Note

Flew home to North Carolina for the weekend, to collect some summer clothes and art supplies, and surprise my mom. Grand visit. Still a lot of chores and visits undone, tho.

We had rain while I was gone, always a good thing since we are so far behind in accumulation.
This is the week to enjoy the Tall Ships festival - part of the Atlantic Challenge. Twenty-two lovely sailing ships take part, and are arriving the first part of this week from Vigo, Spain, then Tenerife. Bermuda is the second stop, about a month into the sail, with two months left for the journey to Charleston, Boston, Halifax and back across the Atlantic to Belfast. (Photos of some of the ships can be seen at http://www.bermudashortsdesign.com/gallery/gallery.asp?categoryid=148 )

Thursday the ships, which are accumulating at either end of the island, sail into Hamilton Harbor and are berthed along Front Street. Over the next couple of days, in the evenings, a couple of the main streets will be shut down for street parties, including the overflow of seating from the several Front Street restaurants into the street itself, with performers, street vendors, etc. We can tour most all the tall ships during part of their stay. I'm looking forward to it all.

Monday they 'unberth' from Hamilton, proceeding to the Great Sound in the order designated by the Harbour Master; at noon the Parade of Sail starts, along North Shore, past Ft. St. Catherine and out to the start line of the race. At 4 the race starts off St. David's Head, to Charleston.

Don't know how much I can see, but I'm hoping to put myself in the way of the events a much as possible! They are stunningly lovely things.