wrote:
... I'm looking for
cheap (but not flea-bag) shoreside lodging near an anchorage in
Bermuda. (Right now, it's looking like, after checking in at St.
George, we'd push on to Hamilton, where the opportunities for lodging
appear to be greater).

Each year many yachts race and cruise to Bermuda, and it usually happens
that there is strong competition for the facilities of the type you are
seeking. Essentially there is no "cheap" in Bermuda. The sailing season to
Bermuda coincides with the tourist season, so you will encounter high season
prices. However it may be that the sluggish economy will affect Bermuda as
it seems to have done other areas. I have made quite a few passages to
Bermuda from the US East Coast, 3 in my own boat and others as crew. My
most recent visit was Summer 2008 for just about 2 months.

As for "near an anchorage," there are many more locations in Bermuda other
than the usual suspects: St. George's and Hamilton. St. George's is
interesting and crowded, and definitely a place to visit, but you will have
to put up with the "mob" atmosphere associated with the new high speed
ferries that run all day. There are, however, waterfront hotels that have
associated mooring facilities ( I have no direct experience with these).
There are also quite a few low key guest accommodations off the beaten path,
but none are "budget." In Hamilton, you will probably have to choose
between the RBYC and the Dinghy Club for moorage. There are other
"freelance" options, but getting ashore to link up with others is not simple
unless you are associated with one or the facilities. Another idea is Salt
Kettle on the southern side of Hamilton Harbor. I know folks who used this
setup in a manner similar to what you have in mind, but I have never tried
to hotels in that area myself. In all of these cases, this is the deluxe
version of Bermuda and there are probably few if any bargains.

I have visited just about every harbor and cove in Bermuda over the years,
and once away from St. Georges and Hamilton, I am almost always the only US
flagged vessel. I particularly like the West End and Somerset, and you
might look into the Mangrove Bay area for starters. Relatively low key and
very cordial, with just about everything you might want and a convenient
ferry stop to Hamilton, St. Georges, etc. I have never encountered another
"Yank" here. Another place that might meet your needs is Grotto Bay. The
hotel itself is quite nice if a little out of the way, and there is a
convenient anchorage just off the little beach. We were very surprised when
we visited by boat, and we thought this would make a good spot when staying
ashore. I would look at this possibility closely.

I'm also looking for tips on:
o Travel while on the island (mopeds? bicycles? taxis-only?)

Mopeds and taxis, but don't overlook the great ferry system and public
transit. We avoid taxis in general, and usually rent a cycle for only one
day. The ferries would allow your shoreside visitors to get a good idea of
the scene on the water without the associated complexity of using your own
boat.

o Where best to reprovision -- i.e. food, fuel, water

There is no "best" and you will pay 300% of US prices in many cases. You
can get provisions, fuel, water, etc, just about everywhere. I like the
market in St. Georges, but the facilities in Hamilton are also good. In
Hamilton there is a very fancy setup where you can actually tie alongside
for fuel, water, provisions, liquor, etc. This is a luxury spot however and
there's no getting around the high cost.

o Where to pump out

Check with officials when you check in at Ordnance Island. Avoid any chance
of infractions because enforcement is strict.

o Where to repair (in case something breaks along the way)

There are first rate facilities at St. Georges, Hamilton, and Dockyard.
Just about anything you will need, including machinery, sails, canvas,
hauling, rigging, etc.

Note 1: I have already received and read Bermuda Dept. of Tourism's
"Bermuda" guide, which describes entry procedures, general anchorage,
VHF stations, and so forth. It's an excellent publication, with tons
of information concisely formatted. So, that's not the sort of stuff
I'm looking for.

Look for a copy of "Yachtsman's Guide to Bermuda." It's out of print but
you could get lucky. The first $10,000 gets my own personal copy (smile).

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare

On Tue, 7 Apr 2009 10:41:15 -0400, "Armond Perretta"
wrote:

Look for a copy of "Yachtsman's Guide to Bermuda." It's out of print but
you could get lucky. The first $10,000 gets my own personal copy (smile).

Just bought one used on Amazon for $15, a saving of $9,985. :-)

Nice description on your web site of your sails to Bermuda. That's
quite an adventure on a 28 footer. I've raced there 6 times but on
bigger boats, and with full crews. My first two races were in 1986
and 1988, both before GPS. It's almost unbelievable how far
navigation technology has progressed since then.

Wayne.B wrote:
"Armond Perretta" wrote:

Look for a copy of "Yachtsman's Guide to Bermuda." It's out of
print but you could get lucky. The first $10,000 gets my own
personal copy (smile).

Just bought one used on Amazon for $15, a saving of $9,985. :-)

The version to look for is the 1994 edition published by the Maritime
Museum. It replaced the Voegli edition mentioned on Amazon, but the 1994
edition is essentially impossible to find. It is no longer available even
in Bermuda. I once owned the original edition put together by Voegli, who
now runs a sailboat charter operation in Bermuda. That book is long gone,
and of course I wish I'd kept it. I may never sail to Bermuda again, but I
still intend to hold on to this guide. A similar example I own is
Loveridge's "Cruising Guide to the Nova Scotia Coast." This is a superb
guide from about 1997. I know Pete Loveridge quite well and he inscribed my
copy. But the book is essentially unavailable, even in Nova Scotia, and
when it is found online the asking is often in the vicinity of $150.

I try to obtain everything in print when I am planning a cruise. Now it
looks like I should have bought multiple copies of each. However when I was
preparing for a Summer 2008 visit to Bermuda, I spent much more than I
intended on new Admiralty charts, electronic charts, various publications,
etc. Now I am the owner of a superb set of Bermuda documents and charts
that is just sitting around and doing me no good.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare

On Wed, 8 Apr 2009 09:37:39 -0400, "Armond Perretta"
wrote:

Now I am the owner of a superb set of Bermuda documents and charts
that is just sitting around and doing me no good.

That sounds like a good reason to sail there again. :-)

Wayne.B wrote:
"Armond Perretta" wrote:

Now I am the owner of a superb set of Bermuda documents and charts
that is just sitting around and doing me no good.

That sounds like a good reason to sail there again ...

I don't want to discourage the original poster, and maybe it's just a
question of getting older and having made the trip many times, but Bermuda
really has changed since I began cruising and racing there in the 1980s.
There was a time when the government actually limited the number of cruise
ships visiting Bermuda. At one point cruise ships were even refused
berthing along Front Street on weekends because they blocked the view (yes,
this actually occurred). These days officials have gone in the opposite
direction and decided that the hordes visiting on cruise ships should be
encouraged, and this trend may be coming back to haunt them. For many
years most visitors arrived by air and stayed at hotels, but that is no
longer the case and has not been the case for some time. This really
changes the character of the islands and the Bermuda experience. I think
this trend will only increase in the near future. If this sounds elitist, I
would suggest that Bermuda is elitist in the first place, and has always
encouraged the view that Bermuda must not be confused with other island
destinations.

For example there is currently a vast construction project at the Dockyard
to expand wharfage available to cruise ships. Last summer there was space
for 2 ships alongside, and the expansion was designed to double this. The
question then becomes what to do with these hordes berthed at the extreme
end of the Islands far away from the other facilities and attractions on the
Islands. This is why the high speed ferry business has mushroomed in recent
years. One of the hottest topics in the local press was what the cruise
ship business has meant for local merchants, particularly in Hamilton, since
retailers and restaurant owners no longer had an automatically captive
audience. There were even gaping holes in the architecture on Front Street
where some of the old stalwarts had either moved or gone out of business.
In Bermuda this is some sort of heresy. The retail scene at St. Georges
reminded me of how the hordes of cruise ship passengers are "processed" at
the Straw Market in Nassau, Bahamas. Not a good scene.

Another hot topic was how officials should respond to the demands of cruise
ship operators who want to open casinos on board ship while in port. This
would also have a negative impact on local businesses. The cruise ship
operators seem to be saying that if Bermuda refuses their demands, they'll
simply take the ships elsewhere. It reminded me of a hostage situation,
where the genie was now out of the bottle. Look for casino gambling in
Bermuda soon.

Finally, there appears to have been an increase in drug traffic and violent
crime that once would have been totally out of character in Bermuda. In
times gone by the police blotter in the local daily paper would include an
occasional case of public drunkenness or a stolen bicycle. That's no
longer the case. Gun crime is up, and tourists have actually been murder
victims in recent years (well, at least one). It is also quite likely that
race relations that in the past almost never seemed to be an issue, have
become an issue. In other words, an enlightened attitude I always
associated with Bermuda seems to be under attack and changing.

I am trying to report this in an understated manner, but I don't know if
that's how it comes across. Sorry to report these things, but my
impressions are based on much exposure to the Islands and considerable
thought about these things.

"Armond Perretta" wrote in
:

Wayne.B wrote:
"Armond Perretta" wrote:

Look for a copy of "Yachtsman's Guide to Bermuda." It's out of
print but you could get lucky. The first $10,000 gets my own
personal copy (smile).

Just bought one used on Amazon for $15, a saving of $9,985. :-)

The version to look for is the 1994 edition published by the Maritime
Museum. It replaced the Voegli edition mentioned on Amazon, but the
1994 edition is essentially impossible to find. It is no longer
available even in Bermuda. I once owned the original edition put
together by Voegli, who now runs a sailboat charter operation in
Bermuda. That book is long gone, and of course I wish I'd kept it. I
may never sail to Bermuda again, but I still intend to hold on to this
guide. A similar example I own is Loveridge's "Cruising Guide to the
Nova Scotia Coast." This is a superb guide from about 1997. I know
Pete Loveridge quite well and he inscribed my copy. But the book is
essentially unavailable, even in Nova Scotia, and when it is found
online the asking is often in the vicinity of $150.

I try to obtain everything in print when I am planning a cruise. Now
it looks like I should have bought multiple copies of each. However
when I was preparing for a Summer 2008 visit to Bermuda, I spent much
more than I intended on new Admiralty charts, electronic charts,
various publications, etc. Now I am the owner of a superb set of
Bermuda documents and charts that is just sitting around and doing me
no good.

Based upon the guide that I have in my hand, it's actually titled "Bermuda
Yachting Guide" ISBN 0-921560-06-0 published by the Bermuda Maritime Museum
Association, 1994.

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

Geoff Schultz" geoff"at wrote:

Based upon the guide that I have in my hand, it's actually titled
"Bermuda Yachting Guide" ISBN 0-921560-06-0 published by the Bermuda
Maritime Museum Association, 1994.

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

If you at taking the title from the front cover, my copy actually reads
"Bermuda Yachting Guide Bermuda." Then again, at the bottom of every page
of my copy (same ISBN) I also find "Yachting Guide to Bermuda." I suspect
we're talking about the same guide, but anything's possible these days.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare

"Armond Perretta" wrote in
:

Geoff Schultz" geoff"at wrote:

Based upon the guide that I have in my hand, it's actually titled
"Bermuda Yachting Guide" ISBN 0-921560-06-0 published by the Bermuda
Maritime Museum Association, 1994.

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

If you at taking the title from the front cover, my copy actually
reads "Bermuda Yachting Guide Bermuda." Then again, at the bottom of
every page of my copy (same ISBN) I also find "Yachting Guide to
Bermuda." I suspect we're talking about the same guide, but
anything's possible these days.

If you look up the ISBN, it's "Bermuda Yachting Guide".

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

Geoff Schultz" geoff"at wrote:

If you look up the ISBN, it's "Bermuda Yachting Guide".

How could I fail to check the ISBN? I'm really slipping in my old age.
Maybe during my 11 or so cruises or races to Bermuda I actually ended up in
the Bahamas and just got the names of the islands confused.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare