A BERMUDA DAY! AND SAFE ON THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE!

Friday, October 9, 2026
Bermuda (British Overseas Territory)
83^oF, Cloudy, some sun

Thursday's sunrise from our balcony

Bermuda is about 650 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Interestingly, it is not part of the Caribbean. Made up of about 181 islands, it is an archipelago of about 21 square miles. With a population of about 64,000, it has one of the highest population densities in the world due to its small land size

Its economy is heavily driven by international finance (especially insurance and reinsurance) and tourism. The local currency is the Bermudian dollar, which is pegged to the U.S. dollar.  Its climate is subtropical, with mild winters and warm, humid summers. Of course it is vulnerable to Atlantic hurricanes.

We visited Bermuda in 2017 with friends from college in France, Judy P, Cindy and Greg W and their family.  The ship docked at the Royal Naval Dockyard and at that time we visited the Crystal Caves and the Glass Beach full of “sea” glass.

 

What is an archipelago?  An archipelago is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands situated in an ocean, sea, lake, or even a river – I never looked it up before, now I know.

 

Island Princess from the ferry

TK elected to take a ferry to Hamilton, Bermuda, another island in the Bermuda archipelago.  As we walked along the main area of Hamilton, we thought the island was very clean.  After a stop for coffee and a croissant, we walked in and out of upscale shops—clothing, books, art, and so on. 

 

Main waterfront street in Hamilton

TK on the bakery's balcony

Bermuda sign in background

Janie needs photo lessons-cell phone

Hamilton is the capital of Bermuda

This is the Cabinet Building

An exquisite seaside home

Average home price in 

Bermuda?

$1 million to $2.5 million

Ever aware of the ship’s departure time, we returned to the Dockyard area.  The Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda was established in 1809 as a strategic British naval base and evolved into a major military, economic, and cultural landmark over more than 150 years.

Shops now-previously

part of the

Royal Navy 

Fountain with anchors

Interesting to me, the Dockyard played a pivotal role in British military operations. In 1814, over 5,000 troops and Royal Marines departed from Bermuda to attack Washington, D.C., and Baltimore during the War of 1812. It was from a British ship that Francis Scott Key witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry, inspiring the U.S. national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.

 

Most of the Dockyard was transferred to the Bermuda Government in the 1950s. Restoration efforts began in the early 1980s under the West End Development Corporation, transforming the Dockyard into a major tourist attraction with museums, shops, and cultural sites. Now it is the most visited tourist site in Bermuda.  

 

By 2 p.m. we were ready to go back to the ship, and TK took a bit of a swim in the pool while I read.

 

TK’s Takes: He is very excited about the 17 (seventeen) time changes we will go through on this cruise.  We both have bedside clocks that he changes.  He said the pool was cold.

TK’s Takes (Thursday, October 8, 2026): Yesterday was a sea day and we went to the Military Veterans Get-Together. Master Chief Bobby Mock (a submarine veteran) organized a very nice session, honoring each branch of service and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Each veteran gave their name, where they were from, the branch of service, and the years.  TK said this get together was larger than any other he had attended on a cruise (about 80). Most veterans were U.S. Navy. One Merchant Marine and one Australian Army, one woman veteran. 

We have 4 seadays coming up, and even tonight the Internet is sketchy. Don't worry!

Aside to B1--TK asked me today if I could make the 50 days--what did he mean??