A WELCOME STOPOVER IN BERMUDA

Written by Ronna Benjamin, Exodus

As we were sitting in the Dawg House in Hampton, surrounded by captains and crew anxiously awaiting Chris Parker’s weather forecast, we knew there was a possibility that the weather gods might not bless us with a straight shot to Antigua.  We are accustomed to the forecast ahead of our expected passage being clear as mud but this year the forecast was unusually clear, but not great.  There was a tropical something, maybe a hurricane, forming in the Yucatan Peninsula, and gale force winds just north of the Caribbean.  It was not advisable to go south anytime soon.  Bermuda, however, was going to be a decent sail and a safe bet to wait for the weather; and it was very unlikely that the tropical depression would be heading that way (phew!). 

Personally, I was thrilled with the news that we would stop in Bermuda.  None of the crew on Exodus had sailed into Bermuda, and some of us had not visited the island for decades.  We had heard from many of our sailing friends how much they loved visiting Bermuda. One friend who had planned on visiting for a few days last spring ended up staying for a few weeks because they loved the island so much. I was anxious to see what we were missing.  

Exodus left Hampton, Virginia on Thursday morning, October 31.  The Gulf Stream was sporty, the seas were a bit confused, and it seemed to me like a long way across, but we had beautiful winds and ran the motor for only a short period of time.  As we were making good time, we hoped to arrive in Bermuda before dark on Sunday, but that didn’t work out as planned (does it ever?), and we arrived after dark, with only a sliver of a moon.  We never like to enter a new harbor after dark (especially with some big rollers pushing us in), but with some pointers from other Dawg boats who had been to Bermuda before, and paying careful attention to our charts, we pressed on. We called Bermuda Radio to announce our arrival, and they gave us permission to enter St George’s Harbor.. The channel is well marked on the chart, and with two crew members on the deck at the bow with flashlights to look out for the unlit buoys our friends had warned us about, we had no problems (though I would have saved a few fingernails had we arrived in daylight).  

In the morning, we lowered our dinghy, and Mike went to Customs and Immigration with the crew papers (having filled out papers online ahead of time) and picked up a few other Captains who had stowed dinghies on deck for passage. As far as island check-ins go, Mike told me that Bermuda was a breeze, and he returned to the boat just as I was finishing my coffee.  

Off we went to explore!  We started our visit walking around the quaint town of St George, getting our bearings, visiting St. Peter’s church and the cemetery grounds, and ending the morning at Munchies, where it was suggested by the town squire that we eat the Bermuda fish sandwich, with coleslaw and hot sauce on raisin bread!  It was fabulous- not to be missed! The afternoon was more exploring, each of us on Exodus doing our own thing- visiting the laundromat, the cute little coffee shop to do a bit of work, some wonderful small galleries, and Lili Bermuda, the awesome perfume shop. Other boats took tours of the island, went to the beach, rented scooters and explored the island.

On our second day, the Salty Dawgs had arranged for duty free diesel fuel, and thanks to the amazing organization of the Salty Dawg team led by Tasha from Deja Blue, most of the boats filled their tanks in just a few hours, like a well-oiled machine.  Sailors helping sailors worked so beautifully here.  Our afternoon was filled with more exploration, a walk to some magnificent beaches around St George (including sea glass beach), and ended with an organized get-together at the Bermuda Yacht Club with the Dawgs who departed from Newport. 

I was a little disappointed that evening when we heard that a weather window had opened, and we were going to leave Bermuda for Antigua the next morning.  Bermuda lived up to its reputation as a beautiful, friendly, interesting and clean island.  We left wanting more, and I have no doubt we will be back before long.