Sailing to Bermuda
(and back)

Last Updated 04/28/2008

"A voyage under sail to Bermuda can be a rewarding and relaxing experience -- provided that you plan your voyage carefully and adequately check and prepare your vessel." So say the people at the Bermuda Department of Tourism in their invaluable information sheet Yachts (Private) Sailing to Bermuda (see below). It's over 600 miles of blue water, whether you're leaving from southern New England or from the Mid-Atlantic states; you should expect at least a spot of bad weather; and you are on your own the whole way.

Here are some books and charts to help you with the all important planning and preparation.

DMA Charts | BA Charts |Imray Chart |the Big Picture |
the Trip Home | Cruising Guides | Currents & Tides | Flags |
Backing up your GPS |

DMA (NIMA)

DMA charts are issued by the U.S. government. They are large and clear, though a little awkward on a small boat. With each DMA chart from Pilothouse you get a free ANMS (Automated Notice to Mariners) printout to bring it up to date. Prices are $20.25 each

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British Admiralty charts are smaller than DMA charts, and are designed to be folded once. They are hand-corrected at time of sale. Please allow one week for delivery. Prices are currently $52.95 each, subject to frequent change due to the unstable exchange rate.

Imray -Iolaire charts have long been the choice of Caribbean sailors. Imray now offers a yachting chart that can substitute for all of the DMA or BA charts in column one. Recommended.

I-I E5 Bermuda. 1:60,00, with more detailed insets. 1998, corrected to JAN99. 24"x35" waterproof, with sailing directions and other information on the back. $38.00   T11891

I-I 100 North Atlantic Ocean Passage Chart. Conical projection- Great Circle routes are plotted as straight lines. Routes between the Caribbean, the eastern seaboard of the United States, and Europe. The back has charts showing wind roses, wave heights, and incidence of gales April to July and October to December. Water resistant paper, plastic case. 44 X 30, folds to 9 X 12. 2003 edition. $47.00  I-I 100

NOS 5161 Newport to Bermuda Plotting Sheet.  A special-purpose chart designed for the Newport to Bermuda race but useful for any vessel leaving from New York or southern New England, not from the Delaware or Virginia Capes. 1:1,058,400.  $14.75  T5860

OGF 5161 Newport to Bermuda Plotting Sheet.  The Print-on-Demand edition of NOS5161, on Water-Resistant paper, with "No-LORAN" option.  $20.25 T17393
Click Here for More Information on Print-on-Demand

DMA 108 Southeast Coast of North America. Nova Scotia, the eastern U.S., Bermuda, and the Virgin Isles.  $12.00

DMA 925 Position Plotting Sheet, Lat 29 to 36. Not a chart -- you draw in the land features yourself. $5.25
DMA 926 Position Plotting Sheet Lat 35 to 41.  $5.25

Don't forget that on your return trip a weather front could put your intended landfall on the American mainland dead to windward, making a diversion "the better part of valor." Be sure to have a good supply of coastal charts on board.

DMA Sailing Directions SDPUB147, Caribbean Sea Volume 1 from DMA. 2004. Includes a nine-page chapter on Bermuda. Written for larger ships, but of some use to yachts. 8 x11 175 pages paperback $35.00  T3849

Bermuda Yachting Guide from Bermuda Maritime Museum Press, 1994. Out of print; but see next item.

Yachts (Private) Sailing to Bermuda.  Annual information sheet from Bermuda Department of Tourism. Good, solid, up-to-date. 
Click Here to Download PDF

Tide Tables 2008 East Cost of North and South America. For the vertical rise and fall. Includes two points in Bermuda. $13.95  T15312

Tides and Currents (East) for Windows. The computer program we use to produce our hand-out tide tables. Tide and current information to the year 2100, Nova Scotia to the Caribbean, including Bermuda. $119.00 T12188

Gulf Stream Companion, the Art of Navigating the Gulf Stream by the editors of Ocean Navigator magazine. 55 pages 6 X 9 saddlestiched. $14.00 T8151

"Red duster" with seal. Seaworthy Nyl-Glo nylon body, white canvas headings, brass grommets. 
12"x18" $17.95  T10151
2'x3' $38.00 T281

"Q" (Quebec) signal flag. Often referred to as the "quarantine" flag. Flown at entry until cleared by customs. 
12" x 15" $11.00 T10152
2'x2' $22.00 T7396

If you're packing your sextant, make sure that you also have the necessary tables and papers.

Nautical Almanac from U.S. Naval Observatory. 2006 edition. $56.25 T146310

Nautical Almanac Commercial Edition 2006 $24.95 T18100

HO 249 Sight Reduction Tables for Air Navigation, Volume 2. Latitudes 0 to 40. The tables most used by yachtsmen. $19.95 T16657

Universal Plotting Sheets VP-OS. 50 sheets to the pad. $4.95 T730