Yachts buoy Old Town

WEDNESDAY, FEB 29: St George’s may be missing a cruise ship or two, but the Old Town remains a frequent stopping port for yachts before they head across the Atlantic for Europe.

In the last week crews from two large sailing vessels have been enjoying the hospitality of the East End.

The 118-foot research schooner Tara came into St George’s the weekend before last, and left the island on Friday bound for the Azores.

Her homeward trip will mark the end of a two-and-a-half year scientific expedition to study the ocean’s plankton.

Since she left France in September 2009 she has sailed more than 80,000 nautical miles over the North and South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as well as the Indian Ocean.

Meanwhile the STV Eendracht arrived in St George’s on Sunday evening from St Maarten.

She is a Dutch training vessel and was docked at Penno’s Wharf for just over a day to give the 13-strong permanent crew a little bit of time off.

The Eendracht is on her way back to Europe via the Azores.

Holland’s largest three-mast tall ship left the island on Monday.

The pilot boat, St David, was in action again last Friday helping to bring a sick sailor into Bermuda for hospital treatment.

The container ship Ocean Promise was forced to divert on her journey from Germany to Mexico on Friday afternoon after the Chief Officer suffered a suspected stroke.

The pilot boat came alongside the Ocean Promise at around 7:30pm and the chief officer was helped aboard, before being brought into Penno’s Wharf and taken to hospital.

Elsewhere this week it’s pretty quiet out at sea.

The only other scheduled arrival is the Bermuda Islander, which should get into Hamilton tomorrow morning.