St. George's Harbour is a natural harbour in the north of Bermuda

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

. It serves as the port for the town of St. George's

St. George's, Bermuda

St. George's , located on the island and within the parish of the same names, was the first permanent settlement on the islands of Bermuda, and is often described as the third successful English settlement in the Americas, after St. John's, Newfoundland, and Jamestown, Virginia. However, St...

 and separates St. George's Island

St. George's Island, Bermuda

St. George's Island is one of the main islands of the territory of Bermuda. It lies in the northeast of the territory. It is divided between the town of St. George's and St. George's Parish...

 in the north and west from St. David's Island

St. David's Island, Bermuda

St. David's Island is one of the main islands of Bermuda. It is located in the far north of the territory, one of the two similarly sized islands that makeup the majority of St...

 in the south and east. Several other islands lie to the south and east, closing the harbour from the open sea to the east, and separating it from Smith's Sound, to the South. The original channel used by shipping to access the harbour lies to the south of Paget Island. This was replaced a century ago by dredging out the passage to the north of Paget Island. At the time, the dredging of that passage had been necessary for St. George's to remain a viable port as steam replaced sail. Most freight, today, is offloaded at Hamilton

Hamilton, Bermuda

Hamilton is the capital of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is the territory's financial centre and a major port and tourist destination.-Geography:...

, but St. George's is still used for offloading of gravel and other consignments, by cruise ships visiting the Old Town, and it is the only port of entry for yachts, which must clear H.M. Customs and Bermuda Immigration at Ordnance Island

Ordnance Island, Bermuda

Ordnance Island is located within the limits of St. George's town, Bermuda. It lies close to the shore opposite the town square , in St. George's Harbour....

 before visiting other parts of the archipelago.

It is open to the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 at Gunner Bay

Gunner Bay, Bermuda

Gunner Bay is a large bay in the far north of Bermuda. It contains the entrance to St. George's Harbor and Paget Island, and is overlooked by St. David's Head in the far north of St. David's Island....

 in the northeast, where its mouth is guarded by numerous islands, notably Smith's

Smith's Island, Bermuda

Smith's Island is part of the chain which makes up Bermuda. It is located in St. George's Parish, in the northeast of the territory.The 61 acre island is located close to the northern entrance to St. George's Harbour, east of the town of St. George's to the south of the slightly smaller Paget...

 and Paget Island

Paget Island, Bermuda

Paget Island is part of the chain which makes up Bermuda. It is located in St. George's Parish, in the northeast of the territory.The 36 acre island is located at the northern entrance to St. George's Harbor, east of the town of St. George's and just to the north of the slightly larger Smith's...

s. The waters of Bermuda are also protected by coral reef

Coral reef

Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...

, which can be perilous to sailors. Several other islands lie within the harbour, notably the historically important Ordnance Island

Ordnance Island, Bermuda

Ordnance Island is located within the limits of St. George's town, Bermuda. It lies close to the shore opposite the town square , in St. George's Harbour....

. In the south, a long channel, Ferry Reach

Ferry Reach, Bermuda

Ferry Reach is a three mile long channel in the north-east of Bermuda, which lies between St. George's Island in the north and St. David's Island in the south south-west of the town of St. George's.It extends south from St...

, links the harbor with another opening to the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 and the picturesque Castle Harbour.

To enter St. George's Harbour, sailors must fly a yellow quarantine

Quarantine

Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....

 flag, and navigate the ship towards the Customs dock. Boaters who don't bring their vessel through customs will be fined. Before passing through Bermuda customs, visitors must declare all medicines, and cannot bring fruits or vegetables into the country. Animals are only allowed to be brought to Bermuda if they have proof of health and a permit from the Bermuda Department of Environmental Protection.
The shore of St. George's Harbour was the site of the first settlements in Bermuda, which occurred in the early 17th century. The crew and passengers of the Sea Venture

Sea Venture

The Sea Venture was a 17th-century English sailing ship, the wrecking of which in Bermuda is widely thought to have been the inspiration for Shakespeare's The Tempest...

, driven onto the reefs off St. Catherine's Point in 1609, stayed on St. George's Island for nearly a year. When most departed, two men remained behind on Smith's Island

Smith's Island, Bermuda

Smith's Island is part of the chain which makes up Bermuda. It is located in St. George's Parish, in the northeast of the territory.The 61 acre island is located close to the northern entrance to St. George's Harbour, east of the town of St. George's to the south of the slightly smaller Paget...

, where a third rejoined them, later. When the first intentional settlers arrived from England in 1609, they settled very briefly on St. David's Island, before moving across the Harbour to create St. George's

St. George's, Bermuda

St. George's , located on the island and within the parish of the same names, was the first permanent settlement on the islands of Bermuda, and is often described as the third successful English settlement in the Americas, after St. John's, Newfoundland, and Jamestown, Virginia. However, St...

, the oldest continuously-inhabited English settlement in the New World

New World

The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...

. The harbour was well fortified during this time, as can still be seen in the several period forts located nearby.

The 19th Century saw the establishment of a Royal Naval base in Bermuda. Initially this was in St. George's Harbour, with the Royal Navy operating from facilities in Convict Bay (so called due the prison hulk

Prison ship

A prison ship, historically sometimes called a prison hulk, is a vessel used as a prison, often to hold convicts awaiting transportation to penal colonies. This practice was popular with the British government in the 18th and 19th centuries....

s moored there) and within St. George's town. This build up began in 1795, but a decade later, the Royal Navy was actively developing the dockyard

Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda

HMD Bermuda was the principal base of the Royal Navy in the Western Atlantic between American independence and the Cold War. Bermuda had occupied a useful position astride the homeward leg taken by many European vessels from the New World since before its settlement by England in 1609...

 on Ireland Island, and it soon withdrew from St. George's completely. The build up of the dockyard at the West End of the archipelago still resulted in considerable defence infastructure around St. George's, at the East End, however, as this was the gateway to Bermuda. There are many 19th and 20th Century forts and batteries on the islands surrounding the harbour, for which Ordnance Island

Ordnance Island, Bermuda

Ordnance Island is located within the limits of St. George's town, Bermuda. It lies close to the shore opposite the town square , in St. George's Harbour....

was the primary ammunition depot.