Mark Twain once wrote about Bermuda that "some people on their way to heaven have stopped at Bermuda and thought they had arrived;" That is exactly the impression Bermuda intends to create when the Tall Ships Fleet starts arriving from Cadiz in late May and early June of 2000.

Bermuda consists of some 181 named islands and inlets with a population of 60 per cent black and forty per cent White, with cultural backgrounds spanning the United kingdom, Africa, West Indies, Portugal and the Azores. Bermuda is an English speaking country with a small minority of Portuguese speaking residents.

One thing Bermuda is not – it is not located in the Caribbean! It is important to remember that when plotting your race course from Cadiz to Bermuda! Bermuda is in the Atlantic Ocean some 650 miles due East of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

The weather in late May and early June is generally terrific with temperatures ranging from the mid-80s (23C – 29C) and hopefully, plenty of sunshine. Great beach weather. And the beaches are of fine PINK sand – a magnificent contrast to the turquoise waters, blue skies and green foliage.

Our Tall Ships 2000^® Bermuda Website is up and running and we invite you all to make a point of visiting our site on a regular basis –  http://www.tallships2000.bm.

The Bermuda Port Committee will shortly be sending out a mailing to tall ships of the world and their owners. This mailing will include an invitation from the Minister of Tourism, a questionnaire about your intentions regarding the Cadiz to Bermuda leg of the Race, some general Bermuda brochures and a sticker to stick wherever you want to stick it!

By the time the fleet arrives in Bermuda, there will be few, if any residents who are not involved in some way. Bermudian hospitality is well known to all seafaring people of the world and June 2000 will be no exception.

The port of Hamilton will be designated as "Tall Ships Central" and for the entire weekend of the visit, it will take on a carnival atmosphere. Complementary transportation during that time will allow everyone to roam the island at will to sightsee or just relax on the beach. There will be trainee parties under the stars, sports events, a Parade of Crews along the Front Street, a Concert in the Park (Car Park that is!) a street fair, fireworks and a spectacular prize giving ceremony.

We are hoping to convince the Government to designate, Monday, June 11 as a Public Holiday so that everyone can turn out to witness the Parade of Sail as the Fleet heads out for the US East Coast.

Through our Adopt a Ship programme, we envisage schools, companies and even families adopting a ship and seeing to it that the young crews are made to feel at home. This will be a community effort for the entire island of Bermuda and we will make every effort to ensure that the young people of Bermuda meet and make friends with the young people of the fleet.

The sail training concept is growing in Bermuda, but as yet we have no officially designated sail training vessels. For Tall Ships 2000^®, we will be seeking to convince the owners of some of the larger Bermuda-owned ocean sailing boats to participate in the Race with Bermudian crews; and alternatively, or perhaps in addition to that, we will be seeking berths for Bermudian youth with as many of the tall ships participants as possible. We are not looking for free rides, just a berth and a place on the team for which we can pay our own way.

Well that's it from Bermuda this time. We join with our fellow Tall Ships 2000^® ports to wish you all the very best in the 1998 Race circuits and to remind that just as this will be The Tall Ships Race of the Century; the chance to participate will be The Opportunity of the Century;. Don't be the one ship that misses out.

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