Bermuda is made up of 165 islands and is something of a paradise. Ben Lowings gives us this guide to sailing in Bermuda and seeing its stunning islandsThe breeze that whistles through the pines that line Bermuda\u2019s shores ranges from a prevailing south-westerly with an average Force 3, rising to a gentle Force 4 in June. Together with turquoise waters and warm sun, it adds up to a sailing paradise. Expensive, yes \u2013 and prone to hurricanes \u2013 but a mid-ocean sanctuary for centuries, and today also a cruising and ocean race destination.
\nThe World Cruising Club\u2019s east-bound Atlantic rally, the ARC Europe, is about to visit the territory this May, as will the Salty Dawg Azores rally, assembling crews from the US mainland and Caribbean before heading across the Atlantic. Superyachts, mainly bound for the Med, often use Bermuda at this time of year as their bunkering stop.
\nThe mid-Atlantic archipelago welcomes several hundred visiting yachts a year. Officials estimate roughly two-thirds of that traffic is in April- June. US and Canadian boats, increasingly in the \u2018Salty\u2019 crowd, stop by on the way to Europe or the voyage south to the Bahamas, Caribbean and South America. Some sailing traffic is heading north-bound to the US east coast and Canada.
\n\u201cBack in the old days, we were kind of a waypoint, a turning point,\u201d explains Mark Soares, who runs St George\u2019s Marina as well as the superyacht agency BDA Yacht Services. Soares explains that, navigationally, Bermuda is of prime importance on the transatlantic route heading east.
\n\u201cIt does give you the opportunity to get a bit north. When you leave Bermuda, you sail in a north-easterly direction, trying a little bit of northing. The further north you go, the more wind you generally pick up before you start turning a little bit more towards the Azores.\u201d
\nBermuda is well known as a great stopover if waiting for a better weather window \u2013 a jumping-off point and convenient to reprovision and refuel.
\n\u201cFrom the Caribbean, the Azores is a long way in a 45ft boat,\u201d says Soares. \u201cStopping in Bermuda can really break that up, and it\u2019s a lovely place to stop.\u201d
\nAt peak season, yachts on the 850-mile passage from the Lesser Antilles often encounter south-easterlies initially, then the breeze declines. The Sargasso Sea, the Horse Latitudes, the Bermuda Triangle \u2013 all have their own quirks and stories.
\nThe islands are low-lying. Photo: Ben Lowings
\nA wise skipper will factor in the likelihood of calms south-west of Bermuda and probably reserve fuel. Past mid-June, with the increased potential for hurricanes, navigators need to be aware that named storms often funnel northwards between Bermuda and the US, and often on the exact Great Circle route between the Virgin Islands and Bermuda.
\nSome routeing advisers say from July onwards Bermuda should only be considered an emergency stopover, and even then, perhaps a risky detour as weather dangers increase.
\nBoats visiting from the US, particularly those racing from Newport, Rhode Island, have the Gulf Stream to \u2018breach\u2019 for a Bermuda landfall. In May and June the north-east-going current can clash quite seriously with a north-easterly wind.
\nThis makes for an uncomfortable \u2018thrash to the onion patch\u2019, as the race is known.
\nComing from Europe
\nIn 1960, Val Howells, battling headwinds in his Folkboat on the inaugural Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race, stopped in Bermuda on his way from Plymouth to New York. He cherished the experience; an altogether more pleasant one than his rivals\u2019, who contended with ice on the northern route.
\nPassage-making direct from Europe has a history of accidents; Bermuda itself was first settled as a result of one. The territory\u2019s alternative name, the Somers Isles, comes from the 17th Century adventurer Sir George Somers, whose Sea Venture was bringing settlers to North America but instead was wrecked off what is now known as Castle Harbour.
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to prepare for an Atlantic crossing with the ARC<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEvery autumn the pontoons of Las Palmas are a hive of activity, as hundreds of yachts prepare for an Atlantic\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEast-bound Atlantic crossing via Bermuda<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWe tacked for the first and only time on our 13-day crossing. The view off Ultima\u2019s bow revealed the alluring\u2026<\/p>\n
Some navigators see a relatively permanent front in the region of 50\u00b0 longitude west. This, according to the aviator and yachtsman Ernest K Gann, makes any route from the Azores to Bermuda subject to \u2018every form of meteorological harassment\u2019.
\nAgainst this unpredictability, however, is the growing reliability of south-westerlies as a yacht makes westing towards Bermuda. Whether that offers the wind angle you want, however, depends on whether your ultimate destination is the Caribbean or Canada. Bear in mind that holidaymakers flying into Bermuda have the same length of flight whether they take off from Miami, Florida, or Halifax, Nova Scotia (2\u00bd hours).
\nLandfall
\nFirst-time yachting visitors to Bermuda usually get surprised by a radio call-up. A dedicated staff monitors traffic and also guides you in. \u201cThey\u2019re 24-7,\u201d says Mark Soares. \u201cThey start talking to you when you\u2019re 30, 40 miles out. Then they assist with getting boats into port.\u201d
\nBermuda Radio\u2019s duty officer told me the HM Customs Yacht Reporting Centre asks arriving yachts to complete two forms, including information required by the SailClear scheme. They further clarified that yachts which don\u2019t complete their SailClear info prior to arrival will have to do it at the Customs office. (They added that they believed the SailClear subscription fee was unfortunate.)
\nPilotage for passing through Bermuda\u2019s encircling reef is relatively simple. Town Cut, the passage into the typical port of entry, St George\u2019s, is too tight for large cruise ships. It is difficult with a swell, particularly if heavy, and if running from the south-east quadrant.
\nThe Gulf Stream is the dominant navigational factor
\nThe well-named Five Fathom Hole is the recommended anchorage if you\u2019re already through the reef but you don\u2019t fancy immediately passing through the jaws of St George\u2019s, or if you are piloting at night. The buoys in the areas of strongest current are prone to drifting off-station or being swept away, so be aware the most exposed buoys on the outer corners of Town Cut have been known to disappear. However, the lights are reliable.
\nTown Cut can be skipped altogether if the yacht is transiting to the north, via the Narrows (also known as the Hurd Channel) to Hamilton. Customs stress that they can only process boats going straight to Hamilton by prior arrangement.
\nBermuda\u2019s history is best savoured in St George\u2019s; the oldest English-speaking settlement in the western hemisphere.
\nOrdnance Island is unmistakable with its neat white mansion, Customs office and excellent public rest rooms. The island is belted round with berthing, either alongside or Med-style, and can accommodate yachts of all sizes. Tidal range is approximately 1.5m.
\nOverflow berthing is available to the west for vessels exceeding 100m LOA. But most yachts will be docked from Somers\u2019 and Hunter\u2019s wharves in the west, then moving east, Penno\u2019s Wharf, around Ordnance Island in its entirety, then east to Market Wharf. The southernmost wall of Ordnance Island was the cruise ship terminal and is where you\u2019ll usually find superyachts mooring stern-to-style.
\nThe place is as smart a welcome zone as any yachtie could ask for. Storms and fires have come and gone, marine businesses closed and new ones opened, but there is a peaceful quality to this harbour.
\nAnchoring is free though be aware of protected sites and wreckage. Photo: Ben Lowings
\nThe same can be said of Hamilton, the business centre, and some say closest to the best \u2018hurricane hole\u2019 moorings. In this area are the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Marina, Waterfront Marina, Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club and Mills Creek marine facilities. Caroline Bay Marina, built for the 2017 America\u2019s Cup, is still very much in business. The surrounding hotel and property development has been shuttered for some years now though.
\nIsland life
\nBermuda\u2019s national colour is pink and you immediately see why when you sink your toes into the pastel-coloured sand. Arriving by yacht gives you time to appreciate the territory\u2019s atmosphere. Package tourists who\u2019ve flown in often expect a tropical vibrancy like the Caribbean. It does bear a lot of similarities \u2013 the history, the cultural mix, the accents, the pace of life. But Bermuda is an island apart and offers a unique experience.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s lovely, everybody\u2019s very friendly,\u201d says Mark Soares. \u201cIt\u2019s very clean. Bar some office blocks in Hamilton, every building \u2013 even the airport hangars \u2013 has a white roof to reflect the sun, and is by tradition clinker built to maximise surface area for rainwater collection.\u201d
\nBermuda\u2019s location puts up the prices of everything from imported groceries to fuel oil. \u201cBermuda is known for being an expensive destination, but absolutely worth it,\u201d says Marilyn Zuill, of the charter firm Sail Bermuda. Skippered day charter customers can delight, he says, in \u201cstunning waters, thriving coral reefs, and numerous shipwrecks\u201d.
\nLuxury catamarans have run from Dockyard for 20 years. But week-long bareboat charters are not yet commonplace here, adds Zuill, despite the fact it\u2019s a cruising micro-heaven.
\nARC Europe rally fleet departs Bermuda for an eastbound Atlantic crossing. Photo: Gavin Howarth\/WCC
\nStaying on
\nWhy not stay longer? Mark Soares is excited to see increasing numbers of yachts cruising the island. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a couple of boats that have decided to spend the winter here,\u201d he notes. Other owners have left their yacht on moorings, flying back to the United States or Europe before returning to spend more time cruising the island.
\nExtended stays of up to six months are allowed when crews apply to the Department of Immigration with proof of citizenship, health insurance and the means to repatriate themselves by air. The sparkling new airport has to rank among one of the best locales in the world for crew interchanges. Although be aware crew leaving a boat must get written details of their circumstances signed by the owner or skipper to present to Customs.
\nThe Bermudian government is consulting on draft plans to place 20% of Bermudan waters within designated marine protection zones. Photo: Sakis Lazarides\/Getty
\nSkippers seeking repairs will find most services are available, from mechanical and electrical, to sail mending, upholstery and refrigeration. Soares says 60ft is probably the maximum LOA for haul outs, however. Sourcing parts presents few problems. \u201cIf it\u2019s not available here, it\u2019s easy to get stuff flown in. Parts for visiting yachts are considered ship spares in transit, so they are not subject to duty.\u201d
\nDeparture dates
\nWeather is the prime consideration for those thinking of when to leave. Bermuda Customs YRC at St George\u2019s provides displays of the latest island weather service North Atlantic forecast charts. It\u2019s also where you can complete departure formalities in person. You don\u2019t need to bring the yacht to Customs dock to clear out.
\nBermuda is about 300 miles south of the general border of the Gulf Stream \u2013 a look at Windy shows the currents boiling up along this line (see graphic above left). Although the swirls of wind and current seem complex, at a large scale the Gulf Stream current is very clear. Sailing to Europe is a matter of reaching the Gulf Stream \u2018wall\u2019 and holding on for the ride as you hitch onto the official North Atlantic Current.
\nBe aware though, if you\u2019re heading towards Europe, that the Azores will be very tempting indeed. Hilary Keatinge states in the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation\/ Imray pilot book Atlantic Islands: \u201cMost could easily make the passage from Bermuda to the European mainland without calling at the Azores, but only if the skipper wishes to risk a mutiny.\u201d
\nThe position of the Azores High could further complicate decision-making for the skipper!<\/p>\n
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The post Everything you need to know about sailing in Bermuda appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bermuda is made up of 165 islands and is something of a paradise. Ben Lowings gives us this guide to sailing in Bermuda and seeing its stunning islandsThe breeze that whistles through the pines that line Bermuda\u2019s shores ranges from … <\/p>\n