Wishing Bermuda well as Hurricane Igor (‘EE-gor‘) passes over/by the island. I’m sorry I’ve just returned to university and not there to help with preparations/picking up the pieces.
You can follow the storm here:
http://www.weather.bm/maps/TropicalStormInfo.asp?WTNTnum=WTNT21
Hurricane Igor's predicted track - Bermuda Weather Service
With the days becoming shorter, finally sunrise doesn’t feel so early! Made the most of it with a visit to Gravelly Bay.
There is still some swell out on South Shore, due to Hurricane Danielle. With a northerly breeze, the crests of the waves were being tipped off in a rather photogenic way, and not onto our cameras!
Waves off John Smith’s Bay, Smith’s Parish
Today, Hurricane Danielle performed the feat of turning sharply away from Bermuda. It followed its forecast track exactly, passing by a bit over 200 miles to our east. Yesterday I’d had very strong doubts about it, given the satellite video loop!
Another satellite InfraRed screen shot from tonight. Tropical Storm Earl is becoming a more recognisable shape in the bottom right corner.
Did I ever mention how addictive photographing waves can be? Yesterday I came home with over 100 keepers, here are just a few:
Hurricane Bill is due to pass Bermuda some 200 miles to our west at 4am on Saturday morning.
This is a satellite photograph from the NOAA from earlier this evening, I’ve highlighted Bermuda in red:
The high surf has been the most noticeable effect of the passing hurricane. The swell has really churned up the water and made strong rip tides along the beaches.
Bermudians love a good storm (at least until the power goes off…) Watch Hill’s car park was full of sightseers on their way home from work, watching the waves:
View along the South Shore from Watch Hill Park, in Smith’s Parish.
The waves by Spittal Pond were also impressive:
See these photos on the map: Watch Hill Park, Spittal Pond
I have made a page filled with photographs from my recent Tall Ships sailing experience on the Bark Europa. I hope you will enjoy sharing a taste of this wonderful experience. Click on the photograph to view more.
As a trainee, much of my time was spent either on watch: busy at the helm, on look-out, tying knots or lending a hauling hand for whatever adjustments needed to be made, or else catching up on well earned rest. But between times there were plenty of opportunities to photograph the ship under full sail from every angle, others on watch, as well as our fun recreation activities.
This photograph of the Europa was taken on a Man Overboard drill. On this morning we completely lost the wind, so we were able to take the skiff out safely, and not worry about losing the ship or becoming a real man overboard. In fact it became a good sightseeing opportunity! We had put nearly every sail up to eek as much out of the wind as possible, though in my imagination it gave the Europa a gaunt old lady appearance!
A pair of kayakers paddle in the morning twinkling light inside the reefs off South Shore. This is probably fairly tame compared to this couple’s other kayaking adventures! (They have kayaked/camped about South Georgia although I couldn’t find a link to it, here is one about the husband which is a bit amusing! [sorry, probably not the most appropriate way to describe it])
See it on the map
This photograph is of my cousins’ sailboat turning into Castle Harbour from the south shore. The ruins on the right are part of the King’s Castle which is the oldest still-standing English fortress in the New World. It successfully defended the island against the Spanish in 1614.
In two weeks’ time I will be joining the Tall Ship Bark Europa on the Atlantic Challenge 2009 race leg from Bermuda to Charleston, South Carolina. I’ve never sailed before so thought I might as well start with the biggest! I can’t wait to learn all the rigging, sails and other sailor-speak under the bright Atlantic sun.
See it on the map
Chaplin Bay on the South Shore. This quiet beach is next to Stonehole Bay and near the much busier Horseshore Bay Beach. The parish boundary of Warwick-Southampton runs straight through this beach – I’m standing in Southampton, but the headland on the left is to the east in Warwick!
See it on the map
A raining cloud over John Smith’s Bay on Bermuda’s South Shore. Heat rising off the island, combined with the ubiquitous humidity, often generates these towering clouds.
This bay in Smith’s Parish is named after the John Smith of Pocohontas lore, who produced a map of Bermuda in 1631, despite never visiting the island. The parish, meanwhile is named after the English aristocrat, Sir Thomas Smith, who was one of the original nine chief investors in the Somer’s Isle (Bermuda) Company.
See it on the map
Pink sand and turquoise waters makes this one of the most typical views of Bermuda. Through this blog I hope to reveal some of the hidden gems of the island as well as the classic scenes such as Astwood Cove.
See it on the map
