We wake to a beautiful day – not a cloud in the sky, the harbour like a mil pond and only a breath of wind – the perfect day to stay and go sight seeing a little more of this lovely island but we are itchy to get going so perhaps we can return to do that another time.
We take the dinghy over to the customs dock and check out – they are so friendly and polite and it makes such a change.
We get Mike a typical Bermuda t-shirt – a dark and stormy one – his favourite drink - and top up on our supplies at the supermarket, then it’s back to the boat and off to fill up with diesel and water.
We pull up at the petrol station for this. It seems really bizarre to turn up at a proper one, complete with cars filling up, although filling Jeannius up takes a lot longer than it would a car. While Mike stands in the cockpit with the diesel pump, I do the same on the bow with the water hose, filling up the empty bottles as well because the local water is totally potable.
Unfortunately Bermuda does not offer the facility to buy diesel duty free once you have checked out, or at least, it does if you order it specially, need about three times more than our tank will hold and are prepared to go all the way around to the western tip of the island to do it then come all the way back to St Georges as that’s the only way through the reef. Basically, Mike can’t be bothered.
Filled up, we ship out through the town cut and into the area of shallow water that surrounds Bermuda. The sea over this area is confused and lumpy and ploughing through it, both engines running and the main up just in case we get any wind to help us along, it’s an uncomfortable three hours. Once into the deep water outside the reef the sea should settle down – but it doesn’t, at least not for a few hours and late in the afternoon I feel the old sea sick business making a return. I lie miserably on the side cushion in the cockpit. The sea is not what you could call rough – I really don’t understand why this is happening to me. It can’t be hormonal – I haven’t got any of those left. I eye up the bucket which Mike has left lying around in the cockpit – just in case – but I don’t need to grab it just yet.
I’ve prepared dinner and it’s easy for Mike to just pop it into a frying pan. He’s surprised when I want some but soon after eating it, sitting in the cockpit watching the sun go down, I feel better.
Photos: A sunset – and suddenly it all fees better
By the time I go to bed, the breeze, when it does come, comes from all directions, but as it’s pretty pathetic, it doesn’t really make much difference. When it’s from the wrong direction it isn’t strong enough to hinder us, and when it’s from the right one, it just gives us little extra nudge. For the first time there is no need to run the air conditioning, and sitting outside I feel a very slight evening chill. The boat doesn’t even feel slimy. I could get used to this latitude!
Position: 33 deg 15 min N, 64 deg 54 mins W
Distance so far: 901 miles
No comments:
Post a Comment