Insider Tips: Commodore Somers Kempe on Boating Culture
Somers Kempe, former commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, shares his love of the island’s boating culture – and his personal itinerary for a perfect day in Bermuda.
If your visit to Bermuda includes the goal of connecting with the quintessential Bermudian sailor, Somers Kempe would be the gentleman to seek. As the former commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, an accomplished blue-water skipper and a Bermudian inshore sailing champion, he is a man committed to his passion. Who else but a man of passion for sailing would compete in the 635-mile Newport Bermuda Race… 11 times?
BERMUDA IS A NATION born of the wind and the mainsail, AND TO SOME EXTENT WE ALL HAVE SAILING IN OUR BLOOD. I SUPPOSE I HAVE MORE THAN MOST. -SOMERS KEMPE
DRINK LIKE A SAILOR
There are countless things Commodore Kempe loves about his island home: the year-round temperate climate, the laid-back friendliness of his fellow islanders, the beauty of the coral reefs just offshore and, of course, Bermuda’s famed island beverage, the Dark ’n Stormy®. Made with Gosling’s Black Seal rum and ginger beer, it’s a post-regatta beverage known to every sailor in the world.
A PERFECT 1-DAY ITINERARY
What is the perfect day he’d recommend to a visitor?
“I’d say spending the day sailing,” he says, laughing. “But if you don’t sail, start with coffee at D’Angelini’s, then some beach time. Next, gather your group for lunch in St. George’s at Mama Angie’s. From there, stroll around the St. George’s area or head west and make a visit to the Bermuda Maritime Museum in the Royal Naval Dockyard. Wrap up the day with a nice dinner at the Barracuda Grill, and a nightcap somewhere in the City of Hamilton – I believe that would be a visitor’s perfect day.”
