St. George’s Harbour
Hamilton Harbour
Great Sound
Ely’s Harbour (Somerset)
Castle Harbour
Snorkel Church Bay
Dive the wreck of the Constellation
Explore the Royal Naval Dockyard
Tour Crystal & Fantasy Caves
Walk the streets of historic St. George’s
Horseshoe Bay
Royal Naval Dockyard
St. George’s
Hamilton
Gibbs Hill Lighthouse
Late May through October gives the warmest water and air temperatures, with June through September the most reliably settled. Hurricane season officially runs June to November, though Bermuda is hit directly far less often than the Caribbean, and most storm tracks pass well to the west. Charter brokers generally favour the shoulder months of May, June, September and early October, combining warm water with a lower chance of a named storm affecting the itinerary.
L.F. Wade International Airport (BDA), on the island’s northeast end, is Bermuda’s only airport and takes direct flights from several major US East Coast cities as well as London and Toronto. It sits close enough to St. George’s and Hamilton that most charter guests are aboard within half an hour of landing. There is no need to connect through a hub city for most North American or UK departures.
Most yachts clear customs at St. George’s Harbour before moving on, since it remains the primary port of entry on the island’s east end. The Great Sound, sheltered by the Royal Naval Dockyard peninsula, offers the most anchoring room and the best base for exploring Hamilton and the western parishes. Ely’s Harbour, near Somerset, and Castle Harbour, closer to the airport, are quieter alternatives away from the main harbour traffic.
Four to five days covers the island properly: a day or two around St. George’s and the Royal Naval Dockyard, time to dive a wreck or two, and an afternoon on Horseshoe Bay. Since Bermuda sits roughly 650 miles from Cape Hatteras, the nearest point on the US mainland, most charters treat it as a standalone destination rather than combining it with a wider Caribbean or New England run.
Every vessel must contact Bermuda Radio on VHF channel 16 on approach and file a pre-arrival float plan in advance, then clear customs, immigration and health at Ordnance Island in St. George’s Harbour, where a boarding officer comes aboard to check documentation. Visiting yachts also need to register with Bermuda’s SailClear system ahead of arrival. The process is straightforward once the paperwork is in, but it is not something to leave until the last mile of the crossing.
