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