BERMUDA
23 May 2011 | Northern Atlantic
Dawn
Arriving in Bermuda is a bit different to other countries so far, they have you on their Radar quite far out & know you are coming, for example we were called up at about 50nm & asked for all our details ETA etc. WE were quite impressed. The Island itself is very pretty & very clean one of the best in the Caribbean. WE did not explore very much as Dawn was not allowed off the yacht due to not having an English visa. They did say she could get off for an hour or two but had to go to the immigration office first for permission & then go back before going back on the yacht, they also kept her passport. We were able to find quite competent people to fix our engines & sails but had to wait as the Arc Rally yachts had to be attended to first. They had about 17 yachts in Bermuda all traveling to the Azores we just happened to have friends in the rally on a yacht called Samji Bermuda is very very expensive for example we filled up with fuel at 8-70US a gallon whereas it was 3-80US a gallon in Fort Lauderdale. When you past the airport it,s lined with very expensive private jets of the rich & famous. We finally left Bermuda on Saturday the 21st May at about 3-30 but unfortunately Dawn did not tighten the main halyard & it rapped itself around the mast & upper shrouds. David could not sort this out in the choppy ocean so we had to get permission to return to St George,s bay where David was able to unravel the halyard & we were on our way again at 5-00pm. We are into Day 3 & have not had very good sailing weather as the wind has been in the wrong direction so have only completed 180nm.