looking up to date info for Bermuda

[hearsejr]

 I might shoot for bermuda this spring, and can't find much info on  the net. can anyone give me the up to date fees and cost to clear in and out of Bermuda? also I might be interested in a good used chart. I found a chart at a consignment shop, but it's not new by any means. lol. still looks good but I am betting it's from the 60's or early 70's.
thanks,
Yall.

[Captain Smollett]

I might shoot for bermuda this spring, and can't find much info on  the net. can anyone give me the up to date fees and cost to clear in and out of Bermuda? also I might be interested in a good used chart. I found a chart at a consignment shop, but it's not new by any means. lol. still looks good but I am betting it's from the 60's or early 70's.
thanks,
Yall.

Well, I don't think the island has moved much.   ;D

As for online info, have you check here for fee and clearing-in information?

One of our members recently sailed to Bermuda, so maybe he can offer some up-to-date info, too.  Nothing like the horses mouth approach (hope to be the horse someday, but for now...).

[Auspicious]

I don't remember the fees. They were pretty low if I recall.

You HAVE to check in with Bermuda Radio when you reach the sea buoy for Town Cut. They operate the narrow channel into St Georges like an aiport air traffic control. You share the limited access with cruise ships and other commercial carriers and there isn't much room. No chance of slipping in -- I've visited the RCC and they will know you are coming -- huge radar installation and some truly incredible signal processing and data display. Very cool stuff.

Once you're in the harbor, you will find customs and immigration with it's own dock to your right on the north edge of the harbor, east of the cruise ship docks. Once you are done there there is a free anchorage in the harbor just to the south. The customs agent can point you in the right direction.

There is a grocery just across the square. They will box things up for you and deliver to the docks if you ask nicely.

Don't miss the Royal Dockyards. Good place to visit. Public transportation is pretty good around town on buses.

[Oldrig]

Hi,

I'm the guy who sailed to Bermuda last June.

I was crewing for somebody else, so I didn't actually have to pay the entry fees. But there is a link that explains all the details. And you MUST check in with Bermuda Radio--they'll already be tracking you on their radar long before you get into range.

Charts: Another crewmember was listed as the "navigator." He brought his own charts for Bermuda--they were quite old, but I think he updated them somehow. (I'll ask him--I still have his e-mail.)

You will have to clear customs at St. George's, which is a quaint little place that's much less crowded than Hamilton. If you wish, you can die up to the dock at the dinghy club at St. George's, which is very cruiser-friendly.

The customs guys--and everybody else we met--are extremely friendly and courteous. Too bad they couldn't give a few tips to our own beloved ICE guys!

We spent five days in Bermuda, trying to wait for a favorable weather window to get back to Long Island Sound. Finally we left anyway, because there just isn't that much to do on Bermuda--and we ran into some pretty hairy weather crossing the Stream. But it's all part of the experience, I guess.

Good luck!

--Joe

[hearsejr]

  Thanks, I'll hit the link in minute and read up.
I was told I couldn't take veggis, nuts, and fruit there. does that include canned stuff?
I glad to hear the place ain't moved much. would b nice to know if the nav markers are the same at least..lololol.
  the main reason I want to go is that I heard the people were nicer there then in the Bahamas.
Thanks yall.

[Auspicious]

The marks are all pretty much where they have been for at least the last six years.

There is LOTS of cool stuff to do in Bermuda - Dockyards, Aquarium, Botanic Gardens, the RCC, Hamilton waterfront, St Georges square, the Dinghy Club, and more. Food and drink is pretty expensive, but there is a lot to see and do that is free or inexpensive.

[Oldrig]

The marks are all pretty much where they have been for at least the last six years.

There is LOTS of cool stuff to do in Bermuda - Dockyards, Aquarium, Botanic Gardens, the RCC, Hamilton waterfront, St Georges square, the Dinghy Club, and more. Food and drink is pretty expensive, but there is a lot to see and do that is free or inexpensive.

Dave is correct. there is a lot to see in Bermuda. However after five days, we got bored.

There are dinghy clubs in both Hamilton and St. George's. We visited the latter, used their showers (for a small fee) and got to know the president.

The beaches, flora and bird life are fascinating, and there is lots of interesting stuff in the old Royal Navy Dockyard. Unfortunately, the Dockyard has been turned into a shopping mall and docking place for cruise ships--which is kind of uncool.

There is a wonderful public bus system that lets you get around for very little money. And, of course, you can buy Goslings Rum duty-free in Hamilton and have it held at Customs until you depart. There's no duty on Barritt's Ginger Beer, which you'll need to accompany that rum.

One of the most unusual experiences for me was attending an Evensong service in St. Peter's Church in St. George's, where I got to say a prayer for "our most gracious sovereign, the Queen." There were only about six people at the service, and the Rector told me that they had started the services up "primarily for the tourists."

I found that a lot of Bermuda's British flavor has disappeared, at least since I was there in the 1980s. But it remains a great sailing destination. We stayed in St. George's because the Newport-Bermuda racers were in Hamilton and there wasn't really much dock space.

We were told that there were parts of Hamilton were you had to watch your wallet, but perhaps we missed those places--we didn't meet a single unfriendly person.

Before the advent of GPS, sailing to Bermuda was as much a test of one's navigational skills as one's seamanship--it's a tiny place and if you were to miss it, you'd be heading for Portugal or North Africa. Even today, getting there is a challenge, as you can never tell what the Gulf Stream has in store.

On the way over, we had favorable (or no) winds and currents. On the way back it was another story.

--Joe

[hearsejr]

thanks, I think I might follow a few other boats if I can catch a fleet headed that way.   I'll have a gps, maybe two of 'em.  I'm worried I might not have a Epirb. I'll have a spot, but I know it's not the same thing.  maybe after the first trip, I will have a better understanding on what to do.
  thanks yall.

     Bill

[Oldrig]

Bill,

Here's a link to the Government of Bermuda website's "Sailing to Bermuda" page.

www.gov.bm/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=282&&PageID=548&mode=2&in_hi_userid=2&cached=true

Somewhere in this website is a copy of an official form that you are supposed to fill out if you intend to sail to the island. I found it last night, but couldn't find it today.

It appears that are required to have certain safety items onboard, including a life raft (you can rent 'em, but they are not cheap) and an EPIRB.

There's a link on this page to a "cruising guide to Bermuda" that summarizes relevant laws and regulations. I couldn't find anything about fees, however. (Could it be that there aren't any? Unlikely.)

Good luck,

--Joe

[hearsejr]

it's not looking good!!!
1  an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB)?preferably one that operates on frequency 406 MHz;
2 a VHF radio-telephone transceiver capable of 25 watts power output;
3 a Single Side Band radio-telephone transceiver operating on medium and high frequencies;
4 an oceanic life raft designed to hold the total number of crew aboard your vessel, and a survival or "panic" bag containing pre-packed rations and other essential items;
5 a medium frequency radio direction finder;
6 a radar reflector;
7 parachute rockets, smoke flares and dye markers;
8 some form of auxiliary power;
9 sufficient battery power to keep navigation and communications systems operating for several days in the event of engine or generator failure.
  I can not afford, 1, 3, 4. and 6.  I'm not sure about no. 6, but I never seen one so I expect it to be out of my price range.

[Captain Smollett]

6 a radar reflector;

 I can not afford, 1, 3, 4. and 6.  I'm not sure about no. 6, but I never seen one so I expect it to be out of my price range.

Around $50



Do they really REQUIRE an SSB transceiver?  

On Edit: Okay, took a look at that link, and it is says "recommended safety equipment," not REQUIRED safety equipment.

Of course they are going to list every gadget and do-hickey available - it lowers perceived liability, so people cannot say "well, you didn't tell me or list on your web site that I should have x, y or z."

[CharlieJ]

If you are gonna sail ANYWHERE on the outside, you best have a radar reflector,'and that Davis in the " catch rain" position as shown,'is highly rated.

Get one.

[hearsejr]

Oh yeah, I had one of those..it was card board wrapped in aluminum foil...and disintegrated during the Nor'easter!..lol
I will definitely invest in a good quality metal one.
  thanks for pointing out "recommended safety equipment" part.
by the way what is  a medium frequency radio direction finder? the only thing I can think of is something I seen from the 60's that looked like a small radio with a set of coiled copper wires on a little bar and you would turn the bar till you got a little gauge to show the highest point and the little bar had a painted arrow and that's where the signal was coming from.

  Thanks,

        Bill

[Auspicious]

by the way what is  a medium frequency radio direction finder? the only thing I can think of is something I seen from the 60's that looked like a small radio with a set of coiled copper wires on a little bar and you would turn the bar till you got a little gauge to show the highest point and the little bar had a painted arrow and that's where the signal was coming from.

That's it. Medium-frequency (MF) covers the 2182 kHz mid-range marine calling frequency and AM broadcast. Nearly any portable radio can be used for DF if need be.

You can fill out the pre-arrival form online here or download it here. It really does help for Bermuda RCC to know you are coming, otherwise you have to give them all that same information over the radio and they can be a little testy that you couldn't be bothered to fulfill their request.

When Bermuda Radio calls you on the way in (unless you call them first) tell them you'd like to visit the RCC while you are in St Georges. It is definitely worth the time (and the climb up the hill).

I don't remember what the fees were, but they were pretty low.

Qinetiq (the privatized UK version of the US DARPA) did an evaluation of marine radar reflectors. You can Google for a copy. Most of them, including the Davis, didn't do too well when the boat is heeled. You can get best response if you mount a Davis-type reflector so it will stay in "catch-rain" position even when heeled.

[hearsejr]

 Thanks Dave,
I will have to learn to do a better job at listing my consumables. I get behind  the list everytime I go shopping or someone gives me left over canned goods from their last trip.
I'll down load the Pre Arrival form and have it handy. 
Everywhere I look it said the fees are $15. that sounds affordable enough!