Townsman, 1992-03, Page 17To Bermuda
and back:
Memoirs of a
sailing odyssey
(Editor's Note: Last summer Rob Gor-
don, of Stratford, and three friends
sailed his 35 foot boat to Bermuda
and back. The crew included Duane
Sauder, a tie manufacturer from
Kitchener; Ward Fowler, an invest-
ment broker from London; and Dean
Robinson, a journalism teacher and
freelance writer, also from Stratford.
This is Robinson's account of the trip,
presented now as a reminder of life
after winter).
BY DEAN ROBINSON
It was early evening, less than five
hours after casting off. In a gently
rolling sea the Chesapeake light
loomed ever larger, a giant platform -
type structure, at 25 miles offshore a
kind of point of no return.
The tie -man had gone midships on
the leeward side and clutched the
standing rigging to maintain balance
as the boat, under full sail, pranced
smartly toward the wide-open
Atlantic.
"Not the thing to do," he said as he
returned to the cockpit. "Don't go up
there." The colour in his face faded
with each word and quietly eased
himself to the low side, tight to the
stern. Few minutes passed before,
with no warning, he wrenched his
head and shoulders out over the rail.
His lunch was gone in less time than it
had taken him to order it.
The others — the captain, the broker
and the scribe — looked on. They said
nothing but were given to thoughts of
"There but for the grace of God ..."
Some degree of mal de mer was
expected but no one would have bet
this early.
Norfolk, Virginia, to St. George's,
Bermuda, on a 35 -foot C & C sloop.
Mid -June, the best time of year to
make the 700 -mile crossing. Five days
Bermuda bound, and things are looking up for part of the crew of the Spirit
(clockwaise from lop) Ward Fowler, Duane Sauder and Rob Gordon.
with favourable wind and sea condi-
tions. Seven or more if the weekly
squall is especially ugly.
The tie -man passed on the first ship-
board meal. As it would be for the
duration of the voyage, the main
course was something affectionately
known as `silver surprise,' a pre-
cooked entree in a vacuum -sealed foil
pouch. The manufacturer suggests
heating the unopened pouch in boiling
water for five minutes. It can then be
cut open and its contents poured into a
plate and eaten with a fork or spoon.
Chinese, Italian, chicken, beef stew —
a good selection but when the outer
cardboard packing is discarded the sil-
ver pouches are not easy to distin-
guish relative to their contents, at least
in poor light conditions and in a
rolling sca. Those expecting chicken
do not always get chicken.
No matter. On this night none of it
went down all that well. And for the
broker it did not stay down. Thc
scribe was feeling little better than the
two ailing crew members, but a shift
at the helm focused his attention on
the dark water and an overcast sky
animated by thunder and lightning.
The wave of seasickness cast size-
able doubt over what should have
been a time of reassurance for the cap-
tain, who had spent more than a year
planning the passage. A retail clothier
when on shore, the preparation of his
beloved Spirit was meticulous. Not a
speck of maintenance was over-
looked; there were spare parts for
spare parts. He had selected the crew
with attention to skills, experience and
compatibility. Above all, he had said,
"I want this trip to be so enjoyable
that none of us will want it to end."
That line was particularly hard to sell
as day one drew to a close.
Thc thunder and lightning were
accompanied by nothing more than
some bricf showers, a weather pattern
that held for another day or so. But
the wind held as well and Spirit
danced south eastward with the grace
of a thoroughbred.
"Your arms will fall off from wav-
ing at all the traffic out there," had
been the prediction of a salt water vet-
eran who had made the passage more
than once. "At that time of year every-
one is going to Bermuda. In fact you
will have to keep your eyes peeled for
other boats." Well, there was traffic,
especially in the first 100 miles, and
radio contact with a southbound
freighter provided an encouraging
weather report. But after that there
was nothing for almost three days.
TOWNSMAN/MARCH-APRIL 1992 15