Bermuda - Cruise port photo tour and guide

Its all about ships
and more

PORTS OF CALL

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CRUISING TO

BERMUDA
Photo Tour*

Page 1

OVERVIEW

Bermuda is a unique set of islands. It is not in the
Caribbean and it is not in the Bahamas. Rather, Bermuda
is located 570 miles due east of Cape Hatteras, North
Carolina.

Due to its location, Bermuda also differs from the other
islands in temperature and climate. While the weather in
Bermuda is typically warm and sunny, it is not subtropical.

Aside from location, Bermuda differs from the other
islands in its standard of living. It has long been an
offshore financial center with many banks, financial houses
and corporations having offices on the island. As a result,
Bermuda is not completely dependent on tourism for its
income. While everyone is not a millionaire, one does not
see abject poverty in Bermuda.

Bermuda is not one island but rather is made up of more
than 120 islands. However, many of these are quite small
and a visitor’s Bermuda is limited to the six largest islands
(Ireland, Boaz, Main (also called Great Bermuda),
Somerset, St. David’s and St. George’s). These islands
are linked by roads and causeways and often it is difficult
to tell when one has left one island and entered another.

The islands form a narrow hook-shape that is
approximately 21 miles long. At its widest point, Bermuda
is about two and a half miles wide. The highest point is
259 feet above sea level. Politically, the island is divided
into nine parishes. The capital city is Hamilton.

There are 67,000 residents living within some 21 square
miles. This makes Bermuda the third most densely
populated place on the planet. However, very little of the
islands has been urbanized. There is plenty of green place
and crowds are rare.

Bermuda’s lifestyle still shows traces of its English roots.
It is perhaps a little more formal and traditional than other
islands. It also has its own distinctive elements.
Businessmen do still wear jacket and tie with Bermuda
shorts.

Due to its climate and lifestyle, Bermuda attracts many of
the rich and famous. Modern mansions are quite common
along the shoreline as are yachts and smaller boats.

Because lumber is scarce, the more traditional houses in
Bermuda are made from concrete and are painted in bright
pastel colors. There is no reservoir of fresh water so the
roofs are built to capture the rain and channel it into
cisterns so that it can be saved for drinking water, bathing
and other purposes.

Bermuda is tourist friendly with many attractions catering
to visitors. There are also resorts, hotels and dining
establishments. In addition, it is also an easy place to get
around with a good public transportation system.

The islands are a British territory. However, Bermuda is
self-governing and takes no internal laws from Britain.

The currency is the Bermudian dollar, which is pegged to
the American dollar. American currency and credit cards
are widely-accepted.

Above: A recreation of the Deliverance in St. George.
Below: A ship's anchor in the Royal Naval Dockyard.

The Sally Bassett statue in
Hamilton pays tribute to a slave
woman who was wrongly
executed.

Above: Holland America's Veendam docked along Front Street
in Hamilton. Below: Even small ships such as Royal Majesty
towered over St. George.

Above: A public bus.
Below: The bus station in Hamilton.

Left: A horse drawn carriage
touring the Royal Naval
Dockyards.

Cruise port - photo tour - Bermuda - page 1

HISTORY    In 1609, the British colony at Jamestown,
Virginia was nearing collapse. In order to protect their
investment in that colony, investors in the Virginian
Company dispatched a nine-ship rescue fleet to save
Jamestown. However, during their transatlantic crossing,
the fleet encountered a hurricane that dispersed the fleet and
which caused the flagship, the Sea Venture, to founder on a
forgotten group of uninhabited islands. These islands had
first been discovered by Spanish explorer Juan Bermudez in
1505 but no attempt to colonize them had been made.

There was no loss of life in the wreck of the Sea Venture.
During the next ten months, the survivors built a new ship,
Deliverance, out of what they could salvage from the old
ship and a new ship, Patience, out of what they could find
on the islands.. While the islands had little in the way of
fresh water, they were tranquil and provided enough food
for survival. Accordingly, their leader Admiral Sir George
Somers, claimed the islands for England. When the new
ships were completed, all but two of the Sea Venture
survivors sailed on to Virginia. (The two were left behind
primarily to maintain England’s claim to the islands).

When the story of the Sea Venture reached England, it
caused a sensation. In fact, it is often said that it inspired
William Shakespeare to write The Tempest. It also
inspired the Virginia Company to send an expedition to
establish a colony on the island. As a result, Sir Richard
Moore established the first permanent settlement on
Bermuda on July 11, 1612 at St. George.

At first, the economy of Bermuda was dependent upon
tobacco exports.   This led to the importation of the first
African slaves to the islands in 1616. (The slave trade
would not be outlawed until 1807 and all slaves would not
be freed until 1834). However, a combination of poor
governmental policy, insufficient cultivatable land and
natural pests brought down the island’s tobacco industry.

In its place cedar production became the main industry and
ship building became important. A by-product of this was
the development of the Bermuda sloop, which was very
useful in commerce and in commerce raiding.

Bermuda’s location not far off the coast of the United States
has played an important part in its history. Prior to the
American Revolution, the islands had traded extensively
with the American colonies. However, when the Revolution
came the Continental Congress declared an embargo of
Bermuda that was so effective that a delegation of
Bermudians traveled to Philadelphia to negotiate. While
there was no official agreement, the embargo was lifted
after gun powder from a munitions warehouse in St. George
found its way onto American ships. Still, many of the
islands’ ships were used as privateers against American
shipping.

Due to its loss of the American colonies, Britain increased
its military presence in Bermuda in order to protect
commerce going to its Canadian and Caribbean colonies.
The military build-up led to spending on the islands and the
Bermuda economy prospered.

During the American Civil War, the Confederate States
built blockade runners to elude the Union ships that were
stationed off the coast to prevent commerce with the rebels.
The confederate ships were designed for speed and not for
the rigors of crossing the Atlantic. As a result, Bermuda
prospered as a transshipment point for cargoes from Europe
that were loaded onto Confederate blockade runners..

Bermuda was used as a base against German submarines in
both World Wars. It also was used as a staging point for
transatlantic convoys. In order to relieve it of the burden of
protecting Bermuda, in 1941 Britain gave the United States
a lease to establish military bases on Bermuda. These
bases continued to operate until well into the Cold War.
Bermuda’s airport is built on the former American air base.

It is usually said that the visit by Princess Louise, one of
Queen Victoria's children, marked the beginning of
Bermuda's rise as a tourist destination. She was followed
by 19th Century American millionaires who came to the
island to escape the North American winters. Bermuda,
however, became a popular destination following World
War II when cruise ship travel to the island grew. After jet
airplane service was introduced, tourism again surged.

Bermuda remains a British overseas territory. Although it
became a self-governing colony in 1620 when its House of
Assembly had is first session, a formal constitution was not
adopted until 1968. A referendum on independence was
defeated in 1995..

THE CRUISE PORT There are three places
where cruise ships can dock in Bermuda.

In the not too distant past, it was not uncommon to see a
line of cruise ships tied-up along Front Street,
Bermuda's capital city. Passengers could simply walk
off the ship and be right in the heart of town. Now,
however, only small and medium sized cruise ships
are able to dock in Hamilton. Since cruise ships are
getting larger and larger, fewer and fewer ships are
docking in Hamilton.

The same is true of St. George's at the eastern tip of
the island. In fact, as of this writing, none of the major
lines are docking in St. George although Holland
America's Veendam does call there as a tender port.

As a result, the vast majority of cruise ships calling in
Bermuda, dock at the Royal Naval Dockyard at the
western tip of the island. This area has two piers - -
King's Wharf and Heritage Wharf.

The Dockyard is somewhat distant from most of
Bermuda's traditional tourist attractions. However, in
the last decade, the port area has been transformed with
shops, eateries and museums. There is also a high
speed ferry service running between the port and
downtown Hamilton and St. George.

OVERVIEW, HISTORY, CRUISE PORT,
AND GETTING AROUND...........................................................................Page One

CENTERS OF INTEREST (Hamilton).........................................................Page Two

CENTERS OF INTEREST (Royal Naval Dockyard)...................................Page Four

OUT OF TOWN............................................................................................Page Five

BEACHES ....................................................................................................Page Six

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES.............................................................................Page S even

* This photo tour and the accompanying commentary should only be viewed as a general guide that is based upon one writer's research
and experiences. Accordingly, readers should do their own research prior to their journey. Beyondships is not affiliated with any of the
entities depicted or mentioned herein and assumes no responsibility for their actions and for the products and/or services they provide.
Nor is inclusion in this photo tour a recommendation of the entity shown, its products, services or facilities.

Above: Explorer of the Seas at King's Wharf.
Left: To give an idea of the two Dockyard piers'
relative positions, in this photo, Norwegian Spirit is
docked at Heritage Wharf, directly ahead of
Grandeur of the Seas, which was docked at King's
Wharf.
Below: Norwegian Dawn at Heritage Wharf.

GETTING AROUND Bermuda has a good public
transportation system.

Most cruise ship passengers opt to take the ferry service that
runs between the Royal Naval Dockyard, Hamilton and St.
George. The ferries include high speed catamarans that pass
islands with modern mansions and other interesting sights. In
Hamilton was $4.00. However, one can also buy a multi-day
pass that are also good on the public buses. The ferries only
accept tokens or passes. They can be purchased at the Hamilton
Ferry and Bus Terminals, Visitor Information Centres, sub-post
offices, hotels and guest houses. They are also available in the
Dockyards.

The regularly scheduled buses go to almost everywhere on the
islands that a visitor would find of interest. Bus stops are
marked by pink and blue poles. A pink pole indicates that the
bus is heading toward Hamilton. The blue poles indicate that the
bus is going away from Hamilton. As with the ferries, the fares
are reasonable. The buses only accept exact change (in coins
only), tokens and passes.

Because the buses must follow the roads, which are often narrow
and windy, and contend with traffic, they do take longer to go
from say the Dockyards to Hamilton or to St. George. However,
they do go to more places than the ferries.

Taxis in Bermuda are regulated and are metered. In 2010, the
first mile fare was $6.40 and $2.00 for each additional mile.
The fares are greater for groups of five or more passengers and
for trips during the period midnight to 6 a.m. There are usually
taxis waiting for passengers by the ships in the Dockyard.

There are also horse drawn carriages in Hamilton and in the
Dockyard. These are usually hired by the half hour. In 2010, the
rate was $40 a half hour.

It should also be kept in mind when crossing streets and walking
around Bermuda that Bermuda follows the British system of
driving, not the American system. Thus, cars, scooters, and
buses drive on the left.

Taxis are regulated and the fares are fixed by law.

Left: A high
speed ferry
departs the
Royal Naval
Dockyard for
Hamilton.