Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ISLAND-HOPPING ON
your own
Most first-time visitors think of Bermuda
as one island, but in fact it's a small
archipelago. Many of the islands that
make up the chain are uninhabited. If
you're a bit of a skipper, you can explore
them on your own. With a little guid-
ance and the proper maps, you can dis-
cover small islands, out-of-the-way coral
reefs, and hidden coves that seem
straight out of the old Brooke Shields
B-movie
The Blue Lagoon.
For this boating adventure, rent a
Boston Whaler with an outboard engine.
The name of these small but sturdy
boats reveals their origins: New Eng-
landers once used similar boats in their
pursuit of Moby Dick. It's important to
exercise caution, remembering that the
English found Bermuda in 1612 only after
the
Sea Venture,
en route to the James-
town Colony, was wrecked off the Ber-
muda coast.
In the East End, you can explore Cas-
tle Harbour, which is almost completely
surrounded by islands, forming a pro-
tected lake. If you stop to do some fish-
ing, snapper will be your likely catch.
(Visitors who rent condos or apartments
often take their quarry back to their
kitchenette to prepare it for dinner.) To
avoid the often-powerful swells, drop
anchor on the west side of Castle Har-
bour, near Castle Harbour Golf Club and
Tucker's Town. Then head across Tuck-
er's Town Bay to Castle Island and Cas-
tle Island Nature Reserve. In 1612,
Governor Moore ordered the construc-
tion of a fort on Castle Island, the ruins
of which you can see today.
In the West End, begin your explora-
tion by going under Somerset Bridge
into well-protected Ely's Harbour. To the
north, you can visit Cathedral Rocks
before making a half-circle to Somerset
Village; from here, you can explore the
uninhabited islands off Mangrove Bay.
You can rent a 4m (13-ft.) Boston
Whaler—and pick up some local guid-
ance—at
Blue Hole Water Sports,
Grotto
Bay Beach Hotel, Hamilton Parish
(
&
441/293-2915;
www.blueholewater.
bm). Prices begin at $90 for 2 hours,
$135 for 4 hours, and $195 for 8 hours.
Rates do not include gas.
3
Somers and his shipwrecked party of English sailors came ashore in 1609. (After
Admiral Somers died in Bermuda, in 1610, his heart was buried in the St. George
area, while the rest of his body was taken home to England for burial.) Founded by
Richard Moore, of the newly created Bermuda Company, and a band of 60 colonists,
St. George was the second English settlement in the New World, after Jamestown,
Virginia. Its coat of arms depicts St. George (England's patron saint) and a dragon.
Almost 4 centuries of history come alive here. Generations of sailors have set forth
from its sheltered harbor. St. George even played a role in the American Revolution:
Bermuda depended on the American colonies for food, and when war came, supplies
grew dangerously low. Although Bermuda was a British colony, the loyalties of its
people were divided because many Bermudians had relatives living on the American
mainland. A delegation headed by Col. Henry Tucker went to Philadelphia to petition
the Continental Congress to trade food and supplies for salt. George Washington had
a different idea. He needed gunpowder, and a number of kegs of it were stored at St.
George. Without the approval of the British Bermudian governor, the parties struck a
deal. The gunpowder was trundled aboard American warships waiting in the harbor
of Tobacco Bay under cover of darkness. In return, the grateful colonies supplied
Bermuda with food.
