July 11 – Day Five: Exploring in Bermuda (Part 1)

By on July 12, 2019 in The Pearl

“We wander for distraction but we travel for fulfillment” – Hilaire Belloc

The problem with only having a few days in such an amazing place like Bermuda is not having enough time to take it all in or do all the wonderful things you’d like to do. We made the best of the time we had and we took in sights from the west end all the way up to St. George and Fort St. Catherine. In fact there’s just too much to report on in one blog post, so I’m cutting it into parts…part II will came later.

Our first stop…actually our first stop yesterday was Somerset Bridge. It’s a small bridge connecting Somerset Island with the mainland of Bermuda. With an opening of just 22” it’s said to be the world’s smallest drawbridge. The bridge is just wide enough for the mast of a well-sailed sailboat to pass through. Boats have to either have an appointment or wait for a kind passer by to help out by lifting the gate.
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Road Trip

By on July 12, 2019 in aCappella

The crew left early this morning for their trip to Castine, Maine. Dylan, Dee Dee, and Dora use a lot of space when underway. But everyone managed to find a spot in the back seat.

Great Saimaa Lakes

By on July 12, 2019 in M/V Dirona

Some of the best places we have visited in our cruise around the world were destinations we hadn’t heard of before arriving in the area. The Great Saimaa Lake system is a beautiful example. We knew we wanted to visit Finland and were looking forward to exploring the thousands of islands that make it a…

Smile Smile Smile

By on July 11, 2019 in Furthur


Smile Smile Smile, So the Grateful Dead song goes and so we did. One of the few things I really miss, even yearn for in the States would be attending the Dead shows. I download the newest ones, watch the videos, and smile at all the pictures my friends post of the shows. So, when I saw there was a real Grateful Dead music festival in nearby Japan, I started the wheels turning.   We like to take go out of the country every year and now enjoy taking Priam, fortunately his school also sees the …
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July 10 – Day Four: Hamilton, Bermuda

By on July 11, 2019 in The Pearl

“The impulse to travel is one of the hopeful symptoms of life.” ― Agnes Repplier

We arrived in Bermuda around 8:30. After docking at the Royal Naval Dockyard we walked over to Oleander Cycle center to rent a scooter for the next two day. It’ll gives us the freedom to explore on our own and at our own pace. We spent the day in and around Hamilton. We did a little shopping and a little sight seeing. 

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July 9 – Day Three: The Island

By on July 10, 2019 in The Pearl

“We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.” – Ray Bradbury

It’s another sea day…relaxing, eating, listening to music, eating, relaxing and eating are the things that are keeping us busy. We’ll be in Bermuda tomorrow morning, so today I thought I’d share a little info on the island. Bermuda offers visitors a large range of things to do from natural places to explore, like beaches and caves, golf corses, museums, art galleries, nightly entertainment, snorkeling, diving, fishing trips and sunset cruises just to name a few, but the one thing Bermuda offers that other places we’ve vacationed in lately is shopping. Bermuda prides itself in offering a great selection of beautiful items from around the world (jewelry, crystal, china, perfume, clothing). The best thing about shopping in Bermuda besides the wonderful selection…no sales tax. I’ll definitely be spending some of my time shopping.
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Saimaa Canal Exit

By on July 10, 2019 in M/V Dirona

On our exit from the Saimaa Canal, we passed through all eight locks, cleared out of Finland, through Russia, and back into Finland all in one busy 15-hour run. As with our entry, the boat was searched extensively at the Russian border, but otherwise the process went smoothly. And also as on the inbound journey,…

July 8 – Day Two: The Ship

By on July 9, 2019 in The Pearl

“The sea fires our imagination and rekindles our spirit.” —Wyland 

Today was our first full day on the ship. We enjoyed a nice breakfast sitting outside in the Sunset Lounge, which is located on the stern of the ship. We arrived before the crowd and it was very enjoyable. For lunch we decide to eat in the main dining room where it was quiet and relaxing. The food has been very good and we can order as many dishes as we want. Most servings are small, so it is easy to try many things.
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Back, Only Better

By on July 9, 2019 in aCappella

Dylan, Dee Dee, and Dora arrived back at Georgetown Yacht Basin last week in preparation for Red Head’s second haul out. Sort of deja vu all over again. Only this time it’s better.

GYB built a set of stairs just for the crew.
No more scaling a series of platforms and ramps. Or being shuttled around in a forklift. Although the forklift was kinda cool…

The crew loves it. 

And uses them without hesitation. In addition, the yard hooked up special hoses and pumps so now there is real air conditioning onboard. Not too shabby.

Return to Lappeenranta

By on July 8, 2019 in M/V Dirona

From Lake Pihlajavesi we ran 71 miles back to Lappeenranta, overnighting partway along. We’d gone through almost all the gasoline we bought in Nynashamn back in April, so stopped off at Puumala to fill our gas tanks for the tender and top up our diesel. At Lappeenranta we found a surprisingly secluded anchorage just north…