Bermuda Bound

GeorgeV · Post by **GeorgeV** » Mar 24th, '10, 09:59

86 days to go

Things are coming together for my June 17th departure for Bermuda aboard Isabelle my CD33.

I am extremely excited and really looking forward to this trip, it is a voyage that I have dreamed of for many years and only now do I have opportunity to make happen.

I am constantly reminded that this is going to be a lot different than coastal cruising. Over the last several years I have put several thousands of miles under my keel between City Island, NY and Northeast Harbor in Maine, but this is going to be different. I expect the crossing from Greenport Long Island to St. Georges Harbor in Bermuda to take 5 to 6 days and that once I drop the dock lines I will be truly on my own. I have assembled a crew of 3 friends who are planning to both sail out and back with me and my wife is planning to fly out to meet us while we are in Bermuda during the layover.

I will be joining the Bermuda Cruising Rally http://www.bermudacruisingrally.com which is in its 3 year and they hope to have 10 â€“ 12 boats leaving together, but once we leave other than twice daily radio contacts we will be on our own. Each boat will be carrying a transponder so friends and family will be able to follow their progress over the course of about 3 weeks. The rally organizers will be providing some weather and Gulf Stream routing advice, but as they say you are in charge of your own vessel.

Preparations have included:
- Checking the boat out from stem to stern and then doing it again
- Replacing the standing rigging and life lines
- Obtaining a life raft and EPIRB and a wide array of safety gear
- Planning menus and provisions
- Attending seminars on safety, first aid and understanding weather and the gulf stream
- Working with Home Land Security to reenter the country
- Renting a satellite phone
- Reviewing charts as well as speaking to others who have done the trip
- Stressing Safety First in all things

Many years ago I did some â€œblue waterâ€

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Mar 24th, '10, 11:22

George it sounds like you have done all the right things and your sail to Bermuda should be a great experience. Merrie, Bill Slater and I did it in June 2003 on Journey's End our CD-36. We left from from Cape Cod and had the sail of a lifetime. Merrie posted an account of our voyage on the CD board. Michael Heintz flew in for the return trip.

Enjoy St George, use their bus system to see the rest of the island and have a few Dark & Stormies. By all means pick up several two liter bottles of Baritts ginger beer to bring back. Even if you don't like it Leo MacDonald will pay a kings ransom to have them.

So have a great sail and make sure you tell us all about it when you return.

Mike & Merrie
s/v Adagio
lying Sardinia, Italy
www.sv-adagio.org

Cathy Monaghan · Post by **Cathy Monaghan** » Mar 24th, '10, 12:11

Hi George,

I know and feel your excitement.

During your cruise you will experience a host of emotions from anxiety to peacefulness, from boredom to exhaustion, from happy-go-lucky to fear. Take it all in. It's a great experience, even when anxious, bored or afraid.

By the way, with a 33-footer, it'll probably take more like 6 or 7 days to reach Bermuda. It all depends on the weather and how well you can get around the eddys from the Gulf Stream. Those eddys can really help, or really hinder you progress. You'll be getting Gulf Stream data from Jennifer Clark, so that should help.

Thought you might enjoy these photos. They were snapped last year (May/June 2009). That's me aboard Whisper, tied up to the quay at the St. George's Dinghy Club in Bermuda.

<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... G_0814.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="600" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 4.jpg"></a>

The view from the deck of the St. George's Dinghy Club:

<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... G_0819.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="600" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 9.jpg"></a>

(L-R) Bruce, me and Allen on the deck at the St. George's Dinghy Club:

<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... G_0823.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="600" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 3.jpg"></a>

Anyway, fair winds man.

Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

GeorgeV · Post by **GeorgeV** » Mar 24th, '10, 12:42

Cathy,

Your estimate of 6 to 7 days may be more realistic, but I am the eternal optimist and besides I do plan to take advantage of the iron genny if we have any light air.

I know boats with similar characteristics have taken anywhere between 135 and 200 hours to make the passage under sail only so I am hoping to do in about 150 hours using a little diesel along the way.

I will let you know how I make out.... I expect the return tip to take a day or so longer as I am hoping to not use the engine on the return leg, just sail.

Fair winds

Kevin Kaldenbach · Post by **Kevin Kaldenbach** » Mar 26th, '10, 09:17

I just got back from a crossing to Bermuda from Annapolis a few weeks ago. If you can hit the eddys right they will help a lot. We did 9 plus knots for several hours. I will post an account of my trip. I did the trip on an Island Packet 40 and it just made me feel that much better about owning a Cape Dory.

GeorgeV · Post by **GeorgeV** » Apr 5th, '10, 13:15

74 Days and Counting

The days are getting longer and warmer here in Connecticut and that means it is time to start getting the boat ready to go back into the water.

I removed the winter cover from the boat 2 weeks ago and I am now engaged in what is fondly call commissioning or what I call â€œworkâ€

Warren Kaplan · Post by **Warren Kaplan** » Apr 5th, '10, 14:31

Hey George,

Sometimes I think the paperwork for one of these cruises is more daunting than the actual voyage!!! I remember the folder of "stuff" you brought to the NE Fleet Winter Meeting in January!!!!

marv brinn · Post by **marv brinn** » Apr 15th, '10, 15:50

I am jealous!!!!!!!when we brought a j104 down from nyc I did inventory on the whole boat.
I made a list of everything we had to familiarize myself and gues what? we found we were missing extra water pump belts and impellers..
ANY BOAT that does not have its fuel polished will wind up losing its engine when the water gets sloppy..I have seen it happen often enough to say it should be manditory.

GeorgeV · Post by **GeorgeV** » May 14th, '10, 11:28

Well, I have been busy down at the boat yard the last several weeks. I sanded and painted the bottom washed and waxed the hull and started to â€œtouch upâ€

Angela and Tom · Post by **Angela and Tom** » Jun 17th, '10, 19:13

There are a lot of us jealous sailors who are getting the biggest vicarious kick out of your trip. I see that iBoat Track already has a place holder for Isabelle and we'll be keeping up with your (and your mostly Cape Dory crew's) progress all the way.

Have a great voyage and enjoy every minute of it! We look forward to hearing all about your adventure when you get back.

A

GeorgeV · Post by **GeorgeV** » Jun 17th, '10, 19:48

Angela,

Tomorrow we will be boarding Isabelle in Old Lyme, CT and then head over to Greenport, NY for our final preparations and weather briefings. We plan to depart Sunday morning the 20th and once we round Montauk Point it will be just 600 or so miles to go.

My crew is made up of Joe Myerson, Rich Van Heynigen and Doug Meyer. Both Joe and Rich own Cape Dorys a 25D and a 28 footer respectively. If all goes accrording to plan after I return from Bermuda I plan to attend the Northeast Fleets roundovous in Bristol in late July and I hope to see you there.

Wish us all Fair Winds and Kind Seas and we should be in Bermuda by the following Saturday. For those interested in tracking our progress you can log on to:

http://iboattrack.com/index.html

and check out the positions of the boats in the Bermuda Cruising Rally.

Take Care

Angela and Tom · Post by **Angela and Tom** » Jun 17th, '10, 20:44

See you in Bristol! There's a round of Dark & Stormies in it for you, Rich, Joe and Doug in exchange for tales of your voyage.

"Fair Winds and Kind Seas"

A

Sea Hunt · Post by **Sea Hunt** » Jun 29th, '10, 23:09

I'm not real good with Internet computer stuff but if I am understanding the website link George provided, then George, Joe, Rich and Doug are anchored in Hamilton, Bermuda as of yesterday, 29 June. Congratulations

I have a special interest because at least one of the crew (Joe M.) owns CD 25D and I will be interested to learn if he thinks a CD 25D could make such a passage (with a lot of help of course

)

Cathy Monaghan · Post by **Cathy Monaghan** » Jun 30th, '10, 12:33

Sea Hunt wrote:I'm not real good with Internet computer stuff but if I am understanding the website link George provided, then George, Joe, Rich and Doug are anchored in Hamilton, Bermuda as of yesterday, 29 June. Congratulations

I have a special interest because at least one of the crew (Joe M.) owns CD 25D and I will be interested to learn if he thinks a CD 25D could make such a passage (with a lot of help of course )

In 2005 Mike Hunter sailed his CD25D Breezy from San Diego to Australia, with stops in Hawaii, Fanning Island, Samoa, and some others along the way. So yeah, with a few modifications, a CD25D can cross oceans. It won't be as comfortable as a larger boat, but it can do it.

If you'd like to read more about Breezy's travels, Search this board on "mike hunter". Enter his name in the key words field not the author field.

Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

Bibster · Post by **Bibster** » Jun 30th, '10, 14:25

his CD-25D to Ireland, single handed, in 2008. You can find his posts here in the Cruiser's Corner forum.

The Cape Dory Board

Bermuda Bound - June 2010

Bermuda Bound - June 2010

reply

74 Days and Counting

trip

5 Weeks & Counting

Fairwinds George & crew!!

Great incentive to make it to the NE Fleet Rendezvous...

CD25 Breezy's Pacific crossing....

And don't forget about Odie Lingle, who sailed