A LONG LIFE WELL LIVED: QUEEN ELIZABETH II

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II GRACED US WITH HER PRESENCE MANY TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF HISTORY.

AS A BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORY, Bermuda and the U.K. are as linked together as fish and chips. Naturally, this relationship led to many visits by Queen Elizabeth II, the first of which took place just six months after her coronation in 1953, when she spent six months touring the Commonwealth. Five more visits to Bermuda followed, including a 1975 trip when Queen Elizabeth II officially opened Royal Naval Dockyard’s Bermuda Maritime Museum (now the National Museum of Bermuda). On this trip, the Queen visited the museum’s Queen’s Exhibition Hall, a 4,000-square-foot former 19th-century ammunition storehouse with soaring vaulted brick ceilings, where treasured artefacts are on display. The Queen also viewed the Tucker Treasure at the museum and had the opportunity to see a fully rigged Bermuda fitted dinghy at the museum’s Keep Pond.

Queen Elizabeth II returned again in 1976, 1983, and 1994. The Queen and Prince Phillip made a final visit to Bermuda in November 2009 to mark the 400th anniversary of the island’s settlement by the British, when the Queen delivered poignant remarks, excerpted here:

In 1609 the storm-lashed crew and passengers from the shipwrecked Sea Venture could not possibly have imagined the future Bermuda. Their preoccupation was with finding a way to continue to the relatively harsh conditions of Virginia where supplies and people were desperately needed.

No one could have anticipated how Bermudians would repeatedly and successfully reinvent themselves over the following 400 years. In that time, Bermudians excelled among other things as tobacco farmers, traders in salt, privateers, and builders of fast schooners. That shipbuilding skill was in evidence today when we met some of those dockyard apprentices who, having received some of their training in the United Kingdom, are working on the Spirit of Bermuda.

Bermudians can also be proud of their enterprise, whether selling onions and Easter lilies to New York or promoting subtropical tourism, which was known to my grandfather in his days as a naval cadet.

Tourism in this mild climate and so close to North America remains a vital part of your economic life. More recently, Bermuda has been a successful pioneer of the highly specialised reinsurance business. Indeed, in spite of the challenges of the global economy, modern Bermuda has made a great success of these two most competitive industries, relying on some very special attributes.

Just as Admiral Somers would have struggled to predict the future in 1609, so it would be unwise to predict where Bermuda’s natural beauty, friendliness, courtesy, and common sense will lead it next. But one thing is certain: The United Kingdom will continue to follow and support Bermuda’s progress to the very best of her ability. After 400 years of common experience, we can be confident in placing our faith in Bermuda’s future, whatever it may hold.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would ask you to rise and drink a toast to: Bermuda.

Hear, hear, Your Majesty, and cheers to your beloved memory.

Shopping

12 9 Parishes Authentic Rum Swizzle at The Rum Barrel

40 Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard

1 Bermuda Craft Market, The

9 Bermuda Fragrance Collection at Island Outfitters

59 Bermuda Fudge Co.

3 Churchill’s Cigar Cabana

4 Clocktower Shopping Mall

5 Crown & Anchor

41 Davidrose Studio

6 Diamonds International Bermuda

8 Dockyard Pharmacy

1 Howarth Photography at The Bermuda Craft Market

9 Island Outfitters

1 Jennifer Rodrigues Designs at The Bermuda Craft Market

10 Jon Faulkner Gallery

11 Makin Waves

12 Rum Barrel, The/Goslings

Clocktower Shopping Mall

Bermuda Fragrance Collection

Bermuda Shop by Carole Holding, The Bermuda Triangle Shop

Café Amici

Crisson Jewellers

Crown & Anchor

Davison’s of Bermuda

Fair Trade Bermuda Shop, The Grand Bazaar

Harris

Lisa-Anne Rego Art Gallery

Littlest Drawbridge Gift Shop, The Marvalan’s Handbags

Modern Lifestyle

Nannini Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream Parlour

Perfume Shop, The Sidekicks

Studio 8 Glass

TABS Bermuda

Continued from page 154 in plumbing, carpentry, and other trades. The development of modern-day Dockyard has been guided by the West End Development Corporation (WEDCO) since 1982. WEDCO works to continually evolve the area’s offerings, keeping Dockyard at the forefront of Bermuda’s fresh and captivating visitor destinations. As WEDCO manages Dockyard’s growth and progression, the corporation ensures the area’s distinct history remains at the forefront of the visitor experience.

Past Meets Present

Today, remnants of Royal Navy Dockyard’s history still exist, and it remains a major player in many facets of Bermudian life. Naval ships no longer come to call at Dockyard, which instead welcomes cruise ships at its King and Heritage Wharves. The hustle and bustle of tourism and the attractions that have developed to accommodate the island’s guests exist alongside historic structures that today house modern offerings. The Keep, the largest fort in Bermuda, dominates the Dockyard skyline and is home to the National Museum of Bermuda. Here, visitors can peruse the museum’s intriguing exhibits and learn about Bermuda’s history and culture and its links with the West Indies and the Azores, enslavement in Bermuda, and the island’s defence heritage. Shipwreck artefacts, local watercraft, historic documents, and the jaw-dropping views are just a few of many reasons to visit the museum.

Also housed in the National Museum of Bermuda grounds is Dolphin Quest, which boasts an expansive lagoon featuring friendly frolicking dolphins. Dolphin Quest gives visitors the chance to personally interact with these playful mammals in experiences that range from short 30-minute encounters to a full day of working alongside the dolphins’ trainers.

The Cooperage, where barrels were historically made, today contains makers of a different sort. It’s now home to the Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard, a non- profit organisation that works to promote an appreciation and understanding of visual arts and crafts in Bermuda through exhibitions, workshops, and education. Not only will you get to see works across mediums and styles, but you’ll also see the creative process in action, as the Bermuda Arts Centre is a working studio for resident artists who craft and create right before your eyes. Here in The Cooperage, you’ll also find The Bermuda Craft Market and The Media Lounge Cinema, a small air-conditioned, intimate, single-screen cinema showing the latest box office hits.

Dockyard was also a part of more recent history when it hosted the 35th America’s Cup in 2017. While the excitement that comes with hosting the elite sailing competition has long passed, the America’s Cup lives on in Endeavour, a sailing instruction and education programme headquartered in Dockyard that could very well lead to young Bermudians becoming world-class sailors in their own right.

+ COCKTAIL CRUISES

+ GLASS BOTTOM TOURS

+ SNORKELING

+ FISHING

+ SHIPWRECK SNORKEL

+ SUNSET CRUISES

+ CATAMARAN SAILING

+ PRIVATE PARTIES

+ SIGHTSEEING

+ WEDDINGS

+ FLOATING WATER PARK

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