Back in Bermuda
Author: Shirlz
Tuesday, 15th December, 2015
When I reached the little town of Oriental in North Carolina it was wonderful to see old friends again. I was able to find a good anchorage in the harbour for a few days, but when the wind picked up strongly from the south-east it was time to get Speedwell snugly moored in a marina. I had been invited to spend some time with Dale in Bermuda and needed to be sure that the boat would be safe while I was away. The timing was perfect as I needed to leave the states before the end of December when my 6 months allowed time would expire. And what a treat to be spirited away from the approaching icy weather for a while. I was advised to leave a small fan heater running in the boat while I was away to stop things freezing up.
The morning I left there was a frosting of tiny ice crystals on the sail and a thin layer of ice on deck.
It was wonderful to be welcomed back into Dale’s beautiful house overlooking the south coast of Bermuda. A careful dash across the 3rd green of the Mid Ocean Club golf course, watching for fast-moving golf balls, reveals a small beach with the famous pink sands of Bermuda.
Last week the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club was hosting an International Moth Regatta and, as Dale was on the race committee boat, I was allowed to join her and be her backup for raising and lowering the signal flags. All had to be very professionally done and was a startling contrast to my usual laid-back sailing style. I had never seen anything like the little moth boats skittering about on hydrofoils. Have a look at Bermuda Moths. On the days when the wind was gusting to 30+ knots the fleet sometimes looked like a swarm of mosquitoes being vigorously swatted down. Dale was also providing accommodation for Kalle and Eelco who had flown over from Holland to sail in the regatta and we were all royally cared for.
On the second day of the regatta sailing was cancelled due to lack of wind and we were given a fascinating tour of the Oracle teams base, where they are preparing for the 2017 America’s Cup, at the Royal Naval Dockyard. They have taken over one of the old North Basin buildings which had fallen into a state of disrepair. It has been restored and now has a state-of-the-art gym on the ground level. The team undergoes rigorous fitness training and I watched with awful fascination as one of the men did pushups with a 35 lb weight on his back. The upper level has been converted into a technical centre for analysing the performance of the daily test sails. A massive array of flat screens shows visuals of the boats sailing and graphs and spreadsheets provide data comparing the effects of experimental changes to the hydrofoils. Different foils can be used on each hull to give a dynamic comparison. The foils are the only component of the one-design wing-sail foiling catamarans which can be modified to try to improve performance.
The actual race will be sailed by the AC50’s while all the training and optimisation is being done on AC45’s. These are stored in a massive hangar close to the water. The hulls and wing sections are taken apart for storage and each time they sail, have to be reassembled and then lifted into the water by a giant crane. No room for amateurs here!
For more technical background on hydrofoils I found this site – Fastest Boats
December 23rd, 2015 at 01:32
Seasons greetings and all the best for your 2016 cruising.
I have enjoyed reading about your travels and look forward to more postings.
Merry Christmas!
February 27th, 2016 at 09:14
Hi Shirley, we were with you in Deltaville (S/V Calista). We are wondering where you are now. Let us know. It would be great to meet again. We are presently in the Exumas. Take care