Webster - Land Ahoy! Let's hope it's Bermuda.......

Friday 9th May 2014 Position 1400 St George's bay, Bermuda.

We had a bright and breezy start to the day albeit there was still not much by way of wind to speak of. What there was had come around to the west which was a useful direction for us as we could head straight to destination but we were still having to motor sail to keep a reasonable speed up. The wind built after 0700 and by 0800 we had doused the engine and were creaming along at 7-8 knots on a broad reach with the sun out and slight sea state. Everyone wanted to helm and we had to prise Dave's fingers from the wheel to have a go!

Around 1000 we heard Bermuda radio on VHF - that at least confirmed we were heading to the right island and that we were getting close. Then, "Land ahoy", eagle eye Tipton wins the Blue Peter Badge as Bermuda hove into view.

As instructed 25 nm out we called Bermuda radio and reported our position. They looked us up on our pre-arrival form I submitted some weeks before and they knew all about us.

I just caught the end of the SSB net. We were congratulated by the net controller on Reberth for seeing land, as he was a bit further off. He suggested we have a beverage or two when we land to which we replied there was likely to be more than two as we had Treacle Miners on board. He thought this required some explanation for the benefit of the net, so I duly obliged and explained the fact that they own and run the only working treacle mine in Europe in Dunchideock, in Devon, and the fact that there is a rich vein of tungsten in the ground which yields the treacle. "Is it April 1st ", he enquired. "For these guys it's always April 1st", I replied.

Bermuda is a very low island and what we could see were tall buildings on the horizon. Very colourful too. Sailing along the coast we had to be very careful not to allow the boat to broach as there were fierce looking reefs a short way to windward and we were fully powered up as the wind accelerated around the headland. Creaming into the finish Dave chipped in "we've crashed into bigger islands than this", at which point I again prised his fingers off the wheel and brought the boat home.

We crossed the finish line at 1316.07 and pulled the sails down sharpish and motored into the bay giving Rally Control the obligatory Hi Ho on channel 77.

Having cleared Customs and rafted up in the Town Dock we went and had a couple of cold ones in the pub on the quay - $8.25 a pint! There was a free bar party that evening in the St George's Yacht club and we took over the dance floor and boogied the night away. We appear to be getting some sort of a reputation around here already, if not for our dancing skills for our party trick ability to make beer and wine disappear as if by magic.

Could someone pass me an aspirin please, I must have eaten something that has given me a headache.........again.