We're really leaving Bermuda today - 18th June

The trouble with writing this blog ahead of time is that what we say we'll do and what we actually do are not always the same.

I'm glad we hung around for a few more days. Instead of being out on the water on Monday during the 'Black Only' club's comet race and the start of the Tall Ship race back to Boston, we walked further around the point of land north of St. George's Bay and found a dairy farm, a couple more forts and some lovely lawns and beautiful little coves with really big parrot fish swimming about. Monday was a public holiday and thousands of people were out in lawn chairs and big picnic tables with umbrellas enjoying the day's events. The weather held until the end of the day when a really nasty squall came through the bay and made life very difficult for an incoming yacht to end tie up to the yacht club dock; he actually managed to hook onto the anchor rodes of the boats already tied up, and then after about 20 minutes of trying to get unhooked, with all of the other boat crews protecting their boats, he completely lost it and started gunning his engine in all directions only to successfully hook his prop around a mooring buoy a little further out. This buoy was marking a permanent anchor which was to be avoided at all cost. Poor guy, so glad it wasn't us. It took alot of people to help him out of this mess, and then he disappeared. Probably wished to God he was drowned after that public spectacle.

The day before - Sunday, we met Karen and Irvin. Karen is the cousin of an old friend of mine, Carol. Karen moved to Bermuda a year ago, when she decided she wanted change once her 2 sons were grown up. She lives in a lovely little house right on the water with sundecks and her own beach to swim in. Her friend Irvin is Bermudian and drives a 1981 Toyota Corolla in perfect condition. They very kindly took us into Hamilton to do our provision shopping for the next month. That's alot of shopping - $500 worth. It was nice to have them out to the boat afterwards. When we get to tell non boaters what we are doing and how we leave it reinforces us having made a good choice.

Monday evening we spent with Sue and Robbie from Barbarossa, our new friends from England who are on their way home. It looks like we'll leave together today and perhaps will travel at about the same speed to the Azores.

We have quite a bit in common with them, they are from Benfleet Essex and they know Dartford, Gravesend and a few other places I have lived in England well. Sue also has some Maltese blood on her grandfather's side. They have lived on the water for 35 years and Robbie has worked commercially on tugs and deliveries etc. As they have already travelled to many parts of the world we wish to go to it has been a real education getting to know them.

Yesterday we watched a tradition unfold in the town square. The town gossip getting dunked in the water. The town crier in his loud booming voice recruits a bunch of strong men from the audience, and then brings the 'accused' woman into the circle. They shout out their lines for the next 15 minutes or so and then the woman is found guilty of being a gossip, but worse than that, she nags her husband. She really was a mouthy little woman and much as I didn't like the glee with which all of the men watched her being doused, I kinda wishes she would shut up. If she were my wife I'd gag her and then dunk her.

So all we have to do today is buy fuel - $10 per gallon for deisel. Unbelievable - they changed the price yesterday as they know that most of the boats in the harbour are leaving today. Then we check out.

So, keep an eye on our Ship trak to know where we are and we'll get in touch when we reach the Azores.