Bermuda celebrated 400 years of continuous habitation in 2009, a historically significant milestone. The wreck of the Sea Venture and the subsequent rescue of the Jamestown colony in Virginia by its survivors is one of the great maritime epics of the western world.

The Virginia Company's third "supply" to their struggling Jamestown colony departed from Plymouth on 2 June, 1609 under the command of Admiral Sir George Somers. Separated from the fleet by a violent storm, the flagship, Sea Venture, ran aground on Bermuda's eastern reefs on 28 July (providing the theme of Shakespeare's Tempest). All 150 passengers and crew - and the dog - safely landed on the beach at "gates his Bay".

Thus began four centuries of continuous habitation of these small, isolated islands, during the course of which Bermuda evolved into the diverse multi-ethnic and multi-cultural community we know today.

But the story of Bermuda extends beyond the geographical limits of the island itself. Bermuda played a crucial role in the development of the New World. A year after the shipwreck of the Sea Venture, two new ships, Patience and Deliverance resumed the interrupted voyage on 10 May, 1610. Their arrival at Jamestown on 24 May was met with scenes of death and misery. The Bermuda-built ships literally saved the Virginia colony from extinction.
William Strachey and Silvester Jourdain wrote dramatic accounts of these events.

For the full story, visit www.bermuda2009.bm.