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April
2002 Bahamas to Bermuda
We arrived in Bermuda on the 22nd of April after a lovely 6 day sail
from the Abacos in the Bahamas. We were accompanied by Jim Eaton and
Amy Heberger from Hampton, and enjoyed their company and help immensely.
Of note during the sail: hundreds upon hundreds of Portuguese men-of-war
-- for days, there were always 2 or 3 in sight; a sleeping whale as
big as Akka we passed within 20 feet; a day and a half of zero winds
where the ocean reflected the clouds perfectly and Rob and Jim could
have shaved in the reflection; night skies with the Milky Way bright
enough so that, even without a moon, the deck hardware was clearly
visible; an ISS sighting; a final 16 hour spinnaker reach into St.
George, including 6 hours after dark, sailing under a brilliant 1/2
moon.
One
of our top priority to-do's upon arrival was for Rob to have his
3 month post-surgical follow-up PSA test. As he now has no prostate,
the results should be zero. We are overjoyed to report that that
is exactly what the test result was!!!!
With
that concern behind us, we are now free to concentrate on preparing
for crossing the "Pond". Preparations include the usual
maintenance and repairs, plus a few unexpected ones. On our way
here, the thrust bearing on the prop shaft began making awful noises
and got red-hot. We were reduced to sailing in almost no breeze
and, later, motoring at very low speeds. We've ordered and received
a replacement and are in the process of removing the old one (a
MAJOR headache since it's old and rusted), then installing the new.
Our
autopilot had also been giving us troubles, so we had all of its
electronics checked out while we were in L.A. Re-installation has
not solved the problem, so we've now ordered a new motor and hydraulic
unit, which Ken Signorello, our crew member for the Azores leg,
will be bringing next week. We believe that the removal of old and
installation of new routine will be easier for this, since we've
removed the autopilot motor and hydraulic unit before. Time will
tell.
We
are obtaining a new insurance policy to cover the boat for the crossing
and in the UK. This required an inspection of our rig. Since Rob
had been up the mast just before we left the Bahamas, we figured
this to be a routine, cursory inspection. To our surprise, the riggers
found a shroud which was beginning to fray (fortunately at the end
so that it could be shortened); wear at both the top and bottom
of our staysail attachment points, which could have been a real
problem if they wore through; and a fitting on the backstay which
was improperly attached and could have given way at any time! We
are having the riggers fix all of these problems, and are very glad
we had this "routine" inspection!
Between
the repairs, we are thoroughly enjoying beautiful Bermuda, charming
St. George and the incredibly friendly and polite Bermudians. Everyone
greets us in the street with a cheerful "good morning"
or "good afternoon" or whatever, and the school kids each
say "thank you" to the bus driver as they get off the
bus every day!
Here
in St. George, we've met a Dutch boat and a Swedish boat (with a
crew member we had met last Feb. in Trinidad!) which will also be
making the passage to the Azores when we are, so we all plan to
stay in touch by SSB.
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