Bermuda boat storage

[Mark Van]

I'm considering a number of options for getting a 32' boat from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean, possibly over a two year period, using May and June for sailing.

One option is to sail it to Bermuda in May/June, then take it the rest of the way in the following May/June. Is this feasible? Is there space on the hard there, and how much is it? Are mooring balls an option, or is that not smart considering it'd be for a year? I realize I can contact marinas in Bermuda, but am interested in thoughts here first. Thanks for any info...

[psk125]

Leaving a boat moored for a year, unattended, is probably not a good idea - even in Bermuda. They do get the occasional hurricane or nasty storm. Storage on the hard is likely to be quite expensive: land in Bermuda is not cheap. Is there a reason for not going all the way to the Caribbean in one season? We went from Tortola to Connecticut in two weeks, including time for a stop in Bermuda. From Nova Scotia three or four weeks should do it.

[Mark Van]

Thanks for the response.

Going all the way to the Caribbean in one season is certainly a possibility. I was going to create another post asking about the best (cheapest, safest, most available berths, etc.) place to lay a boat up for year down there.

I'm also curious about the availability of storage in South Carolina, as I've heard Florida is pretty booked up, and it strikes me as the next best place to launch for the Bahamas, if storage in the Caribbean is iffy.

[Westcliffe01]

The Dominican Republic seems to come up fairly frequently as a place to put up a boat during hurricane season.

[Orion Jim]

Bermuda is a relatively safe spot to lay up a boat on the hard but if a named storm hits they really get whacked hard. None of the yards I’ve seen had any form of tie downs available so the risk of being blown over is great. The moorings are hit and miss and poorly regulated if at all. What usually happens is many boats are blown down upon those with adequate moorings. There are no mandatory annual inspections and lax regulation of licensed moorings. They tend not to enforce laws on land so why bother on the water.
It’s a great place to visit and I spend a couple months a year there on the hook annually (not last year due to the pandemic). Only illness would force me to layover on the hard and I would never trust a mooring.

[Mark Van]

Thanks for that! Certainly helps narrow the options. If I head straight to the Caribbean I'll use it as a waypoint for food and fuel and carry on. I'd like to visit, but I can see it doesn't make sense to store a boat there unless there's a problem.

[Mark Van]

Originally Posted by Westcliffe01

The Dominican Republic seems to come up fairly frequently as a place to put up a boat during hurricane season.

I'll look into that. Have you heard of any particular ports being favored?

[CarlF]

June 1 is the start of hurricane season. Most insurers will charge you dearly for sailing anywhere near Bermuda in June - if they will insure you at all.

[Westcliffe01]

Luperon is a natural lagoon on the north coast, seems to be a popular hurricane hole.

The youtube channel "Bums on a boat" fixed up their sailboat there on the hard over 3 years so I get the impression it is pretty affordable. The couple from "Emily and Clark's adventure" also ended up there in hurricane season last year after various covid delays, a perforated oil pan on their engine and a destroyed main from the sail over from the Bahamas.

If you look up those 2 channels on youtube you will probably find as much info as you will need for planning. For a topographical education there is google earth...

Originally Posted by Mark Van

I'll look into that. Have you heard of any particular ports being favored?

[Knot Safety]

If you are deciding to head all the way to the Caribbean, we have done it twice (Antigua to Halifax back to Antigua) in the past year. Two write ups about it on this site by us. May give you some info to help the decision.

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by CarlF

June 1 is the start of hurricane season. Most insurers will charge you dearly for sailing anywhere near Bermuda in June - if they will insure you at all.

The Marion to Bermuda, the Newport to Bermuda, and the Annapolis to Bermuda races are all held in June with start dates from the first week to the third week of the month. I have observed dozens and dozens of cruisers arrive and depart the island during the month of June over the past several years.

[AiniA]

Other than insurance, I don't see a problem with a passage in June. July might be a problem. If you have two months I would go straight to the Caribbean with a stop in Bermuda for perhaps a week. Someone earlier mentioned that the island gets the 'occasional' storm. It is a lot more than that. Wikipedia lists the following for 2016-2020. I love Bermuda but you would have to pay me a lot to keep my boat there in hurricane season. Once in the Caribbean I would go directly to the south coast of Grenada to get an (almost) hurricane-proof storage location. They were hit twice 2004 and 2005 but generally they are rare there. The yards all use tie-downs.

2016–present[edit]
January 8, 2016 – The extratropical cyclone that would later become Hurricane Alex generates rough seas and 60 mph (100 km/h) wind gusts. Along with sporadic power outages, air travel and ferry services are interrupted.[213]
September 24, 2016 – Tropical Storm Karl passes about 50 mi (80 km) to the southeast. Heavy rainfall, totaling 4.71 in (120 mm), contributes to Bermuda's wettest September on record,[3][214] while tropical storm-force winds cut power to about 800 electric customers.[215]
October 13, 2016 – The eye of Category 3 Hurricane Nicole passes over the islands, though the exact center remains just offshore. Gusts as high as 136 mph (219 km/h) blow down trees and power lines, which cuts power to nearly 90% of the territory.[216][217] Dozens of boats are damaged or destroyed, and entire fields of crops are lost, although property damage is less severe than anticipated.[218][219][220] The hurricane drops 6.77 in (172 mm) of rain, becoming one of the wettest recorded tropical cyclones to impact Bermuda.[216] Total damage is estimated at $15 million.[3]
August 3–4, 2017 – Showers and thunderstorms accompany the extratropical remnants of Tropical Storm Emily as they sweep over the islands.[221]
September 18–19, 2017 – The outer bands of slow-moving Hurricane Jose bring gusts as high as 46 mph (74 km/h) and nearly 2.5 in (64 mm) of rain, as well as a prolonged period of large swells.[222][223]
July 9, 2018 – Moderate showers signal the arrival of atmospheric instability and moisture from Tropical Storm Chris to the southwest.[224]
July 13, 2018 – The extratropical remnants of Hurricane Beryl, passing between Bermuda and the United States, give rise to light rain and gusty winds.[224] On the next day, the disturbance regenerates into a subtropical cyclone while centered 290 mi (470 km) north of the islands.[225]
September 18, 2019 – Bermuda enters the southern eyewall of Category 3 Hurricane Humberto,[226] centered about 65 mi (105 km) northwest at its closest approach. Sustained winds of up to 110 mph (177 km/h) with higher gusts hit northern and western areas the hardest,[227] damaging the roofs of as many as 600 buildings.[226][228] Nearly 28,000 electric customers lose power, many roads are left impassable,[3] and farmers report severe losses to fruit and vegetable crops.[229] On the Bermuda Weather Service campus, a GOES-16 satellite receiving dish and weather balloon launching platform are destroyed, and weather radar service is cut near the height of the storm.[226] Overall damage is estimated at $25 million.[227] Because of effective preparations, Humberto causes no deaths or serious injuries.[226]
September 24–25, 2019 – Around 1 in (25 mm) of rain falls in advance of Hurricane Jerry's dwindling remnant low, which ultimately passes directly over the islands.[230]
September 29 – October 1, 2019 – Clouds and light rain associated with Tropical Storm Karen linger for several days. Meanwhile, Horseshoe Bay is closed to swimmers because of dangerous swells from distant but powerful Hurricane Lorenzo.[231][232]
July 4–5, 2020 — Moderate rainfall and some thunderstorms with tropical-storm force wind gusts occur as Tropical Depression Five (later Tropical Storm Edouard) passes 70 mi (110 km) to the north of the islands.[233][234][235]
September 14–15, 2020 — Hurricane Paulette makes landfall on the northeastern part of the island as a high-end Category 1, bringing heavy wind, rain, and storm surge. Just under 70% of the island lost power and wind gusts reached 115 mph (185 km/h). A direct hit to the island, the eye of the hurricane provided an unusual 3 hour respite from the strong winds. [236]

[Mark Van]

Thanks for the responses. I'm going to look into land storage at Luperon with the idea of eventually working down to Grenada, and laying up there.

I'll have to check the insurance situation for Bermuda in June. I expect we'd be through there in May, but probably still in transit to the Caribbean in early June, which would present the same problem. It sounds like someone is insuring those rally boats at least, so I'm optimistic.

Another possibility is to stay coastal down to South Carolina, with the intent of working down into the Caribbean starting in the Bahamas. I'll make a separate post for info on boatyards in SC.

[davil]

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

Bermuda is a relatively safe spot to lay up a boat on the hard but if a named storm hits they really get whacked hard. None of the yards I’ve seen had any form of tie downs available so the risk of being blown over is great. The moorings are hit and miss and poorly regulated if at all. What usually happens is many boats are blown down upon those with adequate moorings. There are no mandatory annual inspections and lax regulation of licensed moorings. They tend not to enforce laws on land so why bother on the water.
It’s a great place to visit and I spend a couple months a year there on the hook annually (not last year due to the pandemic). Only illness would force me to layover on the hard and I would never trust a mooring.

=====================================
Orion Jim
interested on your comments about spending time in Bermuda
you mentioned a couple of months?
thinking to use Bermuda as a stop over to continue to Puerto Rico.??
Because scheduling thinking on sailing end of November, return home for the holidays by flying, back to Bermuda January.
That is too late to continue.
Will consider remaining in Bermuda for a few months until it is safer to continue.
How is Bermuda as a destination for several months?
Thank you very much
David

PM sent

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by davil

=====================================
Orion Jim
interested on your comments about spending time in Bermuda
you mentioned a couple of months?
thinking to use Bermuda as a stop over to continue to Puerto Rico.??
Because scheduling thinking on sailing end of November, return home for the holidays by flying, back to Bermuda January.
That is too late to continue.
Will consider remaining in Bermuda for a few months until it is safer to continue.
How is Bermuda as a destination for several months?
Thank you very much
David


PM sent

Never been there over the winter months but they have little variation in temperature (as compared with New England) so I would find the slightly lower temperatures and reduced humidity delightful.
The attractions are not seasonal and I’m sure cruisers will be rare so you should have your pick of prime locations to anchor. I don’t know what COVID protocols may be in place at this time but when I was there in June tourists were a rarity and many shops were closed. The restaurants were in operation with reduced hours and staff. The high speed ferry service from St. George’s to Hamilton was not in service. The busses had strictly enforced maximum passenger restrictions and the frequency of stops was reduced. The supermarkets were all open and salad bars and such were just reopening.
This should be helpful Bermuda Marine and Ports
When you clear Customs you are granted a 90 day stay. They used to offer extending that to an additional 90 days for a small fee but you will have to see if that is still an active policy.
Personally, over the years I have found Bermuda, in May and June, to be a cruisers crossroads, and as such, a feast for the ears and eyes. I have met numerous interesting people and always thoroughly enjoyed my time there.