St George’s Harbour - Docking
Berthing for yachts is prohibited at all commercial docks, except in an emergency.
Yachts must adhere strictly to berthing instructions on arrival and should not proceed to any berth or anchorage unless directed to do so by Harbour Radio or the Harbour Master. Boats wishing to shift berth or sail must receive prior clearance as above.
Anchoring
There are anchorages in both St George’s and Hamilton harbours. Convict Bay & Powder Hole are safe anchorages and are close to SGDSC which has a dinghy dock. In south-westerly winds, anchoring in the shelter at the top of St George’s Bay can be more comfortable.
Customs Dock
The Customs dock is located on the Northeast corner of Ordnance Island (on the starboard
side of the main channel, 500m after the exit of the Town Cut). Yachts must be moored in front of the Customs building for clearing both in and out, usually under the bows of a large cruise ship. Beware that the inter-island high-speed ferry docks upstream from the Customs dock so maybe manoeuvring in the area.
The Customs dock only has posts and no cleats so for ease of docking make large bowlines in your mooring lines and be prepared to tighten them on board. It is unlikely you will be offered help with your lines.
Public Quays
In St George’s yachts can berth at Market Wharf West (48 hours only), Market Wharf East (limited to 1/2 hour only), Somers Wharf (all day) and Hunters Wharf (all day).
All vessels that intend to dock alongside a wharf or pier owned by the Corporation of St. George’s (Tel. (441) 297-1532) will be charged a fee per day based upon the footage of the vessel. The St. George’s Dockmaster is responsible for the collection of fees. The Dockmaster can be contacted on VHF Channel 14 after clearance is completed at the Yacht Reporting Centre, Ordnance Island. Payment can be made in cash, or by major credit card. A receipt will be issued. Some reports from cruisers state that it is cheaper to find a marina berth.
Pennos Wharf and Ordnance Island are commercial piers reserved for ship traffic. When tied to these berths, yachts may be requested to leave at short notice by Bermuda Harbour Radio and therefore a listening watch on VHF Channel 16 should be maintained at all times. Vessels left unmanned and in the way of inbound shipping could be towed off the dock.
The Corporation of Hamilton has made available a floating dock at Barr’s Bay Park for visiting yachtsmen to tie up while running errands in the City of Hamilton area.
Marinas
Better docking facilities are available at Dockyard Marina, but this is far from most amenities. Berthing alongside in Hamilton is restricted to yacht club berths, boat yards and marinas, and is usually chargeable. Charges may be obtained on application from the Dockyard Marina (a full-service marina), the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, and others.
There is a new marina on the north side of Little Bay, just east of St George’s Harbour. It is mainly a super-yacht facility but does have some berths for smaller yachts.
Last updated: August 2017
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Does anyone have any updates on visiting Bermuda? I understand that they only allow yachts in cases of emergency, but now I am reading that the EU is fast tracking its re-opening in hopes of saving the summer tourist season. I am wondering if Bermuda is doing the same. Thanks, Kevin Boothby
https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0516/1138765-italy-coronavirus/
St George
May/June 2018
Called Bermuda radio when we were 60 miles out and they asked lots of questions to confirm they had the right boat. We had completed the pre-arrival form online and this made it much easier. The Bermuda Radio operators are excellent and you can tell they have been trained properly on the radio, their professionalism was even more noticeable after we arrived in the USA. When we arrived at St. George’s harbour, before we went through “The Cut” we radioed again and they gave permission for us to continue in and go to the customs dock.
They do not like you to anchor but to take your boat directly to customs. If you don’t radio in they will still pick you up if you have AIS and call you to assertion your intentions. They were very clear with all their instructions. The cost was $70 dollars at check-in. You can pay by credit card ( 2 persons 42ft boat) No charge to clear out and if there are no crew changes then you can dinghy over to clear out. NB After clearing out you only have 59 minutes to leave!
No recycling for cruisers but bins on the side of the quay are available. They recycle at home but only a small amount and it is sent to the USA for processing.
You can only get duty free fuel if you are buying 900+ litres! So it can be expensive. Other yachts were sailing around to Dockyard to refuel because it was cheaper.
Supermarket, bank etc all within walking distance. We did lock our dinghy when it was on the pontoon but many people didn’t.
There are lots of locals that hang around the quayside. We didn’t have any trouble with them. We came over to the quay for a few nights, ask and pay in the flash marina office next to the customs office. It cost $1 per ft, per night against the wall, no water or electricity, no showers but nice clean toilets open during the day only. There was a local man called Weldon who helped us tie upside too.
Buses are inexpensive and there is a very good Tourist information centre in St George’s.
We spent nearly 3 weeks here.
We used Ocean Sails in St. Georges for a mainsail repair in May 2016. Despite a lot to do with the ARC regatta, they were effective and forthcoming. The sail was repaired in two days.
Some information on St. George’ s Dinghy & Sports Club as of May 2014:
Laundry is $4/wash and $4/dry. The machines only take Bermuda dollar coins.
Showers are by token, which can be purchased at the bar on the upper level for $3. They last 5 minutes. Good water pressure with hot water.
Wifi is available, the range is fairly limited.