Last Dive and Departure Preparations...

Ron, Karyn and Ally dove the Pelinaion for their last dive here in Bermuda. Under sunny skies and fairly breezy conditions, we tied up Eclipse on the mooring ball and had a leisurely hour dive that took us from the Pelinaion's remains to the nearby reefs and all the way east until we came across the neighboring wreck of the Rita Zovetta. We retraced our dive tracks, exploring the nooks and crannies of the reefs and wreckage and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Nice dive for our last one here this year!

After a leisurely lunch in St. Georges at Tavern By The Sea, we spent the afternoon immersed with heavy preparations for departure. Sea strainers inspected and cleaned, oil changed on the 12 kW genset, aft lazarette cleaned with dive gear fully rinsed, dried and stowed, bikes covered and secured, fuel arrangements confirmed and chart routes, waypoints and tides reconfirmed. We'll head to St. Georges in the morning for final clearance with Customs & Immigration before fueling at Dowlings. We need to clear out first, in order to get the fuel duty-free.

The reward for our efforts was a final swim at Castle Roads in the gorgeous azure waters and pink sands. Hot and sweating after our endeavors, the water never felt so good! Ally taught Ron how to find sand dollars in the fine Bermudian sand ...he was most unlucky and spent most of the time searching in vain while Ally and Karyn found several. But persistence prevailed, and he finally did find one at last before we headed back to Equinox for a jump off the pilothouse roof to cap the swimming session.

Ally in mid-dive off Equinox's pilot house

We all hurried to clean up for dinner; we met Helene and Vicky at the Mid-Ocean Dock for a ride into town and dinner in Hamilton at Barracuda, next to The Hog Penny (Or, "The Pig Coin" as Taylor inadvertently dubbed it!). Joined by Scott and Vicky's friend Kevin, we seven had a delicious dinner for our last meal in Hamilton. Helene arranged for us to get a gallon of Bermuda Fish Chowder to take home with us....Ron can't wait to share it with everyone! It's hard to believe that the month has flown so fast, but here it is, departure is soon upon us. The moon is nearly full...and we'll be gone when the glow worms make their next appearance in August. Sad to contemplate, as we will sorely miss this lovely island.

Non-Mariners Race in Mangrove Bay!

Ron surveying the scene as we arrived

Bermuda’s annual Non-Mariners Race took place at Mangrove Bay in Sandys Parish on Sunday afternoon. The object of this boat ‘race’ is to bang a few pieces of wood or other "non-mariner" objects together (in the original race, it was baby buggies) and attempt to row or sail their way from Mangrove Bay in Somerset across to the Sandys Boat Club wharf. Most vessels sink or fall apart immediately, but that's expected and part of the competition! It's a Bermuda tradition that's now over 30 years old, and we were thrilled to have a chance to attend.

We three arrived via our dinghy, Eclipse, after bouncing our way across Bermuda's North Lagoon in choppy waves to see an amazing array of rafted-up boats. They were there in startling numbers, in groups of 2 to 10: raft-ups, flags flying, music blaring, people everywhere and drinks flowing! There was a starting line for the Non-Mariners race, but I doubt anyone but those close in saw it, since there were 200+ vessels crowded in the Bay with jet skis cruising about, canoes and rafts bumping as they paddled amongst a ragtag mob of inebriated mariners and non-mariners alike. As far as the race went, each "entry" of shabbily-constructed materials typically had a theme that reflected some local political scandal that non-natives were blissfully unaware of.

Boats of all shapes and sizes

One of the larger charter boats -- 250 aboard!

Justified jockeying for space in the Bay

We tied Eclipse, off the stern of Justified, a 45' Bertram sportfish belonging to our friend Justin, and helped him anchor amid the chaos and tight space available. It took some doing, but Karyn worked her magic with the anchor chain and rode along with Simon, a mate of Justin's. Along with a few other friends, Justin was hosting Bermuda's Governor, Sir Richard Hugh Turton Gozney, KCMG and his family, so it was rather special! Justin had lovely spread of food and drink aboard, done up just beautifully, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Not only that, but rafted up to Justified was the boat of the Commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, Ralph Richardson, and his family. Ralph is also the author of "The Bermuda Boater," which Karyn happened to purchase prior to our arrival here in hopes of finding more information about Bermuda! Who would have thought the crew of Equinox would be rubbing shoulders with such folks? It was a great afternoon of champagne, interesting conversations, bright, hot sunshine and swimming to shore (which was refreshing but a long, long, long swim, let me tell you! Returning to the boat was daunting, but we all did it!) The best part was just watching the fun partying scene!

The scene on Justified's aft cockpit

We actually never did see the Non-Mariners race, being a bit far from the action, but as Bermuda's daily newspaper, The Royal Gazette, reported: "Non-winners of the race were undeclared and difficult to determine with several floats toppling over simultaneously, but one undeclared winner may have also captured a non-title." A day devoted to silliness and fun in a very Bermudian fashion!! We MUST attend next year!

Diving the Hermes!

We had an early morning of maintenance work: oil, oil and fuel filters changed on the 20 Kw genset, all sea strainers checked and cleaned as necessary, as well as fabricating a gasket for the oil overflow-vent-valve-fitting-thingy on the dive compressor (aren't I technical?) that had cracked and was allowing a lot of the overflow oil to leak out. There are definitely no spares to be found for that in Bermuda, and since the original gasket was useless, we made another using some rubber sheeting we had aboard. Definitely need to get more...! We'll see how it holds up, and replace it once we return to the States. I used some of our Eterna-Bond tape samples that I picked up at TrawlerFest a year or so ago to seal the cracked piece...again, we'll see how it holds up to use! We're nothing if not resourceful, eh?

There was a reward for all our good deeds, for finally, after a month of rough seas and poor visibility, the ocean calmed down enough that we could take the dinghy down the south shore of Bermuda to dive the Hermes. It was a long dinghy ride in gently rolling southerly swells, --nearly 8 miles -- heading east along the coast from where we're anchored in Castle Harbor, but it was a lovely day and the seas even more so. So, we happily made our way, checking out the the shoreside beach clubs as we went, and arrived at the moorings just as one of the dive-shop boats was finishing up their dive. We chatted with the captain for a bit to let the other divers finish their dive before entering the water ourselves.

To give you a bit of info on the wreck, the Hermes is a completely intact sunken ship, and by far Bermuda's most popular wreck dive. It sits upright on a flat sand bottom in 80 feet of water, with its stern and starboard side wedged up against a gorgeous bit of high profile reef. It presents the classic image of a shipwreck!

The Hermes was a 165 foot steel-hulled buoy tender built during World War II (1943) in Pennsylvania and operated by the U.S. Navy. The little 254-ton ship features a unique configuration, as her mast is directly in front of the wheelhouse and the cargo hold is in the forward part of the ship. Connected to the mast was a 20-ton cargo boom that allowed the ship to pick up navigation buoys and lower them into her hold.

After the Hermes was decommissioned, she operated as a Panamanian registered freighter named Brava Fogo. In 1983, the vessel broke down near Bermuda while en-route to the Cape Verde Islands. She limped into St. George's Harbour, where she remained for almost a year. Repairs were estimated to cost more than the ship was worth and she was abandoned by her owners. After an anticipated sale of the vessel did not materialize, the Bermuda government awarded the derelict ship to the Bermuda Divers Association, who cleaned it thoroughly, removed all its hatches and intentionally sunk the ship as an artificial reef in May 1985, about a mile off Bermuda's south shore. The interior of the ship is open for dive exploration, from the the forward cargo hold, to the galley and the engine room. Other areas of interest are the the deck winch and wheelhouse, as well as the mast and shrouds.

We totally enjoyed touring the wreck; Ally had never penetrated a wreck to such a degree before, and was totally thrilled with going down into the engine room and below decks. (Taylor should have been here for this dive!!) The sergeant-majors on the wreck were very territorial and occasionally would even nip at our fins (and my ear!) as we made our way around the vessel....good thing they are as small as they are, or we would have been in trouble! And, as we always use our air judiciously, we had lots of time to explore not only the wreck but the surrounding reef. We found one little wrasse that was totally enchanted with Ron, which kept coming in so close, that Ron actually could pet her as she swam past. The fish even came up to him and "kissed" his mask! Ally was laughing so hard I could actually hear her underwater, which in itself was so funny, we were all laughing through our regulators. Little "Gloria" (as Ally named it) kept following Ron and stayed close by him for a good ways as we made our way from the reef and back to the Hermes.

In the afternoon, Ally went aboard Justified with Brian and Justin for more boating, water-skiing and wake-boarding, while Karyn and Ron took the dinghy around to Harrington Sound to see Christine's parents, Audrey and Bert, to pick up some sweet corn which they had promised us when they came to dinner aboard two nights ago. It was a smooth run through the North Lagoon to Harrington Sound, and lovely to see Audrey and Bert one last time before we leave. It truly is the hardest part about cruising, saying goodbye to all the friends we have met!

On our return, we stopped in St. George's to take the used genset oil to the recycling bin at Dowling's Shell Marine, then returned to Equinox for a simple CPK pizza dinner and a movie, Timeline, before an early bedtime. For tomorrow, we dive!

Somers Day for diving....

Just a few of the tents pitched along Ferry Reach for Cup Match

Ron and I went in search of a new dive spot, and based upon the prevailing winds, thought that the eastern side of the island would be calmer. So we checked our little Marine Resources guide, which listed Mills Breaker as a dive site with mooring ball, about 1.5 miles off the eastern end of Bermuda. We went out through Ferry Cut, and again, were amazed at the number of tents pitched along the Reach for Cup Match! Everyone camps out, swims, boats, celebrates. Very fun!

We stopped in St.George's to fuel up again ($1.47/liter) before going out Town Cut and heading east....we found the Mills Breaker mooring with little trouble, although the site was so shallow - 17' - that we could have snorkeled instead of diving. Disappointing, at best! We reconnoitered the area, but again, the surrounding reef was so shallow that it wasn't worth using the air fill. SO....off we went, pausing momentarily to watch the Norwegian Majesty squeeze out Town Cut on her way back to Baltimore. These large cruise ships take every bit of space in the channel....tight fit! We continued our voyage around St. David's Island and along the southeastern side to try to find the wreck of the Kate, which we hadn't dived yet. A long slog into the swells, we finally found it off of Tucker's Point Beach Club....but again, very shallow!! Argh. We finally went back to the patch of reef that we dove the very first day, in about 60' of water just outside the Castle Roads cut. Despite the dismal visibility (again!) we found a very nice swim-through and saw a couple large grouper and a good-sized hogfish that we approached quite closely. We also came across a huge wooden treetrunk-like thing mostly buried deeply in the sand...possibly part of an old mast?? Or, not. But it certainly was large, and unusual. We got back to find an e-mail invitation to join Shindig at the back side of Cambridge Beaches, on the west end of Bermuda....darn!! It would have been fun to cruise over there, but I didn't get the e-mail until we'd been out most of the day diving, and it was too late to run over in the dinghy and join them.

We didn't do a whole lot in the late afternoon beyond discussing what we need to do to prepare for our journey back to the States, as that is weighing on us a bit. Rather sad!! We need to do another oil change on the 20Kw, break down and stow the flybridge bimini, get all the clearance paperwork done for duty-free fueling, batten down the saloon and stow all fly-away items....but those will be done next week prior to departure. SO, we relaxed a bit today; Ally went over to Castle Roads to jetski for a bit with some of the local girls, then over to The Clearing to hop aboard t/t Justified for a late lunch at Rusticos in Flatt's. Ron napped a bit, and I prepped some seafood Fra Diavolo for dinner. Probably the quietest day we've had since we got here!! We're missing Warren, Christine and the girls, and with our own departure looming, we're all a bit melancholy!

Cup Match!

Cup Match is Bermuda's famous annual 2-day cricket match, held on Emancipation Day (celebrating the official end of slavery in Bermuda on August 1, 1834) and Somers Day, honoring the "Father Of Bermuda," Admiral Sir George Somers, one of Bermuda's founders. The whole of Bermuda grinds to a complete halt for the two days to concentrate on a single cricket game. Over 7000 people attend the match one or both days, and many more camp out along the beach fronts and listen to the play-by-play on the radio.

The competition began officially in July 1902 between two Bermuda cricket clubs, the Somerset Cricket Club in the west, and the St. George's Cricket Club in the east end. The venue alternates every year between the two clubs; this year it is being held on Wellington Oval in St. George's, so Ron and Karyn took the dinghy into Mullet Bay, just outside St. George's. We tied up to the public dock there, then walked to the stadium where the 107th annual Bermuda Cup Match was being played.

While Ron grew up in Hong Kong and played cricket as a young boy, Karyn didn't have a clue and had never seen the game before. It's a lengthy game -- some say playing cricket is fun while watching it is like watching paint dry, but tell that to the rabid fans we saw cheering, drumming and hollering in support of their team! We meandered about the stadium, trying to find a vantage point from which to watch the match, and finally ascended some scaffolding to get a better view. We joined a group of fans from Somerset who proceeded to take us under their wing and explained the game to us. It was so fun!! We stayed for quite a while, watching the match and trying to follow its events. Wickets and overs, runs and outs, it was all rather baffling at first, but eventually it started to make sense. Just being up in the stands with everyone was a blast!! We got the hot hint regarding the best local delicacies to be found, as many vendors and beer stands surround the stadium selling their wares. Karyn tried the Shark Hash, while Ron preferred his Conch Stew with rice. The hash was interesting...looked like a dried pesto paste of sorts, rather green for itself! But, when in Rome...!

Part of the Somerset group who educated us on cricket

After our lunch break we returned to our vantage point at the "New Heartbreak Hotel" section of the stadium, but this time got stopped by security -- apparently it was a private viewing area into which we had wandered previously! No one minded our joining their party, though. So, as pirates, we still got in for another rum swizzle there before moving on to wander around a bit more and watch the games from ground level.

Our vantage point in the stands

The Cup Match underway, with Somerset at bat

We really enjoyed our time at the match, but returned back to the boat in the late afternoon to get ready as we had guests coming aboard for dinner, Lee and Judy from Baltimore, and Lee's sister Estelle. They were in Bermuda aboard the cruise ship Norwegian Majesty, and knowing they were coming, Ron had invited them to come to the boat for an early dinner. They were really delighted to see a bit more of Bermuda than just St. George's harbor and the usual cruise ship shops, so we ferried them in the dinghy out to Equinox on anchor in Castle Harbor. Everyone was quite nimble getting into and out of the dinghy, despite the unusually bumpy conditions in the harbor and Ferry Reach due to the Cup Match revelers out and about in their boats (think Memorial Day AND Labor Day weekend back to back!) but no one complained! Of course the tide was up, so we had to go through our gyrations to lower the dinghy radar arch, so they got a very realistic view of things to consider when getting around by boat instead of car! Nevertheless we had a lovely evening showing them Equinox, trading stories about travel and growing up, just generally enjoying ourselves. Dinner worked out well, and they all said visiting with us made their trip to Bermuda, which was so cute. We got them back to St.George's just before sunset in calm seas and a gorgeous evening with the whistling frogs starting to sing.

More Diving & Exploring Fort St. Catherine

Today was Taylor's last day of diving, since she is leaving tomorrow afternoon and can't fly within 24 hours of diving. Unfortunately Ally's ears were still bothering her, so only Ron, Taylor and Karyn went out on the dive. We went out to Libby Reef where we found the lone anchor before, and indeed, found it again. Visibility was thankfully better than yesterday, and we had a nice dive, noting the numbers of blue parrotfish, queen and princess parrotfish, sergeant majors and spotted butterflyfish. Ron also found another large Atlantic Deer Cowrie shell, which he gave to Taylor to take home. It was a nice dive to end Tay's visit here.

In the afternoon, we took the dinghy around the north side of St. George's Island and anchored in the cove by the St. George's Beach Club where we stopped for lunch (stalked by a very young rooster walking about the tables in the restaurant). The view was amazing, although the service was not as good as it was previously, unfortunately. The rooster didn't help any, either!

Ally's friend, the baby rooster

Afterward, we explored Fort St. Catherine. Originally built in 1612, Fort St. Catherine was rebuilt and its fortifications strengthened 7 times over the past 3 centuries. Now a unique museum, the powder magazine is restored to 19th century war readiness and is home to a collection of antique weapons, and in the old artillery store there is a gallery of dioramas depicting Bermuda’s history. The fort was defended by these absolutely huge cannons: 5 Woolwich Rifled Muzzle Loader cannons, each weighing 18 tons. The shells they fired weighed 400 pounds and were capable of penetrating thick iron plate. We walked about the fort and were really fascinated by the history it explained. The Fort closed at 4:00 p.m. and we literally were the last to leave -- but didn't get locked in though!

Approaching Fort St. Catherine from the north

The hallway to the magazine stores

View of the dinghy anchored in the cove below the Fort

We stopped by Dowling's on the way back to the boat, since we're now starting to think about what needs to be done to prepare for our trip back to the States. We need to fuel up, so have ordered some 3500 liters of diesel for the return trip and were trying to confirm the day we could get the tanker truck to deliver it. We want to leave next Wednesday (weather permitting) after we put Ally on the plane home, but Dowling's told us we need "Customs Form 5" before we can fuel up. So, we stopped in at Customs, who told us that we have to clear out before we are issued Form 5 and receive the duty free fuel. Not exactly a user-friendly situation, is it, since we want to fuel up on Tuesday and be ready to leave the next day after Ally's at the airport! So....we shall see how it goes. Hopefully the weather will be better on the east coast than it is right now and we will have a smoother passage than the one we had coming over. Not that it was bad, mind you, just a bit rainy and lumpy!

In the evening Ron ferried over Christine's parents, Audrey and Bert Smith, from the Mid- Ocean Club dock to come aboard for dinner. They are the loveliest folks and since they hadn't seen the boat before, we thought to invite them for dinner. Audrey and Bert brought us all sorts of gorgeous fresh produce from the Windy Banks Farm: cucumbers, onions, and even (gasp!) Bermuda bananas. Yes, we know bananas are bad luck on a boat, but they didn't know that....and Audrey was most upset when Christine told her so on the phone just prior to their arrival on the boat. No worries, though as Ron and Ally were delighted....they love bananas! (Karyn hates them, so they don't get them very often...and on the boat, not at all!) In this case, we will ripen them and use them up in good health and with good intentions before we depart, just in case they have some valid claim to bad luck while underway! The Smiths also have some sweet corn that we will pick up when we have a chance to slip by Boat House on Harrington Sound in the next couple of days. Our dinner aboard consisted of rack of lamb, steamed green beans, mushroom risotto and Karyn's mango, avocado & crab stack before a bit of dessert, and it was appreciated by all! A lovely way to finish the day!

Diving off St. David's Island & Coral Beach Club

The winds have moderated a bit down to 5-10 knots at times, but remain southerly, so with the swells, seas are 2-4' outside the reefs here by Castle Roads. We managed another dive this morning, taking the girls out to see the large cavern in the reef that we'd found yesterday off St. David's. Unfortunately though, the poor visibility was back with a vengeance, along with a pretty stiff current that was less than fun to swim against as we made our way along the reefs. In the cavern, though, there was little current, so Ron explored a bit further, going out an exit across the far side of the cavern before returning back inside. I discovered a group of juvenile high hats clustered under a long, low ledge near the left side entrance, which was fun to see. We didn't stay long, but returned the way we had come, this time zipping along with the current as we returned to the anchor line. I find it a bit spooky when the visibility is limited and you can't see much of the reef until it comes looming out of the mists as you get closer. Ally was a bit bothered by her ears this dive, which has been an intermittent problem for her, so the dive didn't rank up there with one of the better ones. There's always tomorrow!

After filling tanks and an afternoon of reading and relaxing, swimming and jumping off the top of the boat, we took the motor scooters over to Ship Shape, the McHarg's little yellow cottage on Harrington Sound, before we all went to The Coral Beach Club for their Tuesday evening dinner. Coral Beach is at an absolutely stunning location on Bermuda's south shore, an old-world club that has been around since the mid-1940s in its present form, but the oldest dwelling on the property was built before 1650. Drinks and dinner were lovely, but it was rather sad also, since it was our last night together with the McHargs. They are leaving for England tomorrow and Spain thereafter for a vacation; Taylor will be playing in a tennis tournament in Spain, which is part of the reason for the trip. Being with Warren, Christine and the girls -- just simply spending time with them and their extended family has added so much to our time here, words are inadequate!! We all enjoy each others' company so much; Ron and Warren are great buddies and have felt that way since the day they met. Being included in their social whirl of activities, meeting all their friends, getting invited to different dinners and outings has made us all feel so included and welcome! Coral Beach was no exception; what's not to like? The setting was beautiful, the wine delicious and good friends were together!

Taylor, Ally & Alexis on the stairs at the Beach Club

Taylor, Karyn, Ron and Ally

The two families together!