The 35th America’s Cup is over. As I drove my bike down Front Street this morning and saw the larger-than-life Bermudian flag waving, I couldn’t help but have a tremendous sense of pride for what we as Bermudians have accomplished over the past several weeks.

When it was announced, in late 2014, that Bermuda had been selected to host the America’s Cup, there were sceptics everywhere. “Can we build nine acres of reclaimed land in time?” “How will we deal with the inevitable traffic jams of cars, bikes, taxis, buses, vans all using one road to the Village?” “Will there be enough food on the shelves in the supermarkets?”

What resulted was this: Bermuda excelled — and at a level that few could have imagined.

While I loved watching the sailing, what gave me the greatest joy was wandering around the Village and watching the smiling faces of Bermudian families as they enjoyed the sights and sounds of all that the Village had to offer. It felt to me like community.

A strong community. People smiling and laughing. Children running around, having a ball. Great Bermudian entertainers.

The entrepreneurship of Bermudians selling their goods and services to residents and visitors alike. The sense of accomplishment that when we all work together in Bermuda, we can do some pretty amazing things.

I found myself so excited about the America’s Cup that I watched the replays of the races afterwards. And on the screen, I saw the beauty of our island, watched by millions of people around the world.

I saw the turquoise waters that people around the world can only dream of, that we get to see every day.

While I am writing this piece, giving my own perspective of the success of the America’s Cup for Bermuda, as president of the Chamber of Commerce, I can say with confidence that every sector of the Chamber of Commerce membership benefited from this event.

The challenge now will be to continue to build on the momentum of this success so that all of Bermuda can look ahead to a better tomorrow.

The America’s Cup may be over, but my hope is that the progress we achieve when we work together has only just begun. #Bermunity

• John Wight is the president of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce