Did you know.

[joe_db]

We ended up finding Bermuda old-school. To make SURE we mised the outlying reefs to the east we ran a latitude line north of the island and waited for the radio beacon on the island to bear due south and ran the RDF line in to the island.

[edwardc]

We ended up finding Bermuda old-school. To make SURE we mised the outlying reefs to the east we ran a latitude line north of the island and waited for the radio beacon on the island to bear due south and ran the RDF line in to the island.

Thats real old school!
14 years ago, we did the opposite, staying well South of the rhumb line via celestial & DR until the depth sounder showed we were passing over the sea mount to the South, and then headed North.

[Mo]

A few have dead reckoned Bermuda.

Joe,

A few have dead reckoned Bermuda...some not by choice.

My friend Fred Rhese and his wife Ricki were sailing from Halifax to Bermuda on an Alberg 37. Fred is a retired Canadian SAR pilot (He was a legend in his own time in a Boeing CH113- Labrador Helicopter) and his wife was a retired nurse (sadly Ricki passed suddenly last July).

They had spent over a day in a ferocious storm that blew up and they took turns in the cockpit. Having rode out the worst of the storm and feeling pretty comfortable Ricki said: come in Fred and have a hot toddie. Fred put the boat on auto and went inside. The winds were still up and Fred put the doors in as he entered the cabin.

As told by Fred: "I was just putting the drink to my lips and the boat went over...pitch poled (I had initially thought they turtled but speaking to Fred about it this spring he said "Bob got knocked down twice in Tropical Storm Alberto...we pitch poled"). Water came in through the vents like a fire hose and we were flung around like rag dolls"..."while trying to recover myself the boat righted herself and I scramble out to see what was going on. We had been hit by a rouge wave ... we weren't hurt, the boat was intact, not even a sail torn...all the electronics were out of action due to water that came through the vents and ruined...and I never got the drink for hours".

Fred dead reckoned to Bermuda (about 300 miles from a good guess on his position) and nailed it bang on from there. They spent some time there as new electronics were flown in and installed. They carried on the the Caribbean were they spent 6 years sailing from port to port. I have other friends that had to be airlifted off their 48 footer. Dad's Dream was on her way back from the BVI to Nova Scotia when Tropical Storm Alberto changed expected course and knocked the 48 footer down twice. His wife was cut pretty good, broke an arm and a vertebrae...Bob was going to stay with the boat and she wouldn't go unless he did. US Coast Guard Helicopter got out there, airlifted them to Yarmouth NS hospital...so here's a link to that:
http://renegade-cruisers.net/bb/view...php?f=2&t=5799 I was on the news over that one. People were saying "inexperienced sailor" etc etc and I set the record straight on that one...only been sailing a lifetime and got knocked down by 60 foot waves ffs.

By the way, Dad's Dream was the one we saved from going on the rocks last year after her mooring pennant broke during a storm...I've actually driven her, and Bob is a good friend as well.