Thinking About a First-Timer Trip to Bermuda

[karenmccraw]

Anyone care to share details of their trip from NC Coast to Bermuda?

We're relative newbies - we've done some big sails, but never an overnight. Of course, for a first trip, we'd try to wait on an "excellent" weather window.

We'd have 3-4 weeks to do the trip.

[Hud3]

That's a great first-time offshore trip. We did it in 2003 as our first offshore passage, from Hampton, Virginia. It took 4 days, 9 hours out and about the same to come back. The crew was my wife and I and another couple that we've sailed with a lot.

Unfortunately, the weather was the pits both ways. There was some sort of stalled front that ran from off Hatteras almost to Bermuda, and it generated squall after squall. The conditions were pretty rough, both ways.

But it was well worth it. We spent a week in Bermuda, rented scooters, and had a ball. The authorities in Bermuda do a good job of letting you know what to expect, and what they expect from you. There's a pamphlet that has all the details. I've uploaded a copy--linked below.

Here's a link to Bermuda Maritime Operations: Bermuda Maritime Operations

Hope you do it. It's a really good way to get started making bluewater passages.