Bermuda - Attractions

All are invited to a talk at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club by the author of the best-selling book Saving Sailing.

Participation in sailing is declining in America, down 70% since 1979. But not for the reasons that you might expect. And Saving Sailing is a hot topic: when the book by the same title burst onto the scene in October, it quickly topped Amazon’s Hot New Releases list in sailing, and garnered 5-star reviews by sailors, parents, teachers and people interested in fun and challenging outdoor free time pursuits. Saving Sailing is a provocative argument and action plan for the revival of family sailing and quality uses of free time for rewarding intergenerational pastimes and lifelong hobbies. Sailors appreciate it for its familiar stories and the opportunity to reflect on sailing in the bigger picture. Sailing clubs and instructors appreciate its advocacy of the core role of organizations and volunteerism in building a lifelong passion for sailing.

Author Nicholas D. Hayes will be speaking at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club on Tuesday, January 25th. The event is open to the public. Proceeds will go to the RBYC Junior Sailing Programme.

In his presentation, Hayes will share his experiences while researching and writing the book, he will share the facts, dispel some myths about sailing, read an excerpt, and offer clear and practical suggestions for newcomers to try sailing, sailors to make time for it, and for sailing clubs to make such things possible. Hayes’ talks are lively, fun and in demand: Just in the last year, thousands have attended his programs in Newport, Paris, Chicago, Miami, and Annapolis to organizations like Sail America, US Sailing and the ISAF, and at sailing clubs all over the U.S.

About the event:

Location: Royal Bermuda Yacht Club
Time and Date: Tuesday, January 25th, Cocktail Reception begins at 5:30pm (cash bar), Lecture begins at 7:00 pm
Ticket price: $35.00 per person,Includes a signed copy of Saving Sailing, steamship of beef & hors d’oeuvres
Contact: Sailing Secretary, Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, 294-6716 or sailingoffice@rbyc.bm

Press statement on Hurricane Igor by David Burch, Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Housing – Friday, 17 September, 2010

As I address you, we are just over 24 hours away from experiencing the beginning of what is expected to be the ferocious impact of Hurricane Igor.

We have all heard the reports from the Bermuda Weather Service that this storm will be a long and punishing one and the potential for injury and physical damage is great.

It is my sincere hope that you and your families take the remainder of today to finalise your hurricane preparations, by securing your homes, your property and ensuring that you have adequate supplies.

Earlier this morning the Emergency Measures Organisation met to get the latest update on Hurricane Igor and the status of preparations by the security forces and essential services.

I want to take this opportunity to assure the people of Bermuda that your Government is doing everything possible to ensure our preparedness prior to and post the storm.

There is no doubt that in the immediate aftermath of the storm, there will be a heightened level of activity with members of the public wishing to check on the wellbeing of their friends and family, and the status of their property.

I want to caution you though, that this will be a critical period of assessment by our Emergency Services personnel, such as Fire, Police and the Bermuda Regiment.

From a public safety stand point I am urging members of the public to refrain from travelling the roads to explore any damage that may have been caused. It will be imperative that a full assessment by our emergency teams is done as quickly as possible.

Let me take a few minutes to touch on some very critical points that residents should be aware of as the storm approaches.

• By late Sunday night, the worst of the storm will begin. It will be at its closest point of approach at 2:00 am Monday morning. We can expect sustained winds of up 90 knots and potential gusts of 110 knots.

The L. F. Wade International Airport is currently open, but it is anticipated that it will close late Saturday afternoon. It is expected to reopen on Monday following an assessment of the runway and the airport facility by the Department of Airport Operations.

• Weather conditions around the Causeway are being monitored. It is anticipated, that in accordance with established protocol, closure of the Causeway will be coincident with the onset of 50 knot Easterly winds. Currently that is forecast for Sunday afternoon. Once a decision is made to close the Causeway, the public will be notified in advance of its closure.

• Residents in low lying areas and who live along the water should be prepared for storm surge flooding and have already been contacted to make the necessary preparations to secure their properties.

• The Ministry of Culture & Social Rehabilitation has prepared and equipped the emergency shelter at CedarBridge Academy. As of 5:00 pm today (Friday), members of the public seeking shelter can begin making their way to this facility.

• The KEMH has reported all is in readiness. The Lambe Foggo Urgent Care Centre will be operational. Nurses and a physician will be on duty at the facility. KEMH ambulances will also be stationed at the facility. The St. John Ambulance Brigade is also deploying an ambulance in St. George.

• Hotels and guest properties are in hurricane preparedness mode and have contingency plans in place. The Bermuda Department of Tourism is monitoring the approaching storm and is continuously liaising with the Bermuda Hotel Association to ensure that visitors have the latest information.

• The Government’s Emergency Assistance Organisation (EAO) will be ready to assist once the storm has passed. Please call the EAO at 292-6325 or 292-6339, should you require emergency help after the storm.

• The Bermuda Electric Light Company and the telecommunications companies have contingency plans in place to begin restoring service following the passage of the storm should that be necessary.

• There is a partial embodiment of elements of the Bermuda Regiment, and those soldiers are asked to report to Warwick Camp as ordered on Sunday. All remaining soldiers should be on standby for possible embodiment after the storm.

• The Bermuda Reserve Police are on standby for embodiment.

• The Emergency Broadcast station at 100.1 FM is the official source for information regarding the Hurricane as necessary just prior to, during and after the storm.

• The EMO will meet again on Monday after the passing of the storm to further update the public on any developments.

• The Ministry of Education wishes to advise that all Government Schools will be closed on Monday during the storm and Tuesday to allow a full assessment of schools prior to reopening.

• At this stage Government Offices will close on Monday.

• Government House has advised that a Royal Navy frigate will be on standby off Bermuda during the storm and will enter port following to lend assistance.

Finally, I wish to take this opportunity to commend the residents on their strength of spirit and courage, during what can easily be described as a challenging time for our Country. I also want to commend – you – the media for providing balanced and accurate information on this storm and encouraging our residents to take the threat seriously.

In recent years, we have witnessed the awesome power of Mother Nature and the devastation that hurricanes inflict on countries and communities.

None of us will soon forget Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans and areas along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and South Florida in 2005.

Closer to home, we’ve experienced our own challenges with the unforgettable Hurricane Emily – 24 years ago and Hurricane Fabian in 2003.

Following each of these disasters, we came together as one to assist in rebuilding our communities.

And it is my genuine belief, that should we sustain serious damage in the wake of this storm, we will rally together once again to ensure that our Island is up and running as swiftly as possible.

It is also in this spirit of unity that I ask you to be mindful of your neighbors, seniors in particular and look out for one another during this testing time for our Island.

I would now like to invite Dr. Guishard to the podium to provide you with specifics on the weather.

Thank you.

Press statement on Hurricane Igor by Dr. Mark Guishard, Director of the Bermuda Weather Service, Friday, 17 September, 2010

This storm is one that should be taken extremely seriously – as the Minister has already stated, the threat is high. A Hurricane Watch is already in effect. We at the Bermuda Weather Service, in consultation with the US National Hurricane Center, will be issuing a Hurricane Warning this afternoon. this Warning is issued whenever hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours.

If there is any doubt, let me make a few basic comparisons – Hurricane Fabian in 2003 was a Category 3 when it made a direct hit on Bermuda – this storm, Hurricane Igor is also forecast to be at or near Category 3 intensity when it moves close to Bermuda on Sunday night.

Fabian had a wind swath at the equivalent time frame 2 days before the CPA, of about 110 nm in diameter. The swath of Hurricane Force winds associated with Igor is currently approximately 150 nautical miles across. The tropical storm force winds (otherwise known as gales in winter storms) extend some 500 miles across the storm’s diameter (Fabian’s were 350nm). So, not only is Igor of similar intensity to Fabian, it is actually bigger, making us an even more likely target. Make no mistake, even if the center of this system misses the island, we will experience significant impacts.

The current forecast is indeed for a direct hit on the island, the worst case scenario in these situations. Accordingly, we should prepare for sustained winds of on the order of 100 knots (115 mph), with gusts to 120 knot or 140 mph. Again, this is comparable to the wind speeds we experienced during Hurricane Fabian in 2003.

The baseline level of the water (without putting wind driven waves on top of
it) is what we refer to as storm surge, and it is expected to be on the order of 5 to 7 feet above the normal tide levels. high tides through the weekend are in the pre-dawn hours and early evenings, low tides are generally near noon and midnight. I must reiterate the comments of the Minister – if your property is prone to surge, then it will likely have some inundation during this event.

Analyses of the wave heights associated with Igor indicate that the maximum waves at the centre of the storm are in excess of 50 feet. Already we are starting to see large swells on the south shore in advance of the approach of Igor. Expect rip currents and battering waves on the reefline, and potentially dangerous surf at the beaches.

Rainfall is always of concern and isolated road flooding is to be expected.

Of course with all tropical systems, which are intensely rotating, there is the potential for the spin up of tornado activity, which we saw in both Hurricane Fabian, and in Category 1 Hurricane Emily in 1987. In recent years, we have seen tornado activity associated with outer rain bands – Hurricane Florence in 2006 and Hurricane Bill last year are examples of this. The point I am making is that even in advance of the worst conditions, we could see some severe weather affect the island several hours before the onset of worst conditions.

Regarding levels of certainty, computer models on which we base these forecasts have been not only consistent with each other, but also consistent through time, in saying that we will have an impact from Igor. However, one of the very reasons that we treat tropical systems with such caution is their ability to make sudden changes in track and intensity – hence, as with all tropical systems, there is uncertainty inherent in this forecast. We all hope and pray that Igor will veer a little further away than is currently forecast, but we must take all action now to prepare to safeguard life and property.

Please have a plan of action to protect your life, your family, your property and your business. If you have a plan, please implement it now – Saturday evening will be too late to make any further preparations – as I have already said in previous media statements, this is not the time to be complacent. Be safe and god bless.

As professional golf’s final major of the year begins today in the United States, preparations are well underway in Bermuda for the 2010 PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Bermudian Neville Tyrrell leads the effort this year as General Chairman of the Grand Slam Executive Committee.

“I am honored to have been appointed to the role of General Chair of the 2010 PGA Grand Slam Executive Committee,” said Mr. Tyrrell, former President of the Bermuda Football Association. “It will give me another opportunity to use my organizational skills gained in assisting with several other major events in Bermuda both sporting and social.”

Mr. Tyrrell has been on Bermuda’s Board of Trustees for public golf since 2006. It is his second stint on the board. He has a long record of volunteerism and public service on the island. Mr. Tyrrell is also an avid golfer.

Premier Dr. Ewart Brown, Minister of Tourism and Transport, appointed Mr. Tyrrell General Chairman in the spring of this year. “Neville Tyrrell has had his hands in golf administration for many years,” the Premier said. “His connections with Bermuda’s business sector should promote support from that community for the Grand Slam.”

Almost 100% of the Grand Slam Executive Committee is back in place this year to outdo last year’s exceptional performance – the first time the internationally televised tournament was held at Port Royal, one of Bermuda’s public golf courses.

The Grand Slam Executive Committee is responsible for a long list of tasks including marshalling and recruiting an army of volunteers, arranging logistics for the tournament and coordinating with the PGA of America and Port Royal staffs. All of the committee work is done on a volunteer basis.

Mr. Tyrrell said: “My job as the General Chair has been made easier by the willingness of every sub-Chair from the 2009 Grand Slam coming back on-board, bringing their past experience. I am very grateful for their support in carrying out the various duties so far, ensuring that the 2010 event will be even better than 2009.”

The PGA Grand Slam features four of the best golfers from the year’s major championships – the Masters, the U.S. Open, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship. Phil Mickelson, Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen have qualified for this year’s Grand Slam. The fourth qualifier will come from this weekend’s PGA Championship.

The event, to be played at Bermuda’s Port Royal Golf Course, is televised in 100 countries around the world. It takes place October 18 – 20, 2010. The Department of Tourism has used the event over the past three years to market the country as a premier golf destination.

Premier Brown said: “This is the final year of a four-year deal with the PGA. I think our relationship with the PGA is solid and we’re all working hard to make this year’s Grand Slam the most exciting of all.”

Acts appearing at the 2010 Bermuda Music Festival have been announced by Ewart Brown, Premier and Minister of Tourism and Transport.

The line-up for the 15th annual festival includes Ziggy Marley, Toni Braxton, Angie Stone, and Estelle. It will be held at the Fairmont Southampton from September 30 to October 2.

Tickets go on sale July 26 and are available online at www.bdatix.bm and in Bermuda at the iStore on Reid Street in Hamilton and Fabulous Fashions at the Heron Bay Plaza.

Later this month more than 190 ships will set sail from Newport, Rhode Island carrying about 2000 sailors to Bermuda’s shores in the biennial Island invasion called the Newport Bermuda Race. Over that same weekend flights to the Island will be chock full of families, friends and return crews to bring the total invasion force to about 6,000 people, guests of Bermuda.

“Hospitality rules,” says Peter Shrubb, Commodore of race co-sponsors Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. “We’ll make Bermuda’s guests welcome. We want them to come back in two years . . . or sooner. Thanks to all the local volunteers in Bermuda who work from the finish line to the duty desk and behind the scenes, it all happens with style.”

Racing starts in Newport at 2.00 p.m. on June 18. Spectators can track the racing boats’ course to Bermuda online at www.iboattrack.com. And new for 2010, thanks to the new Gateway Bermuda Finish Line Cam, spectators watching the big screens at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club can watch boats finish 24/7.

All race details are updated on www.BermudaRace.com.

All those in Bermuda during the week is invited to join the fun at RBYC. Some of the most spectacular racing and cruising boats will berth in the club marina. Captains and crews are always willing to spin a sea-yarn or two with inquisitive guests. Winning boats are identified with appropriate signage. Shirts, caps and lots of logo race wear for men and women are available in the regatta store.

The RBYC Anniversary Regatta will be held on Friday, June 25 in the Great Sound and adjacent waters. The second race finishes off the Hamilton Princess in mid-afternoon. Up to 30 yachts from 37 to 90 feet long will be racing in Bermuda that Friday. It is the biggest offshore race in Bermuda all year.

If conditions are right for Newport Bermuda, the fastest boats, three 90 to 100 footers in the Open Division, could finish on Sunday afternoon. Alex Thomson’s Speedboat, first to finish in 2008, hopes to repeat but this year in record time. Ken Read on Puma, a Volvo 70, and Bermuda’s Argo Group CEO Mark Watson, sponsor and skipper of the US Merchant Marine Academy’s Dubois 90 Genuine Risk, both hope to snatch line honours and rain on his parade. The Open Division record was set in 2004 by Morning Glory with a time of 48 hours, 28 minutes and 31 seconds.

In the other divisions, competition is just as tight. The focus in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division will be on Niklas Zennstrom’s JV72 Ran, winner of last year’s Rolex Fastnet Race and class winner in the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race. Peter Rebovich in his Cal 40 Sinn Fein are going for a record tying three straight St. David’s Lighthouse Trophy wins.

In the Cruiser Division, Bermuda’s Paul Hubbard has his sights set on a repeat first place finish aboard Bermuda Oyster. The double-handers feature the biennial battle between Rich du Moulin’s Express 37 Lora Ann and Hewitt Gaynor’s J120 Mireille along with 25 other boats sailed by just two sailors.

Destination Dockyard, the annual summer series of Monday night street festivals at the Royal Naval Dockyard (King’s Wharf/Heritage Wharf), will run from May 31 until August 2.

Evenings include a full programme of entertainment and things to do:

• The Main Event 8 pm to 10.30 pm – Live entertainment, glassblowing at Dockyard Glassworks, shopping at the Clocktower Mall (opening hours extended to 9 pm), children’s activities, Gombey dancers, and more
• After Hours– live music at the Snorkel Park (10 pm to 2 am), and salsa dancing at the Bone Fish Bar & Grill (8.45 pm to midnight)

Visitors coming from Hamilton can take the 7 pm ferry. The last ferry from Dockyard to Hamilton is at 11.30 pm.

Destination Dockyard is hosted by the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Royal Caribbean International (RCI) and the West End Development Corporation (WEDCO).

The Minister of Culture and Social Rehabilitation, the Hon. D. Neletha I. Butterfield, M.B.E., JP, MP would like to advise everyone that the Bermuda Day Parade will again begin at 1:30 pm on Monday, 24th May.

The parade route will follow the same route as in previous years. Starting at the junction of Bermudiana Road and Front Street, the parade will continue along Front Street to Court Street where it will make a left turn on to Court Street. The parade will then turn left on to Church Street, make a right turn on to Burnaby Hill, then on to Cedar Avenue and proceed along past the Tennis Stadium to Marsh Folly Road. The parade will then make a right turn on to Dutton Avenue and into Bernard Park. Please note that vendors have chosen to be located at various points along the parade route.

The safety of the general public is of utmost importance and every possible measure will be taken to ensure that the public can have a safe and enjoyable Bermuda Day Holiday.

CCTV cameras will be located throughout the parade route and at Bernard Park, the general public is asked to respect all barricades and security fences placed at key points along the route.

Minister Butterfield wishes the public a safe and enjoyable Bermuda Day and calls on the community to help our visitors enjoy Bermuda’s celebration of our culture and heritage.

Minister Butterfield also wishes to advise persons who can’t make it to this year’s Bermuda Day Parade that they can watch it live on CITV beginning at 1:30 pm on Monday, 24th May. The parade will also be carried on Cablevision Channel 2 and WOW Channel 102. For families overseas – the Parade will also be streamed live at www.citv.gov.bm.

Ewart Brown, Premier of Bermuda, today congratulated Phil Mickelson on winning his third Masters Tournament. With his three stroke victory over Lee Westwood, Mickelson has earned the honour of donning the coveted Green Jacket and secured an invitation to the 2010 PGA Grand Slam of Golf to be held in Bermuda.

Premier Brown said, “This was a fantastic Masters…..a golfer’s dream finish. Phil Mickelson played a wonderful round and deserved to win his third Green Jacket. For Bermuda and the PGA Grand Slam, the outcome could be hugely positive considering Phil’s immense popularity. In my meetings with the PGA here in Augusta, they were very upbeat about this year’s Grand Slam and I am hopeful that we will negotiate an extension of our agreement.”

The 2010 PGA Grand Slam of Golf will return to the Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda, October 18-20, where Lucas Glover posted a five-stroke triumph over Angel Cabrera in last year’s meeting of major champions.

With 196 entries, the 47th Newport Bermuda Race fleet is on track to be the third largest in the race’s history. “Despite the economic turmoil since the last start, we have a wonderful turnout from around the world, with many new boats and skippers,” said Race Chairman Bjorn Johnson. “This is a heartening confirmation of the value and importance not only of this race, but of sailing in general.”

The race has a wide range of boats. Niklas Zennstrom’s Rán(Southampton, England) in her first year won the 2009 Fastnet Race and also took Class 1 in the Sydney-Hobart. This cutting-edge 72-footer is one of 63 entries making their first Bermuda Race. Meanwhile, Peter Rebovich (Metuchen, N.J.) will sail his seventh “thrash to the Onion Patch” in his 45-year-old Cal 40 racer-cruiser Sinn Fein, which he has owned since 1973. The St. David’s Lighthouse Trophy winner in 2006 and 2008, Sinn Fein is a victory away from matching one of sailing’s most hallowed records – 3 straight Bermuda Race wins by Carleton Mitchell’s Finisterre in 1956-60.

Sinn Fein can’t reprise her 2008 duel with Selkie because that boat’s skipper, Sheila McCurdy (Middletown, R.I.), has duties as Commodore of the Cruising Club of America, the race’s co-sponsor with the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. Two of Sinn Fein’s sistership Cal 40s will race. One is Douglas Jurrius’ Belle Aurore (Easton, Md.), the other Gone with the Wind, which Bill LeRoy (Tiburon, Cal.) is shipping east from San Francisco Bay. His navigator is Sally Lindsay Honey, who normally races a Cal 40 with her husband, Stan Honey.

The big fleet may get even bigger during the late entry period that expires May 15. The race record of 265 starters was set in the 2006 centennial Newport Bermuda Race, and the 2008 fleet numbered 198 boats. The next largest fleet was 182, in 2002.

Sinn Fein is not the only boat coming back from a victory in 2008.Bermuda Oyster, owned by Paul Hubbard (Pembroke, Bermuda), will defend the Carleton Mitchell Finisterre Trophy, the top prize in the Cruiser Division. The three-time Moxie Trophy winner in the Double-Handed Division, Richard du Moulin’s Lora Ann (Larchmont, N.Y.), returns in a fleet of two dozen shorthanded racers that include five Class 40 boats. One of them, Desafio Cabo Hornos, Felipe Cubillos (Santiago, Chile), finished second in the 2008-09 Portimão Global Ocean Race (winning the leg around Cape Horn), raced in last year’s Fastnet, and finished third in the 2009 Class 40 World Championship.

Two entries have been racing to Bermuda almost continuously since the 1970s. No boat has done more races under one owner, 16, than perennial high finisher Emily, Edwin S. Gaynor (Southport, Conn.). The record for most races by one boat, 18, is held by Carina, overall winner in her first Bermuda Race in 1970 under the late Richard S. Nye, and still winning silver under current owner, Rives Potts (Essex, Conn.). One of the awards that Carina is going after is the William L. Glenn Family Participation Prize for crews that include at least four members of the same family.

The three fastest boats in 2008 are coming back, too. First to finish was Speedboat, a 99-footer owned by Alex Jackson (Piedmont, Cal.). Second was the 90-foot Rambler, George David (Hartford, Conn.).Rambler is coming off an extremely successful 2009 with elapsed time and corrected time victories in both the Annapolis to Newport Race and the Marblehead to Halifax Race, plus the Northern Ocean Racing Trophy as top distance racing boat in the north-eastern United States. The third boat to finish in 2008 will also be on the starting line on June 18 – Il Mostro (Puma), second overall in the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race and sailed by Ken Read (Newport, R.I.).Speedboat and Il Mostro sail in the Open Division for boats with canting keels, and Rambler is in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division for boats with fixed keels. These two divisions have no limits on professional crews, unlike the St. David’s Lighthouse, Cruiser, and Double-Handed Divisions.

Among the non-U.S. entries are the overall winner of the recent Royal Ocean Racing Club Caribbean 600, Beau Geste, Cameron Ward (Sydney, Australia), and Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy’s Noonmark VI (Southampton, England), which is on an extended circumnavigation that includes the world’s major races. Another foreign entry is Hugo Boss, sailed by British ocean racer Alex Thomson (Gosport, England). “Newport Bermuda is one of the big classics,” said Thomson. “Having done many Fastnets and Sydney-Hobarts, I am very excited to present our new boat and represent our sponsor in this famous race.”

Visit www.BermudaRace.com for more about the Newport Bermuda Race, including entry forms, race rules, race history, and the official race program, which includes plenty of information about race preparations, navigation, the Gulf Stream, and things to do in Newport.