Bermuda Triangle Trouble

My trip out of Bermuda was filled with the grim foreboding of a tragedy plotline.  Our route from Bermuda to St Martin took us down the eastern edge of the Bermuda Triangle, which also completed our circumnavigation of the Triangle, so it was bound to come with some challenges. 

Just like the America’s Cup, where the race begins before the start line, our problems began before we departed.  Before we could leave Bermuda, we needed to sail over to St George - on the east end of the islands - in order to check out at the customs office.  We pulled into the harbor and as we reversed throttle to set the anchor, the boat swung to port.  The captain thought the starboard engine might not be engaging, but we soon discovered that the propeller we had just cleaned was gone! 

Fortunately, we had a spare.  We pulled it out, assembled it, took a three-hour tender ride to rent extra dive gear to install it, dove in, and discovered the propeller was the wrong size!  So, the $5,000 worth of bronze-feathering propeller was now extra ballast weight returned to the bilge.  AND, to make matters worse, the company that made the propeller informed us that they no longer manufacture the $5,000 three-blade version anymore.  Now, they only make an $11,000 five-blade version.  So, our $5,000 one-prop fix jumped to a $22,000 two-prop problem!  This is why they call a boat a hole in the water that you throw money into.

Before we committed to replacing both props, we decided to search the channel and harbor for the missing propeller.  On the trip into St George, the captain had noted our propulsion was lackluster, but had attributed the poor performance to the strong tidal current.  Having discovered that the propeller was missing, we assumed we may have lost it when we made the turn into the harbor, so we focused our search on the entry into the harbor. 

On the first day we searched with our four-person boat crew.   We had a line and buoy to track the divers from the tender (small motor boat) above, and the grid search seemed pretty thorough, but we failed to find anything.  With poor visibility below, and a large area to search, our efforts were like trying to find a needle in a haystack, so we tried to employ more resources to the second day of the search. 

First, we visited BIOS (Bermuda’s Institute for Oceanic Sciences) to see if they might want to deploy their research vessel and it’s high-powered underwater RADAR to help look for the propeller.  The BIOS center is a world renowned research and education facility; however, every time I had boated past the BIOS center, it seemed to give off a frat house vibe.  The first time we went by, some people were out grilling on the BBQ, while other 20-somethings sat on the dock tossing a throw net in hopes of shrimp dinner I assume.  Dress was always more beach party than science lab, and on our visit to inquire about the boat it wasn’t much different.  Our enquiry was not met with the enthusiasm we had hoped for, but they did put us in contact with a local guy that had an underwater metal detector.

 

Although the local guy was an amateur, he told us tales of previous discoveries in the area and seemed like an experienced old salt.  However, as I waited on the surface, it soon became apparent, by the bobbing buoy following the path of irregular search patterns unfolding below the surface, that he had exaggerated his skills.  The captain, who was also searching for the propeller, had to turn back a few times to find his dive buddy, and finally lost him before completing a grid search.  After the captain boarded the tender, we scanned the horizon for our local assistant, and a few minutes later he surfaced about 180 degrees in the opposite direction from our start point and the intended search area.   

Our final dive was another comedy of errors and hampered further by strong currents.  The needle was not found, so the new props were ordered to be delivered to our destination of St Martin, and we departed without one of our props.  Lots of boats only have one engine and propeller, so this wasn’t an outrageous move, but we were sailing around the Bermuda Triangle, so of course it didn’t go smoothly.  Our one engine began to sputter, and eventually quit a day out from our destination.  Fortunately, we were sailing and had good wind to carry us the rest of the way to St Martin at a nice speed. 

During this crossing, I read “The Godforsaken Sea” by Derek Lundy about the Vendee Globe solo round-the-world sailing race.  The race takes the solo sailors south from France, through the Atlantic, around Antarctica, past the three southern capes, and back north up the Atlantic to the start.    

In the 1996 race, three boats capsized and one boat was lost completely.  In two cases, racers turned back, into the storms, in order to search for capsized or damaged ships.  One actually saved a fellow racer’s life, while the other had to give up the search as there was no rescue signal to hone in on. 

It is an amazing and insane race, and the first attempt was described in the book “A Voyage for Madmen” by Peter Nichols, which described the 1968 Golden Globe Race in which only one of nine contestants crossed the finish line!  I won’t spoil the ending by telling you who won, but he was not considered a strong candidate going into the race.  However, he ended up doing some amazing repairs at sea, overcame countless setbacks and challenges; and became the first person ever to sail non-stop solo around the world. 

I tried to imagine what it must be like to compete in the race as we sailed through a few minor squalls on our way to St. Martin.  At our latitude, the rain and wind were warm; the seas were calm and the winds were light.  However, I still found it both thrilling and challenging to manage the sails and helm through these short lived squalls.  The southern ocean’s weather and waves are treacherous and I cannot imagine what it must be like to sail, solo, in 60-foot icy seas, hurricane-force winds, snow, and the threat of icebergs for months on end! 

The first Golden Globe and the modern Vendee Globe races are considered the Everest of yachting.  However, Everest is climbed in two months with a team of support and a series of acclimation camps during the accent.  The Vendee Globe is twice as long, in total isolation, in seas that rarely give you a break.  These sailors are truly mad to subject themselves to these conditions for so long to simply get back to where they started!  As Ishmael said in Moby Dick, “Round the world! There is much in that sound to inspire proud feelings; but whereto does all that circumnavigation conduct? Only through numberless perils to the very point whence we started.”

I finished the book and the sail to St Martin, and spent a wonderful day touring the island before flying home for a month off.  I was excited for all the destinations that still lay ahead on the boat’s itinerary: the British Virgin Islands in the fall, followed by Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and Columbia over the winter.  Unfortunately, Hurricane Irma came along and destroyed the boat.  I was crushed to lose my job, but at the same time thankful that was all I had lost. 

Before Irma

After Irma

Before and after pictures of one of the British Virgin Islands

So many people across the Caribbean have lost everything, and have months to years of recovery ahead of them before their lives and island homes will resemble anything that they remember from before the storms.  I would encourage everyone to consider giving to an aid organization supporting the recovery in the Caribbean. 

Below are some charities and relief groups that you might consider.  If you donate before 7OCT, let me know how much you contribute and I will match it.  (Fine print: I’ll match up to $100 per person, and not to exceed $1000 in total matching contributions) 

Initially, I was looking for local groups, but decided it is difficult to confirm the efficacy, efficiency and legitimacy of new groups.  So these are established groups with very high ratings on financial performance, accountability and transparency.  With most you can direct your contributions to a specific relief campaign, or give a general donation.

International Relief Teams During disasters, IRT deploys medical and reconstruction teams, provides supplies, and finances the restoration of infrastructure. IRT builds healthy communities through medical training programs; medical missions to low-income countries, including surgical and eyeglass teams; shipments of medicines to rural hospitals and clinics; and health, nutrition and education support for vulnerable populations.

Direct Relief Direct Relief’s medical assistance programs equip health professionals working in resource-poor communities to meet the challenges of diagnosing, treating, and caring for people without regard to politics, religion, gender, race, or ability to pay.

Samaritan's Purse  is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world since 1970.

Let the giving begin! J

Travel through time in Wyoming

Recently, I returned to Wyoming for a short vacation from my vacation. That isn’t entirely true.  I do work at my job as a deckhand; however, my vocation is another man’s vacation.  The trip home - from Bermuda via St Martin – wasn’t short of adventure, but I’ll tell you about that in my next blog.

 

I made it home to Green River, and during my stay in Wyoming, I drove across the state along I-80 several times.  Although I’ve driven this route hundreds of times in the past, this time I made several stops along the way as a tourist in my home state.  It’s a historic route in American transcontinental transportation.  It roughly follows parts of the Oregon and Overland Trails, the transcontinental railroad, the Lincoln Highway, and even a major air corridor, which began with giant painted cement arrows along the route to guide pilots. 

These routes originated with old Native American trails that also followed this path over the continental divide, the spine of the continent.  The high desert has preserved many of the ruins from the early trails, with ruts from stagecoach wheels still visible today, along with names carved in cliffs like Independence Rock, and even petroglyphs from the Native Americans who crossed the high plains long before Europeans landed on American shores.

Petroglyphs outside Rock Springs

In the early days, these routes hugged the rivers for both the people and horse power.  Even though horses and coaches were used, most people still walked the trails, and a trip across Wyoming could take nearly a month.  In northern Wyoming there is a town called Ten Sleep.  It got the name because it was ten days/sleeps from Yellowstone, to the west; and ten sleeps to Fort Laramie, to the southeast. 

 

The railroad began to drift away from the rivers to find the most gradual grades, but still needed the water for the steam engines, and forts were added at strategic bridge crossings to both protect the bridges, but also act as supply hubs.  The highway didn’t need to follow the rivers, but hugged the same paths because you still needed stops for rest, food and fuel. 

You might think the Lincoln ‘highway’ (established in 1913) would speed up travel, but it was actually still a dirt road, and the speed limit was a whopping 25 mph, for those daring enough to drive that fast.  At that speed, the 450 mile, dusty, bone rattling drive across Wyoming would take over 18 hours!  However, that was lightning speed compared to the month of walking with wagon trains.

Today, the driving route has been straightened, paved and the speed limit reaches 80 mph, so you can make it across the state in about 5 hours, a third of the time.  And if you fly, you’ll be over the mountains and on to the Nebraska plains in under an hour.  However, I recommend the drive with stops to see some of the historic sites along the way. 

Cheyenne

In the tradition of manifest destiny, I’ll travel east to west starting with Cheyenne.  Cheyenne, as well as the rest of Wyoming, was part of the Dakota Territory, until the Wyoming Territory was created on July 25^th, 1868.  The railroad came in and the town was established in 1867.

The early years were lawless and the town was initially just another ‘Hell on Wheels’ railroad boom town, at the end of the plains and foot of the Rockies.  However, it didn’t bust like many railroad towns across Wyoming, and with cattle barons, and gold coming in from the Black Hills, Cheyenne became the richest town in the world by 1882.  There was Millionaire’s Row on what is now Carey Avenue; and the famous Cheyenne Club, where the cattle barons gathered for fine dining, socializing, and even acted as the de facto government.  The Cheyenne club and all but one of the mansions are gone now, as are the cattle barons.

That all began to change in the 1890’s after the economic crash of 1893 and several harsh years of winter blizzards and summer heat killed off much of the herds.  This drove the leaders of Cheyenne to develop the tourism draw of Cheyenne Frontiers Days, in 1897.  Today it is the world’s largest rodeo known as the “Daddy of Them All.”  Last year the crowds that came to see the show doubled the state population!  500,000 people came through Cheyenne during the ten day event, and 29,000 people volunteer to make the whole thing possible!  I’d love to tell you all about my experience, but in all my years living in Wyoming I’ve never been to the big show! 

Cheyenne Train Depot Plaza and one of many painted boots, which can be found throughout the city.

Buford or Phin Deli Town

Buford is another of the ‘Hell on Wheels’ railroad towns that sprang up in 1866 to ‘support’ the railroad with booze, brothels, and gambling halls to separate the workers from their pay.  The most notorious was the town of Benton, which sprung up west of Buford and disappeared in 90 days.  Many of the ‘residents’ were even shorter-lived because the town racked up 100 murders in those 90 days! 

Buford's famous pop. 1 sign.  Don Sammons had Buford recognized as a town and requested signs to help bring in customers to his gas station and store.  Then he sold the 'town' to Vietnamese investor Pham Dinh Nguyen who renamed it Phin Deli Town.

Buford wasn’t as notorious, but the population also crashed when the railroad moved on.  Today, it has gained quite a bit of notoriety as being the smallest town in America, population one!  As I pulled into town, semi-truck traffic hummed past on I-80 to the north, while a train squealed along the tracks to the south.  A billboard reads “Welcome to Phin Deli Town Buford”, much to the annoyance of the gas station attendant.  “There is no deli, but I get asked about it every day.”  He is now the population one.  He lives in the house behind the station, but he’ll be leaving after Labor Day, and the store will close its doors unless the town’s owner can find a new tenant. 

Me and Buford's one resident.

The owner, Mr. Nguyen, is a Vietnamese investor and coffee roaster, and he bought the whole town in 1999 for a cool $900,000 in an online auction.  He had grand visions of the town being the US hub of Vietnamese imports, but the main product sold is his line of Phin Deli Coffee.  It has a unique nutty flavor thanks to being roasted with soy and butter. 

Mr. Nguyen bought the town from Don Sammons, who is quite the character, as you can read in his book “Buford One.”  He writes about making Buford a town, his shoot-out in the parking lot, fires, Buddhism, and the bidders from 110 nations and 30 news outlets that took part in the auction.  On the cover it says ‘Don Sammons, former Mayor of Buford, Wyoming', but in the book he is makes a point to note that, “I didn’t call myself Mayor of Buford.”  Quite the character, story and ‘town.’

Ames Monument

Just a few miles west of Buford is a six-story pyramid on the site of another bygone railroad town named Sherman.  I found this strange pyramid in the middle of nowhere interesting as a kid, but would have never guessed that there was once a small town surrounding the site.  I also had no idea that there could be quite a bit of controversy about the site, if anybody knew much about it. 

It stands on a knoll about a mile south of I-80, but you have to watch carefully as you drive by, or you might miss it.  The original railroad line ran 300 feet north of the monument, and early train passengers gawked at the towering pyramid and some even were hoisted to the top of it, before the tracks were rerouted three miles south.  The monument was built to honor Congressman Oakes Ames, and his brother, the Union Pacific (UP) President, Oliver Ames. 

The Oakes family had made their millions starting in shovels and moving up to larger earth moving projects like the building of the NYC Subway.  So it makes sense that President Lincoln would turn to him to revitalize the transcontinental railroad project, when it looked like construction was grinding to a halt.  Ames invested a million dollars of his own money into the project, and was a driving force behind the eventual completion of the transcontinental railroad, completed in 1869. 

So, what’s the controversy?  Is it the fact that the monument is in the middle of nowhere and cost $65,000 to construct in 1880 (equal to about $1.4 million today) and was shaped like a pyramid from Egypt?  Nope, the issue is that the men were honored for completing a project that turned out to be one of the greatest cases of political graft in American history! 

Turns out the Union Pacific (UP) railroad company created a satellite company, Credit Mobilier of America, and they subcontracted the construction of the railroad to them/itself.  Credit Mobilier then charged the UP almost twice the actual construction costs, which UP turned around and charged the government, and they pocketed the $44 MILLION in overcharges (equal to about $673 million today)!   Thirty-two politicians were given shares of Credit Mobilier stock at discounted prices with hefty dividend returns, to include the Vice President, Secretary of the Treasury, and Congressman Ames.  The fraud and graft were uncovered in 1872, but Ames was not even removed from office (he did resign)!  Instead, the men he made rich built him a monument eight years later to shift the nation’s focus from great controversy to great accomplishment!

In 1885, a man tried to buy the land the monument was on and planned to plaster the monument with ads, but the UP was deeded the land to preserve the monument in 1889 and turned it over to the state in 1983.  In 2016, the monument became a National Historic Landmark, and new historic plaques all echo the UP’s sentiment that the Ames brothers were great patriots and the railroad’s construction was a grand accomplishment.

Fort Steele

I always drive past Old Fort Steele, which isn’t much more than a rest stop now.  However, on the south side of the highway, is an old gas station that I thought was photogenic in its decay, so this year I stopped to snap a quick photo.  As I was snapping the picture, I wondered what the story behind the name was, and as I was pulling back out to the highway I saw the answer in a sign for a historic site.

I like the sense of humor in the graffiti: "Armed Guard on Duty (took rest of year off)"

Fort Steele also traces its origins back to the transcontinental railroad.  The military fort was established on the North Platte River, to protect the strategic river crossing and as a supply depot, for receiving military supplies by rail to support other forts throughout the region.  It was established in 1868 and abandoned in 1886.  The local community took over the buildings primarily supporting the timber and sheep grazing in the area, but it had a second transportation boom in the 1920/30’s with the building of the Lincoln Highway.

Today, there is little more than a few buildings and a few more foundations remaining.  However, the state has done a good job refurbishing the remaining structures to create a museum.  I found it particularly interesting to read about the officers that were stationed here, to include Arthur MacArthur Jr. (Douglas MacArthur’s father) and several West Point graduates. 

Foundations and chimneys are all that remains of two enlisted barracks.  They were converted to hotels for Lincoln Highway travelers before vandals burnt them down on New Years Eve 1976

Troops from the fort protected settlers and the railroad from Indians in the area, and also were dispatched to quell labor riots as far afield as Chicago.  They also quelled local labor clashes like the Chinese Massacre in Rock Spring, Wyoming in 1885. 

Rock Springs was a coal mining/UP company town and Chinese labor had been brought in to replace white workers because they would work for less.  The riots left 28 dead, 15 wounded and 78 Chinese homes burned.  Local officials and citizens supported the white miners, and not a single person was convicted for the crimes committed.  In addition to the Ft Steele troops, there were six companies sent to Wyoming from Utah, and a military camp remained outside Rock Springs until 1899.

Point of Rocks Stage Station

This stage station is another poorly marked historic site.  It dates back to 1862, when “Stagecoach King” Ben Holladay took over the transcontinental stagecoach business and United States mail contract.  Ben decided to use the more southern route through Wyoming and Colorado, rather than the Oregon Trail route, which followed the North Platte river out of Nebraska toward Casper and then over South Pass and on to Fort Bridger, where the two trails reconnected. 

What remains of the Stage coach stop, and my modern coach parked where the Overland Trail was located.

During the Civil War, Lincoln believed it was imperative to maintain communications with the west coast in order to keep them in the Union.  The Pony Express and these Stagecoach lines were key to that effort.  However they quickly fell out of favor when the Railroad was completed in 1869, but pioneers continued to use the Overland Trail and Stage stations like this into the early 1900’s. Much of the Overland Trail route was also chosen by the railroad and later the Lincoln Highway as the preferred route west across Wyoming.

Green River

Just west of the coal town of Rock Springs is my hometown, Green River.  It also got its start as a stage station on the Overland Trail. When the railroad was built though town it became one of the major hubs for rail routes on the western side of the continental divide. 

View of town looking NW.  Castle Rock is in the upper right and the palisades are in the upper left.

The railroad hub also made it a convenient stepping off point for several expeditions, to include early trips into Yellowstone, and the first rafting expeditions down the Green/Colorado Rivers and Grand Canyon by John Wesley Powell in 1869 and 1871. 

One armed John Wesley Powell stands in front of the Museum, which was the originally a Post Office

Thomas Moran, a famous American painter started his trip to Yellowstone from Green River and painted some of his most famous paintings, based on sketches he did in Green River, to include several of the Palisades. 

One of several paintings Thomas Moran did of the Palisades in Green River

The Lincoln Highway ran through Green River, and I-80 still runs along the north side of town.  However, don’t just drive by, stop and enjoy the same buttes that so impressed Thomas Moran, and visit the County Museum or Expedition Island where you can learn more about the Powell Expeditions, railroad history, wild horses and more. 

Fort Bridger

As a kid I remember visiting Fort Bridger on school trips and with my family for the Fort Bridger Rendezvous.   The fort is a great spot to learn about the long history of migration across Wyoming and the pioneers that settled here.  The fort was established in 1842 by its namesake, Jim Bridger, a famous mountain man and trapper.  In the early days, the fort was a trading post for trappers and mountain men who would rendezvous here to trade and ship their beaver and other fur pelts back east.

Entrance to the replica of the original fort

Jim Bridger is one of the men that are credited with finding south pass route later used by settlers traveling the Oregon Trail, as well as the pass leading to Salt Lake that bears his name, and is still used as part of the I-80 route.  The fort became the hub for the California, Oregon, Overland and Mormon trails, making it a key fort for resupply for settlers heading west.  

In 1847, there was a dispute between Mormon settlers and Jim Bridger because Jim was selling alcohol and firearms to the Indians.  By 1853 the Mormons had formed a militia to arrest Jim, so he left the area.  In 1855, the Mormons bought the property to expand their own settlement and supply post, although Jim Bridger denied he ever agreed to the sale. 

However, they hadn’t even paid it off before the military arrived in 1858 and took over the fort, which the Mormons actually burned as they left the area.  After the military left in 1890, the post and buildings were bought up by locals, and parts became milk farms, motels, cafes, and stores to support the new Lincoln Highway traffic.  Finally, in 1928 the site was sold to the state to establish a museum and historical site. 

One of the oldest remaining building from the military days, this cabin was an officer quarters duplex, built in 1858.

Black and Orange Cabins was built outside the fort grounds as Lincoln Highway traffic increased.  It is an early example of the motor hotel, or motel, with carports next to each cabin.

Today, you can relive some of the historic glory during the Fort Bridger Rendezvous, where traders hawk their western wares, participants dress in authentic pre-1840 clothing and camp in tents and tee-pees from the period as well.  It is held at the fort every year around Labor Day weekend.

Teepee city at the edge of Fort Bridger Rendezvous

Native dance demonstrations

There’s much more to see in Wyoming and along I-80, much of it I haven’t even explored myself.  I hope the next time you’re traveling across the country you think back on the long history of migration across the United States.  And if you’re driving the historic route of the Oregon Trail or Lincoln Highway seek out some of the historic sites along the way.  After all, what once took 20 sleeps now takes one day, so spend a little of that time saved, off the path now paved.  

Bermuda and the America's Cup

I’ve just started working on a sailing catamaran as a freelance delivery and charter deckhand.  I was excited to get the job because I intend to buy my own sail boat in about five years to live aboard and sail for several  years.  However, I have very little sailing experience, so an opportunity to get paid to learn a little about sailing was pretty awesome.   Boat owners typically don’t like crew disclosing information about them or their boat, but I can say it is a 74-foot sailing catamaran that is typically crewed by a husband-and-wife team, and only takes on additional crew when the owners have bigger trips with extra guests.  In my case, they were going to Bermuda for the America’s Cup.

On our first day, we were treated to some good tail winds, following seas and the Gulf Stream, which gave us a good push around the top of the Bahamas.  Our route was taking us along the western edge of the Bermuda Triangle, which made it interesting for the superstitious, and I’m learning superstition is part of the sailing culture.  As the sun set, the eastern skyline lit up with a massive electrical storm.  It looked like we were sailing right into it, but it was miles off, and stayed ahead of us lighting up the sky and black seas around us for hours before it finally died out. 

The storm and sailing highlighted one of the biggest differences between this crossing and previous trips I have done on motor yachts.  In the motor yachts, we conducted our watches inside, but on the sailboat we were outside.  Although we still watched and logged wind and sea state on the motor yachts, it was much different being outside the whole time, feeling the wind and air temperature.  I enjoyed it more, but I was also thankful we didn’t get rained on. 

On day two, several small birds took refuge on the boat.  It was a wonder how they had found themselves so far out to sea.  Normally, I hate to see birds on a boat because it always means you’ll be cleaning up bird crap later, but this time I just felt bad for the little guys that must have been blown out to sea on one of the passing storms.  They were the size of a finch, and mostly bright yellow with some black and white on their wings and head.  We named one that was almost full yellow Tweety, and the other Bandit, as it had black on its face resembling a Zorro style mask.  We put out a little tin with bread crumbs and another of water, assuming they must be starved and thirsty.  They never took any interest in the food, but, much to our delight, they did go about eating any bugs that found their way on board. 

On day three, my evening watch started after sunset and well before the moon rose.  I was lucky because we also passed through some bioluminescence, which I may not have seen if the sun or moon was out.  The sky was nearly cloudless, so I alternated between watching our wake light up, and watching the sky for falling stars.  Again, I probably would have missed both of these on a motor yacht since you don’t have the unobstructed view from the bridge that you do when you’re outside. 

On day four, we saw some dolphins that chased us down, and played in our wake for a few minutes before moving on, and on our fifth day we arrived in Bermuda, with the early morning sun lighting up the colorful houses along the south shore.  We hugged the coast around to the east side, and entered Saint George harbor where we needed to check in for customs and immigration. 

St. George

If you ever travel to Bermuda, I recommend spending a little time in both St. George and the Dockyard area.  If you do, you will also travel the islands from end to end, which is also well worth it.  St. George is a UNESCO world heritage site on the eastern tip of Bermuda.  It was the site of first settlement on Bermuda, and the site of the Sea Venture’s grounding in 1609, after it was damaged in storms while sailing to Jamestown, Virginia, with supplies from Britain.  Sir George Somers and the crew of the Sea Venture were able to build two ships from supplies they recovered from the Sea Venture as well as the ample cedar that grew on Bermuda.  After ten months, the ships were ready to complete the resupply mission to Jamestown; however, some of the crew didn’t want to leave the island.

Replica of the Deliverance, located in St George.  It is one of the two ships Somers' crew built to replace the Sea Venture

Their experience and Sir George Somers’ report back to the British government led the British to colonize the island, which had no native population before that time.  Bermuda is still a British territory, but has also grown more independent since WWII.  Prior to the British, the island was first discovered by a Spanish sailor Juan De Bermudez in 1503.  Then the Portuguese visited in 1543, leaving behind wild hogs, which they planned to use to resupply meat supplies on future visits.  However, the cries of the wild hogs, tree frogs and birds – and the treacherous northern reefs – led future sailors to refer to it as Devil ’s Island, and they preferred to give the island a wide berth.  (These reefs have claimed more than 300 ships over the years, and I was able to snorkel around some of the wrecks during my stay.  The hogs have all been eaten, but they remain on the local ‘Hog Penny,’ which was one of the first forms of currency and is also the name of one of the islands oldest pubs.)

Today, St. George is filled with colorful and historic buildings dating back to the early days of colonization, and, despite being a British territory, it is also linked to a lot of American history.  Barber’s Alley is named for Joseph Hayne Rainey (1832-1887), an American slave who escaped to Bermuda and earned a living cutting hair there before he returned to the US and became the first African American member of Congress in 1870.  And, after building up defenses on Bermuda to protect it from possible attack from the US, it housed US troops multiple times.  The confederate Army had staff in St George, and US submarines were also stationed there during WWII. 

Some colorful and historic buildings on Water Street, St. George

One of several torture devices you can find in King's Square, St. George. 

Although the Dockyard - on the western end of the island – is the largest and most impressive fort on the island, St. George is also surrounded by many interesting forts that reflect the changing nature of coastal fortification over the last 500 years -- from Fort St. Catherine, the oldest fort in Bermuda, to Alexandra Battery.   St. Catherine has the classic look of a coastal castle, complete with a dry moat and draw bridge, while the Alexandra Battery is nearly invisible from the sea, and was equipped with modern cannons to defend the island during WWII. 

One of the gun positions for a disappearing cannon at the Alexandra Battery

Fort St Catherines

The Dockyard

After the US declared independence from Britain, the British established a significant naval fort on the western tip of Bermuda to defend against American aggression and support what remained of its Colonial Empire across the Atlantic.  Construction began in 1809, with slaves doing most of the work until they were liberated.  Then convicts were shipped in to complete the construction and housed on old ships that acted as floating prison barracks until construction was completed.   Interestingly, rather than protecting Bermuda from US aggression, the Dockyard was the place the British planned and conducted their attacks on Washington D.C. and supported the blockade of the US seaboard during the war of 1812.  AND, it later housed the US forces it was built to deter, during WWII.

View of the clock tower mall from our boat at the Dockyard

The Victualing Yard, where the British Navy prepared and stored food and other supplies for their ships 

View from one of the gun positions in 'The Keep,' the final defensive fort in the Dockyard

The British operated the Dockyard until the 1950’s, and, although the British Navy departed, they maintained the historic lease on the site until the 1990’s.  During those 40 years, the site was largely left to the elements, but in the past 20 years, it has seen a major revitalization as a harbor for private boats, and major Cruise lines.  In addition, the historic buildings built to house supplies, personnel and naval ship repairs have now been renovated into shops, restaurants and an impressive museum. 

We were lucky enough to dock at Pier 41 for the duration of the America’s Cup.  This gave me an opportunity to explore the Dockyard, and provided a ‘backstage’ view of the America’s Cup team docks and Race Village. 

Watching Team Oracle(USA) leave the docks, as Team New Zealand preps their boat in the background.

America’s Cup

I didn’t know much about the America’s Cup before this trip other than it was a sailing race, but, I’ve learned that it’s actually the oldest trophy in international sport, and it was named after the first boat to win the race in 1851, which actually took place in England.  The victorious sailing yacht, America, returned to America and gave the trophy to the New York Yacht Club, which then began holding the race in which one challenger competes against the current champion.  This challenger is the winner of a race series – called the Louis Vuitton Series - prior to the final race for the cup.  However, the defender doesn’t even compete in the initial Louis Vuitton series of races.  Instead they are guaranteed the spot in the final series of races against the single challenger.  In addition, the defender gets to select the boat design for the race and decides some of the rules for the race.  One analogy I heard was that it would be like the winner of the Super Bowl being guaranteed a spot in the next Super Bowl, and writing the rules for the next season!  This explains why the race also holds the record for longest winning streak in sport history. 

The America’s Cup has led to many innovations in sailing as well as controversies.  This year’s race featured several of those innovations.  The primary one is the foiling catamarans that actually fly through the air and sea.  The main sail is actually more like a plane wing on a Boeing 737 than a traditional fabric sail, and it operates like a wing as well, providing horizontal lift as the wind flows around it, propelling the sailing ships at 3 to 4 times the wind speed!  On a traditional sailing ship the wing sail alone would not be able to provide enough power to overcome the drag of water flowing around the ship’s hull, so they have reduced that drag by using a hydrofoil.  The hydrofoil is a wing under water that provides vertical lift to raise the boat out of the water, so the only points of friction are the small hydrofoil wing and the rudder used for steering and stability, like the tail of an airplane.  They are amazing to watch in action, but also controversial within the sailing community, which has found it hard to accept such radical innovation in the oldest race in international sailing.

The second major innovation is a creative system to keep the boats ‘man-powered.’  I feel I need to put it in quotes because there seems to be a fine line the race teams sail in this regard.  The boats actually have a lot of computer devices to aid the sailors, and the majority of the ‘sailors’ on board are actually called grinders or cyclers, who really don’t need sailing skills or knowledge; some of them actually come from Olympic cycling backgrounds.  They are responsible for charging a hydraulic system that’s used to control the hydrofoils and other systems on-board.   Although controversial, these innovations have led to astounding speeds on the race course of over 50 mph!

Another interesting fact about sail racing is that the race actually begins before it starts.  In the America’s Cup races, the two competitors enter the race course two and a half minutes before the start, and spend that time trying to out maneuver their competitor as they approach the starting line.  They try to cross the start line with the best angle and speed to attack the first mark or turning point on the course.  However, if they cross the start early, they have to drop back two boat-lengths behind their competitor as a penalty.  All of this makes for some very exciting racing before the race has officially started.  One shocking statistic that highlighted how crucial this pre-race jockeying was is the fact that Team New Zealand never lost a race if they won the race to the first mark.

I was fortunate enough to get to watch the races from several vantage points ranging from a small boat on the edge of the race course to a TV in a pub.  But the best place was at the America’s Cup Village Grandstand, where I was able to see the race course, listen to the animated play-by-play of the announcers, feel the wind in my face, and watch the race footage on a big screen.  Without the race-course graphics and camera angles on the big screen, it could be hard to tell who was in the lead at times.  In addition, they have put multiple cameras on board each boat, plus chase boats, helicopters and drones; so the race footage and instant replays are excellent, making TV viewing the second best option, beating out in person viewing from land or even a boat on the edge of the race course. 

Watching Team Groupama come into the finish line from the Grandstand

Not only did I get to watch some of the preliminary Louis Vuitton Challenger Cup races from the Grandstand, I was also lucky enough to have the owners of the sailboat that I work on gave us tickets to join them in the sold-out final day of races.  It was a great experience. 

The mood was set early, before we even left the yacht, as we could hear the announcers doing sound checks and announcing winner ‘XYZ’ and ‘ABC’ before cuing pre-selected victory soundtracks.   As the announcers were rehearsing, we could see the teams preparing their boats for racing and leaving the docks. 

We arrived at the race village shortly after the gates opened and, despite our early arrival, the Grandstands were filling quickly.  However, we were still able to claim prime seats behind the announcers’ booth.  After claiming a seat, I went to the Cup merchandise tent and discovered a fire sale crowd in a feeding frenzy of half-price bargains.  The line for check out extended the entire length of the store, and, as I waited to buy a T-shirt and hat, I heard some other shoppers chatting.  "This is the danger of a sale," a man lamented. "You buy a bunch of stuff you don't need. We came in here for one shirt.  Now look at all this.  I don't even know what this is,” the man said, holding up a tote-bagged item as his wife ran about the store returning to his spot in line with nearly one of everything.

I returned to the stands just in time for the announcers to begin their pre-race analysis, and pump up the crowd before the races began.  As the announcers probably said, the mood was electric.  The Team New Zealand fans knew they only need one more race to win the first-to-seven competition, while the American fans hoped it would be the start of another epic turn-around similar to their famous come-from-behind victory in 2013 when they won eight straight races to beat New Zealand 9-8. 

As the race started, the American fans were cheering early as Team USA won the race to the start line and around the first mark, a critical task when racing Team New Zealand.  However, the mood began to change and then the energy flipped as Team New Zealand pulled into the lead, causing the other half of the stands to erupt in cheers of excitement. 

Throughout the races, the announcers had been throwing some groan-worthy analogies, and they didn’t disappoint on this final day of racing, as they announced that “Team USA’s chances are slipping through their fingers like sand at the beach!” And it continued to slip, as Team New Zealand slowly gained ground.  “It is their race to lose” the announcers loved to say as a team secured a lead, and in this final race it was close, and New Zealand could lose if they slipped up, dropped off foil, or jumbled a jibe.  But they didn’t and the New Zealand fans were elated as they brought home the win and the cup, for the first time since 1995 when they beat the American’s in San Diego.

Typically, the race is held in the home country of the champion.  However, after successfully defending the trophy in San Francisco in 2013, with one of the greatest comebacks in sport history, the US team decided to open a bid for next race venue, and Bermuda won the bid.  It turned out to be a pretty great location for racing, with a large lagoon protected from the big sea swells of the open ocean, and fairly-consistent winds.  Five of six teams in the race actually voted to keep the races in Bermuda in the future; however, New Zealand opted out.  As it turned out, New Zealand won, so the next America’s Cup will most likely be held in New Zealand, much to the Bermudian’s dismay.

If I stay with the yacht I’m working on now, I might just make the journey to New Zealand in 2021 for the 36^th America’s Cup.  The owners of the yacht were rooting for America and a return to Bermuda.  It was a beautiful and central location for the races, and as my boss says, “New Zealand is 100% farther than you think.”  I certainly wouldn’t mind experiencing a Pacific crossing, but 2021 is also 100% farther than I think. 

More on the Battle of Saipan

I thought I had left Saipan for new shores, but thanks to my blog, the island and it's history has followed me.  I was recently contacted by the publishers for a new book about the  battle of Saipan, and they asked if I'd like to read an advance copy of the forthcoming book, Their Backs Against the Sea.

When I was in Saipan, I visited the War Memorial Park, which has a small museum and gift shop.  The museum provided a lot of good information about the Battle for Saipan, as one would expect, but I was surprised to find the book selection about the battle was limited to non-existent.   Even their small library of reference material did not contain any books focused on the battle, which really surprised me.  So, you can imagine I was very happy to hear about Bill Sloan's new book, Their Backs Against the Sea.

However, I was a little surprised that a new book about a WWII battle was coming out this long after the war, and wondered what insight he could bring beyond compiling the accounts from other books about the Pacific campaign.  I was surprised to learn that Bill was able to interview some of the men who were involved with the battle!  Additionally, he notes in the Acknowledgements that this may be the last book he writes about the war, "not because there aren't any more stories, but because only a rapidly vanishing handful of the people who lived those stories are still around."

I'm grateful that Bill was able to capture the harrowing accounts from these men before they were lost along with all the veterans of these battles.  Bill account of the battle of Saipan, as well as the follow on battle to take Tinian, is well researched and written.   Often, when one writes or reads about warfare it can become statistical and broad-brushed, removing the humanity, loss, and individual sacrifice.  In Their Backs Against the Sea, Bill litters his account of the battle with the personal stories of the men that did the fighting.  Their accounts bring chaos, fear, loss, and amazing sacrifices to life and keep the reader on the edge of his seat and the pages turning until the Acknowledgements give way to the pages of sources that made this book possible.  Bill's efforts remind the reader that the men who fought the battles were sons, brothers, friends and comrades not merely numbers.

As I mentioned in my last blog, the battle for Saipan is considered the 'Normandy' of Pacific campaign.  It marked the beginning of the end for the Japanese empire, and yet you rarely hear much about it.  Fortunately, we now have a page turning account about the men who answered the call to service and fought this critical battle for God, country and the comrades on their left and right.  If you want to learn more about this battle and the brave men who fought it, I recommend Their Backs Against the Sea by Bill Sloan.  

The Battle for Saipan in WWII

In my last post I talked about the boom and bust economy of Saipan.  However, I should have called it the post-war boom and bust, since I did not talk about the pre-war economy.  If I included the pre-war history, I could have mentioned the sugar boom during the Japanese colonial period.  As I mentioned in the last blog, the League of Nations gave the Mariana Islands to Japan after WWI.  As the Japanese took control, a young Japanese businessman, Matsue Haruji - with a masters degree in Sugar Chemistry from Louisiana State University (obtained in 1905) - conducted a survey of Saipan and concluded it was perfect for sugar plantations.  Thousands of men were shipped in to clear the jungle landscape and plant sugar cane.  It was so successful that in 1930, he expanded to the southern neighbor island of Tinian, and then further south to Rota.  By the time WWII began, the sugar industry of the Marianas made up 60 percent of Japan's South Seas revenue!

I find this economic story quite interesting for several reasons.  First, it touches on the topic of the book How Asia Works, which laid out an argument for how the economies of Japan, Korea and China advanced, while others with similar potential have stagnated in poverty.  One of the author's key arguments was that these nations imported not just products, but industries.  In this case, Matsue was educated and worked in the American Sugar industry before bringing that knowledge back to Japan to expand the industry in his home country.

Secondly, it reminded me of the book Imperial Cruise, which tells the story of President Roosevelt's cruise to Japan in 1905 (the same year Matsue was in the US earning his degree).  During that cruise and based on America's Asian policy, Japan was encouraged to expand its territory.  Similar to America's belief that we had a 'Manifest Destiny' to expand our nation westward from sea to shining sea, the American government partnered with the Japanese in Asia and promoted the same idea of westward expansion.  This policy would lead to the expanding empire of Japan, which in turn led to the Pacific campaign of WWII.  Remember, we were a trade partner with Japan up to the point when we cut off our oil trade, which lead to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.  What a tangled web we weave.

So, America is drawn into the war with the attack on Pearl Harbor and also has to fight the war on two fronts: Pacific and Europe.  In Europe, America honed their war-fighting skills by fighting their way across north Africa.  Churchill called this the 'soft underbelly of Europe, and it gave the allied war machine a place to 'practice' establishing beach heads, running logistical support, and fighting campaigns across the ground.  At the same time, it forced the German war machine to divert forces and resources to the southern front, ahead of the allies main effort at Normandy.  People always remember Normandy and often forget the African campaign, even though 400,000 soldiers were killed or injured in 3 years of fighting in Africa.  In addition, the southern campaign continued into Italy were another two million were killed, but Normandy is is the battle that marks the turning point during the war in Europe so the northern front is the one we tend to focus on.

Meanwhile, in the Pacific, a similar series of battles led up to the decisive Battle for Saipan, which is often referred to as the Normandy of the Pacific.  During the preceding island landings, the Navy and Marines honed their beach landing tactics and prepared for Saipan.  However, Saipan was different than many of the previous battles for three key reasons.  First, it was a larger island than many of the previous atolls, which meant a larger more entrenched land force, and a longer drawn out battle to take the island.  Second, the previous battles were often either primarily naval battles (Midway) or land battles (Tarawa), but the attack on Saipan would also trigger the largest Naval "carrier-to-carrier" battle in history!   And third, Saipan was the first Japanese 'territory' to be taken, AND the first island close enough to allow the US to establish land bases for B-29 bomber runs into mainland Japan.  The fact that it opened up the mainland to attack and was in the center of Japan's Pacific empire - which allowed the US to cut off many of the occupied islands we had 'hopped over' - made Saipan the decisive point in the Pacific campaign.

Map of the Pacific Front.  The red dotted line marks the furthest extent of Japanese occupation before US forces began to push them back starting with the Battle of Midway.  The Mariana Islands, and Saipan, lie almost directly in the center of the occupied south Pacific and are within B-29 range of mainland Japan, making the battle for Saipan a decisive point in the Pacific Campaign

Now the stage is set, and on 13 June 1944 - a week after the Normandy invasion started - the battle for Saipan begins on the opposite side of the globe.  The Japanese force of 30,000 has been preparing for this battle with bunkers, caves, and even employing the local children to help build a new runway (which is now part of Beach Road).  On the American side there's a force of 71,000: two Marine Divisions, one Army Division, and 15 Naval battleships that conducted a pre-invasion bombardment with 165,000 shells!

The island has few suitable beachheads, so the Japanese had a pretty good idea where the American forces would land.  In addition, they had a commanding 360 degree view from the top of the central peak of Mount Tapochao.  They also knew that they held the decisive territory for the motherland, and were prepared to defend it to their death.  Lastly, before the battle even began, they knew that their Navy would support them with reinforcements.

View looking south from Mt Tapochao.  The International Airport sits on the same site as one of the Japanese airfields, and was a major objective during the initial attack.  The US forces were using the airfield within a week of taking it.  Then the US forces, turned north to attack up the spine of the island.  

As expected, the US forces attacked the southwest beaches where the terrain was much flatter inland, and an offshore reef break gave way to a shallow sand filled lagoon.   Although Japanese preparation ensured heavy losses during the initial attack, the Marines established six mile long beachhead by nightfall on the 15th.  Some of the American tanks lost in the beach landing, still sit in the lagoon with only their turrets poking out above the surf, (If you google images of Saipan, one of the tanks will show up in the first few results.)

The Japanese expected the attack on Saipan, however they did not expect US forces to 'hop' over so many islands in order to attack Saipan.  Despite the surprise, the Japanese saw this as an opportunity to defeat the US Navy in a decisive battle and ordered a naval counterattack on the 15th as well. On Saipan, after a Japanese counterattack that night, the Marines woke up to find the Navy had abandoned them in order to meet the Japanese Navy in the Battle of the Philippine Sea.  This carrier-to-carrier battle also became known as the great turkey shoot, with over 1700 aircraft involved, and the decisive battle Japan had envisioned swung decisively to the Americans.  The Japanese lost 3 of 5 carriers, 2 oil tankers, and around 600 of 750 aircraft.  The US only had one battleship damaged and 123 aircraft lost.  For the Japanese, this defeat meant they would not be able to reinforce their forces on Saipan.

The second night after the beaches were secured, the Japanese staged a counter attack with their largest tank attack in the Pacific.  The attack was intended to cut off the beachhead by rolling down the flank of the US forces, just south of the city of Garapan along what is now Beach Road.  In the end the tank attack failed, as burning tanks helped silhouette the advancing tanks making them easier targets in the night.  Today, a destroyed Japanese Tank sits at the sight of the battle on top of one of the old battle-scarred beach bunkers.

Destroyed Japanese tank on top of a battle-scarred bunker.  Soldiers wrote that during the nighttime battle the burning tanks would silhouette the tanks that were still advancing making them easy targets.

After the tank battle, the Marines pushed inland, the Army division turned south to take the airfield, and the Marines 'swung like a gate' to the north to prepare for the arduous fight up along the central spine of the island.  Some of the heaviest losses took place during the push north in places nicknamed Purple Heart Ridge, Hell's Pocket and Death Valley.   Eventually, the enemy was pushed all the way to the north end of the island, and the Japanese made one final and unsuccessful counter attack. before beginning to commit mass suicide by jumping off an inland cliff, now known as Suicide Cliff, or into the sea from a point known as Bonsai Cliff.  Unfortunately, Japanese propaganda, and over 20 years of Japanese rule led many natives and Japanese civilians to follow the soldiers over the edge.

East side of Suicide Cliff.  Bonsai cliff is on the horizon where the ocean meets the land.  

Bonsai Cliff - Even if a person survived the fall, they had no way of getting out with miles of cliffs in both directions and heavy currents pulling them out to sea.

In the end 29,000 Japanese soldiers perished, 5000 of which were suicides, and 22,000 civilians, most of which were suicides.   The US had 3,426 killed and 10,000 wounded.  The entire battle took 24 days and ended on the 9th of July.  However, a small band of Japanese continued harassing attacks and escaped capture for another 17 months!  They were led by Captain Sakae Oba and did not surrender until after the war was over.

After Saipan was secured the Americans immediately set their sights on the island of Tinian to the south.  It was attacked on the 24th and secured by the first of August, 1944, followed by Guam, the last Mariana island to be taken by US forces.  The other 13 Mariana Islands were essentially cut off and ignored, as were any Japanese and native people that inhabited them.  Shortly after Saipan and Tinian were secured, the existing airstrips were repaired and additional airstrips were built to begin attacks on mainland Japan.  A year later, on 6 August, 1945, the Enola Gay took off from one of those airstrips on Tinian and dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, speeding the end to the war.