Well it is finally time to leave but before we could depart we had to swing by the customs dock to pick up our flare gun which you cannot carry on your boat while in Bermuda, it’s considered a weapon. He breeze was really up to about 20 -25 So grant offered to help us get off and walk the paper work up to customs when we would meet him with the boat. We got away from the dock without an issue however when I started testing out things while under way to the customs dock the autohelm started acting up. I would set it and it would veer off to the left or right ??? Wtf I am assuming it is something I screwed up when I was attempting to resolve the noise issue. Now I was unsure as to my next steps, I didn’t want to leave Bermuda without a working auto pilot. Well let’s have a chat once I get to the customs dock and we can determine how to proceed. The customs dock is located in a narrow cut in downtown st George. I decided to back in because of the wind which would allow me to get out pretty easily. Of course I underestimated our hard the wind was blowing and imidieatly lost steerage as my bow got blown off course. The bow thruster was not effective in the strong wind so I was drifting sideways down a narrow cut surrounded by nice yachts tied up on both sides with a 5 foot concrete bridge directly ahead. The last yachts on my starboard side had run a breast line across to the opposite wall so we were soon pinned against the line and the yacht it was tied to. Thank God for giant yellow fenders which we were able to get between us and them. A dinghy with a 15ho came to our rescue and was able to pull our stern out enough for us to reverse out of the cut. I decided to skip customs and head back to smokes to get our helm issues fixed and catch my breath. This was the 1st time I have really lost my cool on the boat and it is scary when you hear a madman yelling obscenities at your boat and you realize it’s you😣. We eventually got back to the dock and tied up along side. Joyce and I began the search for our fkuxgate compass to determine if something was messing it up. After a two hour search we found the class under the nav station. I had bought extra batteries the previous day 16 double a,s and they were sitting on the table, problem solved. Time to head out back to customs get our flare gun and get out of dodge. The get of the day was pretty uneventful. We began our trip with light winds and were able to see the lights of Bermuda well into the evening. Our auto pilot will steer but is making BAD noises so we are hand steering and will use it for emergencies. Our plotter at the nav station is acting up so we using A handheld GPS and our compass for navigation (old school). We are motoring with frequent rain squall and lightning all around us but no real wind. Is has begun.
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Well it sure is nice to be here even though we have a list of stuff to do. Chart plotter, AIS, Radar, bilge cleaning, fuel filters, autohelm etc... I determined that that th chartplotter was not fixable it was flashing and would not get a fix. With some help from home I ordered a new used plotter and am having it shipped to Antigua. After a bunch of effort with the air grant determined it might be an antenna issue so we are having an antenna shipped to Antigua. The radar is a mystery so will address that Later. We thouroly cleaned and flushed the bilge. I took the autohelm apart and determined that I couldn' since the noise appeared to be coming from the ram. Meanwhile in between these projects were really enjoying Bermuda. Joyce was always first up and out for a run to explore the island it was like having our own drone. We hit all of the hot spots and went into dockyards and Hamilton. What fantstic place to visit. Our was high light by a visi to our friends home for supper. Dwayne and deb were great hosts and it was nice to have some down time. Well like all good things it was time to leave Bermuda and we had a decent light forecast for Nov 13th so go time is set for tomorrow.Nov 6th
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