From "Bound to Bermuda", to "Bound IN Bermuda..."
Just after lunchtime on May 30, Margaret
Anna and her crew of OceanPlanet supporters arrived in Bermuda. We
had a rollicking ride the last day, broad reaching in sunshine and nice
waves. Which was a very welcome change from the murkiness of the low
pressure center we had plowed through on the previous day and
night!
Big thanks are in order for the incredible
hospitality of several friends here in Bermuda. Margaret Anna is being
hosted by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, a
great club with an impressive sailing and racing history. They have a
great junior sailing program, and so I will be returning the favor with a
tour of the boat and a lecture for some of their young sailors
here. In a "small world" story, ex-west coast SSS member solo Transpac
racer (Singlehanded Sailing Society) Jeff
Arnst now lives here, and helped arrange our stay at the club. Also, for
those of you who followed OceanPlanet in my FIRST circumnavigation, the Around
Alone (2002-2003), you might remember Alan Paris, the hardy Bermudian who
completed the race on board his 40ft BTC Velocity. Alan and family hosted
me an my crew at a fantastic dinner last evening...a far cry from our freeze
dried food on the boat...;-) Thanks to all!!
Aside from a few things to fix on the boat, we are
awaiting more favorable weather for the last leg to the Chesapeake Bay.
There is a nasty low rolling up the Gulf Stream that would be foolish to tangle
with, so I'm hoping conditions to depart will be better by Tuesday
morning. Heavy weather sailing can be fun, but when it gets to a
certain level there's no point in trying for a "Darwin Award". So
every six hours I download the latest weather files, studying them and hoping
for a logical weather window...
If we can't depart Tuesday, I will have to return
home to Maine and look after many issues including the haulout of OceanPlanet,
the ongoing sponsorship efforts, processing the bills, and maybe even mowing the
lawn. If that is the case then owner Tim Troy will be taking the boat the
rest of the way home.
So keep your fingers crossed for good weather, and
I'll keep you posted from this island...600+ miles from the U.S.
coast...
Margaret Anna as we were leaving La
Rochelle:
Hope to have more pics of the crossing soon...my
camera got soaked!
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