4/28/2010 ARRIVING IN GRAND CAYMAN

Looking, looking. We are 10 miles out from the Grand Cayman and can’t see anything yet. Granted, it is slightly hazy in our northerly direction of travel but we certainly should be able to see a big island by now. Wait, what’s that? Maybe the side of a mountain? Surely that’s not the blurry form of a cruise ship? Yep! That was our first indication that we were truly approaching the island. Talk about FLAT!!


After contacting the “Port Security” and were given permission to approach George Town’s Grand Cayman Harbor, grab a mooring ball , and wait our turn to come to the pier for clearance. Since there were three boats before us, we bobbed in front of the Carnival ship and watched the shuttles take cruisers to the shore for their day of touring and shopping in the duty free shops. Reuben and Adam, of course, dove off the Quest for some swimming amusement but we managed to keep them from swimming to shore and, once again, entering illegally. No easy feat after 41 hours at sea.

JB IS EVERYWHERE!!

A couple of hours later our call came from Port Security to proceed to their pier for clearance where everyone came aboard Quest for the process. Margaritaville was beckoning to us to come and have a burger and libations but alas, we had to take care of business. Talking to the customs agent, we found that the Cayman Island Yacht Club, our intended destination in the North Sound, had never been rebuilt after the last hurricane and had no power or water. Scratch that! We were given the name and contact information for the new Barcadere Marina in the same area and headed off.

The marina gave us complicated approach headings and we scratched our heads as we tried to comply with their direction. We were like “drunken sailors” zigzagging across the sound as we made our way through the narrow (and shallow!!!) channel. Finally we arrived and were greeted by helping hands at the gas dock. We were advised that if we didn’t need fuel right away we would be better off waiting until we had clearance to depart and fill up just as we left. The fuel would then be “duty free” and we would receive a refund for the taxes paid. Now that is what I call service!! Thanks for the advice. We proceeded to our slip and readied for the night.

By the way, Dan is in heaven because there is a local fishing tournament going on and we got to watch the boats come in to weigh their catch. Oh, and he gets to experience the thrill for two more nights!!!

The marina is less than a year old and still a work in progress. We are out in the middle of nowhere (except you can see the airport from our boat) and construction is going on all around us. Think we will maybe rent a car as recommended.

THE AIRPORT AS SEEN FROM QUEST (OVER CONSTRUCTION)

Right as we were having a great dinner of curry pasta that Reuben and Adam made up, we heard a knocking on the side of the boat. Surprise! Canada (AKA Adam), a friend of Reuben and Adam’s was here to take the boys out on the town. After chowing-down and spinning stories, the boys all left for the “big city”.