Rosalie B. wrote:

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

I saw Dowling's Shell Station in St. George in 2004 which was right by
the cruise ship dock had a sign which said "Marine & Auto". But what
really attracted my attention was the dinghy in the garage bay.

As we walked across the road, we saw a big sailboat with dark blue
topsides getting fuel, and apparently this place is one where you take
on fuel and water before leaving Bermuda. Their site says they sell
Diesel, Oil, Water, Ice Cubes, Moped Gas, Auto Gas and Fishing
Supplies. 1 Penno’s Dr tel: 297 - 1914

When I looked up Dowlings on the internet, I got this list

• Bunkering

There are two bulk suppliers of fuel in Bermuda:

Esso Bermuda, tel (441) 297-1477. Its bunkering facility is
located on the North Shore west of St. George’s and is not suitable
for most yachts unless extremely large.

Shell Company of Bermuda, tel (441) 297-1577. Its bunkering
facility at the Ireland Island Freeport at the western end of the
island is accessible by all vessels in any weather.

Arrangements can be made with Esso and Shell to supply fuel at
dockside at extra cost for trucking. Duty free delivery by Tank Truck
is possible under certain conditions.

Smaller quantities of fuel (diesel or petrol) are conveniently
available at the following waterfront marinas (Bermuda area code is
441):

Boaz Island Marine & Services, tel 234-0128
Dowling’s Shell Marine Station, tel 297-1914
East Broadway Marine, tel 296-0642
Dockyard Marina, 234-0300
PW’s Marine Centre, tel 295-3232
Riddells Bay Marina, tel 238-8419
Robinson’s Shell Marine Station, tel 234-0709
St. George’s Boatyard, tel 297-0877
Van Buren’s Marine Station, tel 292-2882
St. David’s Esso Marine, tel 297-1996

• Water

Supplies of fresh water may be obtained at dockside from water
truckers (consult Yellow Pages of the Bermuda Telephone Directory), or
through the club or marina where berthed. If bunkering at Esso or
Shell installations, fresh water may be obtained at the same time.
Obtaining water by barge while at anchor is difficult and expensive.

• Sewage and Trash Disposal

All yachts should be fitted with either holding tanks to contain
sewage for discharge in waters outside the 12 mile territorial limit
or, have U.S. Coast Guard approved marine sanitation devices type 1 or
2 in accordance with current U.S. Coast Guard Requirements. However,
wherever possible onshore sanitation facilities should be utilized.
SEWAGE DISPOSAL IN ALL INSHORE WATERS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED,
especially in St. George's and Hamilton Harbours and at the marina
basin at Dockyard.

Arrangements for trash pickup may be made through Mrs. Nancy
Hooper at the Corporation of St. George’s, tel (441) 297-1532, Mrs.
Rosmary Morabito at the Corporation of Hamilton, tel (441) 292-1234,
or through the marina or club where thbe vessel is berthed.

• Ship's Chandlers

There are no ships chandlers in the true sense in Bermuda.
However, there is a sail loft company (see "Sail Makers and Repairs"),
and a number of supermarkets located throughout Bermuda. Supermarkets
best suited to supplying yachts a

A-One Fine Food Markets — Paget, tel (441) 236-0351 and Smith’s,
tel (441) 236-6673
MarketPlace Supermarkets, tel (441) 292-3163
Miles Market, tel (441) 295-1234
Somers Supermart, tel (441) 297-1177
Supermart, tel (441) 292-2064

If large supplies of fresh, frozen or tinned goods are required,
it is advisable to place an order well before departure.

• Marine Accessories

Captain Smoke's Marina, tel (441) 297 1940
Dowling’s Garage Marine & Auto Service, tel (441) 297-1914
Godet & Young Ltd, tel (441) 297-1940
The Marine Locker (Harken distributor and Racor fuel), tel (441)
295-9950
Meyer Marine Services, tel (441) 297-8078
Ocean Sails/Doyle, tel (441) 297-1008
PW’s Marine Centre, tel (441) 295-3232
Riddells Bay Marina, tel (441) 238-8419
Robinson’s Shell Marine Station, tel (441) 234-0709
St. George’s Boatyard, tel (441) 297-0877
Triangle Rigging, tel (441) 297-2155
West End Yachts, tel (441) 234-1303

You may already have this information, but this is what I found.

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

My cousin spend some time in Bermuda on a broken boat. The first time
they were there because the engine was burning oil - after they left
something else broke and they had to go back. This time it was the
steering which the components of which had to be ordered from France.
It was installed backwards, so it broke on their way down to the
Virgin Islands.

Boat Repairs, Haulage and Slipping Facilities

There are a number of boat repair establishments in Bermuda,
some of which also have facilities for slipping yachts of various
sizes. Harbour Radio may be contacted for assistance in making
arrangements for emergency repairs. Boatyards with slipping facilities
include (Bermuda area code is 441):

Ballast Point Boatyard, tel 297-1909
Meyer Marine Services, tel 297-8078 - largest cradle on the
Island, accommodating yachts up to 200 feet.
Mills Creek Marine, tel 292-6094
North Basin Yachts, tel 234-1303
Offshore Yachting & Maintenance, tel 236-9464
Riddell's Bay Marina, tel 238-8491
Robinson’s Shell Marine Station, tel 234-0709
St. George’s Boatyard, tel 297-0877

• Full shipwright facility:

Mills Creek Marine (a division of Darrell’s Marine Ltd.), tel
292-6094. Includes a travel lift for yachts up to 65’ in length and a
35 ton lifting capacity. Specializing in spray painting and fibre
glass repairs to all fabrics.

Fabrication and Engineering:
Meyer Steel & Fabrication, tel 297-8078 - includes aluminium
mast repair.

• Quicksilver Inflatables

PW's Marine Centre, tel (441) 295-3232 -- Agent for Quicksilver

• Refrigeration

Bermuda Auto-Marine Electric, tel (441) 234-8548 -- Agents for
Marine Air and Grunert. Air-conditioning and refrigeration parts.

• Rigging

Triangle Rigging (rigging shop and mariine repairs), tel (441)
297-2155

• Sail Makers and Repairs

Repairs: Dockyard Canvas Co., tel (441) 234-2678, includes
marine canvas and upholstery and sail repairs
Sail maker: Ocean Sails/Doyle, tel (441) 297-1008, Website -
www.oceansails.com
E-mail - bdasailsaibl.bm - Bermueda's only full service sail
loft, canvas and upholstery shop. Internet and fax services.

• Engine Repair (Inboard)

Meyer Marine Services (Caterpillar, Volvo Penta, Detroit Diesel,
Lister Peter), tel (441) 297-8078

• Engine Repair (Outboard)

Bermuda Marine Supply & Services Ltd. (Evinrude), tel (441)
295-7901
West End Yachts (all engines), tel (441) 234-1303
PW’s Marine Centre (Johnson and Mercury), tel (441) 295-3232
Riddell's Bay Marina, (all engines), tel (441) 238-8491

Again - have not used these companies - this is just what I found on
the internet.

o Great SCUBA companies -- we would like to do some snorkeling/scuba
while there

We have been to Bermuda four times - twice by plane (July 1963 and
Thanksgiving 1995) and twice by cruise ship (Nov 2004 and Oct 2007).
Except for the first time in 1963, we have always been there in late
fall when it was really too cold to scuba without a wet suit. So I
know there are scuba places, but have not tried any of them myself.
Most hotels have a connection with a scuba shop.

o Things to do, places to see

More on this later - lots of things and places.

o Anything else a cruiser would need to know.

Do not try to ride the buses if you are under-dressed. Swim suits
are not considered to be appropriate for riding the bus. Also short
shorts are frowned upon in church although correctly worn Bermuda
shorts are of course OK. Bermuda is more formal. Also Bermudans do
not like it when visitors clog up the bus system during the rush hour
when they are trying to get to work.

Eating is expensive in Bermuda, and when we stayed in a hotel (Nov
1995), we had the modified American plan, and just ate lunch out. We
would go to a bakery in the a.m. and get something for lunch. In the
hotel it might be of importance to know that you will pay extra for
sodas or iced tea. Anything with ice in it is considered a 'drink'
which is not included in the meal. Hot tea is - iced tea is not.

Has anyone on this group done something similar relatively recently,
who would share this type of information?

I think the person who shared his dock with my friends was someone on
one of the email lists, like the live-aboard list. I do not remember
who it was, but my friends paid him for his slip. They were out at
Kings Wharf, but in the summer there is a ferry to St. George.

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.

Thanks in advance!
Adrian in NC
s/v "Canto"