We were only in Bermuda for 48 hours so most of our time was spent resting and prepping for the next leg. We were there long enough for Charles to see his first crazy naked sailor. Apparently the guy was just walking around checking out his boat...naked. I was disappointed he didn't take a picture for the blog.
In the short time we were there we did manage to meet another couple sailing to The Azores. Herb (the legendary weather guru) told them to wait a few more days as the wind would be better. Our weather folks told us to leave asap as we would have 10 kts off the Gulf Stream if we headed north. I guess we will see who was right... They don´t see any storms coming so Charles are ready to go. I am a little surprised I am ok with us leaving so soon. I guess I just want a safe window and will give up burgers and mango daiquiris to get it.
We met a guy who works at a marina in town while we were waiting for customs. He told us about a couple he had met a few years back. They sold everything they had to sail around the world. They hit a storm on the way to Bermuda. The woman said that´s it. So they sold the boat in Bermuda (for 100k, 150k less than they paid) and flew back to the states. yikes. Everyone says the boat can take more than you can. I am going to trust Gertrude and say my prayers!!
One of the cruise ships in the harbor came from Charleston, SC. Of course! When people asked where we were from and we told them Charleston, they assumed we were on the cruise ship. So disheartening! Darn it, we sailed here!!!! On our own little boat!!! :) We also ran into Bill Dunleavy ( I think that was his first name) the owner of Dunleavy´s bar on Sullivan´s Island, SC. He sailed from the islands with a friend. He has a 40 foot Hans Christian; a beautiful boat! He chatted with us about our journey for a bit. Very nice guy.
While we were fueling up the boat Bernie (the older man who helped us at the customs office) rode his scooter by to wish us well on our journey. Such a sweet man. He thought today was a great day to be leaving based on the weather and confirmed what the weather guys told us.
Bermuda is now just a blob in the distance. Its crazy that we were just in civilization and now there is absolutely nothing around us. Nothing for another 17 days or so. This will be the longest leg of the passage.
1st.Charles enjoying wine and a cigar
2nd. Charles and Megan with the cruise ship from Charleston in the back ground.
3rd. Gertrude threading the needle. This is the entrance to the harbor. The only entrance, so that cruise ship came through here as well!
June 6th 3:40am
Back on the night watch.
We have been in the path of two container ships tonight. We didn´t see a single ship on the way to Bermuda and now we have seen two in 3 hours. Ugh We must be in a shipping lane right now. Both ships were with in 3 miles of us, which feels way too close when all you can see are lights coming at you. Its pretty scary. We have radar though so we can tell exactly what they are doing and can change course if we need to. They saw us and everything was fine. I think our experience in Charleston harbor made us more comfortable sailing around them. Goodness, we have been yards from them in the harbor. There is just no avoiding them unless you stay home.
Later that day...
Charles and I didn´t sleep well last night so we are sleeping in shifts today. The seas are pretty decent today. The biggest waves we have had yet. Every 10th wave is twice the size of the others. They are only 4-8feet. No problem for Gertrude! They sky is pretty hazyand it rained a little today. We have had great wind. We are moving 5-7 kts which is great!
June 7
The sun is shining on rolling waves this morning. This leg is showing me different sides of the ocean. Nothing scary, just different. The waves are still only 10-15 feet. But not breaking at all. Pretty low key. We slept much better last night! No ships. I think we are out of the traffic.
later that day....
I saw a whale today!!! It was about 200 feet off our bow. I didn´t get a picture as he was shy. I was so excited I woke Charles up. He only saw it spray. He asked that in the future I only wake him if its charging the hull. ha ha! It looked like a small sperm whale. I wanted to capture him and take him with us, but Charles thought we should stay on course. bummer.
June 13th
We have had great wind! When we are moving at 8 kts it feels like you are standing up on a roller coaster. The last couple of days we spend most of our time sitting down. We don´t hang out in the cockpit cause its more comfortable down below. We heel over at about 10-15 degrees, but when a wave hits us we move to 40. That puts our head sail in the water and me on my butt!
We ran into the outskirts of a squal this morning. Pretty crazy! We sailed right out of it in a matter of minutes, but the wind was pretty intense. Our headsail got caught on the radar and the UV cover got snagged. Something to fix in The Azores.
We came across another sailboat the other day. He was pretty far away, but he called us on the VHF. He asked that we get in touch with his friend in the Azores and let him know that Noah is on his way, just moving slow. He assumed we would beat him there. hmmm, we will see!
No more whales, no ships. We have seen birds the entire trip. They are our buddies. I talk to them like a crazy person. I guess birds are not a sign land is near, unless there is an uncharted island close.
June 14th
We saw a container ship today. It was only about a mile from us, but it was daylight so I wasn´t nervous. If it was dark I would have been pissed off! We also saw a twister in the sky. We were not in any danger. It was far away!
June 18th
The seas are annoying this morning. The wave are about 8-10 feet and they are coming by every second. The wind and waves are at our stern which makes for a rocky ride. The sails hate it. Its hard to sleep because your body can´t relax. You just roll all night. I think I have an easier time sleeping than Charles. If it were the gentle rocking of a cradle we would be out. But we are rolling at 30 degrees and back. The autopilot doesn´t like it either, so we are manually steering more than normal. Not a big deal, just annoying. The good news is we are only 264 miles from Horta!!! We have plenty of food, water, diesel, and coffee. We are almost out of soda. Charles has resorted to drinking the grape soda I bought by accident. The cans are green and yellow. I assumed it was lemon lime. oops.
The sun as progessivly risen earlier and earlier, but we are not sure what time zone we are on. I am guessing we are 4 hours ahead of Charleston. We will see when we get to Horta!
June 19th
We finally saw life from the ocean! A pod of little dolphins. Not sure what they are called. I will have to google it. They were the size of tuna and fast little suckers!
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