We first spotted land in the northeast corner of Bermuda, at St. George’s, and then passed by marked coral covered with shallow turquoise water as we made our way to the Royal Naval Dockyard at the tip of Ireland Island. Bermuda is an archipelago of seven main islands and about 170 additional (named) islets and rocks, situated about 650 miles east of Cape Hatteras NC. The West Indies lie more than 800 miles to the southwest
Bermuda was first documented in 1503 by Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez (hence the name – Bermuda). In 1609 English settlers, who were part of the English Virginia Company and had established Jamestown in 1607, permanently settled when the crew and passengers of Sea Venture steered the ship onto the surrounding reef to prevent it from sinking during a hurricane and then landed ashore. Bermuda’s first capital, St. George’s, was established in 1612.
News of those events inspired Shakespeare’s writing of The Tempest (1611–12); in the play Ariel makes reference to “the still-vex’d Bermoothes.” Most of those on board reached Jamestown the following year on two new ships built locally from Bermuda cedar, but the shipwreck marked the beginning of Bermuda’s permanent settlement. Bermuda was included (1612) in the third charter of the Virginia Company, and 60 English settlers were sent to colonize the islands, joining three who had remained from the Sea Venture party.
We arrived in Hamilton on the ferry from the dockyard.
We joined a free walking tour led by the city’s official Town Crier – Ed – who has been in the position for 30 years and works closely with the Mayor scripting official documents and proclamations.
Sitting atop one of the highest points in Hamilton is the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity with a cornerstone dating to 1844, it’s the mother church of Bermuda’s Anglican diocese. The original church burnt to the ground in a case of arson and the Restoration Gothic-style Anglican church was completed in 1905, it was built from native Bermuda limestone and decorative caen stone imported from France.
The center of Hamilton’s business district contains a rainbow of colourful buildings.
We returned to the dockyard on bus #7 – taking the scenic southern route past pristine beaches, turquoise water, marinas, and brightly painted houses with their white tile roofs.
