I write on behalf of Tall Ships 2000-Bermuda to offer a very heartfelt thank-you to everybody on the Island for helping to make this spectacular event such a major success.

One of our primary objectives from the very beginning was to make the event one that would involve, and appeal to, people from all walks of life and every age group. We think we achieved that objective beyond all our expectations.

Planning for the event became a joint venture between the Government and the private sector. Both contributed enormously in terms of human resources and with generous financial contributions. The event would not have happened without this joining together for a common purpose.

In total, over 150 young Bermudians have sailed, or are still looking forward to sailing on a tall ship. This number exceeded our expectations by 50%, and it was exciting to witness the enthusiasm exhibited, not just by those with sailing experience, but by those who had never sailed in their lives before and who perhaps had never even considered it as something they wanted to do.

Those who have completed their sail have wonderfully positive stories to tell and most cannot wait to repeat the experience.

There were over 500 people who volunteered to assist with this event in one capacity of another. The Liaison Officers in their bright orange shirts -- the regular volunteers in their fluorescent green shirts -- the Port Committee in their hot pink shirts -- were visible wherever you looked. The volunteers really make all the years of planning and preparation work. Everybody was where he or she was supposed to be, when they were supposed to be there, and they all went beyond the call of duty by putting in long hours . . . very simply put, they made it happen.

The grand finale was, of course, the Parade of Sail on Monday, June 12th.

Everything that floated was on the water that day to accompany the fleet down the channel and give the tall ships a rousing send-off. And every Bermudian and every visitor who was not on a boat, was on the shore, watching the spectacle from hundreds of vantage points along the coast. There was a wonderful, warm, friendly, holiday atmosphere, and a sense of sharing that is rarely seen in Bermuda except after a major catastrophe such as a hurricane.

Did Bermuda do a good job? You bet we did! In fact, you all did such a wonderful job that the International Sail Training Association, and all the tall ship participants who were here, have voted Bermuda second to none as a tall ships host port.

I, and all of my colleagues on the Tall Ships Port Committee, are truly proud to have been associated with such a wonderful event, and once again, we thank you -- all of Bermuda -- for making it the unqualified success that it was.

BRIAN W. BILLINGS Chairman Tall Ships 2000-Bermuda What have we to lose? June 26, 2000 Dear Sir, Re: The War on Drugs and Former Policeman Swift.

I quote the Mid Ocean: "At the time of Mr. Swift's initial complaint an inquiry was launched and remains open to this day, subject to new information or evidence coming to light which we again invite Mr. Swift to produce.'' How strong and sincere is the invitation? Is it backed with funds? Why Mr. Swift has not produced the information is certainly strange. Does he have the information? Has he been invited to Bermuda with a mandate and the finances needed to produce more evidence? Is he beside himself? Is there any merit to what he has said so far? What has he said? If the "war on drugs'' were serious they would give him every opportunity to come up, or shut up. What is there to lose but a few thousand dollars? What is there to gain but the chance to help the war and save some of the children whose parents they are condemning in the media? Why do the Police not give him another chance? I do not know Mr. Swift, but this is an appeal to give him another chance in the light of the virtual hopelessness of our situation, instead of disparaging parents who have no hope and little choice, if any, but to send their children to sell drugs.

I do not mean to encourage these parents to continue in this nefarious trade and its cognates. What I mean to do is to jolt into sincere action those powers who are in positions where they can help the parents.

READER City of Hamilton Information is bogus Dear Sir, It has come to my attention that a prominent member of the St. David's Community had indicated that Southside Road is a private road and you can commit offences without penalty. I can assure you Mr. Editor that the information is ludicrous and bogus. The St. David's people have been deceived once again.

Southside Road is a public road and if you continue to commit offences i.e.

speeding, driving without due care and attention, unlicensed vehicles, no driving licences, disqualified driving and any other offences contrary to the Road Traffic Act 1947, The Motor Car Act 1951 etc. you will be dealt with swiftly, penalised and/or arrested accordingly. Please be advised that the Eastern Division and especially the Eastern Traffic Enforcement Unit are not out there to persecute the public but dedicated to maintain law and order and keep our roads safe for all.

FRANKIE FOGGO St. David's The cost of inexperience June 30, 2000 Dear Sir, When you give an inexperienced group the power of running a country you are bound to see a lot of peculiar things happening, like trying to buy the $15m property in Paget at the taxpayers' expense, and then another large property for the Tourism Department when visitor figures are still way down. This of course is only two of many so-called great ideas. Also you get a lot of unprofessional comments like, "We don't need these people here'', along with the shrill ranting of the Tourism Minister when he tries to find excuses on why we are not seeing any improvement in the amount of visitors coming here.

Of course, he is always "confident'' and "the future looks promising'', but after 20 months his excuses are getting a bit thin, especially, as you may recall when he was the Opposition he had plenty of good ideas for bringing tourism up to par. From other members of the party you either get "no comment' at all, or the most unbelievable excuses imaginable.

When an inexperienced group sees the power they have been given, that power is inclined to go to their heads, as seen by the need to order extra large cars for themselves and by the amount of money they are spending on travel; again, at the taxpayers' expense. Many years ago I was having a chat with a young fellow who would later become a very prominent politician, and during the course of conversation he said that when he became successful in life he would buy the biggest car he could get, so I asked why he would want a big car on a small Island like this? (In those days cars were much smaller.) His reply was, "when you drive around in a big car people notice you, and it's a status symbol''.

We have lots of problems on this Island and we all know what they are, but they are not being addressed. They say that crime is down, which I find hard to believe. The recent vandalism of the Primary school and the abuse of the pitbull puppy gives one a good idea what kind of society we are living in, and it is getting worse. The problem on the roads is as bad as ever, and it is surprising that more people have not been killed. In the past two weeks I have seen at least five cars with blacked out windows, which we are told is against the law, so why are these people blatantly driving around in these cars? We all know that Bermuda is an expensive place to live in, but the way the prices keep rising should be cause for concern. They tell us that the cost of living is up by three percent, but if you take items which you pay for on a day-to-day basis it is much more, (after all, we don't buy cars, scooters and appliances every day of the week) My supermarket bills are up about 18 percent compared to the same six-month period last year, and I am pretty regular on what I buy weekly. Newspapers up five cents, fuel adjustment charges from Belco, $28 this May against $6 last May for the same kilowatts used, and nobody knows how they work that out. Third Party Insurance on a small bike, $87 last year, $99 this year (BF&M). Dental and Doctors office visits are up, and on and on it goes. Gasoline increases we can't do much about, but when you pay over $5 a gallon maybe the government could take a smaller cut? -- or maybe they would give the old age pensioners an increase instead of flying off all over the place.

SEEING IT AS IT IS Pembroke We all need ethics April 13, 2000 Dear Sir, For the cynics the term business ethics is simply a contradiction in terms.

After all, what does morality have to do with cutting deals and making money.

All Bermudians need to read the Tugwell Report. Since 1970 all over the world highly publicised cases of fraud and dishonest business practices have highlighted the need for business ethics. Bermuda is no exception. Bermudians need to read about what the article called a Dysfunctional Marketplace. The writer stated that local board members say that Business Ethics should be put aside and they have a right to information that the rest of the market does not have.

It appears that our new government, along with the opposition, are prepared to cover up what went on in the operation of the BSX, our insurance company, Island Press (Holdings), Bermuda Container Lines, BELCO Holding, Staples, Etc.

All these companies have at one time or another sat on financial information without releasing it to the rest of the market. It appears insider trading is legal in Bermuda.

Those who worked for the Bermuda Monetary Authority are above the law. The ordinary citizens of Bermuda must ask themselves why not one MP -- Government or Opposition -- questions the actions of those in charge of the BSX. You my friends have appeared in court for much less. I have always believed that Bermuda is a corrupt island. Under the UBP, unions, it appears, were allowed to circumvent our Trade Union Act. In 1973 the UBP Government decided that instead of prosecuting the BIU they would not because of political repercussions in a democratic society. There were times when the government in power, UBP, opposition, PLP, and unions it appears, work against the people.

The article `A Dysfunctional Marketplace' written by Ahmed ElAmin is absolute proof that Bermuda is all about corrupt practices.

RAYMOND RUSSELL SR.

Pembroke Give me a break July 1, 2000 Dear Sir, We constantly hear the cry from politicians, car dealers, and anyone wanting to `feather their nest' with larger cars, that `there are just no small cars available any more'! Give me a break, Europe is teeming with small cars! ENVIRONMENTALLY AWARE Devonshire