Was it something I said?

There has been a massive emigration of boats out of the harbor this week - including my favorite playmates on Independence, High Pockets, Storm Petrel and Samara T. The first three headed off Wednesday for their homeport of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands and Samara T set sail for Antigua along with Papa 1 (the other Lunenberg boat that has been hanging about since I arrived). I'll see Samara and Papa down island sometime this winter but, having no plans to head to the Virgin Islands, will have to just look forward to reconnecting with the St. Thomas folks at some currently unforeseeable time in the future. That is one downside of cruising.

As a result of the exodus of boats (and to quote Sheriff Bart from Blazing Saddles) "It's getting pretty damn dull around here". That's really not true but it is certainly quieter. Now that Sandy's after affects have generally laid down, there will start to be an influx of boats from the States to liven things up a bit.

In and interesting (and frightening note), one catamaran (name purposely withheld) arrived from North Carolina on Monday night. They had sailed right through Sandy - and had the tattered sails and beat up and badly bruised crew and broken gear to prove it. When asked if they had known of the impending storm before their departure from North Carolina, one crew member quietly said "We didn't get the memo." I don't know where to start in commenting on that - so won't say anything more on the subject.

Another boat, which had departed Thursday, inadvertently ran their batteries flat a day and a half out, wasn't able to start their engine, run their bilge pump, electronics, VHF radio or anything else and had to turn around and sail back to Bermuda in a full gale. No comment on that one either.

The picture was taken of St. George's Harbor from the old fortifications of Fort George on which the Bermuda Harbor Radio facilities were built (see the next picture). It was taken before the exodus so Samara T and Papa 1 are still there. KR is the boat beyond and just to the right of the big yellow building on Ordnance Island.