Everything you need to know about sailing in Bermuda

Bermuda is made up of 165 islands and is something of a paradise. Ben Lowings gives us this guide to sailing in Bermuda and seeing its stunning islands

The breeze that whistles through the pines that line Bermuda’s shores ranges from a prevailing south-westerly with an average Force 3, rising to a gentle Force 4 in June. Together with turquoise waters and warm sun, it adds up to a sailing paradise. Expensive, yes – and prone to hurricanes – but a mid-ocean sanctuary for centuries, and today also a cruising and ocean race destination.

The World Cruising Club’s east-bound Atlantic rally, the ARC Europe, is about to visit the territory this May, as will the Salty Dawg Azores rally, assembling crews from the US mainland and Caribbean before heading across the Atlantic. Superyachts, mainly bound for the Med, often use Bermuda at this time of year as their bunkering stop.

The mid-Atlantic archipelago welcomes several hundred visiting yachts a year. Officials estimate roughly two-thirds of that traffic is in April- June. US and Canadian boats, increasingly in the ‘Salty’ crowd, stop by on the way to Europe or the voyage south to the Bahamas, Caribbean and South America. Some sailing traffic is heading north-bound to the US east coast and Canada.

“Back in the old days, we were kind of a waypoint, a turning point,” explains Mark Soares, who runs St George’s Marina as well as the superyacht agency BDA Yacht Services. Soares explains that, navigationally, Bermuda is of prime importance on the transatlantic route heading east.

“It does give you the opportunity to get a bit north. When you leave Bermuda, you sail in a north-easterly direction, trying a little bit of northing. The further north you go, the more wind you generally pick up before you start turning a little bit more towards the Azores.”

Bermuda is well known as a great stopover if waiting for a better weather window – a jumping-off point and convenient to reprovision and refuel.

“From the Caribbean, the Azores is a long way in a 45ft boat,” says Soares. “Stopping in Bermuda can really break that up, and it’s a lovely place to stop.”

At peak season, yachts on the 850-mile passage from the Lesser Antilles often encounter south-easterlies initially, then the breeze declines. The Sargasso Sea, the Horse Latitudes, the Bermuda Triangle – all have their own quirks and stories.

A wise skipper will factor in the likelihood of calms south-west of Bermuda and probably reserve fuel. Past mid-June, with the increased potential for hurricanes, navigators need to be aware that named storms often funnel northwards between Bermuda and the US, and often on the exact Great Circle route between the Virgin Islands and Bermuda.

Some routeing advisers say from July onwards Bermuda should only be considered an emergency stopover, and even then, perhaps a risky detour as weather dangers increase.

Boats visiting from the US, particularly those racing from Newport, Rhode Island, have the Gulf Stream to ‘breach’ for a Bermuda landfall. In May and June the north-east-going current can clash quite seriously with a north-easterly wind.

This makes for an uncomfortable ‘thrash to the onion patch’, as the race is known.

Coming from Europe

In 1960, Val Howells, battling headwinds in his Folkboat on the inaugural Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race, stopped in Bermuda on his way from Plymouth to New York. He cherished the experience; an altogether more pleasant one than his rivals’, who contended with ice on the northern route.

Passage-making direct from Europe has a history of accidents; Bermuda itself was first settled as a result of one. The territory’s alternative name, the Somers Isles, comes from the 17th Century adventurer Sir George Somers, whose Sea Venture was bringing settlers to North America but instead was wrecked off what is now known as Castle Harbour.

Article continues below…

Some navigators see a relatively permanent front in the region of 50° longitude west. This, according to the aviator and yachtsman Ernest K Gann, makes any route from the Azores to Bermuda subject to ‘every form of meteorological harassment’.

Against this unpredictability, however, is the growing reliability of south-westerlies as a yacht makes westing towards Bermuda. Whether that offers the wind angle you want, however, depends on whether your ultimate destination is the Caribbean or Canada. Bear in mind that holidaymakers flying into Bermuda have the same length of flight whether they take off from Miami, Florida, or Halifax, Nova Scotia (2½ hours).

Landfall

First-time yachting visitors to Bermuda usually get surprised by a radio call-up. A dedicated staff monitors traffic and also guides you in. “They’re 24-7,” says Mark Soares. “They start talking to you when you’re 30, 40 miles out. Then they assist with getting boats into port.”

Bermuda Radio’s duty officer told me the HM Customs Yacht Reporting Centre asks arriving yachts to complete two forms, including information required by the SailClear scheme. They further clarified that yachts which don’t complete their SailClear info prior to arrival will have to do it at the Customs office. (They added that they believed the SailClear subscription fee was unfortunate.)

Pilotage for passing through Bermuda’s encircling reef is relatively simple. Town Cut, the passage into the typical port of entry, St George’s, is too tight for large cruise ships. It is difficult with a swell, particularly if heavy, and if running from the south-east quadrant.

The well-named Five Fathom Hole is the recommended anchorage if you’re already through the reef but you don’t fancy immediately passing through the jaws of St George’s, or if you are piloting at night. The buoys in the areas of strongest current are prone to drifting off-station or being swept away, so be aware the most exposed buoys on the outer corners of Town Cut have been known to disappear. However, the lights are reliable.

Town Cut can be skipped altogether if the yacht is transiting to the north, via the Narrows (also known as the Hurd Channel) to Hamilton. Customs stress that they can only process boats going straight to Hamilton by prior arrangement.
Bermuda’s history is best savoured in St George’s; the oldest English-speaking settlement in the western hemisphere.

Ordnance Island is unmistakable with its neat white mansion, Customs office and excellent public rest rooms. The island is belted round with berthing, either alongside or Med-style, and can accommodate yachts of all sizes. Tidal range is approximately 1.5m.

Overflow berthing is available to the west for vessels exceeding 100m LOA. But most yachts will be docked from Somers’ and Hunter’s wharves in the west, then moving east, Penno’s Wharf, around Ordnance Island in its entirety, then east to Market Wharf. The southernmost wall of Ordnance Island was the cruise ship terminal and is where you’ll usually find superyachts mooring stern-to-style.

The place is as smart a welcome zone as any yachtie could ask for. Storms and fires have come and gone, marine businesses closed and new ones opened, but there is a peaceful quality to this harbour.

The same can be said of Hamilton, the business centre, and some say closest to the best ‘hurricane hole’ moorings. In this area are the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Marina, Waterfront Marina, Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club and Mills Creek marine facilities. Caroline Bay Marina, built for the 2017 America’s Cup, is still very much in business. The surrounding hotel and property development has been shuttered for some years now though.

Island life

Bermuda’s national colour is pink and you immediately see why when you sink your toes into the pastel-coloured sand. Arriving by yacht gives you time to appreciate the territory’s atmosphere. Package tourists who’ve flown in often expect a tropical vibrancy like the Caribbean. It does bear a lot of similarities – the history, the cultural mix, the accents, the pace of life. But Bermuda is an island apart and offers a unique experience.

“It’s lovely, everybody’s very friendly,” says Mark Soares. “It’s very clean. Bar some office blocks in Hamilton, every building – even the airport hangars – has a white roof to reflect the sun, and is by tradition clinker built to maximise surface area for rainwater collection.”

Bermuda’s location puts up the prices of everything from imported groceries to fuel oil. “Bermuda is known for being an expensive destination, but absolutely worth it,” says Marilyn Zuill, of the charter firm Sail Bermuda. Skippered day charter customers can delight, he says, in “stunning waters, thriving coral reefs, and numerous shipwrecks”.

Luxury catamarans have run from Dockyard for 20 years. But week-long bareboat charters are not yet commonplace here, adds Zuill, despite the fact it’s a cruising micro-heaven.

Staying on

Why not stay longer? Mark Soares is excited to see increasing numbers of yachts cruising the island. “We’ve got a couple of boats that have decided to spend the winter here,” he notes. Other owners have left their yacht on moorings, flying back to the United States or Europe before returning to spend more time cruising the island.

Extended stays of up to six months are allowed when crews apply to the Department of Immigration with proof of citizenship, health insurance and the means to repatriate themselves by air. The sparkling new airport has to rank among one of the best locales in the world for crew interchanges. Although be aware crew leaving a boat must get written details of their circumstances signed by the owner or skipper to present to Customs.

Skippers seeking repairs will find most services are available, from mechanical and electrical, to sail mending, upholstery and refrigeration. Soares says 60ft is probably the maximum LOA for haul outs, however. Sourcing parts presents few problems. “If it’s not available here, it’s easy to get stuff flown in. Parts for visiting yachts are considered ship spares in transit, so they are not subject to duty.”

Departure dates

Weather is the prime consideration for those thinking of when to leave. Bermuda Customs YRC at St George’s provides displays of the latest island weather service North Atlantic forecast charts. It’s also where you can complete departure formalities in person. You don’t need to bring the yacht to Customs dock to clear out.

Bermuda is about 300 miles south of the general border of the Gulf Stream – a look at Windy shows the currents boiling up along this line (see graphic above left). Although the swirls of wind and current seem complex, at a large scale the Gulf Stream current is very clear. Sailing to Europe is a matter of reaching the Gulf Stream ‘wall’ and holding on for the ride as you hitch onto the official North Atlantic Current.

Be aware though, if you’re heading towards Europe, that the Azores will be very tempting indeed. Hilary Keatinge states in the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation/ Imray pilot book Atlantic Islands: “Most could easily make the passage from Bermuda to the European mainland without calling at the Azores, but only if the skipper wishes to risk a mutiny.”

The position of the Azores High could further complicate decision-making for the skipper!

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post Everything you need to know about sailing in Bermuda appeared first on Yachting World.