ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2017 High of 91 Low of 80 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 PLANNING FOR – AND EMBRACING – A TRAJECTORY OF GROWTH LOCAL NEWS | PAGE 9 CAYMAN VETERANS HONOR FALLEN COMRADES 186905-Ad-Strip-MC-60th-Grammys-10.333x1.5.indd 111/9/17 5:15 PM Buccaneer bacchanal besets George Town JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclmedialtd.com Fearsome pirates, salty seadogs and gun-toting wenches invaded George Town harbor Saturday in a swashbuckling display to celebrate Pirates Week in the Cayman Islands. With flintlock pistols, sabers, and cutlasses drawn, a terrifying looking band of outlaws, spilled out of replica pirate ships, Grosse Ile and Liana’s Ransom, on to the streets of the capital. Staging mock battles on the waterfront, the extravagantly dressed pirate brigades enter- tained thousands of onlookers who flooded the town for the an- nual extravaganza. Later in the day, the rival bands laid down their arms and shared tankards of rum as they danced through the streets to the tune of a fiddler and the sound of steel pan drums. Children dressed as pi- rates lined the parade route as pirates handed out beads and other booty. Dancers from the Cayman mas bands, dressed in feathered finery, also strutted through the streets for what has become a landmark day on the Cayman Is- lands calendar. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » The Grosse Ile sails into Grand Cayman, as crew members prepare to invade the island. - PHOTOS: STEPHEN CLARKE AND TANEOS RAMSAY Hollywood-inspired characters keep revelers entertained before the highly anticipated pirates landing in George Town. Pirates settle for merrymaking over looting on Saturday. Pirates descend once again on Grand Cayman for the 40th Pirates Week Festival. Following the landing, pirates join a parade through George Town.2 LOCAL NEWS TUESDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema @cbcinema6cbcinema6 *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. 640-FILM (640-3456) SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - TUESDAY - MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (PG13) 12:30 VIP I 1:20 I 4:10 I 7:15 I 10:00 GEOSTORM 3D (PG13) 1:15 2D I 4:00 I 7:10 2D I 9:50 BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS (R) 12:45 I 3:35 I 7:00 I 9:45 THOR: RAGNAROK 3D (PG13) 12:50 2D I 3:20 2D VIP I 3:55 I 6:55 2D 9:35 2D VIP I 9:55 TYLER PERRY’S BOO2! A MADEA HALLOWEEN (PG13) 12:55 I 3:40 I 7:20 I 9:50 ROCKY (PG) 7:00 VIP SHOT FIRED AT PIRATE PARTY A gunshot was fired in the aftermath of an in- cident at Margaritaville in George Town. A 19-year-old man was struck with a bottle at the bar just before midnight, Friday, leaving him with a cut to his neck that re- quired hospital treatment. As police officers were coming to the aid of the victim, they were alerted to a second incident in the parking lot. As armed offi- cers approached, a gun was fired, according to a po- lice press release. No one was hurt but a vehicle was later discovered to have been damaged. Officers pursued two men believed to be respon- sible but they were able to escape and avoid arrest. Police circulated de- scriptions of the assailants in the first incident. One is described as having brown skin, slim build, about 5’8” tall, with braided hair with beads at the ends. The second male is described as light skinned, also about 5’8” tall. Anyone with information can call George Town Police Station at 949-4222, the confidential tip line at 949-7777 or the Miami-based Crime Stoppers call center at 800-8477(TIPS). ‘Ritch report’ kept secret BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com There are no plans to re- lease a $312,000 consultant’s report that reviewed nu- merous legal problems with Cayman’s system of granting permanent residence to non- Caymanians, even though the government restarted hearing those residency applications and has approved more than 300 since June, Premier Alden McLaughlin said last week. Premier McLaughlin said the report, done by local law firm Ritch & Conolly, is con- sidered legal advice to govern- ment and that his administra- tion is still planning further changes to the residency grant system based on its findings. “I am not about to put that [report] in the hands of lawyers who are filing suits against the government every other day with respect to immigration matters,” Mr. McLaughlin told the Legislative Assembly’s Fi- nance Committee last week. Precisely what changes to the current permanent resi- dence system government is considering have not been made public. However, local immigration attorneys have noted changes to the system made in March of this year that allowed government to begin hearings on more than 1,100 backlogged residency applications were “largely cosmetic” and did not fix deep-seated problems that have existed since 2004. Mr. McLaughlin said there would still have to be changes to the residency pro- cess to address issues which “derailed” it for about two- and-a-half years between January 2015 and June 2017. Steady hearings held by Im- migration Department staffers and the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board since then have been “making good headway” on lowering the number of backlogged appli- cations from people who had waited more than three years in some cases for their matters to be heard, the premier said. “We have taken some fairly aggressive steps to come to grips with the situ- ation,” Mr. McLaughlin said. However, there are still more than 800 outstanding applicants awaiting a deci- sion and the premier told fi- nance committee members this week that more people who have maintained con- tinuous residence in Cayman for eight years would be ap- plying in the future. “I don’t think we’ll ever reach a point when there are zero applications in the queue,” Mr. McLaughlin said. ”The overriding issue was to deal with the long-standing applications that were there. I think the situation is well under control.” Lawsuits Although the premier made reference to immigra- tion-related lawsuits, only eight applications for judicial review were ever filed in re- lation to delays in the perma- nent residency process. All eight of those people who sought the Grand Court to hear their cases later re- ceived grants of residency, but those matters are still before the court where settlement discussions are ongoing. According to the appli- cants’ attorneys at HSM Chambers, the judicial re- view actions sought potential monetary damages against the public sector because of the lengthy delays. “This has been a difficult process and one which we can lament became neces- sary,” HSM Chambers partner Nicolas Joseph said in a letter sent to the firm’s immi- gration clients. The judicial review appli- cants’ claims sought only to have their respective cases considered. There was no outright demand made that they be granted permanent residency rights. Rather, the claims state that government representatives acted unrea- sonably and unlawfully in refusing to hear the applica- tions for a period of years and that damages had occurred to those individuals as a result. FIFA defendant Takkas to appeal sentence BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Former Cayman Islands Football Association offi- cial and U.K. national Costas Takkas signaled his intention to appeal a 15-month prison sentence handed down last month for his role in world football’s racketeering and bribery scandal. In papers filed with the court Oct. 8, Takkas’s at- torneys stated their client wished to appeal the sen- tence, of which Takkas will have to serve five months. The sentence also has a requirement that Takkas, along with his FIFA co-de- fendants, repay some US$3 million to the defrauded Ca- ribbean Football Union in recompense for money he and associate Jeffrey Webb took as part of the scheme. The appeal filing did not state the legal basis for which the sentence was being appealed. Takkas was sentenced to 15 months’ imprison- ment after pleading guilty to one count of money laun- dering conspiracy in con- nection with the ongoing FIFA bribery and corrup- tion scandal that rocked world football’s governing body in 2015. However, Federal Dis- trict Court Judge Pamela Chen credited Takkas with 10 months already served in Swiss detention following his arrest in May 2015. Takkas was held by Swiss authorities while he fought extradition to the U.S. Prosecutors had earlier argued that Takkas should not receive such credit, as it was his decision to dispute extradition on the charges. All other charges filed against Takkas in a November 2015 federal court indictment were dropped as part of the deal reached with prosecu- tors to obtain his guilty plea. DRIVER ARRESTED AFTER PILE-UP Five vehicles and a bicycle were involved in a pile-up that snarled rush hour traffic around George Town for nearly two hours Thursday. The cyclist suffered se- rious but non-life threatening injuries in the incident, ac- cording to police. He was struck by a vehicle as he rode his bike through the Butter- field roundabout, next to the A. L. Thompson store, just before 5:30 p.m. The vehicle then col- lided with four other vehicles. The driver, a woman aged 52 of West Bay, was arrested on suspicion of DUI and is currently on police bail. JURY NOTICE All Grand Court jurors who are in the Oct. 4 – Dec. 29 session are advised that the report date of Tuesday, Nov. 14 has been changed. Those jurors should now re- port for jury duty on Friday, Nov. 17, at 9:45 a.m. Precisely what changes to the current permanent residence system government is considering have not been made public.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2017 THE TASTIEST, AND EASIEST, FEAST YOU’LL HAVE ALL YEAR! LET F OSTER’S HANDLE THE C O OKING Our Holiday Box Dinners include your choice of delicious Roast Turkey or Glazed Ham, gravy, three side dishes, cranberry sauce, rolls, and a freshly baked pie. $ 7999Carving Fee: Additional $10 Additional sides will be charged by the pound. 24 Hour notice is required. SERVES 6–8 PEOPLE to order, visit fosters-iga.com SIDES: • Stuffing • Mashed Potatoes • Green Bean Casserole • Cranberry Sauce (included) • 12 Dinner Rolls (included) PIES • Apple Pie • Gravy (included) • Macaroni and Cheese • Rice and Beans • Whipped Sweet PotatoesThe islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. When talk turns to development, most people immediately think of its physical manifestations – new buildings, landscaping, or associated amenities. Others think of the negative impacts of develop- ment – blocked views, paved-over green spaces, or noise where there once was silence. But the real impact of development goes beyond the physical structures themselves (new places in which to live, work and play), to the economic activity they generate or facilitate. That’s why the recent report that Grand Cayman is experiencing an “explosion” in development – with more high-value planning applications approved in 2017 than ever before – is welcome news. As the Compass reported last week, the Central Planning Authority has approved a record-breaking 1,013 projects with a combined value of $688 million so far this year. Each of those projects, large and small, represents work for contractors, electricians, sup- pliers and other construction industry personnel. Each of those projects is an expression of confidence in Cayman’s long-term stability. Each contributes to the vibrancy and growth of our economy. Many of the development projects on the books represent tens or hundreds of new permanent jobs, generating even more economic activity and helping fuel Cayman’s government. As well-known real estate broker Kim Lund told a Compass reporter, “Cayman has reached a tipping point and become quite attrac- tive, not only to tourists, but investors wanting second homes and a safe place to invest. The huge improve- ments that are being made to our infrastructure make Cayman a better place to visit and live.” In order to afford the huge government we have already created, and the ongoing costs to which our country has committed, the islands’ economy and tax base must continue to grow. To adapt a line from Gordon Gekko in the movie “Wall Street”: “Growth is good.” Growth is also necessary if our small islands are to continue to fulfill obligations already in place to retiring government workers, especially pensions and healthcare benefits. It will take gigantic outlays of cash to meet those commitments while, at the same time, social services for certain portions of the Caymanian population continue to escalate dramatically. And none of that takes into account the hundreds of millions of dollars needed, or at least desired, for capital projects such as the downtown port, new schools, highway construction and other infrastructure projects. Dart Real Estate president Jackie Doak – whose company is responsible for much of the increased development activity – said Dart’s investment is an expression of its belief in the strength and resilience of our economy. That investment gives momentum to a virtuous cycle that inspires others to invest and drives continued prosperity and growth. Government can help keep that growth on track by investing in infrastructure, education and public safety – capitalizing on and improving Cayman’s reputation as a safe, stable and welcoming jurisdiction. Some residents have expressed concern about increased development, or about particular projects that have been proposed. Concerns include the envi- ronmental impact of such large projects, or even how they might restrict views or contribute to the loss of beach access. Many of those worries have merit, but they must be reconciled with this existential fact: Growth is necessary for Cayman’s long-term survival. The negative impacts of growth can be mitigated, to a certain extent, by thoughtful and sensitive urban and social planning. But generalized, vague and romanticized longing for “the good old days” should be put to rest. It simply is unrealistic to think Cayman can ever return to those early years – much less make progress – by adopting policies of stasis, stagnation or regression. For individuals, growth at the cellular level is the literal definition of life. When cells no longer reproduce, life is at an end. For societies, economic growth is an essential requisite to fund social needs, to improve the quality of the lives of their citizenry and, perhaps most importantly, to provide meaningful opportunities for future generations in their homelands. Planning for – and embracing – a trajectory of growth TUESDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Repeal and replace the US tax code WASHINGTON – The Re- publicans’ tax bill would somewhat improve the ex- isting revenue system that once caused Mitch Daniels (former head of the Office of Management and Budget, former Indiana governor) to say: Wouldn’t it be nice to have a tax code that looked as though it had been de- signed on purpose? Today’s bill, which is 429 pages and is apt to grow, is an implau- sible instrument of simplifi- cation. And it would worsen the tax code’s already sub- stantial contribution to “moral hazard.” Economists use that phrase to denote circum- stances in which incentives are for perverse behavior. Today’s tax code is such a circumstance, and the Re- publican bill would exac- erbate this by expanding the $1,000 child credit to $1,600 with an additional $300 “family credit” for each parent and non-child de- pendent, and by doubling the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for married couples. These measures would increase the number of per- sons not paying income taxes and would further de- crease the percentage of in- come tax revenues paid by low-income earners. Already 62 percent of American households pay more in payroll taxes than in income taxes. The bottom 50 percent of earners supply less than 3 percent of in- come tax revenues. Forty- five percent of American households pay no income tax, either because they earn too little or because they qualify for enough exemp- tions and credits to erase their liability. Sixty percent pay nothing or less than 5 percent of their income. Forty percent of earners are net recipi- ents from the income tax because they qualify for re- fundable tax credits. All this means that an already large – and, if the Republican bill passes, soon to be larger – American majority has a vanishingly small incentive to restrain the growth of a government that they are not paying for through its largest revenue source. These facts might be the results of defensible tax and social policies. They should, however, be discomfiting to those remaining conserva- tives – they are on the en- dangered species list – who dispute Dick Cheney’s no- tion that “Reagan proved deficits don’t matter.” Defi- cits matter for their polit- ical as well as – actually, even more than – their eco- nomic effects: Deficits make big government cheap, en- abling the political class to charge taxpayers rather less than $1 for every $1 of gov- ernment benefits dispensed. When the Bush-Cheney ad- ministration managed the last large tax cut, the pub- licly held national debt was 33 percent of GDP. Today it is 75 percent. Today’s Republican bill, drafted in the aftermath of the failure to repeal and re- place Obamacare, is sup- posed to demonstrate to the party’s Trumpian base that congressional majori- ties matter and must be ex- tended. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., chairman of the con- servative House Freedom Caucus, has said (to USA Today): “If we had a whole bunch of wins on major items up to this point, would we perhaps be a little bit more deliberate in our ne- gotiations? I think the answer is yes.” But the facts about par- ticipation in the income tax mean that the bill is un- likely to assuage the in- jured feelings of core Trump supporters, understood as downscale white working- class voters who supposedly are seething because they are not benefiting enough from burdensome govern- ment. They might have valid grievances, but not ones that can be addressed by income tax rate reductions for individuals. Payroll tax reductions would be an- other matter. And all individual earners will benefit to some extent from cutting the cor- porate rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. The incidence of cor- porate taxation – who ac- tually pays it – is fiercely debated by economists, a remarkably cocksure co- hort with strikingly diver- gent views about the degree to which corporate taxa- tion depresses the wages of the corporations’ workers, curtails shareholders’ div- idends, and is passed on to consumers in the costs of corporations’ products. Suffice it to say that cor- porations do not pay taxes, they collect taxes. Uncer- tainty about the incidence of corporate taxation is one reason the Republican bill’s corporate tax rate is 20 points too high. This year’s best tax bill, which Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., has introduced six times since 2006, is four pages long and contains fewer words (411) than the new Republican bill has pages. It could be titled “The ‘What You Wished For, Mitch Daniels’ Act.” It is titled, with almost unprecedented accuracy, the “Tax Code Termina- tion Act.” It would nullify the existing 4 million-word code as of Dec. 31, 2021, and require that by July 4 of that year it must be re- placed by a new one, which would necessarily be one de- signed on purpose. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2017, Washington Post Writers Group PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” Deficits make big government cheap, enabling the political class to charge taxpayers rather less than $1 for every $1 of government benefits dispensed. GEORGE F. WILL GEORGE The islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2017 NOVEMBER 20th – 22nd 2017 IOWA SOUTH DAKOTA STATE RICHMOND WYOMING COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT ENDORSED BY THE NCAA FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TICKETS. VISIT WWW.CAYMANISLANDSCLASSIC.COM LOUISIANALOUISIANA SOUTH DAKOTA STATESOUTH DAKOTA STATE RICHMOND SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UABUAB Cayman Islands Rum MEDIA LTD. HURLEY’S IOWAIOWAIOWAIOWA CINCINNATI RICHMONDRICHMOND BUFFALOThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 TUESDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Celebrating its 40th year with a condensed five-day schedule, Pirates Week of- ficially kicked off Thursday with pirates at the Royal Palms and Margaritaville, and the Pan in De City steel pan band competition. A teen street dance, Miss Festival Queen competition and fireworks display also drew large crowds on Friday. Saturday began with the Pi- rate Pooch Parade, followed by the CayBrew Cardboard Boat Race in Hog Sty Bay. The landing of replica pi- rate ships at 3 p.m. was the signal for the start of the float parade, which continued into the evening, before an- other series of street dances. Other pirate-themed events so far have in- cluded a 5K swim and 10K run, children’s fun day at Pedro St. James and the of- ficial “sentencing of the pi- rates” on Monday. Buccaneer bacchanal besets George Town CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Ready for their annual invasion, pirates eye the coast of George Town. No one is safe as pirates land in George Town. Pirates eagerly await their arrival in George Town. Liana’s Ransom sails past the Grosse Ile before Saturday’s pirates landing. Traditional Caymanian flair is on display in Saturday’s parade. The effects of life at sea show on the face of one pirate.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2017 Personal Insurance BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, Grand Cayman KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 12 Kirkconnell Street, Stake Bay, P.O. Box 254, Cayman Brac KY2-2101 Tel. 948-1760 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International Ltd. insurance, health, pensions, life Save up to $400 with home and car insurance Car insurance deductibles from $200 and extra free benefits. With your first BritCay buildings insurance policy you will receive a $250 gift certificate. Home insurance also entitles you to a 10% car insurance discount. With the lowest standard deductibles at $200, you also save when you claim. Ask BritCay for a quote! CALL 949-8699 or visit www.britcay.ky SAVE $250* when you insure your home! 10% discount on car insurance if you have home insurance Free $500,000 public liability (home insurance) Free $10 million liability protection (car insurance) Interest free monthly payment option cgigrp coverwithoutaddedcosts! $250* CERTIFICATE WITH BUILDINGS INSURANCE *$250 BritCay gift certificate applies to new buildings insurance policies only Pirates Week Winners Pirates Pooch Parade Winners Best Personality: Olivia Lomas’ English Bulldog, Mr. Chubbs Best Duo: Verity Rad- ford’s Pit bull, Moonbeam Best Costume: Rhonda Maydanski’s Labradoodle, Hershey Door prize was a hand- made Doggie Day Bed created by Yvonne Broderick. The prize went to a white Poodle named Coconut, owned by Presantha Govendi Miss Festival Queen Competition Winners Winner: Bodden Town’s, Tracey Barnes-Fagan took the top prize. Designed by Julio Fagan, her costume “Isle of Gems” played well on the festival’s Treasures Of Change theme. First Runner Up: Miss East End, Latoya Lightbody placed first runner up with her costume “Cayman’s Her- itage Beauty”, a costume she designed herself. Second Runner Up: Miss West Bay, Victoria Ebanks whose costume “Lady Trea- sures” was designed by Yendi Parchman. Pirate’s Week 5k Sea Swim Overall ■■ Stephanie Horner - 58.14 ■■ John Bodden - 1:03.55 ■■ Liam Henry - 1:04.18 Male ■■ John Bodden - 1:03.55 ■■ Liam Henry - 1:04.18 ■■ Alex Dacers - 1:04.41 Female ■■ Stephanie Horner - 58.14 ■■ Avery Lambert - 1:07.32 ■■ Raya Embury- Brown - 1:08.13 Hell N’ Back 10k Run Male ■■ Patrick Harfield - 35:54.4 ■■ Tim Schuler - 39:07.5 ■■ Juan Pablo Valerio - 40:19.7 Female ■■ Tiffany Cole - 42:54.4 ■■ Nadine Gray - 47:44.6 ■■ Natalie Daum - 48:36.8 District Float Parade Winners ■■ 1st Place – George Town ■■ 2nd Place – East End ■■ 3rd Place – Bodden Town A pirate pooch sniffs out booty and biscuits in George Town. Olivia Lomas’ English bulldog, Mr. Chubbs, wins Best Personality in the Pirate Pooch Parade. Fireworks light up the night sky and sparkled over Grand Cayman’s waters for Pirates Week.8 LOCAL NEWS TUESDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Visit us and take advantage of the amazing DISCOUNTS and PROMOTIONS available for Men! Take a look at the local businesses that are joining the initiative and helping to celebrate International Mens Day 2017. Also join us for our Celebrate Men And Boys Family Fun Day Where: King’s Sport Centre When: 18th November 2017 Time 3:30 to 6:30pm Visit us and take advantage of the amazing DISCOUNTS and PROMOTIONS available for Men! Take a look at the local businesses that are joining the initiative and helping to celebrate International Mens Day 2017. Also join us for our Celebrate Men And Boys Family Fun Day Where: King’s Sport Centre When: 18th November 2017 Time 3:30 to 6:30pm Visit us and take advantage of the amazing DISCOUNTS and PROMOTIONS available for Men! Take a look at the local businesses that are joining the initiative and helping to celebrate International Mens Day 2017. Also join us for our Celebrate Men And Boys Family Fun Day Where: King’s Sport Centre When: 18th November 2017 Time 3:30 to 6:30pm ‘Jaws’ snatches cardboard boat race victory MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com A tub stuffed with mer- maids, an errant bottle and a sort-of floating banana were among the naval ves- sels battling it out at Satur- day’s cardboard boat race in Hog Sty Bay, a tradition of Pirates Week. “We’re still not sure if it’s going to float,” said Coralie Moran, one of six women that dubbed themselves Ma- ples’ Mermaids, as they pre- pared for the race. “We’re all wearing mermaid cos- tumes also, so we won’t be able to swim.” If the boat foundered, she said, “We’re just going to drown.” As it turned out, the mer- maids constructed perhaps the most buoyant of the five craft entered in the race. Had that been the only cri- teria, they certainly would have won. But there was that whole navigation thing. The mermaids could not buy a straight line. The crew in the Banana Split, a yellow contraption with an upturned front end for a stem, had other prob- lems. Out to an early start, they appeared headed for vic- tory as they rounded the rock in the middle of the bay. It was a surprising start, given the confidence its captain, Giles Hobday, 29, expressed before launching the banana. “It might be over pretty quickly,” he said, addressing the seaworthiness of the gigantic fruit. “Bananas don’t float either, so if it sinks, that’s OK.” It did. When that happened, it was passed in short order by the “Jaws” boat, which looked like a shark on shore before the top was removed. The canoe-like boat underneath foundered twice at the start, before it lightened its crew and got under way, slipping by the competition to win. “It feels good to finally win,” said Harry VanWa- genen, 62, who oversaw con- struction. “We’ll have to see if we can keep it going.” Last, but undaunted, was the Sunrise Center’s Mes- sage in a Bottle, which, like the mermaids, suffered from navigation rather than floata- tion. Kim Voaden, 38, director of the center, said all of Sun- rise’s disabled clientele con- tributed to the project. “This is our effort to get our clients out here,” Ms. Voaden said, “and to make a statement that anyone can do it.” Unless, you are in a giant banana. “It feels good to finally win,” said Harry VanWagenen, 62, who oversaw construction of the “Jaws” boat. The ‘Jaws’ boat, constructed by Harry VanWagenen, struggled at first but eventually took the lead and won. Handmade boats filled the bay, as crews paddled toward the finish line. - PHOTOS: TANEOS RAMSAY Some boats foundered and others sailed home in the annual cardboard boat race in Hog Sty Bay. Colleen Stoetzel, Logan Chinoy, Harry VanWagenen and John Davis joined in on the race.9 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2017 Cayman veterans honor fallen comrades on Remembrance Day St. Ignatius remembers veterans’ sacrifices JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com More than four hundred St. Ignatius students attended a Remembrance Day ceremony in the school’s courtyard on Friday, which included the laying of a memorial wreath and many moving tributes to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in war. Members of the Cayman Islands Veterans Associa- tion, school faculty, students, Scouts and Girls Guides, and the parish’s Father Suresh Rajaian hung their heads in prayer as a moment of si- lence was observed by all. “Let us learn from the horrors of war. Let us receive with gratitude the gift of our freedom. Let us learn from the mistakes of the past and work together to build a fu- ture where no human being is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice, that very same sacrifice that is at the heart of the Christian faith,” said veteran Larry Rotchell, asking God for blessings and for protection from the horrors of war. “They went with songs to the battle. They were young, straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted. They fell with their faces to the foe. “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them,” said Mr. Rotchell in his prayer. A cascade of poppies flut- tered down from the second floor from the hands of stu- dents Jayda Rae-Smith and Rohanna Finch. Poppies are used by vet- erans to ensure that the men and women who were killed in combat are not forgotten. Keith Millar, St. Ignatius music teacher and bugler for the service, played the “Last Post” at sundown. The “Last Post” is the bugle call that signifies the end of the day’s activities. It is also sounded at military funerals to indicate that a soldier has gone to his final rest, and at commemorative services. Head of Primary James Hickey, on behalf of the school community and wider community in Cayman, thanked those involved in the special service: “To Graham Walker and members of the Veterans Association, we thank you for your time today in helping us to remember the actions and sacrifices made during the war re- sulting in freedom for us all.” He said the United Na- tions, as part of their sus- tainable development goals, have set a target of having peace and justice across the globe, supported by strong institutions. Veterans Associations across the world are instru- mental in working toward this admirable goal, and re- mind us of the need for peace and justice, Mr. Hickey noted. He thanked the vet- erans present and those who were unable to be there for the courage and personal sacrifice they had made for everyone. “You and your colleagues will never be forgotten by our community,” he said. He also thanked teacher Fiona Burns for her involve- ment in the service. She said it was a day of gratitude and thanksgiving. From diverse backgrounds, Cayman’s veterans share sense of sacrifice JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com As the Cayman Islands joined the world in two min- utes of silence in remem- brance of the world’s war dead, Richard Morcombe si- lently recounted the names of the friends he had lost in a 27-year career as an anti- tank helicopter pilot with the British Army. Now a pilot for the Royal Cayman Islands Police Ser- vice, Mr. Morcombe served in the first Gulf War and com- pleted two tours in Bosnia in the 1990s. “It was very poignant for me today,” he said, “I have lost 30 or 40 friends in flying incidents over the years. During that two minutes’ silence, I go through their names in my head one by one.” Mr. Morcombe was one of 15 veterans on parade as Cayman’s uniformed ser- vices, seafarers, youth and church groups joined poli- ticians and dignitaries for the annual Remembrance Sunday ceremony. Governor Helen Kilpat- rick and Premier Alden McLaughlin were among those to lay wreaths at the cenotaph in front of Elmslie Memorial Church in George Town, before a service of re- membrance at the church. Marshalled by Andrew McLaughlin, the president of the Cayman Islands Veterans Association and a former U.S. marine, an eclectic group of military vets, spanning var- ious countries, eras and ser- vices, from the Royal Marines to the German Air Force, took their place in the line-up. Each had vastly different backgrounds and different memories of their time in the armed services. North Sider Paul Ebanks remembered saving for a year, as a boy of 19, to fund his air ticket to London to present himself at the Hol- born Royal Navy and Ma- rines career office, the start of a 9-year career in the Royal Marines that took him to Singapore, Australia, Ja- karta and Brunei. Rudy Kudritzki recalled taking his place in the new German air force in the 1960s, as the country forged new alliances across Eu- rope in the decades after the Second World War. He retired to the island with his Cayma- nian wife in the 1990s. Lester Purvis spent five years in the U.S. Army as a rocket launcher systems en- gineer, including a stint in Korea during the 90s. He now works for BritCay and is launching his own luxury marine tours company, Big Lex charters. Richard Connolly, now an officer in the Cayman police marine unit, served in South America, the far east and across Europe during a ten-year stint with the Royal Navy. Larry Rotchell, a vet- eran of four decades in the Royal Electrical and Me- chanical Engineers, remem- bered patching under-fire he- licopters back together with duct tape during the assault on Stanley at the end of the Falklands War. Despite the various back- grounds of the Cayman veterans contingent, Mr. Rotchell, who retired to the island with his wife Nurleen, a Cayman Brac native, be- lieves they share a funda- mental sense of sacrifice. “We all did the same type of thing in different ways. We all did a job at times that might mean you had to sacrifice your life and we are all here today to honor the people that have done that in our ser- vice,” he said. Mr. Kudritzki agreed. No matter the background, he said military men share a brotherhood: “To go to war is a political decision not a military decision. The military aren’t the ones that start wars but they face the consequences of those decisions.” This is true for their families also. The veterans associa- tion, according to presi- dent Mr. McLaughlin, is not just for those that fought, but the loved ones who stayed at home. Nurleen Rotchell recalled the anxiety of waiting for news of her husband from the Falklands, with two ba- bies to look after. “It was very stressful, worrying. It is not some- thing I would want to re- peat,” she said. For Suzy Soto, whose husband Bob served in the Cayman Islands Home Guard during the second world war, the companionship and ca- maraderie of the Veterans As- sociation is a blessing. “My husband died two- and-a-half years ago and this is my family now. If I told you how much it means to me, I would start crying, It means everything to me.” Students, veterans and teachers gathered at St. Ignatius to honor Remembrance Day. Members of the Cayman Islands Veterans Association honor the memory of fallen service members. - PHOTOS: JAMES WHITTAKER The Cayman Islands Veterans Association and former service members pay tribute to the war fallen Sunday.Next >