We left Hampton on November 2nd under light winds and clear skies. As we exited the Chesapeake we sighted whales. We were planning to sail from Hampton Virginia to Antigua without stopping but there was very little wind so we used more fuel than expected and had to stop in Bermuda to refuel. Some of the other boats arrived in Bermuda before us and arranged a good deal on duty free diesel fuel for us. We were only in Bermuda overnight but managed to get out for dinner in Hamilton.
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Replenishing fresh vegetables in Bermuda
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| The Boat Docks, where Americas cup was held. |
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| Anchorage in Hamilton harbour, Bermuda |
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| Passing a cruise ship on way into St. George Harbour, Bermuda |
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| Stopped here for a cold one while in Bermuda |
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| Al and John at the Dog House in Hamilton, Bermuda |
We had our best sailing when we left Bermuda and soon lost sight of the other boats in our group. We didn't see another boat for the rest of our trip or even hear anything on the radio. We saw lots of stars at night in all directions from horizon to horizon. At night it was so dark the only way to determine where the water started was to find where the stars stopped. It is pretty disorienting sailing at night with no coastal lights in sight you rely on the chart plotter and autopilot steering to take you in the right direction. It was even more disorienting on overcast nights when the moon and stars were not visible.
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| Dolphins playing at the bow after leaving Bermuda |
We completed the voyage in 14 days landing at Jolly Harbour, Antigua on November 16th under blue skies but the winds were from the south (on our nose) requiring us to motor the last couple of days. The trip took longer than we hoped as the winds were very light most of the time. There were a couple of overcast days and one rain storm with some wind gusts (squals) but not much over 30 knots. We used the storm sail and a double reefed main and it helped keep us under control during the gusty periods. We only landed one fish on the way a Mahi Mahi which we thoroughly enjoyed.
