Bermuda From Above

October in Bermuda

Due to the heavy additional No Fly restrictions imposed by the BCAA for the SailGP event here in Bermuda this was the best image I could get while keeping the camera in “legal airspace”. The zoom feature is digital so the more you use the more resolution you lose 🙁

Blackwatch Pass was built, or more correctly, excavated through the ridgeline between the North Shore Road and Marsh Folly around 1934. This was during the time of the Great Depression when there was severe unemployment in Bermuda although the need for more efficient access to Hamilton from North Shore had existed for some time. The project provided welcome economic relief for many.
The name of the pass comes from the location of the Blackwatch Well at its North Shore end which itself dates from 1849. All the Bermuda limestone removed through the excavations was used to fill the marshland south-west of the pass creating what became known as Bernard Park.

Looking back across what was the North-East arm of the breakwater at HM Dockyard. In this view it looks more like a 4-lane highway 😉

It has been a while since I added a photo from Bermuda’s most north-westerly extension. The former H.M. Dockyard hardly needs an introduction and in spite of this being early March a few days of nice weather were just the right sort of motivation. Does feel strange though without a throng of cruise ship visitors everywhere 😊

https://instagram.com/p/C4OFUjuuJic/

It has been a while since I added a photo from Bermuda’s most north-westerly extension. The former H.M. Dockyard hardly needs an introduction and in spite of this being early March a few days of nice weather were just the right sort of motivation. Does feel strange though without a throng of cruise ship visitors everywhere 😊

The Swizzle Inn hardly needs an introduction. There has been a licensed bar here since 1932 and today this popular hostelry is a full-service restaurant as well. Its proximity to Castle Harbour would have meant it was a popular watering hole for those working on the construction of Kindley Air Force Base during WW2. It remained popular with personnel living and working at the base until it closed in 1995. The building is still owned by Gosling’s, the rum people, and legend has it that the recipe is tied to the lease meaning that it would be passed along to a new proprietor in the event of a sale. In practice, the business doesn’t change hands very often and I’m sure the recipe has gradually evolved over the years to suit more contemporary tastes. A personal memory was of the sign outside which for many years encouraged air travelers heading to the nearby Bermuda airport to “Fly On A Swizzle”

Not that far ‘above’ but looking over the eastern end of Hamilton Harbour from Cavendish Road…happy Monday 🙂

The forerunner of the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club was founded in 1882. The club was located at various locations in the City of Hamilton until moving to its current location in the photo in 1964. The history of this sailing club is well-documented and worth reading about, particularly with respect to the on again-off again use of “Royal” in the official name:
http://www.rhadc.bm/about/history/
In 1977 the club became the local headquarters for the biennial cruising race known as the Marion-Bermuda Race. It’s run in alternate years with the Newport-Bermuda Race hosted across the harbour by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.