I worked with Kathy from 82 to 83. I was a radioman and worked the mids with her. She would probably remember Elmo who we called the DJ on the mids, Pat Whitlock was one of her associates. Good to hear about the old crew.....
My last visit to BDA was in May 2004 aboard the Celebrity cruise ship Horizon. Other than the observations of others previously posted, the biggest impacts I observed were (1) the lack of U. S., Canadian, and British armed forces, (2) the increase in the volume of traffic on the roads,(3) the increase in speeds that are driven on their roads, and (4) the increase in prices on just about anything.
According to Bermudians I spoke to on the subject the pull-out of all of the foreign military personnel created a $60 million loss of revenue in the local economy; hence the increase in prices.
Troubling is the Bermudian claim that the U. S. military was the only military to pull out without performing an environmental clean-up on the bases they occupied. Allegedly the cost of that clean-up is estimated to be in the $60 to $70 million range. The reason given as to why NOB and NAVFAC have yet to be sold/developed is because that any purchaser or developer would need to absorb the cost of the environmental clean-up prior to developing those sites.
The attached link provides information concerning the former foreign military bases on BDA including their post cold-war era closures. That page also has links to allot of other pages with info and photos of Bermuda points of interest.
Be sure to visit the former site of the Royal Naval Dockyard and Casemates Prison. The locals have done a good job of converting the area into a touristy spot that includes a small shopping mall, a museum, a marina, and some eateries. Taking the ferry to the dockyard from Hamilton that has a intermediate stop at "Rockaway" will provide you with a "from the water" view of the former NOB. I have some photos taken from that ride that show the overgrown conditions. Contact me via email if interested and I'll send you some of those shots.
Regardless, BDA is still BDA. It's as beautiful as ever, the folks are as friendly as ever, old haunts like the Swizzle Inn, Waterlot Inn, Hog Penny, Henry The 8ths, and Country Squire still exist (or were still in existence in 2004). Others do not such as the Belmont Hotel, destroyed by Hurricane Fabian in 2003 and the Bermudiana was replaced with a large office building in 1990. If you like a great plate of fish-n-chips, try the White Horse Tavern in St George.
For Denny, I would be interested in seeing your pictures from Bermuda. I was there 1984-1986 and went there for my honeymoon in 1989. I still miss it. If you don't mind, could you e-mail me your pics at sdellinger@twcny.rr.com? Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
Sharon
My wife and I visited there last year on a cruise out of Norfolk...having not ever being stationed there, I was kinda lost as to where things were...took a bus ride to St. George and ate lunch at the Whitehorse, it was great....also took a tour of the caves/caverns that was kinda neat...I just remember the bus drivers info about the costs of houses and that all the roofs were white (except for one red one)...also went up to the lighthouse and that was neat...have fun...
