World Cayman Islands Georgetown

Silverheels II in the Western Caribbean

Georgetown, Cayman Islands Feb 11, 2009

Silverheels II was able to squeak in a 360-mile passage between Roatan, Honduras and Georgetown, Cayman Islands within a small weather window between windy and really windy. The winds laid down long enough to make the overnight passage, but increased steadily throughout the following morning, making the final few hours of the passage a rolly and wind-whipped mess, with constant 30-knot winds. The sea conditions were particularly problematic when, in order to clear Cayman customs, we were told to tie up to the concrete municipal pier, a rough and rusty concrete slab designed for steel freighters and not the fiberglass and teak of pleasure craft. The surge in the harbor was tremendous and it took a cobweb of lines and a concerted effort to prevent any damage to the boat. Fortunately, this also had the effect of making the clearing-in process quick and painless, as the customs agent recognized the precariousness of the situation and shortly had us processed and untied. We spent the following week comfortably tied to a private dock in a pleasant neighborhood, sheltered from the wind, which refused to relent for a full week. The Cayman Islands were originally named “Islas de Tortugas” by the Spanish, who were impressed by the number of sea turtles that they encountered upon their initial arrival on the island. After the Spanish drove the native turtle population to the verge of extinction by turning them into soup, jewelry and eyeglass frames, the name was changed to the Cayman Islands, after the then-large crocodile population. The crocodiles are now extinct. I’m not sure why the crocodiles disappeared, but I can leap to the conclusion that having resorts built on one’s nesting grounds and being turned into Gucci purses probably does not bode well for the survival of one’s species. In keeping with past tradition, it is now likely that the Cayman Islands will soon be renamed the “Shady Bank Account Islands.” The Caymans are a British territory and a major offshore banking center. It is clean, modern and prosperous and is the only Caribbean Island on which I’ve seen Ferraris, Porsche 911’s, AMG Mercedes and Bentleys in large numbers. This seems like overkill for an island on which, having driven a rental car for a week, I was never able to get above 40 MPH. Grand Cayman has one the more extensive, beautiful and diverse botanical gardens I’ve seen. This is no small feat, considering that only a few years ago, Hurricane Ike leveled the park and left the trees and vegetation in shreds. The recovery was swift, however, and now there are few reminders of the previous devastation. The park is also home to some of the 30 remaining wild blue Cayman Iguanas and the endangered Cayman parrot. Apparently, this is a tough place to be an indigenous species. Grand Cayman also boasts a huge turtle farm with an extensive breeding program that releases thousands of loggerhead sea turtles into the wild when they reach their first birthday. Those are the lucky ones. Turtle soup is on the menu at the snack bar. Michael

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