Bermuda Adventure 2024 - Day 5

It struck me that after living much of my life boating around the east coast from Boston to Jamaica that this is the farthest I have cruised from shore. We are 650 miles off the coast of North Carolina. We cruised 6,500 miles on our Great Loop trip but our farthest point east was the Bahamas which was probably 125 miles offshore. Our other sailboat cruises to Cuba and Jamaica were all north to south. I have often thought I’d like to sail across the Atlantic. That is still on my bucket list.

It is said if you kiss in the circular arch your love will go on forever like a circle.

Alison and Oscar found a way to get a little “ME” time.

One of the other highlights of our snorkeling trip was unlimited rum swizzles. The rum swizzle is the national drink of Bermuda.

For our last day in Bermuda we split up our activities and went our separate ways for the day. JP, Rachel and kids went to the national zoo and aquarium and played mini golf. I joined Oscar, Alison and Jack on a cave exploring, cave swimming, cliff diving and snorkeling trip.

JP made a new friend at the zoo. There were many animals from around the Caribbean. They gave the zoo high marks for being on an Island.

Alison, Oscar and Jack are outfitted in their spelunking gear and ready to explore the caves. The tour hands our hair nets to keep the helmets a bit fresher. Nice touch.

Our tour guide was retired master sergeant Darren Millett. He spent 35 years in the Bermuda military and was a cave rescue expert. He trained for eighteen months at Camp Lejune. He was very disciplined and liked his whistle. He reminded me of Louis Gossett Jr as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley USMC in the movie An Officer and a Gentleman. He was the right man for the job.

Our tour group had some interesting people. There were three young school teachers from Connecticut traveling together. They shared one cabin and partied like crazed Carnival cruisers. They taught grades 1, 2 and 4 and took an immediate liking to Jackson who was in full on “Young Sheldon” mode. Jack also answered every question our tour guide asked. No one else had a chance. He was rewarded with a double scoop of ice cream at lunch.

Jackson with his double scoop of ice cream courtesy of tour guide Millett.

There was a single woman in our group. She was in her mid forties or fifty. She proclaimed to be serial cruiser. She had no possessions, no house or car or fixed address. She spends her life on Norwegian Cruise ships. She claimed that last year she was on 17 cruise ships in 4 months and visited 102 countries. I didn’t challenge her on her math. Maybe it is true. Between cruises she stays in a hostel in NYC for $90 per night.

I have found that the best way to keep the old man out is to do everything my daughter and eight year old grandson want to do. We climbed through a cave with very narrow passageways and jumped into an underground lake. The water temperature in the cave was very refreshing.

Jackson jumping off a cliff. Alison and I jumped with him. If anyone tells him to jump off a cliff he can say - too late - I already have.

Our last stop for the day was a secluded beach near Horseshoe Beach. We swam and snorkeled until the drill instructor blew his whistle and it was time to go,

JP and family had a very fun day exploring Crystal Caves. The water was crystal clear.

Eleanor and family finished the day with a game of mini golf. She did great. Holey Moley!

This is our last day in Bermuda. The ship sets sail for NYC at 7:00 am. We will be at sea for two days.

The next and final blog will publish on Sunday.