Bermuda Soup

Lot’s in the news today so without further adieu, I bring you Bermuda Soup—your semi-regular roundup of what’s happening on the island right about now. With April comes the start of cruise ship season and while the first mega-liners arrived Dockyard about two weeks ago, no one was happier to step on dry land than the passengers of Holland America’s Veendam. According to the Bermuda Sun, the ship’s 1,300 passengers were shaken up after a rough Atlantic Ocean crossing due to bad weather. So instead of docking offshore in St. George’s and tendering passengers ashore—a plan devised to accommodate large ships due to the port’s narrow channel—the ship went straight to Hamilton. “I don’t think anyone was that upset,” reported one passenger. No wonder there were so many blue-faced folks walking around Hamilton the other day! In other news, a popular island dive shop is back in action after its boat, a former drug-runner bought at auction named Tenacity, caught fire and was destroyed in February. Just over two months later Triangle Diving is back and offering popular excursions on wrecks, reefs and other popular sites on its new boat, Phoenix. “We decided to name the boat Phoenix because we’ve risen from the ashes,” said the outfit’s owner. Real original buddy, but hey, best of luck to you! Finally, motorcycle enthusiasts will surely get a kick out of this weekend’s big island run sponsored by the ETA Motorcycle Cruising Club—a group visiting by cruise ship which rides 1,600cc Harley Davidson’s—and the Bermuda Long Riders Motorcycle Club, a local club which rides 150cc motor bikes. The two clubs will be riding a loop around the island on Saturday, culminating with a stop at Gombey’s restaurant on Clearwater Beach at 1:30pm, but something tells me those Harleys might be getting the bulk of the attention.