Our First stop in Bermuda did not disappoint…

After two days at sea, we woke up at 6:40 am ready for a day at our first Port of Call: Bermuda.

Bermuda is located in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean about 650 miles (1.050 km) east of the coast of North Carolina and 3,168 miles (5.099 km) of Portugal. The archipelago of 21 square miles (54 square km) consists of 181 islands and islets, with the 7 largest ones interconnected by bridges. It is the summit of a now extinct submerged volcanic mountain range and is considered as a ” coral island”.

Just on time for sunrise and having breakfast while Nieuw Statendam was making its way towards King’s Wharf at the Royal Navy Dockyard located at the western end of the island.

The Royal Naval Dockyard was once Britain’s largest naval base outside of the UK. It was built for the British Royal Navy in the early 19th century after its defeat in the American War of Independence and played a vital role in the strategic defense of the Western Atlantic from the War of 1812 until shortly after World War II. The British ships left from here to attack Washington DC and Baltimore during the War of 1812 and the words of the Star-Spangled Banner were written by a prisoner, Baltimore lawyer Francis Scott Key, while aboard a British ship based in Bermuda.

Dockyard has been converted into a tourist attraction with museums for cruise ships and visitors and was home in 2017 to the historic 35th America’s Cup. Bermuda invested a lot of money to build the facility to host the teams hoping the US team would win and continue to train here but New Zealand won and took the competition down under.

We had booked a private tour through David’s yoga friend Duncan who is Bermudian so our guide Jason picked us up at the Royal Navy Dockyard at 9:30 am.

We took the Harbor Road and started to learn about Bermuda history and local life.

The island was discovered in 1505 by the Spanish and later colonized by the English. Bermuda is the oldest self-governing Overseas Territory in the British Commonwealth, with its own laws but the British Government retains responsibility for defense, security, and external affairs. It has also become a successful offshore financial center.

We were immediately surprised by the white roofs of the houses and Jason explained that Bermuda has no natural springs or water resources so inhabitants have to be creative and collect the rain water from their roofs and store it in a water tank built underground beneath their houses. So they paint their roofs every 4 or 5 years with a special water based white paint to avoid the collected water to be contaminated by fungus or bacteria. It also helps keeping their houses cooler during the warmer months.

We arrived at Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, a 117 foot (36 m) tall lighthouse that was built in 1844. It is the tallest in Bermuda and one of the first in the world to be made of cast iron. The lighthouse overlooks the South Shore and Little Sound, offering views of the City of Hamilton and the Royal Naval Dockyard. 

Next stop was at the Crystal Caves further east after driving by the capital city of Hamilton.

Bermuda has over 150 limestone caves, many of which have shallow submerged portions that connect to the ocean via tidal springs. The caves are thought to be millions of years old and the first one is approximately 547 yards (500 m) long, and 203 foot (62 m) deep.

By 11 am, we started to descend the 181 steep stairwells carved into the rock until we reached a 55 foot (17 m) deep crystal clear lake. We walked on floating pontoon bridges to the other side of the clear underground lake while admiring the white crystalized stalactites cling to the ceilings as well as the jagged stalagmites protruding upward from the cave’s floors.

Photos at Crystal Caves

We continued our drive further east and passed by the new airport built on new land reclaimed from the sea.

Soon, we reached St. George’s town on St. George’s Island, which was the first English settlement established in 1612 in Bermuda and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. We spent time walking around its colonial buildings, including the 18th-century town hall, the Tucker House Museum, and St. Peter’s Chapel with its Black Slave Cemetery. The town was very charming with picturesque cottages, quaint lanes, and narrow alleyways. 

Back in the car, we drove by the Unfinished Church which was conceived to replace St Peter’s Chapel but was never completed due to funding problems and stopped at St Catherine Fort at the northeastern tip of the island.

On our way back, we drove by Tucker’s Town, Bermuda’s most exclusive neighborhood, also called “Billionaires’ Row”.

Jason told us that it was expensive to live in Bermuda although they do not have to pay income taxes and it also reflects on prices of electricity, lodging and touristic activities. He also confirmed what our cruise director told us… it is illegal for men to be shirtless in public areas!

Then, Jason took us on the South Shore Road where the most beautiful beaches are located. We made a stop at one of the most iconic one: Warwick Long Bay. The beach is breathtaking with pink sand and rocks surrounded by turquoise water. A short walk further was Jobson’s Cove. This small secluded beach was even more breathtaking and idyllic although the water was still cold and very few people were enjoying a swim.

Photos at Jobson’s Cove & Warwick Long Beach

Then, it was already time to head back to the Royal Navy Dockyard where Jason dropped us at 2:30 pm. We walked around for a short while before heading back to the ship and having a light late lunch. It was our first time in Bermuda and our 5-hour tour did not allow us to taste the local food but we got to see the main highlights of the island.

Photos during our tour across Bermuda

At 4 pm, Nieuw Statendam left its berth and sailed away on the North Channel and the Narrows for about 19 miles (30 km). The channel is only 41 foot (12.5 m) deep and 498 foot (152 m) wide. It was low tide and we could see clearly the coral reefs on each side of the channel. Following this route is mandatory for cruise ships which also need to have a Bermudan pilot on board during the navigation between the Royal Navy Dockyard and Fort St Catherine before reaching the open Atlantic Ocean.

Not sure when we will have another chance to visit Bermuda but we would certainly spend time at one of its amazing beach and jump in its turquoise water.

What’s ahead of us…6 days at sea before our next destination!