| Log Entry - Wednesday, Jan 11, 2006 |
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Good Beginning – Bad Ending
I was on fire today, just crashing through my to-do list. First, I took the bus into St. George to rent a scooter. They don’t rent cars in Bermuda, and I needed some way to get around that was faster then the bus. This is a great time to be in Bermuda, very slow, with everything at off season prices. I grabbed a few items for lunch and headed back to the boat, which is about 20 minutes away.
The first boat project that I tackled was the autohelm. A service guy had determined that the control head was shorting out internally. I brought a replacement one with me, but it was a newer model and didn’t fit in the existing hole in the nav pod. I had to cut a new circular hole in 3/8 plastic. Fortunately I had a tiny saw with interchangeable blades which was sufficient to get the job done - a small reminder of how dependent we are on power tools. It was so satisfying to reassemble everything, reconnect the wires, and, voila, it worked. A good beginning. Next I headed for the bow to inspect the navigation light that had been knocked off by waves in our previous trip. I also brought a replacement with me and made quick work of that project. Next I tackled an oil change. Changing oil in your car in your garage is one thing; changing oil on an engine in a boat on the water is another. There is no drain plug, making it necessary to siphon the oil out of the engine with a pump. Again to my surprise, I had all the tools needed. The oil was siphoned out of the engine by inserting a small plastic tube into the oil dip-stick and using a special pump to siphon it out. It was a surprisingly easy and clean operation. We had put 200 hours on the engine during our trip to Bermuda; the average sailboat in the Chesapeake Bay puts 50 hours on her engine in one year.
It’s only 3:00; what next? I decided to head back into town, get the propane tank refilled, and do some laundry. I had some sheets and towels from the last trip which needed a wash. I strapped a propane tank and bag of laundry on the back of the scooter and zipped around the curvy roads of Bermuda back into St. Georges. Blind curves and hills make even a scooter feel like a Motor Cross Race. Of course, like all Brits, they drive on the left (wrong) side of the road. Danny, the fellow looking after Full Circle, doesn’t even own a car. He has small motor cycle. His wife takes a bus to work in Hamilton, and his sixteen year old daughter has a scooter to commute to school. The super market delivers groceries for free. Life is definitely simpler (maybe just different) on the islands. One just gets used to doing with less.
I again had dinner with Danny’s family. He was in a euphoric mode, having recently paid off the mortgage of his home. Owning a home in Bermuda is a real privilege since land is so scarce. Danny works for Bermuda Harbor Radio and his brother is an observer for the Bermuda Weather Service. After dinner, we biked up to the weather service offices for a personal tour. This was great because I could get a personal weather brief about our planned January 14th departure. They had a very sophisticated operation for a small country, but as you can imagine, weather is a major part of their life here in the middle of the ocean. The visit was fascinating, but disappointing. I enjoyed seeing how they make use of US, UK, and Canadian weather models, but it was disappointing because I learned that a major cold front was coming through this weekend that would generate heavy seas and strong winds. Lou, the forecaster on duty, who sailed regularly in Nova Scotia, emphatically informed me that even a crazy Canadian wouldn’t want to be out in what was coming our way. The models forecast 20+ foot seas with 35+ knots of winds from the south. South, that is the direction we want to go; 35+ knots, that is a gale. Will I every get this boat to the Caribbean?
Thank goodness I installed the satellite phone. I called the crew and asked if they could delay their arrival for a week. Hopefully, they will all be able to re-juggle their schedules. It was a full day. Time to crawl into my bunk, with clean sheets, read The Sea Wolf by Jack London, and get some sleep. Tomorrow I begin my unexpected week in Bermuda. Sailing is full of surprises.
Today’s photo shows Full Circle resting peacefully in front of Danny Little’s turquoise house.
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