Rod Davis
Pace yourself
What is the world coming to? When Bermuda was announced as the venue for the 2017 America’s Cup most yachting circles reacted with stunned silence. The same way the football world reacted to FIFA saying the football World Cup would be held in Qatar in 2022. The fact is Bermuda is one-seventh the land size of the Isle of Wight, and the population is two-and-a-half times smaller. Mind you, Bermuda is 640 miles from America’s east coast. Closer to the US than the UK, even if it is still a British colony. But we are not going to debate the next AC venue – I just want to give you an insight into life in Bermuda, and what the world is coming to when the next America’s Cup is held. We have just spent the last month working and sailing here and we have learnt plenty. People like to compare Bermuda to a combination of the Caribbean, England and the US. Not sure how you blend those, but it’s not the Bermuda I see. Bermuda is more like… well, Bermuda is unique and special.
The racecourse is small, very small, but protected all the way around, except for the channel up to the Royal Naval Dockyard. That is good news, as the water is smooth most of the time, ideal for foiling at high speed. There will be plenty of action when we have six teams out practising, raceboats foiling along at 30kt+, and two chase boats each trying desperately to keep up. Bermuda will take the America’s Cup tradition of ‘tender wars’ to a whole new level! Throw in spectator boats, day sailors and the locals who just want to fish, and everyone will have to keep their wits about them. And, by the way, while the Royal Naval Dockyard at one end of the island is south of St George at the other end of the island, you go ‘up’ to the Royal Naval Dockyard, and ‘down’ to St George when you are in Bermuda – that’s just the way it is here. The cool thing is the water, it is emerald coloured and clear as glass. On shore, colour is everywhere. Tradition means you can have any colour house you want, and they do. The brighter the better. Every shade of yellow, blue, pink and green seems to be the most popular. You can have any colour of roof you want too, as long as
22 SEAHORSE
it’s white! The regulators require all roofs to be painted with white, lime-based paint. And repainted every three years; so the roofs are immaculate! Bermuda is dependent on rainwater, and a great source of that comes from the roofs of houses. Thus the regulations. The speed limit on the roads of the island is 35kph – for those who still think in imperial, that is 21mph (but the correct answer in the driver’s licence exam is 35kph – 21mph will fail you). That really is the maximum speed on the island… 21mph. Hmmm, don’t be in a rush. And Bermudians aren’t. They have the patience of Job. Lord knows they need it for the cruise ship tourists. Bermuda used to boast of the perfect holiday destination, two hours’ flying time from the east coast of the United States, just six from England. Warm clear water, pink sand beaches and the tax- free financial capital of the Atlantic. It had hotels everywhere, and flash ones at that. Then came the crash, and for whatever reason the tourists came to Bermuda on cruise ships instead of planes. And boy did they come…
Tourists on cruise ships stay for two days maximum. They don’t eat in the local restaurants, they don’t stay in the hotels – they have all that on the ship, already paid for. They buy a trinket or two, or a silly T-shirt that says ‘Have a Bermudaful Day’, and go back to their ship. Little effect, if any, on the economy. That is why the America’s Cup was, and is, a very big deal to Bermuda. Imagine six teams of 80 families each, coming to live in Bermuda for two years. Each family buying groceries, renting houses, getting haircuts, sending the kids to schools, doctors and dentists. Along the way, the money gets respent by each shop- keeper, waitress or taxi driver. In San Francisco, with its large pop- ulation and great wealth, the Cup had very little effect. For Bermuda the America’s Cup will have a major impact on a country that, frankly, needs and deserves some good news about its economy. There are big challenges to face, though. Simple things like schools. The influx of America’s Cup children will push the local school system to the limit, particularly the private schools. You can’t rent cars in Bermuda. In fact, to own a car, you need first to be a resident (the AC crews will need to have a work permit), then
MAX RANCHI
SANDER VAN DER BORCH
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