Bermuda Sun – June 6th 2003 Race helps to cement our links with Charleston By Patrick Bean A match made in heaven? It just could be. Uncannily similar in terms of maritime, tourism, architecture, even nature, Bermuda and Charleston, South Carolina would appear ideal bedfellows. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and Community Affairs and Sports Minister Randy Horton agree there’s great potential for mutually beneficial growth apart from the biennial Charleston to Bermuda Race, which finished two weeks ago. “I think what stands out about Bermuda and Charleston is a shared maritime tradition,” Gov. Sanford, who came to Bermuda to attend the race’s prizegiving ceremony, told the Bermuda Sun. “Our roots go deep, back into the 1700s. Yours go even deeper, back into the 1500s, but we both have longtime maritime histories and heritage, and I think that if you look at the way the world is changing, both from a retirement standpoint and a tourism standpoint, coastal communities that offer a high quality lifestyle are places of great interest, both from the standpoint of retirement and from the standpoint of tourism. “So, what we share is a very similar niche in the marketplace and we can be very complementary to each other in growing that piece of the pie. If somebody wants to go to New York or San Francisco, it’s a very different experience, but if somebody wants to be around the water you ought to go to Bermuda or somewhere like Charleston.” Mr. Horton, who visited Charleston for the first time just prior to the start of the race, said that he was flabbergasted at the similarities to Bermuda. “When I drove through there I was very much amazed, first of all, by the flora and fauna, because I was driving down the road and all of a sudden I’m looking at these trees and these flowers and saying, ‘These look like oleanders.’ And they were … all along the street just like here in Bermuda. “Then the homes, with the verandahs and the like, are just like here in Bermuda, very similar architecture and then of course there is the maritime heritage. We’ve been seafarers and the people up in Charleston have been seafarers and I think that it’s great to see this race developing. I think it will lead to the development of all kinds of relationships, business relationships. They are very interested in doing business with people in Bermuda.” While on the Island Gov. Sanford also had occasion to meet and compare notes with Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown, to whom he gave credit for securing a daily flight between Florida and Bermuda, something he had himself sought but failed to achieve. Mr. Sanford, currently in his first term of office, said: “We’re jealous that the new U.S. Air flight will come out of Florida and come to Bermuda. It’s something we haven’t been able to pull off in South Carolina. “But I had a very pleasant visit with him and have had several visits with Minister Horton, who was kind enough to come to Charleston, so it’s the beginning of a working relationship from our end and I think that as you begin to get to know each other all of a sudden you see opportunities develop that can be complementary to both places.” Among those opportunities are the tall ship projects being undertaken by each jurisdiction, with the Bermuda Sloop Foundation and the South Carolina Maritime Heritage Foundation endeavouring to have replicas of 19th-century schooners built in time to compete in the 2005 race. “Hooked into this growing relationship is the development of the Bermuda sloop,” Mr. Horton explained. “Because of the fact that they’re building the Spirit of South Carolina, and they’ve been trading a lot of intelligence as they prepare for the development of our ship. “The important thing is developing partnerships. If you’re going to develop any sport, business, almost anything you can’t develop it alone, you need to work with other people, so I think it’s an excellent example of how you can partner with people who are outside of Bermuda to help things grow and also to provide additional opportunities for our young people in particular.”