Our Bermuda Experience: Part Two
By Dave and Jaja

On May 4th 1998, we arrived in Bermuda, aboard DRIVER, after a boisterous 8-day passage from Fernandina Beach, Florida. On the 20th of May we set sail for Iceland. The following is our Bermuda Experience (Part 2 of 4)

The anchorage at St. Georges is beautiful. But, technically speaking, it has to be one of the worst anywhere. The bottom is rock-hard sand. When the prevailing southwest wind blows, the surface of the harbor transforms itself into a short, dinghy-swamping chop. Once ashore, there is nowhere to safely tie the dinghy because the same chop that gets you soaked on the way in infiltrates the inner harbor and beats the dinghy against the stone jetty. When the wind stops, and the chop disappears, soot spewing from the cruise ship funnels coats your boat and laundry with black muck.

The greatest advantage to St. Georges is you don't mind the disadvantages right away because it's such a relief to be off the sea. We wandered around the EPCOT-like village of St. Georges for a few days, going into the shops, but we soon grew bored of the hoards. Moving down the streets with Chris, Holly, and Teiga was also dangerous; if the mopeds weren't out to kill us, the taxis were. We pondered life. For example, why do most tourists invariably buy brand new white sneakers and socks before they go on vacation?

Jaja had never been to Bermuda before. To facilitate sightseeing, and to gain a few hours of peace and quiet, we sailed DRIVER around to Hamilton, the main city at the opposite end of the island. Unfortunately, the anchorage at Hamilton harbor isn't much better than the one at St. Georges, nor is the public dinghy landing much of an improvement. We asked at the Royal Bermuda Yacht club if we could secure our dinghy to their protected floating pontoon, but a stodgy old geezer wearing plaid cutoffs and a yellow tie informed us that the club was private.

"In other words," I said, in an effort to clarify his non-answer, "You mean No."

"Try tying in front of the police station." No smile.

Once in town, we found a shop that made superb cappuccinos. We charged up the kids (so that we could walk around for a few hours) by feeding them milkshakes, sticky buns, and candy bars. It worked. To maintain their interest in town we encouraged them to collect tourist brochures. Bermuda is a pay-to-breathe kind of place and it's fun to get something for free.

The next day we went on a sightseeing adventure. We visited a department store to buy new pillows, and we walked for half-a-mile along a dangerous road trying to locate a lumber yard that sold scrap plywood. We went to a gourmet grocery store and bought thick juicy steaks, then went into a high-tech kitchen supply center and bought some durable, overpriced mixing bowls that all broke within six months. The highlight of the day was picnicking in a city park next to some snoring winos.

Jaja was philosophical. "Bermuda is different than I expected."