It took us five days to sail from the USA to Bermuda, St. George’s Harbour. The inlet welcomed us in with beautiful, calm, turquoise water. After sailing to Bermuda, I found it fantastic to sightsee all around, especially St. George’s.
There was a massive reward for my unfortunate seasickness on the trip. I know that readers often question why I live through seasickness time and time again but the rewards are worth it.
The reward of seeing new lands and exploring the unknown is so exciting. I just love walking on a trail with a bend ahead, and then I love turning on the bend to see the next view (and then repeat). And I love beautiful views! Views of the sea, beautiful tall majestic trees, white fluffy cloudy skies, and everything in between.
We anchored mostly in St George’s Harbour during our month-long stay in Bermuda. Here’s a breakdown with some practicalities for sailors, tips to help you better enjoy your stay, and the seven best things to do while anchored in Bermuda St George’s.
1. Enjoy the anchorage in Bermuda St. George’s
There are a variety of anchorages in Bermuda, but St. George’s is the best overall. The holding is good, the views are fantastic, and beautiful island smells waft through the air, including lavender, jasmine, passionflower, and frangipani.
There’s abundant room to anchor – the huge bay can accommodate hundreds of boats. The water is clean and warm and offers a refreshing swim from the back of the boat. Aside from a fast ferry, an infrequent small cruise ship, and/or small tanker, most marine traffic is from a pilot boat and other local and foreign private boat owners. A dinghy ride around the area provides hours of exploring, snorkeling, and sightseeing by water.
Before arriving contact Bermuda Radio on Channel 27 in advance.
We called around six hours before entering Burmuda St. George’s harbor to notify Bermuda Radio that we were in Bermudian waters. Once we got closer to the entrance channel, we radioed again, seeking clearance to navigate the very narrow channel into the harbor.
While entering we raised our yellow q-flag (stands for quarantine) on the port or left side spreader. On the right, we had the Bermudian courtesy flag.
To clear Customs, all boats are required to dock at Customs & Immigration in St George’s Harbor. There’s quite a bit of space, but it gets busy. We tied onto the dock, and all passengers entered the Customs building, passports in hand, to do the paperwork. Aside from passports, we needed to showboat proof of ownership and boat insurance. The process is easier if you use SailClear and the online system. On this occasion, we did not use it (we forgot). After clearing Customs, we anchored and jumped in for a swim!
Once on land, there’s everything a sailor could ask for…
ATMs, free WIFI, trash receptacles, a small but well-stocked food store, various restaurants/bars, and loads of sightseeing options. The airport is only ten minutes away by bus, making this anchorage great for crew and guest drop-offs and pick-ups.
Several bus stops are available, and bus tokens can be purchased from the Visitor’s Center in the square and most of the shops in the area.
Within the harbor, there’s access to fuel and water at the dockside. Duty-free fuel can be obtained in St Georges, but it needs to be a minimum of 950 liters and is delivered to the boat by truck. Every vessel is granted a certificate that allows for one free Duty-Free fuel purchase. Note that if you need less than 950 liters of Duty-Free fuel, it can be obtained at the Naval Dockyard through the fuel pump.
WIFI can be obtained from the boat when anchoring in Convicts Bay. There is a fee for the WIFI but I can verify that it was good quality. Log onto Ocean Sails WIFI (it will appear in your WIFI selection area) and a page will open up displaying the options. There’s a 1-day, 3-day and weeklong option.
To watch read what it’s like to be anchored on a boat rather than sightseeing, check out Sailing around Bermuda – Life At Anchor. There’s also a video too!
TIP: If you’re not in need of WIFI from Convicts Bay, I’d suggest you anchor further out into the bay. We spent a week in the middle of the bay and a week closer to land to get WIFI. While closer to land we found an increase of cockroaches landing on the deck of our boat.
2. Stroll around the streets of Bermuda St. George’s, visiting museums, churches and parks
Are you a history buff?! Do you enjoy museums? Days, not hours, can be spent strolling along the narrow labyrinth-styled alleys of St Georges. In 2000, the town was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town and Bermuda St. George’s was discovered in 1609 when the English flagship, Sea Venture, got lost and blown ashore.
The ship was bound for Virginia with provisions for new settlers but was blown off course and destroyed when it hit Bermuda. The passengers survived the wreckage, settled in St Georges for several months, and eventually remade two ships to provision and sail onward to America. The Deliverance was called the ship that saved America. The colonial inhabitants were nearly starving when the Deliverance and the other ship made it to Jamestown. The ships were stocked with meat, vegetables, and fruit from Bermuda – surely a fantastic sight to behold.
Amongst many excellent museums in the town, there’s also a replica of the Deliverance that you can visit.
Some of the museums to check out include the Bermuda National Trust Museum at the Globe Hotel – you’ll find the interesting part that Bermuda St. George’s played in America’s Civil War. There’s the Town Hall that has open doors when not in session. You’ll also find the Bermudian Heritage Museum, the St. George’s Historical Society Museum, Printery & Garden, the Tucker House, a replica of a prominent merchant’s home and there’s also the World Heritage Centre.
In between all the museums, you’ll find several churches. One of them is the oldest continuously operating Anglican Church in the Western Hemisphere. St Peter’s, Their Majesties Chappell, dates back to 1620! And the unfinished Church is my favorite – it looks like an old English ruin. And the Somers Gardens are well worth a visit. Rumor has it that the British admiral charged with developing the Bermudian colony has his heart buried in the park! There’s a tomb to check out, in addition to beautiful trees, shrubs, and flowers.
If you want to take home the amazing bouquet of Bermudian floral smells, make sure to also stop at the Bermuda Perfumery. The perfumery still makes and bottles all its’ inland inspired scents on-site using more than 3,000 essential oils extracted from frangipani, jasmine, oleander, and passionflower. A bottle of perfume would make a fantastic gift for someone too (HINT, HINT Simon!)
3. Watch the 12:30 pm public punishment sessions in the King’s Square.
During the summer months, a highly entertaining performance is put on. A woman is sentenced to nagging her husband. Her penalty is to be dunked into the water several times. Additionally, an audience member is picked from the crowd for public drunkenness and sentenced to stand at the whipping post in the hot sun. The drunk cannot leave the post until the sun is covered by a cloud three times.
If you time your clearing at Customs correctly, you can book into Bermuda St. George’s and watch the performance. The Customs & Immigration building on Ordinance Island is next to the King’s Square.
4. Walk just outside the Town of Bermuda St. George’s to find AMAZING SIGHTS
Within a mile’s walk, you can enjoy snorkeling at Tobacco Bay or Achilles Bay. Both provide clear water, beautiful rock formations, and coral reefs housing puffer fish, squid, amazingly colorful parrotfish, and more. And if you’re not into snorkeling, you can enjoy a relaxing swim or sunbathe on the beach.
In between time spent on the beaches, you can visit St. Catherine’s Fort. This is the best fort on the island, and the views are breathtaking. Both children and adults alike will enjoy the moat, drawbridge, tunnels, towers, and ramparts.
TIP: As you head out of Bermuda St. George’s, you must pass by the grocery store. Make sure to pick up some water and perhaps some food for lunch. A small food stand with burgers and a licensed bar at Tobacco Bay. There’s also a restaurant above Achilles Bay and a tiny bar on the beach, but if you want to save some money and eat more healthy food, the store is your best bet. St Catherine’s Fort had a very tiny café, but it wasn’t open when we visited.
5. Enjoy a meal and beverage at one of the lovely Bermuda St. George’s eateries
My family and I were fortunate to enjoy several meals at Wahoo’s Bistro & Patio, White Horse Pub & Restaurant, and one other. By far, Wahoo’s was our favorite. The WIFI was good, the drinks came quickly, and the food was excellent. Furthermore, I noticed that Wahoo’s was filled with tourists and locals alike.
There are also several cafés and ice cream shops where you can grab a snack all over Bermuda St. George’s.
6. Take a short bus trip to nearby attractions
Within a short bus ride, you’ll find the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo. It’s one of Bermuda’s premier attractions. We managed to visit the attraction on a day without cruise ship visitors so we had the place to ourselves. It’s a small attraction but we easily spent several hours taking in all the great stuff. It’s laid out extremely well and there’s so much to observe, read and watch.
The aquarium is fantastic—we learned about all the fish we later saw when we went snorkeling. The zoo is entertaining—there are displays of animals from around the world. We liked the open enclosure that housed the monkeys, turtles, birds, and iguanas. At one point, our daughter had to walk around a huge iguana right in the middle of our path.
And near the Aquarium are the Crystal Caves…not to be missed!
7. Head further afield to visit the capital city, Hamilton, and/or the Naval Dockyards
We visited Hamilton on several occasions and the Naval Dockyards by bus and ferry. Eventually, we motored our boat from St. George’s to Hamilton and dropped anchor. Whatever way you want to make the trip, it’s enjoyable. The buses drive fast down very narrow roadways. There are many sights to take when looking out at the sea. You’ll pass quiet inlets, busy beaches, and buzzing towns.
By sea, you’ll take in Bermuda’s flat terrain, picking out a governor’s house and estate, a few hotels, and the roofed properties lining the island. From Bermuda St. George’s, you can take a fast ferry directly to the Naval Dockyards.
Things to do in Bermuda St George’s VIDEO
Aside from the above, there are several Bermudian golf courses worth trying!
Simon and I love to golf, but towing our seven-year-old daughter around for 18 holes would be hell. When Sienna’s off to University, we’ll surely return to Bermuda and give the golf courses a go. They all look amazingly maintained and super challenging. And the views…I love the views!
Furthermore, if you’re a dive buff, there are hundreds of ship and plane wrecks. Make sure to research your options, as there are loads to choose from. Again, with Sienna, we can’t dive with her yet, so we’ll save that for later. Regarding the visibility of the water – we were disappointed as we expected it to be clearer. We couldn’t see the bottom of Bermuda St. George’s Harbour at all…
Upon further research, we discovered that July and August have the worst visibility due to growth in the water. However, we had some great views of fish and sea life while at Tobacco and Achilles Bay. Before booking a dive, I’d ask where you can get the best visibility and dive!
Good Resources for Bermuda
I purchased the first two items listed below before we sailed to Bermuda St. George’s. Both were fantastic, and I highly recommend getting them if you visit Bermuda.
Overall Tips about visiting Bermuda St. George’s
- If sailing into Bermuda, bring as much food, beverages, and paper supplies as possible. Everything, and I mean everything, is around double what you’d typically pay. Celery is $9.00. A glass of wine is $11.00. And the average cost of an entree starts around the $25.00 mark. There’s no local veg shop with affordable vegetables!
- If you’re staying a while as we did, consider bus passes longer than the day tokens or passes. You can get a week or month pass at a discount.
- Many restaurants/bars have WIFI, but many do not. It’s worth asking before you enter.
- Tips/gratuity is usually added to all bills, so make sure you don’t tip twice.
- Some grocery stores offer a discount to boaties – the one in Bermuda St. George’s does, so it’s worth asking for the discount.
- There are rip tides and Portuguese-man-of-war (they look like bags, so don’t grab them!), so make sure you understand what to do if you encounter them.
- Everyone says hello and goodbye, so don’t be surprised when someone gets off the bus and shouts out, ‘Goodbye, everyone.’
Sailing Around Bermuda St. George’s Articles & Videos
- To check out the next article and/or video in the Sail Bermuda Guide series, visit: St. Georges to Hamilton Bermuda
- Gain information regarding our previous article: Sailing Around Bermuda – Life At Anchor
- To gain a general overview of our trip to and from Bermuda, the places we anchored and the sights we enjoyed, read: Sail Bermuda
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You are correct that the Q in Q-flag does in fact stand for quarantine. However, the country’s courtesy flag should not be flown until the vessel and crew have cleared customs and immigration. Both flags are normally flown under the lowest starboard spreader for the main mast. The courtesy flag replaces the Q-flag once cleared.
These is a great old pub called the Hog and Penny in Hamilton.
It is good you mention the bus system, it is a great way to get around. The bus stops are painted Blue and Pink. The color on the top of the post indicates the direction of the bus (either away from Hamilton or to Hamilton)
Thanks for that Mark… Depends what country we’re in regarding that Q-flag and courtesy flag… The Algerians almost put Simon in Jail because we failed to fly the courtesy flag upon entry to the port in Algiers. And I’m not kidding… It was not a good situation. We saw the Hog and Penny many times but didn’t make it there so we’ll have to hit that next time. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. K
nice videos, thank you
try this “tummy ups” as per the RNLI
as the boat rides up the wave take a deep breath,
fill your lungs just before the boat crests the wave.
a full set of lungs eliminates that queasy feeling.
as the boat falls you exhale and breath normally while you wait
for the boat to reach that next crest.
create a rhythm and feel a meditative state
eventually you won’t even think about it.
or
kwells austraila
paihia bombers o’ takapuna torpedoes!
takapuna clinic pharmacy does a better one than the bombers and its only one pill
cheers mick