BERMUDA
Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory with the capital being Hamilton but the island is self-governing with its own constitution and government. The United Kingdom still retains responsibility for its defense and foreign relations, however. Although usually referred to as a single island, it actually consists of 181 small islands. Bermuda is on the same latitude as Charleston, SC, so its weather corresponds to Charleston but its weather is also warmed by the nearby Gulf Stream. It is coolest during the months of Jan, Feb, and March with average daytime temps then in low 60’s. There has never been any record of snow, frost, or freeze. Summer time temps rarely exceed the mid 80’s. The closest point of land in the US is 665 miles away at Cape Hatteras, NC.
The only source of fresh water in Bermuda is rainfall. Rain water is collected on roofs and catchments and stored in tanks. Each house usually has at least one tank for storing water, and in fact, law requires that each household collect rainwater that is piped down from the roof of each house.
Bermuda’s economy is based on offshore insurance and reinsurance, and secondly, on tourism. Tourists are attracted to Bermuda because of its pleasant climate, pink sand beaches, clear blue ocean waters, and coral reefs. Scuba divers and snorklers can explore the numerous wrecks around the coral reefs in relatively shallow water with depths typically 30 to 40 feet. The islands most popular attraction is the Royal Naval Dockyard, where we are docked today and tomorrow. It is filled with shops, museums, pubs, and restaurants and a popular place for cruise ships to dock. From here you can take a short ferry ride to visit Hamilton, the capital, and St George on the north part of islands. Here at the Dockyard you can visit the Maritime Museum; Aquarium, Museum, & Zoo; Underwater Exploration Institute; Botanical Gardens; lighthouses; and underground salt water pools. You cannot rent a car on Bermuda but there is public transportation, taxis, and scooters for hire. Cruise ships will generally advise you not rent a scooter due to safety reasons.
The 2016 census put Bermuda’s population total at just over 65,000, of which, 54% are black, 31% white, 8% multiracial, 4% Asian, and 4% other races. Native born Bermudians make up 67% of the population. Bermudians are not taxed on their income, but rather, they have a consumption tax. Also since there is no corporate income tax the island is a popular tax avoidance location. Google, for example, shifted $10 billion in revenue to a Bermuda subsidiary to avoid US taxes. Although legal, I don’t think that is right. Currency here is the Bermudian dollar. One BMD is equal to one US dollar.
HISTORY:
In 1505 the Spanish explorer Juan de Bermudez (hence the islands name) discovered Bermuda. Both Spanish and Portuguese ships used the islands as a resupply spot to take on fresh water and meat. Neither country attempted to make settlements here due to dangerous reefs and frequent storms. In 1612 the English began the settlement of Bermuda. In 1615 the colony was passed to the Somers Isles Company who suppressed ship building as it needed Bermudans to farm in order to generate income from the land. The people did not like farming but favored ship building. So in 1684 the Somers Company was dissolved and agriculture was rapidly abandoned in favor of ship building. Farmland was replanted with Bermuda cedar trees which grew thickly over the entire island. As the land became deforested, the salt trade became the world’s largest and remained the cornerstone of Bermuda’s economy for the next century. Whaling was also pursued.
After the American Revolution, the Royal Navy began improving the harbors, and in 1811, it started building the large dockyard where we are docked today. During the War of 1812 between the British and US, attacks on Washington DC were launched from here. During the US Civil War the Confederate States used Bermuda as a stopping point in running the Union blockades. The South was delivering cotton to England in exchange for war goods. At the beginning of WWII the US was allowed to build two air bases which were used for many years as USAF aircraft transport and refueling. US naval aircraft it for patrolling the Atlantic for German submarines. Following the end of the Cold War, US forces pulled out of Bermuda in 1995.
LAST NIGHT:
We met a nice couple who lives in Austin, TX, at the block party last evening. After that we adjourned to the Meridian Lounge for a drink prior to dinner. There, we ran into some friends and had nice chat. Once again we asked to be seated at one of Eka's tables in Compass Rose. I included some photos of what we ate. We were very impressed with the veal parmesan that I ordered specially for us last night. I believe it was the best we have ever had--anywhere. Chef Sean had the ship's butcher to cut it thicker than normal for us. It was a 3/4 inch thick bone-in veal chop, perfectly cooked, medium on the inside but still crispy on outside. It melted in our mouths! After dinner the chef came out for us to thank him. While there, I asked if he could prepare some french fried soft shell crabs as an appetizer for our dinner tomorrow night. We are looking forward to that tonight.
After dinner we went to the theater to see the first production show of our cruise, "World Beat". There are 4 singers and 8 dancers in the production show cast. Actually all 12 of them dance. This cast is MUCH better than our cast on the world cruise last year.
TODAY:
We got up a little before 8:00 as I had scheduled breakfast from room service at 8 am. They are very punctual! When I opened our curtain we were just approaching the Royal Naval Dockyard. It was very windy (30+ mph steady wind) so Captain Stan had a challenge getting the ship safely up to the pier.
It was raining, very windy, and cool (57 degrees) so we did not go out on our scheduled tour. We have been to Bermuda a few times so did not need to get off today. We will be here overnight and all day tomorrow so maybe the weather will be better tomorrow. If so, I will get you some photos then. If not, we will be back to Bermuda on the next cruise back to Miami on the Mariner.
So we both went to the gym as usual this morning. For lunch we went up to La Veranda, the buffet. Agustin was just finishing up cleaning our suite when we returned. Rebecca is napping now as I work on this blog post. I'm going to watch a movie on tv after publishing this.
Here is the link to last night's and today's photos. You can cut and paste it to another browser. When open, click on first photo to enlarge it and you can then read my captions. Arrow through rest of photos.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/t1y0uTt0JKHJ0Nof2
