Background

This whole adventure all started with a Friday afternoon (9 Apr) sail on Galveston Bay with my good friend Paul Britton, who keeps a Jenneau 37 on Clear Lake in Kemah, TX. During the course of an otherwise unremarkable sail with 3 other of Paul's friends, he casually mentioned that he had signed on as crew for a yacht delivery from Bermuda to the Azores and asked if I was interested in joining the crew to make a full complement of 4. I told him I would talk it over with the Admiral, check my schedule and get back to him Saturday, not really thinking that I would go. Total duration of the trip was 12 to 15 days at sea plus a day or two at either end plus travel time. All my foul weather gear is on our boat in Anacortes, so I was not equipped for an open-ocean crossing. However, after sleeping on it for a night, I decided that lack of equipment should not keep me from fulfilling a bucket-list adventure; I can buy foul-weather gear here, along with anything else I need. So, early on 11 Apr, I told Paul I was available. He took a few days to get approval from Paul Grondahl, the owner/captain of S/V "Saddha", a Discovery 55, who would also be aboard, for me to join the crew. Then, it was off to the races to get ready. I ordered new foulies - my old ones on the boat are 30 years old anyway - and bought a Personal Locator Beacon to attach to a life jacket. Paul G. advised he had a spare inflatable life jacket, with safety tether, on board that I could use. Paul B. and I agreed we would fly out to Bermuda with a planned departure date of 1 May, depending upon weather. We had a team Zoom call with Paul G., Paul B., and David Grove, the other crew-member on Saturday, 16 Apr, to introduce each other and discuss various crew responsibilities. Paul and I had to get Covid-19 tests (with negative results) within 5 days prior to arrival in Bermuda; because of concerns over the timing of receiving the results, I ended up getting three tests in Houston (one each from Walgreens, Costco and CVS). All 3 resulted in negative results, supplied early on Tuesday, 17 Apr. With this, I was able to apply for a permit to enter Bermuda, which included paying them $75 to cover the cost of another test upon arrival at the airport in Bermuda.

29 Apr - 1 May 21

I was up at 3:45, in the Uber at 4:10 and the flight left Houston at 6:00 CDT (UTC-5). We landed in Bermuda at 14:20 local time (UTC-3) after a short layover in Atlanta. We cleared customs, got our COVID-19 test and caught a taxi to “Saddha”, where we met Paul G and Dave. Dinner was takeout from Wahoo; lovely.  After a bit of a chat, Paul B (aka, #2) and I called it a night.  Paul G decided that he would move to the pullman berth forward of the salon, Dave took the forepeak berth, and Paul B and I shared the double bed (it is equipped with lee cloths in the middle and on either side, so will make a good sea-berth) in the stern cabin.

30 Apr 21

My Bermuda COVID-19 test result was waiting for me this morning: Negative; so, we are now free to move about the islands. All morning and afternoon until 15:00, we were busy with getting to know the boat, various boat chores and pre-departure to-do lists. Then, Dave took me for a quick ride around town on the scooter. It was blowing WNW 22 pretty much all day and looks like that for the planned departure tomorrow. We had a nice stroll around St. Georges, then back for dinner on the boat, since all restaurants in Bermuda are open only for take-out; take-out from Wahoos again - delicious. During dinner, we congratulated Skipper Paul for successfully wrapping up his business and he told us about bitcoin and cryptocurrency. That is where he made his fortune with which to buy this boat. He recommended I read Michael Sayler for better understanding. 

1 May 21

After a slightly restless night (shoulder ached a bit), I got up about 08:00.  It was blustery and overcast with occasional showers to start. Because it was still pretty blustery and because Paul G was exhausted from the last week of boat preparations and business close-up, we decided to delay departure by one day. At 09:00, Dave gave me a ride to the scooter rental place, but i had to wait nearly an hour for the attendant to arrive. Paul B and i spent the day touring Bermuda and dodging showers as the front blew through. We stayed dry and made in all the way to the far end of the islands through Hamilton, to the Dockyards, which housed the fleet during the Americas Cup here three years ago. We got back to the boat about 16:30. Probably just as well we did not leave today; it would’ve been a bit snotty outside.  Dinner aboard.