With winds forecast to gust to 35 knots in St. Georges harbor yesterday afternoon and evening, the Rally Office was forced to close the dock at the Dinghy Club. Yachts moored stern-to on the wall were asked to anchor off for the night to let the weather pass. By midday, everyone in the fleet had cooperated and the club was empty, leaving a rather quiet Rally Office for a change.
The weather began to turn shortly after lunch yesterday, with clouds rolling in and the breeze slowly building. By dinnertime the rain had begun, and the restaurants in town were packed with soggy sailors looking for a respite and a pint. Next door to the customs dock, yachts were rafted four deep along the town dock managed by Bermuda Yacht Services, including Caiman, the last of the ARC Europe fleet who arrived yesterday afternoon.
“It was a good decision in the end,” said Nick from Johanem, who spent the night on anchor. “It got pretty windy in the small hours of this morning,” he continued, “but we were happy on the anchor.”
By dawn this morning the rain was still sprinkling down but the wind had stopped and the harbor was calm. At 0900 the Dinghy Club dock reopened once more, and many of the yachts returned stern-to for last minute rewatering and grocery shopping. The restaurant downstairs opened for breakfast and several crews took full advantage. The festive atmosphere has returned to the ARC Europe fleet, and hopefully the sun will soon follow.
Tati is taking advantage of the clearing, and has become the 4th Atlantic Cup yacht to take the start for the USA (Keep it Simple is leading the fleet towards the west, with Kia Orana close behind and Lone Star a bit further south).
"We just wanted to say thanks for all the hard work, and hopefully we'll catch up with you Yellow Shirts later on!" said Skipper Daniel on the VHF as they headed out of Town Cut. "We had a great experience!"
Of the Atlantic Cup yachts headed to the USA, now only Southern Cross, Oystermist and Traveling Light remain in harbor, and all are expected to depart around the same time as the ARC Europe fleet tomorrow.
Aside from the weather, yesterday was a quiet day on the program for most of the fleet. Several crews shared a taxi into Shelly Bay for a visit to the large supermarket in search of fresh provisions to stock up for the 1800-mile leg to the Azores.
At noon, the lucky winners of the lottery that took place during the prizegiving on Sunday night headed up Fort George Hill for a visit to Bermuda Radio, always a highlight of the stopover in Bermuda and a privilege for those who got to attend. Bermuda Radio is not normally opened to the public, but the guys are kind enough to offer a peek inside their operations especially for rally participants.
Bermuda Radio serves three purposes; it’s at once a rescue co-ordination center, a Vessel Traffic Surveillance Centre and a Coast Radio Centre. To the participants they are the "friendly voice" which contacts them on VHF 16 and talks them into Bermuda, sometimes making contact from as far as 50 miles away.
Bermuda Radio requires pre-arrival information from the yachts such as their radio call sign, EPIRB hex numbers and also what safety equipment is on board. The ARC Europe yachts have had their information forwarded to Bermuda Radio thus saving time when they arrive.
“We coordinate all search and rescue operations for most of the Atlantic,” explained Dennis, one of the Bermuda Radio officers on hand. “Most recently we had a bit of a scare when a flight approached the island in the middle of the night with a fire onboard,” he continued. Normally the airport on the island shuts down overnight, the staff home in bed. “We turned on the runway lights and guided them in. The fire trucks were waiting on the tarmac and we averted a disaster. It all worked out in the end, and that’s why were here.”
Bermuda Radio also monitors all maritime traffic around the island, of course. On arrival yachts make their first contact in Bermuda with the Radio station, who issues permission on entering the harbor and advises yachts on local notices to mariners.
“In addition to that, we monitor all traffic simply passing by Bermuda,” Dennis continued. “We have specific ‘Areas to be Avoided’ surrounding the island due to the dangerous reefs and fragile ecosystem, and we ensure that marine traffic does not violate that.” Though there is not much Bermuda Radio can do aside from issue a warning in such cases, they will in fact notify the home country of the vessel in question and ask that they be officially reprimanded for violating Bermuda’s maritime laws.
The rally program continues today, T-minus 24 hours to the start of Leg 2. Crews are busy completing last minute chores and grocery shopping, and the Skipper’s Briefing is set to start at 1600 this afternoon. Following that, Bermuda customs will be on hand at the Dinghy Club clearing yachts out and saving them the trip down to Ordnance Island, one of the perks in joining ARC Europe.