What happened to the Little Island?

We visited Grand Cayman in 2004. It was a very nice place to vacation. A small out-of-the way place although in the major leagues of international finance. Already well-known for diving I did my first dives here. But a week after we visited Hurricane Ivan struck a devastating blow. The entire island was under 6 feet or more of seawater knocking out 85% of all the buildings, all utilities and as the water receded looting broke out as people looked for food and water. The loss exceeded 183% of the islands GDP. Far worse than Katrina in New Orleans.

Today Grand Cayman has a full-time population of 50,000+ and on any given day at least as many tourists in the hotels, villas and off cruise ships.  As one Brac'r described it, it is Miami Beach. Not only has the island recovered but it has prospered at the expense of no longer being a little island. The Brac and Little Cayman pride themselves on being what Grand Cayman used to be.

The beautiful little islands.

On Friday we very sadly returned from Little Cayman to Cayman Brac to clear out with Customs. The Caymans are divided administratively into 2 regions: the sister islands (LC and CB) and Grand Cayman. Foreign boats traveling between the regions need to clear out and in with Customs almost as if they were foreign countries. So we did as required and cleared out with the sister islands and had 24 hours to depart. Our friends on Tropical Blend and Symbiosis left immediately for Grand Cayman. But I was determined to dive on Cayman Brac.

Dinner at the Asian House the last night on Cayman Brac.

The surge in the anchorage was not as bad as when we left and got better overnight. In fact by Saturday morning it was relatively flat. Friday night we did a little bit of shopping and had dinner ashore. But the real treat came Saturday.

My pet grouper.

We dinghied in and were picked up on schedule by Martin, one of the owners of Brac Dive Shack to take us diving. We joined several other divers and the boat went back around the island to where we were moored. The first dive was a deep wall dive with the usual fish, beautiful coral and sponges but the second dive was amazing. We motored up to the mooring ball next to where Amekaya was moored. So cool! The dive was shallower around the coral heads that permeated the area growing up from the bottom like Christmas trees. But more than the vivid colors were the critters. Up under one ledge we saw probably the biggest lobster I've ever seen. Then a little further along a big grouper swam up to me and let me pet him and of course get some good pics and just after that a Hawksbill Turtle was munching on some grass and did some nice friendly poses. What great dives!

A school of jacks under a ledge.

When we got back from the dive we had 2 hours to get off our mooring to stay within the 24 hour limit after clearing out so we got the dinghy up, secured the cabin and left.  We wanted to stop at a dive mooring by Little Cayman but the wind was blowing nicely and we put up the sails and decided not to test our welcome.

The front end of Mr. Lobster. The camera didn't pick up his entire body.

We left after spending about 10 days on these small islands. When we originally planned to visit the little Caymans we planned a week on each island. We now regret not spending more time on them. They are very beautiful, the diving was great and the people so warm and friendly. Even though they are small islands there was so much to do and see. We definitely need to come back.

We got off the mooring and got the engine warmed up just in time to shut it down. The wind was blowing about 8-12 just behind the beam so it gave us an apparent wind angle of about 80. We were in no hurry because we didn't want to get to the North Sound channel in the dark so we pulled out the sails and took off.

Lots of people think of Island Packets as slow. It is true they are heavy by design and especially when fully loaded for long-term cruising. But, the standard for cruising is to be able to do at least 50% of the apparent wind speed. With 8-10 kts of wind we were sailing 6-7 kts. In fact our ETA kept getting earlier and was about 3 in the morning.  The sailing was perfect. A nice comfortable speed, the water was mostly flat, clear sky and nice temperature. Over night we had a nearly full moon.

But, we had to slow down. First I reefed in the jib but the wind picked up so I finally brought it in all the way. We continued nicely getting the ETA back to about 0700 which was manageable. Then about 0500 I called the port security to report being in Cayman waters and request our check in and contrary to our plans, hopes and dreams they told us we needed to come to the Port in George Town and would not clear us in the marina as advertised. That just added 20+ miles to our trip. The wind was now dropping so after about 12 hours of great sailing we had to turn on the engine and motor around the island to the Port for checking in.

Check in was easy because there were no cruise ships in port. So we checked in and then motored all the way back around to the Sound and followed a crooked path to the marina and into a slip. Once tucked in we cleaned the boat, put up the sun covers and met our friends from Symbiosis and Tropical Blend for happy hour at the George Town Yacht Club.

We are staying at the Barcadere Marina which is next to the airport and not far out of downtown George Town. It is collocated with the George Town Yacht Club and shares facilities. The marina facility is in excellent condition, people are all friendly, they have a shuttle and the bar has a nice happy hour.

The Bracadere Marina.

Monday was a holiday so most businesses were closed but we went downtown and walked up along the hotel area on West Bay. Many of the stores were closed for the holiday but there was still lots to see. There is a new Margaritaville Beach Resort, lots of new resort hotels, high price stores and amazing cement prosperity. It is amazing what has happened to the little island. It still resembles what we saw years ago but now it more resembles anyplace but here.

One of the premier shopping districts today.

Sunset on our first day exploring Grand Cayman.

Wow! So much has happened

Wow!!! So much has happened so quickly it's hard to keep up that I'm already behind.

Little Cayman Beach Resort.

We were enjoying Cayman Brac. We rented a car and drove around the island looking for things we wanted to explore more although the day was broken up by lunch with friends from Port Antonio who had just arrived and Linda wanting to watch her son Seth receive an MS from Utica College in New York. We also went on an expedition trying to find some fresh produce since we couldn’t bring anything in when we cleared Cayman Customs. Ironically, they never checked. So here we were again looking for food and the barge just arrived.

Amekaya from the dinghy dock and jetty,

Saturday two other couples that we knew from Port Antonio made it here and that night we all met at Barracudas for happy hour and their famous wood oven pizza but the real story starts after that. Larry and Debby Gaddy on Tropical Blend and Scott and Noi Neuman on Symbiosis made it here from Montego Bay and we hung together before moving on to Grand Cayman.

Looking east off Cayman Brac toward Jamaica.

The East End Light on top of Cayman Brac.

Saturday night the wind dropped and the normally benign swell became relentless. The island of Cayman Brac runs northeast to southwest so the prevailing easterly swell is deflected and mooring on the north side of the island is safe. But, with the wind down the swell built from the northeast and built and built. We couldn’t sleep at all that night because the current kept the boat sideways to the swell and with the boat rolling things that never even happen on a passage happened. We had to secure everything as if we were sailing and stuff in our lockers still rolled and slammed about as the sudden jerking about relentlessly grew.

The "Skull Tunnel." Cayman Brac had lots of tunnels including several used for hurricane shelters.

Sunday morning, we were scheduled to go diving and we managed to get into the dinghy and went to the jetty. But the swells were crashing over the rock jetty that serves as a dinghy dock and there was no safe place to land or leave the dinghy. If we would have gone into the beach we would have never gotten off. It would have been like Tom Hanks and Wilson trying to get beyond the reef. Everyone was in the same situation. None of the others had slept either. There didn’t seem to be many options but there was one. The South Sound on Little Cayman. The only issue was we knew little or nothing about it but we had a contact.

South or Owen Island Sound a welcome relief after the night from hell.

I had been given the name and phone number by our friend Marc Pothier of a sailor who used to live on Little Cayman. So even though it was early on a Sunday morning I called him. He was very happy to talk to me. He offered us his mooring in South Sound and gave us total local knowledge about the channel and the Sound. So I called Symbiosis and Tropical Blend on the VHF and offered that we would go over and take the mooring and check depths around the sound. Then call them and help them get in. We did that and by 1400 everyone was situated; us on a mooring and the others on anchor in the relative calm with protection behind the reef. For our time in Little Cayman we slept well making up for the one rough night.

All came to celebrate relief. Larry and Debbie Gaddy from Tropical Blend; Scott and Noi Neuman from Symbiosis; along with Linda and the photographer (me) enjoying respite.

Little Cayman turned out to be a boater’s dream. In the Sound we had protection from the surge and largely wind shelter from every way but south. A large dive resort was situated on the beach close to where we were. Little Cayman Beach Resort had a nice beach bar, we could get their wifi with our booster, we were able to drop off trash, no issues with landing our dinghies there and a great dive operation. All was good.

Heading out on a dive the next morning. If I can figure out how to edit the dive videos I will post the incredible footage,

I couldn’t wait to dive the Little Caymans. For years, I’ve read how great the diving is and Monday morning I went out to find out. It had just finished raining as I left the boat and went into the dock. The rain returned and it poured right up until it was time to leave. The boat went around the island to the Bloody Bay Park reported as one of the best dive sites in the world. Did 2 dives there with spectacular scenery. We did several swim throughs that came out onto the wall, swam along the wall and swam in shallower coral gardens full of reef fish, rays, turtles and several friendly groupers.  The walls in the Caymans are truly awesome. They start in as little as 30-40 ft and drop straight down thousands of feet. It is magical to float along these mountainous cliffs of coral suspended weightless 100 ft below the surface but thousands of feet above the bottom. Everything sparkles in the sun lit clear water but as darkness robs the light looking down there is only blue.

Iguanas have the right of way on Little Cayman.

The dives did not disappoint. I only wish I had more time to dive. We had originally planned a week on each island but with the changes to our plans and the weather it looked like about a week and a half was all we would get on the Little Caymans. I did do another dive which was equally spectacular and every chance we got we snorkeled. Just off the boat where we were moored on the Brac and by Little Cayman there was great snorkeling. Occasionally a ray or barracuda would swim by and you could see them from the boat or watch them through a snorkel mask.

In our crash gear with great scenery.

Out and about on our scooters. Is this a travel brochure pic or not?

Few boaters ever come here and the reason tourists travel here is for the diving although on the Brac there is wall climbing, hiking, caving and birding. Just too much to go into with all that.

We, along with our friends rented scooters one afternoon and toured Little Cayman. What a beautiful island with iconic scenes everywhere.

Another stop on our scooter trip at Southern Cross Resort.

During the week the weather gradually improved and we did more things around the boat and on the island. I managed to spend the time and clean off the bottom of the boat. From time to time I had managed to get parts of it clean but this was the first time since we launched last June that I was able to completely scrub the bottom clean. Hopefully that will help with speed and fuel economy going to Guatemala.

Just another gratuitous beach scene at Southern Cross Resort.

As always our week flew by and we needed to return to the Brac to check out of Cayman Customs before continuing on to Grand Cayman. There was still surge in the anchorage but it was nothing like the last night here. Saturday morning, I did 2 more dives and Linda snorkeled before leaving getting to see just a little more of the famous Little Caymans.

The "No Trespassing" sign on Owen Island.

I went back into our blog to a post I did about 2 years ago and the blog posts are getting longer and more involved because there is so much more to talk about. Cruising the east coast, working on the boat and even the Bahamas pale compared to the interesting things we’ve been able to do since we left George Town, Bahamas. The Acklins, Great Inagua, Jamaica and now the Caymans offer so much more adventure and very few boats come this way. Most places in the Bahamas or the BVI’s there are hundreds of boats on any given day. Here, we rarely see another boat. When we moored in Little Cayman and went ashore everyone had seen or heard about the boats out in the Sound because it is a novelty. People on the dive boats talked about the boats anchored there.

Full moon over the Little Cayman Baptist Church.

Now we get ready to make our way to Grand Cayman. It is a big city without the charms of these little islands. We can shop and provision for our trip up the Rio Dulce. Find time for some more diving and eat in fancy restaurants. But most importantly get the boat ready for our next passage and the longest of this trip and possibly to date. It will be about 460nm and take us about 70-75 hours.

Off to a Cayman holiday

Checking out of Jamiaca was easy and interesting. As it turns out at least 6 boats were leaving the marina the same day so they had to process 6 clearances at the same time. Obviously, something they were not used to. We had to carefully manage our Jamaican money so we had enough to clear everything but not too much that we would be stuck with since . We made one last visit to the market to buy some fresh fruit for the trip and we bought a jerk chicken from the Jamdung Jerk Restaurant down by the market to eat on the trip to Cayman Brac.

Port Antonio to port as we head west.

We were very happy with the cost of the marina for the 3 weeks we were there. The daily rate per foot was less than $40/night. But the real surprise was the electric cost. We were plugged in using power for all our appliances and heating water. Additionally, we ran the air conditioning each evening to cool off the boat. Unless it was a mistake our electric bill was $16 for 3 weeks. Our total marina bill for the 3 weeks was less than $ 1200. Imagine getting a resort vacation in Jamaica for $400 a week! Additionally, the food, beer and everything was reasonably priced.  The last day I got a haircut for J$1000 or $8 US.

The marina was well protected from wind, wake and swells. I would recommend it to anyone as a great place to stay to visit Jamaica. The only issue is it is a long way to other towns but with all the great things in Port Antonio and Portland Parish it makes the tourist towns seem irrelevant.

So with sadness about leaving Port Antonio we got underway at first light about 0530 with great hopes for a smooth passage and the next few weeks in the Cayman Islands. Next stop, Cayman Brac.

From the forecasts we expected light winds from behind us with waves less than a meter and a favorable current. But as we made our way out of the Bay we seemed to be running into an opposing current but the winds were filling in from behind. It looked like storms to the east and fortunately we weren’t going that way.

Looking at the Blue Mountains with clouds around them.

Puzzled by the lack of current and even an opposing current I checked the tides at Georgetown and found that the high tide was at 0600 with a high low tide about 1000 with a low high tide about 1400 with a low low tide about 2000. So it looked like we might be facing an opposing tide until about 2000. To overcome the opposing current we pulled out the jib to see if it could give us a lift. It did. We were running high 4’s to high 6’s and with the sail out we moved up to upper 5’s to high 7 knot range. When the current slacked we actually picked up speed to the low 6’s to the upper 8’s.

About noon the wind filled in and we went to all sail. We were able to sail in the low 6’s to the mid 8’s until about dark. Then the wind died and we pulled in the main but using the jib we were able to keep speed using the engine. But as predicted the current changed and we added speed. Our average speed increased and for the next 8 hours we were able to sail between 7-9kts knocking out the miles. Just about sunrise the wind died further and we pulled in the jib.

Sailing into the sunset.

For the remainder of the trip we simply motored running about 7 kts. The apparent wind ranged about 1-2 kts. We made it to Cayman Brac about 1130 and ate a light lunch before landing with Cayman Customs and Immigration at 1300.

Sunrise after a quiet night.

Approaching the Brac.

In-processing in the Caymans was fairly simple. The agents were helpful and friendly welcoming us to the Caymans they explained the process and gave us good advice about where to anchor and things to do on the Brac.

Seems that in this weather pattern a nice sea breeze builds in the afternoon so we were able to sail from our mooring at the Creek wharf where we checked in to a mooring at Scott Bay where we planned to conduct our Cayman Brac adventure.

Downwind sail behind the Brac.

We dinghied down to a very nice jetty where we were able to tie the dinghy and walked over to the Marketplace and got a Digicell Sim Card for the Caymans and bought a few fresh items until the supply barge comes in on Saturday. We dinghied back to the boat to celebrate our arrival in the Caymans and catch-up on our sleep.

Friday we visited the ATM and got some Cayman cash, reserved a rental car for Saturday and made dive plans for Sunday. We then snorkeled the coral heads right around our mooring. Our mooring is in about 30 feet of water and the coral heads grow off the bottom like Christmas trees up to within 10 feet of the surface. The clarity of the water offers spectacular visibility to the reefs, the fish and underwater topography. We dinghied down to the wreck of the M/V Tibbetts which is an old Soviet frigate sunk in about 50-100 feet of water that has turned into a reef. A very great underwater visual.

We picked up out rental car before closing and drove around the island stopping for dinner at the Captain’s Table to enjoy their Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Amekaya from the jetty.

Looks like a good place to go to college.

Finally. Could not find this in the Bahamas or Jamaica.

Nice to be back in what seems like a First World island after months of living in the third world. Well, at least until we really get into the real Third World. So far it seems like the island is a lot like the Bahamas but still rustic. Prices are close to the Bahamas which is painful after Jamaica and there is no produce but the scenery is beautiful.

For years I’ve heard about the great diving and scenery in the little Caymans and now we’re here to see it. Then off to Grand Cayman and at the end of this month on to Guatemala for our summer.

Looking at the dive boats in Sesinger Bay as the sunsets.

In the land of the sea and sun

Our Jamaican adventure continues so that now we finally have some time to actually do some sightseeing. For much of the past 2 weeks we have been in a summer weather pattern with little wind but daily rain. Some days the rain just comes in at night and other days have rain off and on with some really heavy downpours. We're now looking at weather to sail to the Caymans. Wind appears to be light but later in the week there appears to be some wind coming up with less rain that will get us to the Caymans. Once we get away from Jamaica we should have less rain. The high elevation mountains here cause the moist air to rise, condense and rain. Caymans are flat like the Bahamas where it still rains but not on a daily basis.

A view of the assortment of boats in the marina.

Jamaica is so much different than the Bahamas. For one thing it is one big island rather than many small islands that is one country with one identity. In the Bahamas each island group has its own identity. Fresh fruits and vegetables are plentiful here where they are almost nonexistent in the Bahamas even when the boat comes in. Groceries are available every day of the week here. The geography has great diversity with mountains, waterfalls, rivers and lush rain-forest vegetation. The people here party almost every night with loud music well into the early hours of the morning. It's fun listening to but makes it hard to have a conversation.

View from up the mast when working on a few maintenance tasks.

In the Bahamas most of the cruisers are snowbirds visiting from the US for a few months before returning to their homes or cruising grounds around the US. The marina here in Port Antonio is a real intersection of international sailors going different directions. Some are headed north, some south, some east and like us some west. Most of the boats here have been in the Caribbean for some time. The mix is mostly American and Canadian but also with European and South American boats. Everyone has a different time schedule and comes and goes as they like. With the passage into summer weather is not as big of a factor as in the Bahamas because in the Caribbean the winds are down and so are the seas. The weather factor now is how much rain today.  

My meal at Tree Top Creperie. A Mexican sort of crepe. Very good. Linda had a vegetarian that was really good.

The food here is also very diverse. The most common food of course is jerk chicken, pork or goat with curries a popular second. But many places offer very different and good food selections and it is usually easy to find vegetarian options since Rastafarians are vegetarian. In Kingston the other day we had lunch at a Creperie, Tea Tree Creperie. Certainly not a French restaurant but very good. We also enjoyed an African styled vegetarian restaurant in Hope Bay, Soo Soom Ba  run by an American expatriate where we enjoyed a great lunch. Locally there is a good Italian restaurant, the Italian Job where we enjoyed pizza on one visit and other dishes on another visit. There are so many restaurants here because local folks all try to make a living selling or doing something and many have restaurants or bars.

Linda's meal at Soo Soom Ba. In fact we had the same thing. Curried tofu, salad, beans with rice, a potato ball and the special a black bean/pumpkin/sweet potato stew.

Articles in the local press featuring Sistah P and her cuisine.

Linda and Sistah P.

In preparing for our passage to the Caymans I discovered that I overlooked a set of charts for details of the Caymans. After some queries I was able to order them from a commercial shipping service firm in Kingston and picked them up so we have the charts we need all the way to Guatemala and beyond. Once we get to Guatemala I can review our expected route next year and over the summer order the necessary paper charts. I have the electronic charts for the entire Caribbean.

Friday while we were in Kingston picking up the charts we stopped at the Creperie for lunch on our way to the Bob Marley Museum. We received some shocking news.  Our good friends Michael and Tammy Hetzer with whom we had drinks on our boat and dinner Tuesday night before their Wednesday departure lost their boat on their way to Providencia. We don't yet know details other than that they are alright and now back home in South Carolina. My first thought was that they may have hit a reef. There are numerous reefs, shoals and Cays in the Caribbean. We'll wait to hear the details but it's a blessing they are still alive. Having spent most of my adult life in and around the Army you know to expect that things happen and its the risk we take for what we do. Risk starts when we get out of bed in the morning. But, it's horrible when bad things happen to good people. Hope they come back to sea! After the news we decided to just finish our shopping and head back to Port Antonio.

After dinner with Michael and Tammy Hetzer the night before they left Port Antonio.

We rented a car for a few days and took some time to visit some wonderful sights close by. Portland Parish around Port Antonio is very beautiful. On Wednesday since the rains abated for a few days we did a river raft ride down the Rio Grande. The attraction seems like it had better days. The rafts were made of large bamboo logs spliced together with cross pieces and then a higher section with a seat. Traditionally the rafts were used by farmers or rafters to move produce down the river to waiting boats for delivery to market. In the 19th century a railroad was built around the island and the rafters delivered the produce to the trains for shipment to the port at Kingston for shipping. As trucks gained use the rafters became obsolete. However, when Errol Flynn hung out in Port Antonio he would take his girlfriends for rides on the rafts which then grew to be a big activity in the region. Once cruise ships stopped calling on Port Antonio for bigger ports in Ocho and MontB interest in rafting waned. Now only a few people a day go rafting.

Starting out down the river.

Errol Flynn named this "Lover's Lane."

On Thursday we drove down the eastern coast of the island to another famous attraction, Reach Falls. The road along the coast was not quite as bad as the one through the interior to Kingston but once we turned off on to a side road that road became little more than a lane. But driving back through the narrow often muddy road we saw many iconic scenes. Unfortunately we weren't quick enough with the camera to capture them. Like a farmer coming out of his stand of banana trees holding piles of bananas on his head with one hand and a machete in the other. Back Country Jamaica is astounding. Civilized but raw at the same time.

Looking at the pool above the falls through the foliage.

Looking at the falls through the foliage.

Reach Falls.

Looking downstream.

Looking upstream.

We made it to the Falls and in the parking lot it looked like another past-prime attraction. There were 2 other cars in the parking lot but when we left it was full of buses and vans bringing in people from around the island. We started down the hill and a fellow came up behind us and told us he was our lifeguard/guide. He escorted us to the Falls and explained what was there. He also escorted me up the river through several pools with fast running current and then showed me the trail back. What scenic beauty there is in the rain-forest. This is why we are here.

On the way back from the falls we stopped at Woody's Burgers. This is Woody's backyard.

Inside Woody's lunch room.

Woody's women's wash room.

It's time now to prepare for moving on. Jamaica is wonderful and at some point hopefully we can come back here. There is so much more to see and do but I'm glad we got to spend the time we did. Cruise ship and resort visitors will never get this experience. This is why we're here.

We started getting the boat prepped by changing out the head sail to a much larger one for downwind sailing. I worked the main sail since I hadn't pulled it out since the crash gybe broke our boom, It had numerous wrinkles in it that kept it from coming right out but I worked through them and finally got it out. Finishing preparation we need to work with the government to get our clearance and we will be able to leave.

Amekaya sporting her new headsail.

So, I'm sad to say we're on our way. Won't be back for many a day. My head is down, I'm turning around had to leave a lot of fun in Port Antonio town. My apologies to Harry Belafonte. 

Jamaican Farewell.