds and 5 metre seas. (I assume that the seas were 5 metres – I don’t know because I couldn’t see!)
I decided that it was too dangerous to keep running. We were tired, out of control, surfing down waves and, if we made a slight mistake, we would broach. In a slight lull, we tacked to starboard and backed the jib. We then gybed it and using the engine, we tacked again and left the jib backed on the starboard side. I then put up the reefed mizzen and we sat there, hove-to, listening to this howling wind and hanging on as the boat was thrown about by the big, breaking waves. Glenys went to bed at half past ten and I stayed on watch.
23 May 1996 Titusville Marina to St Georges Harbour, Bermuda (Day 7)
By midnight, I was cold and miserable. Glencora seemed to be looking after herself, even when the wind was gusting over 45 knots. I decided that we could safely close the hatches and go to bed without anyone on watch. I checked our position – 300 miles from land. I checked the radar – nothing within 24 miles, so we went to bed.
In all of our cruising, we have never been in a position where conditions were so bad that we couldn’t sail. It was very scary, lying in bed, listening to the screaming wind, driving rain and creaking ropes. I hadn’t quite set the sails correctly, so we were lying about 50 degrees off the wind. The large waves were picking us up and sometimes Glencora would slide sideways down a wave. The wave would then break over the side of the boat, tipping us over about 60 degrees and making a huge crashing sound, rattling the rigging. Glencora then shuddered, picked herself up and set off again.
The noise of the jib sheet against the starboard shroud was particularly bad – as the wind increased or decreased the sheet seemed to jump, instead of sliding smoothly, and made this awful metallic clunk just like something was slowly tearing apart. It was particularly worrying because the starboard shrouds are the ones that I fibre-glassed last June in St Lucia – had my repair held? I’m going to have to check it when we get to Bermuda.
We got up every two hours to check on the wind direction and the sails. A night of hell, dozing and worrying. At half past seven, the wind had dropped to SSW20, so we started sailing again in the horrible big seas. It was very unpleasant, but at least we were sailing again. The waves kept causing us to yaw, so we had to have one of us constantly watching the wheel – very tiring.
At half past two, I tried to avoid an evil looking black line of clouds, but failed! As the rain line approached, I reduced sail so that we only had a scrap of sail up and prepared for the worst ….. The wind dropped to 15 knots, the rain poured down, then ….. the wind veered to NW15 and it stopped raining – it was very pleasant. I gybed the jib and we plodded along. By four o’clock in the afternoon, I had put up the main and we stayed like that until dark.
24 May 1996 Titusville Marina to St Georges Harbour, Bermuda (Day 8)
During the night the wind came more northerly and picked up a bit. By daybreak, we were hard on the wind, but at least the sun was shining. The seas were about 3 metres so we couldn’t do much except complain about life at an angle. In the late afternoon, we had an overcast sky but it cleared at dusk and the wind dropped a bit. We’d spent the day keeping to the north of our Rhumb line (in case the wind came more easterly), so we had the great pleasure of easing off the sheets for the night watch.
During the afternoon, Glenys tried to call a nearby ship for a chat. They didn’t answer, but Bermuda Harbour Radio heard her and took some details from us about our boat and who was on board – nice to know that someone cares about us even though they are 100 miles away!
25 May 1996 Titusville Marina to St Georges Harbour, Bermuda (Day 8)
We had a very pleasant night drifting along and made a perfect landfall at dawn. The sight of the sun rising just at the side of the island was beautiful. We sailed to the south east side of the island and then motored the last 20 miles into St George’s Harbour. It’s a pretty harbour with a narrow, cliff-sided channel into it. We went alongside a dock to clear in. The Customs guy was really friendly - even after he found out that we were on the Cruise Ship Dock instead of the Customs dock! It cost us $60 US to clear in!
We anchored amongst the fray. “Honey Jar” and “Kelly’s Eye” are here, they are both on their way to Maine, lucky sods! We went out for a meal - £8 for fish and chips. It cost us $60US for lunch. They’ve got English beer, served in pint glasses – luxury. We had a quick stroll around, went to a supermarket and back to the boat to collapse.
26 May 1996 St Georges Harbour, Bermuda
We got up late and had bacon and egg for breakfast - it’s now a tradition... I spent the morning tidying up the chart table and making a “To Do” list. Glenys took the boys for a stroll around town. We went to St Georges Dinghy & Sailing Club during the afternoon to see the fun and games at their Open Day where we met Lister, Sheena, Tom (8) and Rebecca (4) on “Truant” (UK). Brett came second in the children’s rowing race. Tom and Rebecca came over late afternoon, and then we settled down for a quiet evening with a couple of pints of Boddington's bitter...
27 May 1996 St Georges Harbour, Bermuda
Glenys did school work in the morning, while I went on a walkabout to find things. I bought a phone card to try to ring our accountants and found out that it’s a Bank Holiday Monday! I walked to the propane gas filling station and found out that there is no butane on the island therefore I can’t get my camping gas containers filled.
In the afternoon, Glenys went to the inevitable laundrette while I settled down to do some jobs. I checked the starboard chain plates and thankfully they are as solid as a rock.
Brett went to the toilet and came out saying that it wouldn’t flush. I managed to clear the pump (by a bit of strategic poking of the blockage), but the toilet then wouldn’t flush. I changed the pump – still wouldn’t work. I twisted the sea cocks and dived under the boat and poked a screw driver up the hull fittings – still wouldn’t work. I tried pumping lots of sea water through by pouring a bucket load into the toilet – the water pumped out OK, so the problem must be on the water intake. I removed the intake pipe and blew through it (Yuk!) – it was clear.
What was the problem? I decided to change the sea and lid seals – the ones that I bought in Falmouth 4 years ago were too small. I then noticed excessive hissing when I tried to flush the toilet and upon further investigation, I noticed a hairline crack in the lid – it was stopping a vacuum being formed – a bit of Araldite and Duct tape and voila! A working toilet – phew!
We went to “Truant” for a beer and met “Muirsgian” (UK).
28 May 1996 St Georges Harbour, Bermuda
Glenys did school work - we’re nearly at Lesson 80 which will be halfway! I went into town and rang our accountants. They’ve got the letter from the Inland Revenue stating that we were non-resident for the 95/96 tax year and they faxed me a copy.
I then spent the rest of the day on admin and sending faxes. I sent one to the accountants to get them to confirm that there is nothing else we need to do prior to our return to the UK. I sent another to our house rental agents telling them to make sure that the rent is up to date and instructing them to make the house available to us from the 1st August 1996. It’s official now - we’re going home!
I rang my Mum and Dad and found out that they will fly out to see us in the Azores during the first two weeks of July. We went out in the evening to the Town’s Heritage Day Celebrations – it was like a village fete with choir singing and stalls. We treated ourselves to a pint of bitter at the pub – only £3/pint!
29 May 1996 St Georges Harbour, Bermuda
Glenys did school work in the morning. I received a reply from Keith at the housing agents – the tenants haven’t paid rent for April and May, but at least we are holding a £450 deposit and 2 months advance rent, so we’re effectively covered to the end of June. Keith says that legally we have to give 2 months notice, so he’s rushed out a Notice to Quit which his secretary will hand deliver – just made it!
I did a few jobs and then spent the afternoon working on our Business Plan. “Truant” came for a beer and they gave us some good marketing tips (they used to run a marketing agency).
30 May 1996 St Georges Harbour, Bermuda
Strong SW wind today. I checked the weather forecast and it looks like a cold front is approaching and will stall to the east of us. We’ll have to wait until the front goes away, so we probably won’t leave until 4th or 5th June – nice 40th birthday!
We took a bus into Hamilton. Bermuda is very pretty with colourful houses. The roofs are all tiered concrete (like Lego roofs) and are painted with a limestone-based whitewash. All the roofs are used to collect rain water. There is not much countryside – every available space seems to have a building or house on it. Hamilton is full of tourist shops and is incredibly expensive. There is a Marks & Spencer here but a pack of 3 men’s underpants was $25. I didn’t buy any! We found a small greasy spoon café, but it still cost us $25 for sandwiches, burgers and drinks.
We walked up to the fort which was very pretty with lots of gardens; a path around the bottom of the moat and tunnels to run through. We went to a supermarket, which wasn’t much cheaper than in St Georges. We went back on the bus and collapsed – it’s amazing how tiring it can be walking about.
We got back to find that a boat called “Lady Helen of Scarborough” had anchored very close to us. They refused to move after we politely asked them to, so we decided to move. The boat looks a lot like “Boo”. We know Neil has sold “Boo”, so I wonder if this is it with a different name and delivery crew?
31 May 1996 St Georges Harbour, Bermuda
Miserable rainy day. We did school work in the morning. We then hung around on the boat doing our own thing. I worked on the Internet and our Company Plan.
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