Cruise Ship Will Make Stops on Cayman Brac

[Doctorfish]

At the end of the day, it's the Caymanians decision and not ours. If they choose to destroy the serenity and natural beauty of Brac, the way that they have Grand Cayman, divers, like us can choose to go elsewhere. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer elsewheres so easy to get to.

 

[tkaelin]

Pub it

 

[AggieDiver]

I think the point of having the locals make the decisions about the future of their island is vital. Expecting that people voluntarily get "left in the dust" so that we have a place to escape our own crazy world is unrealistic and rather self-centered.

I don't think you understand what I am saying if you think I am advocating for taking the decision making out of their hands or want them to be "left in the dust". The decision is absolutely theirs. That decision can be to keep things mostly as they are...maybe adding a few resorts and modest growth of tourism; or it can be to go full speed ahead at attracting cruise ships and other large development ventures. My hope...and that is all that it is...hope...is that they choose to be different and not chase the imaginary dragon of rampant unchecked development making their lives better. Go to the area immediately around any cruise port in the Caribbean and you will usually find it is close to the worst part of whatever country it is in. The areas around the disembarkment point are generally filled with commercial ventures owned by outside interests, and most of that money that comes in on the ship quickly goes straight into bank accounts of companies based somewhere else. Sure, the locals get some low level jobs selling trinkets, but they also get traffic, pollution, etc. and in many cases crime.

All I am saying is that there is intrinsic value that people will pay for in keeping an island less developed and less like every other busy cruise port in the Caribbean. That isn't advocating for people living in the dust. It is acknowledging that people will at times pay a premium for an unspoiled place over one that looks just like all the others and is filled with cruise passengers. Cayman is somewhat unique in that one island has seen the large scale development while the other two have not. What is wrong with keeping it that way? Let Grand be the big flashy cruise port with high rise resorts all over the beach, while Brac and LC stay quieter and relaxed...so the country as a whole can appeal to both kinds of guests wanting to go there?

 

[Alucard]

Oh I totally agree with you AggieDiver. I really hope that the locals there do value the "off the beaten track" style that the sister islands have.

My point was that expecting them to get less tourism dollars while watching their "big sister" "reelin' it in" may well make them feel like they should be getting some of that, rather than being bypassed. Yes, there are going to be consequences and a price to pay for that sort of development.

My contrary opinion stems from the idea (from visitors) that the locals should stay making less money simply because the rich mainland folks need a place to get away from it all - why should that be their home, you know?

There are actually quite a few Caribbean islands that are off the beaten track - some of them extremely expensive and exclusive by design. Others (like Saba) don't have the sort of thing that most tourists want (like beaches), while offering wonders in other ways (like the diving and the people).

 

[caydiver]

Most probably many won’t get off the ship. Its a stop on the way to Cuba which is the big goal. Along as dozens more ships don’t join the queue the impact may be very limited. No outsiders can come and just do what they want here. Every business has to have a Caymanian partner with a large share and therefore a large input. Basically our businesses are Caymanian owned and I doubt that will change. If the Brac changes it is because locals wanted it and not because outsider decided to step in.

 

[KathyV]

Most probably many won’t get off the ship. Its a stop on the way to Cuba which is the big goal. Along as dozens more ships don’t join the queue the impact may be very limited. No outsiders can come and just do what they want here. Every business has to have a Caymanian partner with a large share and therefore a large input. Basically our businesses are Caymanian owned and I doubt that will change. If the Brac changes it is because locals wanted it and not because outsider decided to step in.

Personally, I would get off the boat. I always take advantage of shore excursions when they are offered on liveaboards, even when we are stopping at remote places. It is nice to walk on land again and it is always interesting to visit a foreign place that you have never been before. I have been on some desolate sandbars in the Bahamas in the past, and I don't regret checking them out.

And although Brac is remote and quiet it's definitely not desolate, and frankly it looks more interesting from the sea than any of the other Cayman islands, with it's dramatic bluff rising from the waves.

I totally understand that the Brac economy could use a boost and I agree that many of the locals may very much want to see more visitors spending money on the island - and that is a very understandable and reasonable point of view. And I am sure that the Hon. Moses Kirconnell, minister for the Cayman Sister Islands, will very much want to give the cruise ship visitors reasons to get off the boat and spend money on Brac - that's why he has arranged for them to stop there. Since the boat will be going on the Cuba the passengers will have lots of opportunity for restaurants, bars, and attractions, but Brac will offer them something different.

It is likely that snorkeling and diving the Tibbetts wreck will be the number 1 advertised attraction - and why not? It was originally sunk as an artificial reef and attraction for Brac. They will also advertise fishing excursions, hiking, biking, caving, bird-watching, visiting the booby and nature preserves, etc. and that's fine. Diving and snorkeling the city of Atlantis might also be a popular attraction, and they could probably even install a zip-line on Brac - but I hope not!

If the weather is good, the Little Cayman vendors could also offer boat excursions to LC to dive and snorkel the Bloody Bay Wall.

There are also beaches on Brac, nothing like Seven Mile Beach but nice places to relax and enjoy sea and sand. They could add showers and toilets, chairs and umbrellas and a food stand and bar to make the nicest beach more attractive to visitors. And there are already a few small restaurants and beach bars, and the small museum is an interesting place to visit and learn about the history of the island.

They could also remodel La Esperanza and make it a live music, restaurant, bar and dance venue and less of a dive and hangout; it's got a great location. They could even revitalize the beautiful L'Soleil d'Or to make it attractive to wealthy day visitors.

Brac could have a lot to offer visitors and I am totally okay with giving the Brakkers a chance to make some money and showcase their lovely island; and frankly it would be nice if Brac was a better destination for divers traveling with non-divers.

I just hope that both the Cayman government and the locals keep in mind that at the heart of things, it is the remote, unspoiled beauty of the island that makes it so special - and that they won't go overboard with development and just remember to preserve the riches that they already own.

 

[Schwob]

I'm reminded of something my mother once said - 'If you want to ruin something, build a road to it.'

Wise mom!
... but of course that sort of thing always needs to be a local determination.

 

[caydiver]

For a small ship coming in 4 times it does not make sense for businesses to invest in venues that will have so little possible business. As for who arranged for it to happen the idea may just have come from the cruise line for a convenience standpoint considering that The Brac is 180.2 miles (156.5 nautical miles and GC is 270 miles or (235 nautical miles) it makes sense as the big draw is the time in Cuba. I cannot speak for the supposed millionaires and billionaires previously mentioned but can say when we have divers with big budgets they charter the boat for just themselves or have us set them up with something like the three islands/three dives/ one morning package that Islands Helicopters offers. The really wealthy ones charter some of the big Red Sail boats for their pleasure. While it might be a small boost for existing ops the current news about the ship stopping is probably not going to make the same type of impact as Airbnb. But truthfully as I am not in that socioeconomic group I can’t imagine whether or not they will want to get their toes wet. I am willing to sacrifice myself to investigate if anyone wants to arrange it. Silversea Cruisesis also offering a similar itenerary but the main event is Cuba as well

 

[KathyV]

For a small ship coming in 4 times it does not make sense for businesses to invest in venues that will have so little possible business. As for who arranged for it to happen the idea may just have come from the cruise line for a convenience standpoint considering that The Brac is 180.2 miles (156.5 nautical miles and GC is 270 miles or (235 nautical miles) it makes sense as the big draw is the time in Cuba. I cannot speak for the supposed millionaires and billionaires previously mentioned but can say when we have divers with big budgets they charter the boat for just themselves or have us set them up with something like the three islands/three dives/ one morning package that Islands Helicopters offers. The really wealthy ones charter some of the big Red Sail boats for their pleasure. While it might be a small boost for existing ops the current news about the ship stopping is probably not going to make the same type of impact as Airbnb. But truthfully as I am not in that socioeconomic group I can’t imagine whether or not they will want to get their toes wet. I am willing to sacrifice myself to investigate if anyone wants to arrange it. Silversea Cruisesis also offering a similar itenerary but the main event is Cuba as well

Yes, but this may only be the beginning. This new cruise ship with 450 people is the second small cruise ship that will make 4 stops per year on Brac. The article says that they are already being visited by a smaller ship that carries 170 passengers four times per year. I am sure that there are other small cruise ships and yachts that would make a stop at Brac if there was something for them of interest, especially now that Cuba is open to visitors from the US. And that's okay with me, the Brakkers are the nicest people I've met and I wish them prosperity, I just hope that they don't go too far, too fast with the development. Cayman is a wealthy country, they could probably invest money into developing Brac if they felt that they could get a good return on investment.

Good for them, I hope that they continue to move forward cautiously.

We first visited Grand Cayman in 1988 and it was already quite developed but it has grown incredibly since then. The Cayman Sister Islands are small but they have a lot to offer IMO. I wish them the best but hope that they can balance capitalizing on their riches while preserving their natural beauties; but that's not easy.

So far they are doing well. The Cayman government let Diva Tiara close on Brac rather than giving in to demands and allowing them to open a casino. It was also concerning when Dart, the big developer on GC, started buying up land on Little Cayman, but so far they haven't done much with it besides a little remodeling at The Hungry Iguana and the Paradise Villas.

 

[caydiver]

Some of what is said is true but somewhat askew. Divi was losing money and couldn’t stay open. Saying the government wouldn’t give into their demands is a stretch. Gambling is illegal in our country so the government didn’t have the right to allow it. It was proposed and could not be legally implemented. Even if the casino had opened Divi may never had made enough money to be successful. Dart Industries has been doing plenty with the land they own but at the moment at least it has nothing to do with the tourism sector so anything about that is pure speculation. I have a very dear friend who is a very successful professional from The Brac here in GC. The family had a restaurant in The Brac and threw money at it but in the end had to close because there just wasn’t enough foot traffic on a daily basis to pay work permits, salaries, health insurance, pensions, TBL, and import product that went bad most often. What someone sees as a visitor coming here over the years for a few weeks does not really give insight into the internal workings of the country or the tourism or any other industry. For instance who would like to guess how to go about what it takes in terms of legality and money to get an okay to put in larger mooring pins much less a yacht facility no matter how small. While it is great to see open discussion it is a little sad to have folks making purely unsubstantiated guesses about what this country should and should not be doing. Let Cayman make its own decisions and let them annonce what they have decided when the time is right for them. Its a bit disheartening to read stuff that is conjuncture or half truths about a place that is someone else’s home.