In a time of rapid development and lifestyles on the go, catching a glimpse of a bygone era on a tranquil sail can be a breath of fresh air.
Club vice president Kem Jackson is keeping the craft of catboat sailing alive. Photo: Basia Pioro |
Keeping Cayman’s seafaring heritage alive is the Cayman Catboat club – and last Saturday, Seven Mile Beach was the place to be for sailors and history buffs interested in getting a first-hand experience of Cayman’s original watersport.
In Cayman’s early days, the boats provided a valuable service to transatlantic sailors. Local turtlers would use the small, agile boats to participate in Cayman’s economic mainstay both at home and farther afield.
Catboat Club founder and member Crosby Ebanks is one club member who has first-hand memories of those days.
Now in his 70s, he went on his first turtling trip in his early teens and his knowledge of catboat building and lore is one of the club’s most valuable assets.
‘In those days, he told us passing schooners would load up Caymanian crews and their catboats. They would then drop them off as far away as the Miskitos Keys off Nicaragua to capture green sea turtles that were used to feed the ships’ crews on long sea voyages,’ said club member Robert Bodden.
‘It was hard work, but back home in between turtling trips, the Caymanian crews would race their catboats for fun and the races became a popular part of Island life,’ he said.
In the spirit of the old days, on Saturday spectators were treated to an exciting race up and down Seven Mile Beach, with the Captain D netting the victory with Catboat Club vice president Kem Jackson at the helm.
The club was also offering free Catboat rides to the public throughout the day, a rare treat since only four of the club’s boats are currently in shipshape condition.
The club hopes the event and others like it will be able to raise awareness of the catboat’s plight, as the knowledge of this vital part of Cayman heritage is threatening to die out within a generation.
There is no commercial catboat builder on Island, and while that may never come to pass, the club has some other plans it hopes will revive the art of building and preserving them.
‘The boats are 100 per cent handmade and require a good amount of time to keep in good condition,’ said club fundraiser Mary Beth Seher.
The boats’ ribs are crafted from the bowed branches of the local plopnut tree, and rest of the hull and steering gear is predominantly cypress which, though hardy, requires constant repainting and other forms of loving care.
That means that most of the many old and disused wooden catboats on the Island are in various states of decay and in need of the kind of attention the club would like to offer.
The club’s old home, a traditional Caymanian house just north of the Lobster Pot on North Church Street which was largely destroyed by Ivan, is in the process of being renovated as funding and legalities are worked out.
‘On the site, we want to have a museum which will allow us to share the history of these vessels, provide room to store the boats, a meeting space, and a sailing school,’ said Ms. Seher.
‘But most importantly, we want a dedicated workshop where we can repair, restore and build catboats, where the knowledge involved in crafting these boats by hand can be passed on.’
John and Mandy Marotta, waiting beachside for a ride on President Jarris Miller’s Brac Cat, couldn’t be happier.
‘We’re really excited the Catboat Club is taking on the challenge of bringing this important part of Cayman’s heritage to the public,’ said Mr. Marotta.
‘They’re great boats, and as soon as they release the plans and the workshop’s up and running, I’m building my own,’ he said.
That kind of enthusiasm is music to the ears of the club’s members looking to raise interest both here and abroad.
‘Catboats are a distinctly Caymanian version of a style of boat that exists around the world in various forms,’ said Ms Seher.
‘It would be marvellous if one day, people would bring their own catboat-style boats, be it from Greece, or China, down to Cayman to celebrate this special branch of maritime heritage,’ she said.
The club’s plans are more modest for now, as building the clubhouse is a top priority. But by dreaming big, it’s just possible the club may help the lowly catboat gain the recognition it deserves for the key role it once played in Caribbean seafaring history.
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