Cruise ship dock for Brac

| 28/01/2011

(CNS): Plans have been submitted for phase one of a marina and cruise ship dock on the northwest of Cayman Brac. If passed by the Development Control Board, phase one will involve the excavation of 258,000 cubic yards of fill to make a 25 foot deep trench, which is intended at a later stage to be a marina for small boats. Future phases of the plans, submitted by Scotts Development, include a hotel, condominiums, a gas station, commercial stalls and restaurants, as well as a 940-foot extension to the existing jetty to accommodate cruise ships. (Left: the existing jetty, known as Scotts Dock)

The future marina would not be open to the sea in this initial stage of the development. The fill extracted to make it would be used for later phases and not moved elsewhere, according to the plans, which call for the development  of the area around Cemetery Pier, also known as Scotts Dock.

While Dervyn Scott of Scott Development said he was reluctant to talk to the media until the plans were passed, he has said that he had been talking to developersabout building a seven-storey hotel at this location.

At the Cayman Business Outlook conference at the Ritz-Carlton last week, Premier McKeeva Bush said that the same group of Chinese developers interested in developing a channel in the North Sound to facilitate mega yachts had also discussed other projects, including development of a cruise pier and related facilities in Cayman Brac, the development of a pier and related facilities near to the Cayman Turtle Farm in West Bay, major road works in the eastern districts of Grand Cayman, and enhancements to the airports both in Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac.

However, the previous tourism minister, Charles Clifford, told CNS last year after Bush had pronounced his support for the idea of a cruise dock for the Brac at the 2010 CBO, that during their administration the PPM had looked at all angles of the cruise ship business for the Brac and concluded that the cost of building berthing facilities, which would run to about $100 million, was not viable.

Clifford said that the PPM had many discussions with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), but the feedback was that there were serious issues with bringing cruise tourism to Cayman Brac. Because of the narrow shape of the island and the way the island lies, at a north-northeast south-southwest angle, and with the winds predominantly from the north east, the weather conditions on both the north and the south sides were challenging more often than not. Because of the weather conditions, it would have to be a substantial investment and they estimated the cost involved to be in the region of $100 million, which the cruise lines were not prepared to invest.

In addition, when they considered the size of the population, which is about 1,800, against the average size of the cruise ships, this would not work. “Most cruise ships have 2,000 plus passengers. This would be like 80,000 passengers arriving on Grand Cayman. The population could not cope,” Clifford said at the time.

The previous administration had also considered the smaller cruise ships with 250 to 350 passengers. “There are not a lot operating and typically they have two to three week trips,” he said. The PPM looked at whether berthing facilities for the smaller cruise ships could work. However, because of the infrequency of the visits, they also ruled this out.

“We also considered how beneficial it was to Cayman Brac and how many business people would invest in an occasional visit with only a couple of hundred passengers passing through a month,” he said. “The whole issue required considerable thought,” Clifford noted, and said their conclusions were that having cruise ships stop at Cayman Brac was not feasible.

However, the former tourism minister said they did look at day trips to the Brac, in which passengers docking at Grand Cayman would be sold deluxe day-trip packages, which would include flight on the Cayman Express. The Cayman Airways Twin Otters have the capacity to fly more frequently – which might mean hiring more crew – and the planes could bring as many as 40 passengers in a day, Clifford said, adding that the PPM believed that this idea (which was originally proposed by the previous UDP government) offered the best opportunities for Cayman Brac businesses.

“Up to the time we left office, we were looking at how to make that work and that was the direction we were heading,” he said, saying that was the way the PPM believed that the Brac people would benefit the most from cruise tourism, and the FCCA had like the idea.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Definately not as large-scaled as planned, but it would be great to have a small marina/dock to which would promote and accomadate visiting vessels. Possibly a few small cruise ships such as ones that have visited from the past (150-300 passengers).

  2. The main reason why Cayman Brac is appealing to people who visit, AND who USED TO visit Grand Cayman is to get away from it all, feel safe, and experience the charm of a small caribbean island, whose characteristics of yesteryear is becoming scarce around the world. A project like this would ruin Cayman Brac. Lets see Cayman Brac promoted more at the dive shows, in dive magazines, travel mags, nature mags, visual media and so on. Create incentives through airfare deals. More visitors arriving creates more business and jobs for the people of Cayman Brac, but it has to be the right visitors and business to preserve what’s one of few gems left in this world. PLEASE PLEASE Development Control Board, reject the plans for this project….I beg you!!!

    • Anonymous says:

       I agree totally.  As a visitor to the Grand Cayman each summer, I have seen the personality of your island go from Caribbean to Las Vegas.  I now have to go to the Brac to enjoy the true feeling of a Caribbean island and its environmental beauty.  Keep up the fight against development of the Brac.

  3. KPowery says:

    Folks let’s keep an open mind here. The good people of Cayman Brac have long had a very good knowledge of commerce and pride in their beautiful island so please give them the benefit of doubt when they ask for a piece of the pie. As a Caymanian and someone who truly enjoys visting the Sister Island and try to be bi-partisian, I ask that residents don’t let politics get in the way. The Sister Islands needs some positive growth and if they get Seabourn or Radisson Seven Seas to visit 2-3 days a week then I’m for it. Europeans would be eager to visit as Cayman is generally viewed as a ” American Destiantion” so let’s take advantage of this opportunity.

    I’m not a pro UDP supporter yet I ask what the PPM do for the Brac? You can agree with me or not yet I’ll value your opinion if it’s good or bad and that’s about respect not affilaition to any party. I want the best for Cayman and I believe most Caymanians have a similar opinion.

    Blessings to all,

    KPowery

  4. Glumdaclitch says:

    What about selling the Brac to the Chinese?  Would that not solve a lot of our financial problems overnight?

    • Anonymous says:

      Now that would be great, then we wouldnt have to depend on you broke a$$ fools down there.

    • Anonymous says:

      The Brac needs development to continue to progress. I am also a future retiree of the Brac and would like to have as good wireless communications as Grand cayman and also would like the water mains to be by my house as i do not wish to be relying solely on cistern water which is not necessarily drinkable without boiling. I further would not like to have to maintain guttering, cistern and pumps, let’s get the proper infrastructire in place Ms. Julianna.

      • Just Commentin' says:

        If you are planning on retiring to Cayman Brac, did you already buy land? If so I would hope you did some research about the island. Did you?

        By wireless communication are you referring primarily to cellular? Or wireless Internet? Both?

        Cayman Brac has excellent cellular service by both Lime and Digicel. It is my experience that cellular service on Cayman Brac is every bit as good as on Grand Cayman.

        Digicel put wireless Internet service in place early on in their tenure on the Brac, but they claim there were too few subscribers to make that service viable so they discontinued their wireless Internet plans.

        I would like to think that conditions attached to Digicel’s license from government would have included a mandate for provision of internet service to the Brac. If not, government was very remiss in such an omission. If there was such a mandate, then the mandate needs to be enforced. Absent such a mandate, Juliana has littlesay in the matter as it would then be strictly a business decision whether or not a carrier wanted to provide internet service. This is a matter that warrants further attention. The hard-wired DSL internet service provided by Lime is excellent. I can understand a need for wireless internet during one’s working career or while running a business, however, I cannot imagine needing wireless internet when retired.

        If you desire mains-supplied water there are plots of land available in the area of the island in which Water Authority have installed water mains.  Many Brackers who are not serviced by water mains are serviced by Water Authority truck delivery. Those who choose not to build concrete cisterns store their water in cylindrical black plastic above-ground potable water tanks. Water Authority on the Brac has a track record of very timely water truck deliveries and a superior quality product. As long as the private storage tanks are not connected to the roof guttering and they are periodically cleaned, there is no reason to boil the water in order to to drink it.

        All-island piped water is a matter beyond Juliana waving a magic wand. The Water Authority is a statutory authority and is a profit-based enterprise. In light of current government financial constraints and cutbacks, and considering the demand, it is unreasonable to expect government to subsidise Water Authority to provide water mains service thorough the island anytime soon. Currently most Brackers and other residents who have built on the island seem content with using tanks and truck delivery. (Brackers? Do any of you care to weigh in regarding this comment?)

        If you absolutely cannot live without wireless internet and piped-in water, there is a very simple solution: Retire on Grand Cayman!

        Still and all, going without wireless internet and maintaining a water catchment system is a small price I would gladly pay to to live on Cayman Brac rather her hectic, stressful and crime-ridden big sister.

         

        • Anonymous says:

          Yes, most residents would be happy to have piped water which is less expensive than trucked water. Then there’s the endless cleaning of the cistern, tanks, and guttering.

          Cellular service is not available island-wide and there are a lot of dropped calls. Happened to me many times.

  5. Paradise Lost says:

    Is this really what the Brackers want? I would hope that the residents of the Brac are brought into the decision making process here as it is THEIR island/home. As a frequent visitor and homeowner I am not in favor of this as it sems to go against everything that has made the Brac great. Eco-tourism, “green” initiatives, and world class diving should be the emphasis, but that is my own humble opinion. I really believe the people of the Brac should be steering this boat. And not just a few with potentially profit driven motives.

    God worked overtime when he created the Brac. The people of this great island need to keep it that way. We have already seen the carnage that has become Grand Cayman and I pray that the Brac does not choose to go down the same path.

    • The Monkey's Back says:

      Reply to Paradise — Is this what Brackers really want?

      An excellent and timely question.    It isn’t my perception that the people of the Sister Islands are being consulted as to what they want.     Some may enjoy Burger King when they go to Grand Cayman, but most don’t want the trappings that come with fast foods.  

      I think a modest marina at Scott Dock would not in itself damage the Brac badly.   Dare I hope that a valid and independent environmental study of the initial phase would be conducted prior to the start of the project?   Sadly, I do DARE to hope for such a thing, but somehow doubt it would be done.  

      People shouldn’t choose to live on the Sister Islands in hopes of getting rich.    Sure, there is a natural expectation of making a living, and a life, but these proposed big project resonate to me as "Grand Caymaning" the Brac, and probably stands a good chance of ruining the very things people love about the humble little chunk of rock.   

      Can the Sister Islands prosper without inviting industry, big business and huge hotels?    I dearly hope so.    I hope and pray Brackers won’t sell their heritage and peaceful sleepiness for a piece of an ill-baked pie.    I’m not resistant to change, as nothing is static and change is guaranteed to happen.    Just let it be gradual and well-planned and not a shiny baubel that tarnishes quickly and can’t be undone.    

      The peacefulness, minimal crime, neighborlyness and pristine beauty of God’s wonder are the most valuable asset of the Brac.    I have no problem with Scotts and their developments — they have done a lot for the Brac.    I would ask them and others to consult their family and peers and please…….  take it easy mon.     We might just get once chance to do something of this magnitude right.  

  6. Anonymous says:

    from the comments it seems braccers don’t want development, mass tourism…etc….
    fine! lets cut them off and stop all subsidsiy to the island and lets see how they do on their own…..cayman brac is nothing but an economic blackhole for the cayman islands…..

    • Paradise Lost says:

      Spoken like a true visionary. Please understand the sarcasm in my response.

    • Alan Nivia says:

      You are right.  They are happy sponging off GC, getting subsidised duties and unnecessary government jobs.  But they are over-represented in the LA and therefore the polticians suck up to them for their precious seats.

      One man one vote – equality in our democracy would not suit the Brac. 

    • Anonymous says:

      I am not a Bracker, but if I were, I would want development…just not this kind.  Grand Cayman is already well on its way to becoming little Miami.  Instead of cruise ships and huge hotels for the Brac (and Little Cayman), why not development of a different sort?  Why not eco-tourism and lusury, thatched, pavillion style hotels that blend into the environment? Or small collections of Caymanian cottages with sand gardens, kitted out in luxury style?  Why not simply arrange sailings from Grand Cayman and market the trip as a tranquil, environmentally friendly, truly local experience — with snorkeling, diving, cycling, walking, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaks etc?  I’d come.  Make it something unique and truly special, and the tourists will pay to come.  Create another concrete jungle full of cheap trinket shops for cruisers and the type of third-rate restaurants they can eat in at the mall…and they likely won’t bother.

  7. Anonymous says:

     How do we object to this catastrophe?

  8. Anonymous says:

     Why don’t we have a survey and ask the visitors what they think?  I have yet to hear one that says that they will return to Cayman Brac if we have cruise ships here.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Just a thought, Let’s lower or make special fares available from GCM to Brac for day trips for cruise passengers from Grand over to the Brac for the day.
    No need for dock what are 2,000 or 200 passengers going to do for the DAY shop

  10. Just Commentin' says:

    Why do so many fools insist on stepping headlong down the slippery slope of "more development, more development, more development" in respect of Cayman Brac?  You see where such a mindset got Grand Cayman? Grand Cayman got hooked on the need to add more and more value and glitz to be successful and sustain its edge against its mass-market competitors. This has proven to be a cutting two-edged sword sliding over the neck of Grand Cayman. But Cayman Brac is not a mass-market tourist destination. It is quite unique. Marketing for the island, and it’s long-term development model, should reflect its uniqueness.

    This world has a good number of people who would love to find an unspoilt corner of the world that has nothing more to offer than tranquility, pristine waters, friendly people, no traffic and no runaway crime. The trouble is that the government and the DOT have a problem with comprehending this fundamental and simple concept. Add superlative diving, bird watching and rock climbing to the mix, and the Brac’s flights and limited number of rooms should be filled to capacity. But they arenot.

    Cayman Brac’s immediate need is not more development. What Cayman Brac needs is effective marketing of what it already has. What Cayman Brac needs is effective marketing by competent people. What Cayman Brac needs is service by a dependable and cost-effective airline with a sensible schedule of frequent enough flights and a choice of aircraft that would be conducive to attracting rather than repelling visitors. Cayman Airways may barely qualify as dependable, but currently it meets none of the other criteria.

    Why propose to build more resort properties when the hotels and resorts already on the island are barely making ends meet? Let’s fill the hotel rooms and guesthouse properties we already have. The Department of Tourism under successive administrations has done an abysmal job of marketing Cayman Brac. Horrible.

    Just how horrible a job is illustrated by one of the latest series of ads for the Sister Islands. This series of ads should get whoever is responsible for running the ad horsewhippped. The ads show pictures representing a concept of the Sister Islands that some moron in an ad agency thought would really sell the island. There is an idyllic serene and lush tropical scene of Little Cayman with the caption "Tranquil". Then there is the blurb for for Cayman Brac: It is a picture of the east end of the Bluff, with an angle and lighting making it look prehistorically craggy and formidable. The face of the moon looks more inviting. The caption: "Rugged". 

    The ad even gives a definition of "Rugged": "Having a rough uneven surface; jagged…a test of ability or stamina".

    Now what the hell kind of appeal is an ad like this going to generate for Cayman Brac? Stupid, stupid, stupid….STUPID!!!  Maybe some moron though it would be cool to appeal to Indiana Jones wannabees. Lot of potential for increasing tourism there.

    Government and the DOT have been (rightly) accused by Brackers of horrid lack of attention to marketing the island (effectively that is). And this is very true. But this horrid ad should have been the last damn straw! Brackers should have burned every copy of every magazine with this ad in it that they could get their hands on. Heaped them up in a big pile and made the bonfire a media event. Brackers should have risen up in righteous indignation and marched en mass upon the Glass House and demanded better treatment. (Julie??? Where are you? You are still a Bracker, no?)

    I can envision the scene now. Dialogue from a family thumbing through a magazine, looking for a place to vacation: "You know honey, we’ve visited too many nice tranquil and appealing places on out travels, let’s look for someplace rocky and rugged, really jagged, to visit this year! Someplace to really test our stamina. Oooo! Look! Nice picture of rocks! Cayman Brac? Yeah! Let’s go there!" 

    Now I can (maybe) understand a New York ad man given a general sketchy description of the two islands and some crummy stock photos of the Brac from DOT coming up with tripe like this. My question is, what brain-dead mindless and incompetent imbecile in government or DOT gave the go-ahead for this ad to run? Here’s the kicker: Recently I have noticed a change in the picture, but the caption is still "Rugged". And that definition is still in the ad!!

    I could go on and on but I think I have made my point. Besides, I want to avoid a stroke.

    Here is the bottom line: Unless and until someone in government starts to give a damn about Cayman Brac and acts with some little bit of intelligence and a sensitivity to the island’s needs, incompetent and ineffective marketing will continue, and dumb and incompatible ideas for the development of the island will continue to be proposed until one day they become reality and we’ve screwed up Cayman Brac and made it like it’s big sister – a once pristine and tranquil island gone mad.

    Madness. The cruise ship idea is a step toward that goal.

  11. mclaughlin says:

    This is a good thing for Cayman Brac. It may not be popular, and the Premier may get stink for it, but I believe after time pass and the population increase, people will look back and say Thank God we had Mckeeva in power, and not some other. Why? because I know Mckeeva! He is a man of action who thinks big! God bless him and his family.

    • Just Commentin' says:

      One of Mac’s minions saying it is a good thing for Cayman Brac and it actually being a good idea are two different things. Mac and his minions are notorious for the smoke and mirrors scheme of saying something is a great idea and pushing it through without giving any serious thought about the desires of the people or to the potential long-term negative impact of the actions.

      Being a "man of action" is no recommendation if those actions are thoughtless and reckless. Thinking big is not the same as thinking critically and intelligently, although many people are so duped by slick words they cannot tell the difference.

      Once the population on the Brac is burgeoning and greed becomes the order of the day and crime is rampant and the Brac resembles a suburb of Grand Cayman, I am not so sure Brackers will be thanking Mac as much as cursing the day he was born.

      Unless and until your buddy can get things under control in Grand Cayman  – and I see no indication that things are not getting worse – his big ideas are just part of the pileotricks. Unless you can show Brackers that Grand Cayman is a nicer community than Cayman Brac to live and raise children because the Big Thinker lowered crime, eliminated gangs, reduced traffic and made a safe and tranquil community with full employment and thriving small businesses, I would suggest your big buddy keep his big ideas on the big island where they big-time belong. Why go and spoil Cayman Brac? Mac and the UDP would do well to listen to the modest, sensible, rational and quite viable ideas that Brackers have been suggesting for years.

      Answer me this: If your big thinking buddy is so brilliant why has he thus far failed to come up with a successful plan to fill up the relatively small number of currently existing tourist accommodations on the Brac and give the island satisfactory air service? Why? I would not think such modest accomplishments would be beyond the ability of such a great man of action. Do you? If he could achieve just these two goals I might change my opinion. Until then, your lavish words of praise for Mac are empty and meaningless hot air.

      The essence of demagoguery is offering grandiose plans to divert people’s attention from the real causes of their misery and make the demagogue look good. It is like offering an injured man opium, but not treating his wounds. He is still wounded and bleeding, but he feels so much better. The saying that "If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull$*%#", applies so well to this story.

       

      • Anonymous says:

        I’ve lived in Cayman since the early80’s and it has always been a mystery to me how little emotional connection Caymanians seem to have with the beauty and uniqueness of their three islands. They seem to view land as an insurance policy only, a physical asset to provide security over time for their families. They seem not to care when the bulldozers and backhoes move in to remove ancient forests, dredge magnificent wetlands, fill in the mangroves and cut channels through the reefs.

        I think it’s different in Europe where there is an strong connection between the land, with it’s aesthetic and recreational appeal, and the people living on it. In  the UK , even the most cursory examination of their art and poetry reveals an enduring celebration of rural  landscapes and everything that lives in it.

        I can’t explain it, but maybe Caymanians still see nature as the enemy, harsh and unforgiving, with its mosquitoes, maiden plum and "useless" "swamp". It’s a cultural thing, and to the outsider it’s incomprehensible and  saddening. They see with blind eyes, and when their landscapes are gone,  their eyes will be opened, and they won’t comprehend why it was all allowed to happen.

         

  12. K says:

    udp is on the right track with this one. it will help the brac in tourism for a long time.

  13. Anon says:

    Who is paying for this? If it is Government (our) money in any disguise, this should have gone through Central Tenders Committee. Wait a minute! I forgot, the current government doesn’t bother following the law and putting projects out to bid any more.

  14. Lachlan MacTavish says:

     Out of respect for recent events I have eased up a little. But the Brac and LC are two of my favorite places filled with great people. Sooner or later Cabinet members need to align themselves with other MLA’s and stop the development madness. Development is not the answer to everything right now. It is a short term economic spike and when you peel the onion you will find out who the few are that benefit. Look at the basics elected members. Crime, education, stay over tourism, health, professional services, less Government and new CIG income streams and stability and development will follow. This is the perverbial cart before the horse. If you don’t have a "country" that people want to come to and live in you won’t have development.

  15. Anonymous says:

    940ft impossible

  16. Anonymous says:

    This is a boondoggle akin to the free-spending congress of the United States…… millions of dollars spent with very little return to the people.   A few individuals will get richer but the average Bracker will see little if any benefits.  Shouldn’t this be something that Brackers can vote on?  I, for one, wouldn’t hesitate in voting against this waste of money.  As anyone with average intelligence should know, CAYMAN BRAC IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH FOR A CRUISE SHIP TERMINAL!  And if it were, I wouldn’t want to live here….. it would be like that crime-ridden island to our southwest.

  17. Green Hornet says:

    This is the same kind of boondoggle as the East End port. The excavation is for FILL, FILL and nothing but FILL.

    Demographics simply don’t support this kind of white elephant development, and will just create more environmental damage which we seem incapable of stopping.

    Far better to concentrate of selling what the Brac has to offer: peace, tranquility, a still vital and relatively undamaged ecosystem, and a way of life many people on Grand Cayman envy because that’s the way things used to be on the big island.

    • Anonymous says:

      I agree.  I love the Brac.  The Brac Museum would feel crowded with over 20 people, imagine hundreds?!?  How many people do we want stomping through Rebecca’s cave or any of the other unique natural attractions? Surely the Bodden family will have some opinions on this. The Brac is a special destination where visitors feel lucky to have discovered it.  Hundreds of tourists would decimate that character and appeal, much like downtown George Town does on a Thursday. 

  18. pmilburn says:

    Wonderful news(NOT!!!!!!!!)Now is the time to put in a couple of permanent moorings for the c/ships and other ships.By the way things are going here(Grand Cayman) maybe they could use some of the tenders to off load the passengers.A dock will be a very bad idea weather wise as well so lets be VERY careful what we think we should do here.As one blogger said who is going to pay for all this?What about the beautiful dive sites in that area and it wont just affect them but will have a detrimental on all the reefs in the long run.Stay over tourism is the BEST way to go.Get those air fares down and have the condo/hotel folks go along with the price reductions as well as any other tourism related businesses.Again I say LETS THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX for once.

  19. My2Cents says:

    Grand, expensive developments are not the way forward. This will end up costing millions and simply add to the cost of a vacation to the Brac. Result is fewer people will consider going.

    We are missing a major point here. The Cayman Islands are already VERY overpriced. How do you think the costs of this project will be clawed back? From the tourists who come and visit. It will end up costing them more, and putting them off further from coming back.

    We need LOW or NO cost solutions which provide low impact tourism (think the green eco lodges of Ecuador for an example). Not yet another grand, expensive disaster.

    The islands are already littered with them.

    • bradley says:

      But is there anything wrong with the Brac getting a proper dock? Trust me, if Cayman had no dock at G.T., where would we be today? Please take your PPM supporters to Little Cayman if you feel certain companies and the supermarkets can thrive without a dock. I certainly won’t be joining you.

      • Just Commentin' says:

        Bradley, you are part of the problem. The part that lacks an informed opinion. Far too many people cast about comments regarding Cayman Brac without even rudimentary knowledge about the island and the issues.

        By your reference to supermarkets being unable to thrive without a proper dock it would seem that you have the idea that Cayman Brac lacks a suitable cargo port facility. I shall agree with you: there is nothing wrong about Cayman Brac getting a proper dock. Stores and other businesses could get their imports via ocean freight in an easier and more cost-effective manner if the island had a good cargo port. I guess you will be surprised to learn that Cayman Brac already has a modern cargo port facility.

        If you had done enough research to cast an informed opinion you would have discovered that Cayman Brac has a quite nice ocean cargo facility at Creek. A modern port facility was built in the 1980’s. Due to damage from hurricane Michelle arebuild was completed in February 2003. The Brac port includes a modern roll-on-roll-off dock and a customs warehouse. Additionally, there is ample room for future expansion on government-owned land contiguous to the port site. The facility was able to accommodate the many-fold increase in cargo that occurred during post-Paloma reconstruction.

        All this information is available on the Internet. If you had cared to look you would have found it.

        I would suggest in the future you refrain from commenting on that which you know naught about. Do some research first. One of the reasons that Cayman Brac is hindered from reaching its proper potential is that far too many people are clueless about the island and the issues. Rather than offering knowledgeable and constructive ideas, these people prefer uttering baseless opinions and non-valid ideas.

        Bradley, please step up and become part of the solution, not part of the problem.

  20. Anonymous says:

    thought Chuckie was a defender but he’s sitting down letting everything happen

    • Anonymous says:

      Why you bad mouthing Chuckie……there are 15 elected representatives in the LA…….THEY are making these things happen. Thats what happens when you elect puppets…….weren’t you warned about that Dufus ?

  21. Anonymous says:

    On the bright side, this should clear up some space at the airport when the jet comes in as the Brackers can instead head down to the dock to see who comin off the ship.

  22. Young Caymanian says:

    PS….I dont support this project….I agree with most of the people above.

  23. Young Caymanian says:

    Soooooo. The Chinese are going to come and build everything for Cayman now awa? Hmmm I wonder….doesn’t Cayman already have local construction companies here? Construction companies that have Caymanians working for them.

    Yes Cayman has other nationalities along with our Caymanian people in those companies. So here’s a good idea….Una (Government) wa help Cayman get back on its feet. Well how bout una think about the people (Caymanians) first! No offence to any Chinese people (I love there food) but Cayman got more than enough people that can do the job and that are willing to do so. If Cayman go down you think China going help…Oliver always used the phrase : Da wa ya get!

  24. IslandFamilyCounselor says:

    Build it and they will come. The Brac is poised to become more successful in the tourism market. As a good "big sister" Grand Cayman, you should be supportive and happy about her plans for development. She has learned from your mistakes and won’t overdue it. And don’t worry – there are enough cruise ships and tourists in this world to go around. It really won’t hurt for you to share a bit of the success. As a matter of fact, this would be good for all three islands. The more positive attention our Islands get, the more the public will want to visit "all three" unique and beautiful sisters. We have much to offer and much to be proud of. Now lets get along girls!

     

    • CaymanQT says:

      Who wants them to come?   The Brac  should not even be considered for cruise ship development.  Eco-tourism is our future, with small groups of people and preservation of our island, both above and under the sea.   The Caribbean has enough commercial cruise ship ports to support every person in the world who wants that kind of vacation.  The Brac would lose out in that competition.  But it can be a top vacation destination for eco-tourism if it isn’t first destroyed by the money-grubbers.   Let’s treasure what we have, not lose it forever.

    • “Build it and they will come?” Ask the Dubai government about that and their “islands” they built now sinking back into the sea….(that was a great investment)

  25. Anonymous says:

    From this and other news items of late regarding sudden Chinese interests in the Caymans, is there a plan in progress: 1) Cayman declares its independence, like the Bahamas; 2) Cayman puts itself up for sale to the highest bidder (China)???

    • Anonymous says:

      Whew………???

      What was that all about?

      Surely we cannot be so myopic, and realise that those are two totally different issues namely the Chinese and independence.

      Whilst I have not heard independence mooted anywhere, that surely is the right of any colony or territory of an administering power toward self-determination.

      Lest we forget that the great republic United States of America was once a British colony and had to bail out the UK with the lend-lease programme in WW II. Then Roosevelt agitated against the continuation of the British Empire which started to disband in 1947/8 with the independence of India.

      Surely it is time that we understand the big picture in these islands. And also become more self-confident.

  26. Anonymous says:

    If the aim is really to boostthe economy of the Barc wouldn’t it make more sense to encouragethe development of small low-impact, locally-owned hotels or guest houses and increase the number of direct flights from the USA?

    With a lot of uncertainty over the future plans of the cruise lines and the weather issues this hardly sounds like a sustainable option. In fact it will probably simply kill of what stayover tourism there already is on the Brac without offering any significant alternative.

    • maria says:

      @ the commenter who made a most rediculous comment:

      Tell me, how will the Guest come Cayman Brac?

      By Airplane alone? Has anyone ever suggested to you –

      Why not by boat??

      THINK!

  27. Anon says:

    This is not even a joke!

    Dervyn is just looking ways to get easy acess to aggregate.
    The idea of extending that jetty by 940 feet is mind bogling!
    If cruise tourism in the Brac was viable, then why would they not extend the present Government dock, which is only used one day per week, by 200 or 300 feet, which would accommodate cruise ships. Would that not be les costly and more environmentally friendly?

    I guess the Real Estate Brokers are in full support of this project too!

  28. Anonymous says:

    Is this how it is done these days? you tell the people what you are going to do, and just do it. Has there been one study done to determine the impact this will have on the nearby reef, with all the dive sites in the immediate area? Do we need a cruise dock? how many Bracker’s  will it employ full-time?, or do we import people to fill all the new positions that you will create? Do we the people have a say? does not sound like it. As far as I know, the area in question is in a marine park, so why make it a marine park, only to dig and pollute the very thing that we are trying to protect.

    I think this a time for some serious thought, as once it is done, there will be no correction. According to this article there is no sustainable reason why it should be done, only to line the pockets of a few, or one I should say, we need many improvements, and this is not one of them, And if the people have any say it will not happen. Sounds like the reefs around this island will be the next excavation ground for Scott Development LTD. And a Seven story hotel, where? over the grave yard? looks like they cant even let those that have passed rest in peace, what is next, a bridge to Little Cayman?, don’t laugh, that one has been entertained too.

    It is time to be heard;people of these islands, to say and do nothing will effect us all in the future, time for unity too, otherwise we will achieve nothing. The same company in question has no regard for the fragile marine system around this island, they owned a amphibious watercraft the size of a tank, that they drove over many of the barrier reefs here on the Brac, and Little Cayman, destroying hundred of years of coral growth, especially the Elk Horn Coral. So I have very little faith that they will have any consideration whatsoever about the damage this dock will cause to the reef system. To the present government, give the people the choice to decide if we want this or not, and stop sounding like we have no choice, because come election day we do have a choice

  29. Anonymous says:

     XXXXX I would take this idea with a grain of salt.  

    Everything that Clifford said is true.  Also, please tell me what will happen to the dive sites?  Cemetery reef is a major dive site.

    It’s also one of the few places left for the locals to hang out.  It is used for many events and family get-togethers.  I think it would be a shame for it to be turned into this.  It is a money losing idea and for what?  More fill to be sold to Grand Cayman?  That’s the whole idea behind it.

    If we leave it to Scott Development, Cayman Brac will be one big quarry on land and on sea.

    • Anonymous says:

      CRUISESHIPS IN CAYMAN BRAC! Well lets see how that goes. First of all we do not have very much for the passengers to do. By 1215 restaurants sold out for lunch, supermarket items expired full of weebles, bartenders busy looking Caymanian husbands so tourists probably won’t even get served, 2 taxi/tour drivers (1 of which is beyond RUDE), only one small beach on the SOUTH side, gas almost 6 dollars a gallon so they most likely will not rent a car, God forbid if the ever get sick and have to go to the hospital, Cemetary Reef will be destroyed so NO DIVING THERE!
      I think Mr. Scott should give each and every cruise ship passenger a drive around in the WHITE HUMMER, let them look at property to buy afterall, this is all it’s really about, LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION!

      • Weeble Wover says:

        Two thumbs up for the use of the word "weebles". I love Weebles. Weevils on the other hand are a giant pain in the ass

      • Brac says:

        “CRUISESHIPS IN CAYMAN BRAC! Well lets see how that goes.”

        Dahhhh! It is called REVENUE my friend! One reason why you should support the government project!