Saint Martin to Bermuda
Saturday 8th May 2021
So I’ve just sat down, Craig has gone downstairs to see if he can have a little nana nap, it’s day 1 on our 7-8 days sail to a new country. We had a salad for lunch and I’ve just done the dishes, it’s pretty hot down there all the hatches have to be closed as the waves are constantly crashing over the bow.
My job until Craig comes back up is to keep an eye on the horizon 360 degrees looking for other boats.
Occasionally fishing boats and local yachts are not on the AIS system so we have to constantly check the horizon.
I’ve made a note of the wind direction so I have to watch that it doesn’t change, it’s showing 15 knots so it can go up or down a couple but I’ll wake Craig up if it changes drastically. On the chartplotter our heading is 10 degrees North and I have an image of us on the screen.
We lost sight of land about 2 hours ago so it’s just us out in this big blue sea.
We upped the anchor at 8.33am, Craig was so anxious to get going, my hair was still wet from the shower and I hadn’t even cleaned my teeth when I heard the rumble of the anchor chain being lifted, “hang on a minute” I’m yelling “aren’t you going to have a shower too” admittedly the engine wasn’t on he was just taking the snubber off the anchor chain but it certainly made me get a move on.
The seas were quite confused as we passed between Anguilla and Saint Martin going past the Island the sea became quite shallow 45 meters but once we passed the Island the sea level dropped to approx 7000 mt about 7 km, our last depth showed 86.4 mt the whole way, it didn’t change.
The seabed is about the same distance as Cowes to Back Beach Road that’s a long way down, I wonder what creatures hang out down there....
We posted our first update on Iridium Go, we are doing 7 knots, wind on the beam etc, a bit choppy, all is well, when.... firstly the fishing rod goes off, at the same instance a huge waves comes and crashes over us, soaking the cockpit in saltwater, as we are spluttering and surveying the damage, the fish must have spat out the hook and the line that had been pulled to its limits a second ago was now springing back towards the back of the boat, “shit don’t tell me it’s hit the wind generator propeller and it’s wrapped around it” exclaims Craig climbing onto the rails to have a look. “I think it’s alright” he says “I’ll just have to unhook it, it’s caught on the edge of the solar panel”.
Easier said than done, he has to use the extendable boat hook extended out all the way, he has to clip the safety line onto his life jacket then lean way out over the back of the boat, only holding on with one hand even for a second could be disastrous, “ok” he says “if I go over put the auto pilot on standby and turn right so you turn the boat into the wind”.
He managed to unhook it without any problems but wow what if it had landed near the wind generator and go caught, there is no way we could have untangled it in these big choppy conditions. That would have depleted our power generation which is a worry as we need to run the chartplotter all night and that uses a lot of power and no sunshine to charge the batteries until morning.
It’s 3.36am and it’s our fourth night on passage, Craig has just gone downstairs for a sleep, we are doing 3 hour shifts, we can’t believe how consistent the wind has been, straight from the East on the beam (side on) the whole way what every sailor dreams about a “beam reach”
The first couple of days were reasonably uncomfortable, heeled over and big seas, the motion was unrelenting, a constant up and down but with an uneven twist, like the back end if the boat had been kicked out of the way, then she righted herself only to be thrown sideways again. On the second morning we just looked at each other and went, fark how are we going to do this for 21 days ( that’s the next leg of this trip Bermuda to Azores).
We couldn’t do anything but hold on, just changing seats was an effort we literally had to hold on with both hands and brace our legs against something.
There was no way either of us could sit downstairs for any length of time. Getting a bowl of ham and salad together for lunch was a major feat with bowls, ingredients and utensils sliding all over the place, becoming misiles if your not careful.
We thought we would be able do do stuff, cook on the bbq, some washing maybe some polishing we could hardly even get off our seats, my bum was already numb and achy from sitting too long and it’s only been 48 hours, we still have a long way to go.
The night before Craig had cooked a fried rice using up a lot of leftovers including some duck we couldn’t fit in the pan when Craig made roast duck for a pot luck dinner before we left. But he emerged from downstairs all hot and bothered, “bugger that”, “that’s too hard” he exclaimed, handing me the most delicious fried rice.
Iain and Brioni had invited us, Adam and Khiara (Millennial Falcon) and Andre and Alison (Turquoise Turtle) for a farewell pot luck dinner on their boat also allowing us the opportunity to meet Brooks who was staying with them and then heading off to Saint Vincents. Brooks works with Watts on Water a NGO organisation delivering solar lights to the residents of Saint Vincent affected by La Souffiere volcanic eruption. Brioni was going with Brooks to capture it on video and to promote on social media.
Brooks had just flown in from Chicago all PCR tested, but then they both had to be tested before they flew out and they were still unsure whether Brioni would be allowed to move around , they were hoping for a humanitarian exemption as it wasn’t quite the full 2 weeks since she had been vaccinated.
It was so interesting talking to Brooks about his experience with COVID-19, he is a firefighter and the virus went through his station, he got sick and two of his co workers died. He is the first person we have met with first hand experience of the virus, he said he felt very very ill for the first few days, he had a terrible hacking cough, felt weak and tired and experienced terrible brain fog. He seemed fine so I’m not sure if he has any lingering symptoms. Brioni’s sister in law has had the virus too in the UK.
We had a lovely dinner a huge tray of Mac cheese w lots of bacon on top, a huge feta cheese salad and our roast duck and potato.
Wishing Iain and Brioni all the best for their adventures, meeting them reminded me if my Scottishness and how much I miss the Scottish sense of humour. We also said farewell to Andre and Alison we had first met them In USVI onboard Imiloa and have crossed paths with them many times, they charter their beautiful Catamaran usually out of BVI’s and have still managed to make an income during Covid by moving to Saint Martin and having their guests fly in to there, although not nearly as many as there would normally have been.
By the end of the third day the seas had calmed down, we were still flying along at an average of 7 knots but the waves were smaller and no longer crashing into us, by that night the swell direction had changed too and we had “following seas” a gentle swell pushing us along from behind. The previous couple of days had seen huge waves some crashing over the deck, one even reached as high as the windows of the dodger, stopping Adriana in her tracks.
Adriana looks bare inside with everything put away, just like she did when we first bought her.
Everything inside the boat is stowed away I even threw the throw cushions in a cupboard and lifted the rugs as the cushions would end up on the floor and the rugs would slide around.
By the time the sun came up on Tuesday morning (day 4) the wind had started to drop as was forecasted, the seas had a gentle rhythm, we were still cruising along at around 6 knots but it felt much slower than hurtling through those huge waves at 7 knots.
We had fair winds and following seas for a huge distance.
By that evening the wind had completely dropped out, Craig had the big red spinnaker up for a few hours but once that started flapping in the wind it was time to turn the engine on. We hate running the Diesel engine but sometimes it’s just not possible to keep sailing.
The days and nights just blend into each other it only seems like a few hours ago we were deciding what to have for lunch yesterday and it’s time to decide what to have today.
I didn’t buy a huge amount of fruit and veggies, they just don’t last so we munched on salad, cantaloupe and mangos for the first few days making sure we used them up.
Downloaded movies/series from Netflix and books kept us amused, I think we spent the first 24 hours taking in the huge expanse of cobalt blue ocean and never ending skies searching the horizon for whales and dolphins but all we saw were flying fish, they are quite incredible to see, soaring out of the water flapping their wings just like birds, they actually fly a huge distance, we must disturb them as we sail past.
It never gets boring, it’s stunning, so so much vivid blue ocean and vast skies all around, nighttime is still interesting, blackness all around, abundant bioluminescence as we disturb the surface, the twinkling of it sparkling as we zoom past. The stars are indescribable millions upon millions of them, layers upon layers of sparks in the sky, I actually can’t spend too much time looking up, it freaks me out and looking at the sky through the binoculars is next level, Craig saw a huge shooting star, so big he reckons it was space junk, we found out later there was a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral, maybe it was part of the rocket.
Day 5
The sound of Craig pulling out the mainsail woke me up, there is a slight breeze, we had had the spinnaker up early yesterday evening but as the wind died out, on went the motor. So Craig had been eagerly awaiting a change, but it didn’t last long, in came the main sail and up went the spinnaker again, it’s quite beautiful when it’s up bright red, billowing in the breeze, but this time it broke loose one of the two ropes holding it down had rubbed on a part of the bow sprit and it had shorn through the rope.
The shackle was still attached as we ran to pull the huge red billowing sail under control but once we had the spinnaker back in its sheath and lying on the deck the shackle had disappeared, it had had a safety line on it. We don’t know maybe it shook loose or it was pulled as Craig gathered in the sail, but it was gone neither of us saw it go. That’s another expensive shackle gone to Davey Jones’s locker, I guess it could have been worse it could have come down with a bang on deck or injured Craig.
A knot will have to suffice for now and we replaced the cut piece of line.
We are just drifting along doing 2 to 3 knots it’s rather nice, we have music playing, we’ve had showers in the cockpit, the boat is not heeled over, it’s still warm, there is no one, nothing, zilch in sight or on the radar. So much blue water all around us.
Craig put out a handline and from no where a bird appears and sits on the water out the back of the boat, I reckon he is waiting to steal any fish we catch.
We haven’t had the fishing rod out since the first day, there is so much sargassum seaweed it’s constantly snagging the hook. Craig caught something big but it spat the hook, then we actually forgot it was out, we must have caught something big again because snapped the line taking the hook line and cedar plug.
But I think to be honest we don’t like killing the fish or the blood or the smell or the clean up afterwards. I think it was boredom that enticed Craig to put out the hand line.
Lunch day 5
We are having 2 minute noodles a la Craig, on one of our trips to Davico to buy the $5 case of beer we returned with a box of 48 packs of 2 minute noodles, so we have to use them....
Craig is adding cabbage, still more of that tinned duck and the leftover fajita mix from the night before, some chilli and some soy sauce and it’s delicious.
What a lovely day we had the wind was probably a bit too light, we moseyed along under spinnaker, only doing 2-3 knots, there was only a slight rolling swell, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful clear day.
It was a beautiful sail, spinnaker out and music blaring
We had the Spotify playlist from Australia Day blaring out some INXS, Crowded House, Silverchair, Grinspoon and even a bit of Goanna’s Solid Rock.
We were bogeying around, Craig had the handline out, it was just glorious. We received a txt from Adam and Khiara they had been visited by a pod of about 30 dolphins, I was so envious I’ve been scouring the horizon all day every but nothing came our way.
The sun was setting as we were eating dinner, it was setting behind a huge big black cloud, not any big black cloud but one that took up the whole port side of the horizon, we could see the rain falling vertically in huge sheets, “shit” we exclaimed “we don’t want to get caught in that monster”. We turned on the radar and the squall was huge. Normally a ship will show on the radar as a slight blip only a slither of colour, this thing was huge it took up just about half of the screen. We spent the next 45 minutes anxiously watching the radar screen as the cloud changed direction towards us then away, it ended up moving away and passed us without incident, man we were both watching at the radar screen to make sure it wasn’t going to turn around and head back in our direction, about an hour later there is another huge blob indicating another squall, but the prevailing wind steered it away from our path.
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| Squalls on the horizon, this one was ginormous |
What would we have done if we had been hit by that storm, we were already motoring with no sails up I reckon we would have just gone below and sat it out, we couldn’t tell if there was wind in it as what we could see was just heavy black rain falling in one huge sheet but I imagine it would have made for huge seas, there was so much energy in it. I personally think we passed by the legendary Bermuda Triangle.
We kept motoring into the night, just a gentle roll and the drone of the engine, a slight sniff of engine fumes, all was still and pitch black, some nights the line of the horizon is just discernible but not tonight. Not so many stars due to the cloudy night sky.
Around 1.30am I’m sound asleep on the midnight to 3 shift when I’m brought back to reality by the sound of the electric winch being used.
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| It’s bad enough Craig having to go upfront during the day it’s really scary in the dark |
Up I get, Craig has found some wind and would like to turn the engine off, the wind is now blowing from behind us slightly from the west, directly totally opposite from what it has been doing for the last few days.
This is because out here the wind blows in a big circle and after going through the quiet centre we are out the other side.
“I’m going to try wing on wing, using the whisker pole on the foresail, I’ll need you to winch up the loose end of the whisker pole while I lock the other end into its latch on the mast”. Craig puts on a head torch using the red beam for night vision, he attaches his safety line to the lifelines and holds on tight as he half crawls crouching down low as he maneuvers himself down the side deck of Adriana.
It’s been a while since we have used the whisker pole and it took a few goes to get the lines right, tying them then realising they are on the wrong side of the stays and having to scramble back to undo them, meanwhile I’m thinking just run the engine for a few more hours until it’s daylight instead of playing out there in the dark.
Eventually it’s done and we are sailing again the main sail out, pulled tight to the starboard side and the staysail held out to the port side catching the wind that is now pushing us along. It was worth the effort we just cruised along through the night.
Off I go back to bed on the couch, the couch is in the centre of the boat so less movement and it’s actually quite comfortable even sleeping in a life jacket is no problem when you are tired.
Tinkle tinkle goes the alarm at 3am I’m on watch again, one yacht passes us it looks like it’s come from somewhere cold Nova Scotia maybe, by the solid house on its deck, it was flying a French flag.
We tag team at 6.am just as the seas turn big and choppy, my sleep is interrupted as I’m nearly tossed out onto the floor, I’m back up around 8am feeling quite rested.
After a few hours of listing from side to side we take down the wisker pole, we are no longer moving along with enough speed and every now and tgen the movement of the boat gets quite violent. So again Craig is out there strapped in changing the set up of the sails. We take off the whisker pole and let the staysail out on the same side as the mainsail this gives us slightly more stability but not much, the conditions are back to what they were like on the first couple of
The temperature has dropped quite drastically overnight brrrr I’m not looking forward to having to wear long pants and shoes again.
There is a heavy dew covering the boat that leaves a chill in the air, its made everything feel damp, in addition to the fleecy jumpers we have been putting on at night I swapped my shorts for leggings and it still felt cold, I’m certainly not ready for our wet weather gear but that’s what it’s going to have to be if it stays so moist overnight.
We conceded that ok so we would like to catch a fish, we are trawling a lure, the packaging on this one says “ Dolphin Delight, is the most versatile and productive lure ever made” its pink with a white feathery ruffle, really why would any fish go for something pink and fluffy so I’m not putting much faith in this €12 lure.
I’m now sitting in the sun, yesterday we were putting up sheets to give us shade on the sunny side and Craig had a cockpit shower as he was so hot, it’s a different story today, but I’m still in shorts and a T-shirt. But trying to get warm in the weak sunshine.
Our last day and night were not much fun big choppy seas, heeled over and then we were hit by a squall, not a big one but we were tossed around a bit and then it started raining.
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| We turned on the radar to find out we were in the middle of a squall, it didn’t stop raining for hours |
We are now wet and cold but we are moving into Bermuda territorial waters, when the map on the chart plotter shifted and Bermuda appeared on the screen it felt like it does when your on a road trip and your destination starts appearing on the road signs.
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| Places are not so pretty in the rain |
Eventually I needed to sleep and just as I could see a sweeping intermittent light from a lighthouse away over on the horizon Craig was awake and ready to take his turn, 3 hours later I’m pulling on cold damp gear, ugg boots and another fleecy jacket to go back out and sit in the wet cockpit it’s still raining and we are motoring, going as slow as we reasonably can, around 4.5 knots and rolling uncomfortably from side to side but land is very much in sight, daylight is breaking, there is no sunrise this morning only a transition from black to dark grey to light grey.
It always seems to take hours to get close to land after the first
sighting but it’s so exciting we get to explore a new Island a whole new country.
But first we have to navigate our way through the Town Cut, a narrow entrance into a huge natural calm protected harbour.
We were busy chatting and almost didn’t see the huge chanel marker, passing it on our port side we turned in trying to keep in the middle of the channel in the big choppy seas, we have our fingers crossed that once inside we will be able to stop and pull out the fenders and ropes as we have to tie up to the customs and immigration dock.
It’s beautiful we can see lots of pretty pastel painted very solid looking two storey houses overlooking the water, passing between fairly high cliffs the cut opens out into a huge calm bay, it feels extra calm after being tossed around so much a few minutes earlier.
It’s almost as pretty as Lunenberg, but not quite, very similar first time impression though.
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| Two views from the Town Docks |
Bermuda customs require that incoming vessels radio their presence through when you first arrive in their waters, we had done this and so once we were inside and had our fenders out we radioed them again.
It took us 20 minutes or so to find where we had to go, the very nice man on the other end laughed when he realised there were two big blue yachts in front of us and we were closer to the wrong one, after he had instructed us to head to the timber dock to the North East of the large blue yacht, eventually we found where we were meant to go arriving just as the first official arrived to start work at 7am, the radio guy sits up in a tower on top of a hill and can see everything that’s going on, Bermuda Radio is a separate entity to Customs but they work together.
It’s so very pretty like most old towns the seafarers were the first industry and the most historical building are on the waterfront and we get to be a part of it, we can’t wait to get out and explore, but first we have to check in.....
We arrived around 6 am Friday 14th May 2021 6 days and 6 nights at sea.
