SECTION | PAGE ## TITLE FOR THE SPORT/ BUSINESS SKYBOX FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Take a journey with Yonier Powery A new exbibition of the artist’s work is on display B6 Cumberbatch is back in ‘Hamlet’ Culture at the Cinema screens his lauded performance B7 Events Art & Culture Artists & Exhi bits ‘Ready Player One’ opens on Friday The latest Spielberg film is a hit with critics B4 ■ FOOD & DRINK Slow Food Day 2018 Rising star chef Jack Barwick is ready to cook up a storm. B2 Feed Our Future Century Ride Cyclists prepare for 100-mile challenge around the island B5 STOLI FLAVOURS 2 for $ 56 Until 31 July Fine Wine & Spir its TORTUGA Due to ongoing renovations at the airport, we encourage you to visit our stores and BUY BEFORE YOU FLY ® CAYMAN WEEKENDER Slow Food Day 2018 EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 ELIMINATING THE SATURDAY GRIDLOCK AT OWEN ROBERTS High of 86 Low of 75 Smooth with wave heights of less than 2 feet. ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2018 SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY WHITE VERSIONS BELOW ™ ® COMPASS INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Dissecting the airport bottleneck JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com “Growing pains” is the buzzword around the Owen Roberts International Airport right now. Even amid intense construction on a new terminal that will triple capacity, passengers have begun to question if Cayman’s multi-mil- lion dollar airport upgrade goes far enough. On a sweltering March afternoon that saw 53 planes arrive on a single Saturday, three aircraft were forced to divert to Jamaica to re- fuel and several more were grounded on the tarmac in Florida because the airport was too busy for them to land. Frustrated visitors shared now-familiar images of lines snaking around both sides of the terminal. The work, currently under way, should make for a more comfortable experi- ence for arriving and departing tourists, says Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell. But he acknowledges the current phase of construction, focused largely on the terminal, will not directly ease congestion in the skies. For a minister basking in the glow of an- other record-breaking tourism season, these are good problems. But problems, all the same. Choke point Ground zero of the congestion issue is a three-hour choke point between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on a Saturday. Last weekend, 20 planes landed during that window. That is more than the total number of incoming flights on a regular weekday. A jump in demand from private planes, up POWER OUTAGES AFFECT GRAND CAYMAN DISTRICTS KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Power outages affected wide swaths of Grand Cayman on Wednesday night from around 7:15 p.m., including areas in George Town, Bodden Town, West Bay and Prospect. According to the territory’s power provider, the Caribbean Utilities Company, the outages ranged from six minutes to 93 minutes. CUC stated that the outages were caused by safety systems tripping a number of generating units in response to an “operational anomaly.” The company did not specify what the anomaly was. “This resulted in a temporary shortage of online generation capacity, which resulted in a number of our feeder circuits tripping,” CUC stated. “CUC operation and maintenance teams quickly addressed the generation shortage by bringing additional units online and power was restored in a systematic manner. “While CUC is committed to providing a re- liable electricity service to its customers, from time to time the Company may experience generating unit faults, which will result in the loss of power. CUC sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience the outages may have caused.” Forecast: Hurricane season slightly above average MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Following last year’s devas- tating series of storms, Colo- rado State University weather experts are predicting a slightly above-average hurricane season for 2018. The university’s report, is- sued Thursday, says the up- coming June-to-November season is expected to produce 14 named storms, seven of which will reach hurricane strength. Three of the hurricanes are pre- dicted to reach major strength as category 3 or greater. There is a 52 percent chance one of those major storms will make landfall in the Caribbean, the re- port says. The likelihood of a U.S. coast being hit is 63 percent. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms and seven hurricanes, three of which are category 3 or higher. The chance of a hurricane hitting land in the Caribbean normally stands at 42 percent. Last year, hurricanes Irma and Maria blasted their way through the Caribbean, causing deaths and leaving massive de- struction on a number of islands, Cayman makes triumphant return from CARIFTA games Cayman’s swimmers returned from a strong performance at the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships on Thursday. Cayman earned the fifth-most medals – 34 – in competitive swimming, and the team brought home four more in Artistic Swimming and another three in Open Water Swimming. For more on this story, see page 20. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 10 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » CCMI INTRODUCES NEW OCEAN AWARDS The Central Caribbean Marine In- stitute is introducing a series of awards to celebrate the contribu- tions of individuals and companies who help the world’s coral reefs and oceans through research, conservation and education. The awards are being launched as part of the Little Cayman- based CCMI’s 20th anniversary. For more on this story, see page 6.2 LOCAL&REGIONAL FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS FREE DELIVERY TO CAMANA BAY Please call 945-8380 for appointments Cayman Orthopaedic Group DR. RICK OGILVIE, F.R.C.S.C. Orthopaedic Surgeon, Arthroscopic Surgery, Ligament Reconstruction & Sports Injuries will be at #1 Smith Road Plaza Monday, 9th Apil, 2018 to Friday 13th April, 2018 Dr. Wayne R. Porter MD F.A.A.D. Dermatologist call : 946-9020 between 9am to 5pm Dees Plaza #282 on Crewe Road, GT He will be in office from April 9th - April 14th , 2018 Immediate imprisonment follows third conviction for same offense CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man who admitted to driving while disquali- fied for the third time ended up with a prison sentence of six months. Owaine Anthony Thompson, 27, appeared in Summary Court on Wednesday be- fore Magistrate Angelyn Her- nandez, who had given him a suspended sentence last year for driving while dis- qualified. That had been his second conviction for the same offense. This week, Mr. Thompson appeared from custody after being arrested on March 28 for driving 64 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone, driving without insurance, and driving while disqualified. “Mr. Thompson’s driving has again put the family in problems,” defense attorney John Furniss said. He explained that the de- fendant’s wife was present in court. Her mother had been diagnosed with a se- rious health condition and had to go to Jamaica for treatment. “The plan was that Mrs. Thompson would go with her to make arrangements and he would remain here to look after their child,” Mr. Furniss told the court. The child is 3 years old. After consulting with Mrs. Thompson, Mr. Furniss said there were no family mem- bers to assist, so if the de- fendant remained in custody, treatment for Mrs. Thomp- son’s mother would have to be delayed because she could not travel on her own. The attorney raised the possibility of house arrest as a sentence and told the court that his client was asking if there could be a stay before the time he had to commence serving his sentence. “I’m not even minded to consider it because he will get behind a wheel again,” the magistrate replied. Then, speaking directly to Mr. Thompson, she said, “Last August I warned you. The only reason you got a suspended sentence then was because of your family situa- tion …. You knew the conse- quences. You had a sentence hanging over your head.” The magistrate did not go into details of the family sit- uation last year, but pointed to Mrs. Thompson sitting at the side of the court- room where the defendant could see her. “Your wife is there and doesn’t even know how she is going to cope,” the magis- trate told him. Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson provided the back- ground to the latest offenses, stating that two officers clocked the speeding vehicle while they were carrying out a traffic check along West Bay Road on March 28. The officers signaled the driver to stop and he did so. He told officers he was rushing to get his child to take to school. He said he was a mechanic and the owner had left him the car for an oil change and he had taken the car to get the child. One of the officers rec- ognized him and asked if he was disqualified. He said, “Yes, sir.” Mr. Thompson was ar- rested and cautioned, at which point he replied, “Oh God, I am going to prison now.” In court, Mr. Furniss acknowledged that Mr. Thompson and his driving had now brought difficulty upon the household. He said the magistrate was unim- pressed by the contempt the defendant had shown for the previous order of the court not to drive. He noted that the family had put together $1,800 to pay his traffic fines from a matter in 2016 rather than having Mr. Thompson spend time in custody in lieu of payment. That money could have been spent on the mother’s medical treatment. Mr. Furniss said: “I’m sorry to put it in such bleak terms, but that is the reality …. Many times it is not the de- fendant who suffers the most – it’s the family.” The magistrate agreed and said it gave her no pleasure to see the defen- dant’s wife, who sat quietly with her head bowed at one stage and her hands cov- ering her face. “We tell our children if they don’t hear, they must feel,” the magistrate con- tinued. Now it was time for Mr. Thompson to feel the consequences of his of- fending, she said. The sentence of three months that was suspended last August was now effec- tive and must be served, she ruled. For driving again while disqualified, the sentence was a further three months, for a total of six months. Mr. Thompson had been disqualified from driving until November 2018. The magistrate further disqual- ified him until November 2020. When he is legally able to apply for a driver’s license, he will have to re-sit the test, she said. For driving without in- surance, a two-year period of disqualification was made to run concurrently. The speeding offense [more than double the limit] incurred the maximum fine of $500, but the magistrate said she was not burdening the family any further. Time in lieu of paying the fine was five weeks, which she said would run concurrently. “This was not easy,” she told the defendant. “I am not happy doing this, but a clear message has to be sent. Whatever hardship has come on your family, it’s all on your head, nobody else’s.” The magistrate warned him again – if he got caught driving after coming out of prison, he would be serving a very long sentence. Jail for disqualified driver causes family problems Free screenings next week for World Health Day The Cayman Islands Public Health Depart- ment will be offering free screenings for diabetes and hypertension to mark World Health Day. The screenings will be held in all district health centers on Grand Cayman, including the general practice clinic at the Cayman Islands Hospital and Faith Hospital on Cayman Brac, from Monday to Friday, April 9 to 13, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Residents on Little Cayman can call their clinic to make an appointment. Health Minister Dwayne Seymour, in a statement, said Cayman would be holding World Health Day activi- ties throughout the week to celebrate the 70th anni- versary of the World Health Organization. “This year, the focus of World Health Day is Uni- versal Health Coverage, which means health cov- erage for everyone, every- where, without discrimina- tion,” Mr. Seymour said. “As Minister for Health, this is a principle very close to my heart. I believe strongly that everybody in the Cayman Is- lands should have access to the best healthcare available. “Health is a human right and nobody should have to choose between good health and other life necessities. Neither should anyone face financial hardships to ac- cess the health services that they need.” He said that while he rec- ognized that healthcare treat- ments can be expensive, it is important that people do everything possible to take care of their health. “That is one of the rea- sons that the Public Health Department is offering free screenings next week for di- abetes and hypertension. The earlier we can detect condi- tions, the sooner we can treat them. Early diagnosis can make a huge difference in the success of treating illnesses, sometimes meaning the dif- ference between life and death,” he said. World Health Day is marked internationally on April 7. CORRECTION In a story titled “Ten years for armored truck robbery attempt” that appeared in Tuesday’s Cayman Compass, the sentencing was reported as taking place last Friday, which was Good Friday, a public holiday. The sentencing took place on Thursday, March 29. 187 SPEEDING TICKETS ISSUED IN TWO WEEKS Police issued 187 speeding tickets to drivers over the two-week period of March 17-31. Most of the speeding offenses occurred on the Linford Pierson and Es- terley Tibbetts High- ways. Both roads have speed limits of 40 mph and most of those tick- eted were caught traveling at speeds in excess of 60 mph, police said, with some drivers traveling as fast as 80 mph. “We continue to see ex- cessive speeding in these areas and advise the public to always be aware of the speed at which you are traveling,” said In- spector Ian Yearwood of the Traffic and Roads Po- licing Unit. “Our opera- tions are ongoing and we will not be lenient on of- fenders. You not only put your life in danger while traveling at such speeds, but also the lives of your passengers and other road users.” In addition to speeding tickets, officers also prosecuted a number of other traffic offenses, in- cluding 40 tickets for excessive tint. In total, there were 341 speeding tickets is- sued in March. PUERTO RICO SUES PURDUE PHARMA OVER OPIOID CRISIS SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Puerto Rico’s Jus- tice Department has filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma accusing the drugmaker of causing an opioid crisis in the U.S. territory. Officials said Wednesday that they are seeking to hold the com- pany responsible for all government costs in- curred as a result of the damage opioids have caused. The suit also ac- cuses the company of misrepresenting the risk of abuse and addiction, among other things. The lawsuit says that opioid distribution more than doubled in Puerto Rico from 1999 to 2013 and that 1,661 fatal overdoses were reported from Jan- uary 2007 to March 2016. A Purdue Pharma spokesman denies the al- legations and says the company is collaborating to solve the abuse crisis. Dozens of states, cities and counties in the U.S. mainland have filed sim- ilar lawsuits.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2018 info@hsa.ky • www.hsa.ky CaymanIslandsHSA HSA_Cayman The most advanced comprehensive hospital services available in the Cayman Islands are right here at the Cayman Islands Hospital. As the nation’s principal health care facility, the Cayman Islands Hospital in George Town provides a full range of inpatient and outpatient medical and specialist services. Our team of healthcare professionals work together to provide top-quality patient focused care. Services are available in the elds of: • Accident & Emergency • Anesthesiology • Bariatric Surgery • Cardiology • Chemotherapy • Critical Care • Nutrition Services • Dentistry • Dermatology • Diving & Hyperbaric Medicine • Ear, Nose and Throat • Forensics • General Practice • General Surgery • Hemodialysis • Hematology • Immunizations • Internal Medicine • Maxillofacial Surgery • Mental Health • Neonatal Intensive Care • Nephrology • Obstetrics/Gynecology • Oncology • Ophthalmology • Orthopedics • Pediatrics • Pain Management • Pathology • Pharmacy • Physiotherapy • Public Health • Radiology • Respiratory Therapy • Urology • Vascular Surgery • Women’s HealthThe 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. For 165 of the 168 hours in a week, the Owen Roberts International Airport is more than adequate to accommodate Grand Cayman’s incoming and outgoing flights. But for three hours every week – specifically, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday – a regularly sched- uled spike in air traffic creates the equivalent of Los Angeles highway gridlock. Rather than the easy-breezy “rest of the week,” it is the conditions within those three hours of conges- tion that form the standard by which the performance of our public officials, and the still-under-renovation airport, will be judged. When we point to long lines and processing times, officials point to the ongoing construction at the airport. As the saying goes, “Please pardon our dust.” Certainly. But our primary concern is what happens when the dust settles and the final ribbon is cut. Will the new Owen Roberts airport prove to be the “right airport” for Grand Cayman – not just for today, but for the next 15-25 years? The issues of overcrowding at the airport are not life-threatening, but they certainly are tourism-threat- ening. The airport is the all-hallowed “first impression” that stay-over visitors have of our country, as well as being the last one. What do we want our tourists to remember (and relate to friends, family members and Facebook followers): breathtaking sunsets on Seven Mile Beach, polychromatic vistas of underwater coral, exquisite meals at local restaurants … or interminable queues, boredom, fatigue and frustration? Cautioning that “growing pains” at Owen Roberts will continue to be a challenge through the end of the year, Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Moses Kirk- connell gives his assurance that the final result will be worth the wait. We certainly hope so. Like most observers, we’re taken with the beautiful design of the emerging complex. Our concern, however, is not aes- thetics but ultimate functionality. As today’s front page investigation into airport con- gestion suggests, there is little indication that Satur- day’s midday plane crunch will dissipate on its own, particularly not if Cayman’s economic, population and tourism sector numbers continue on the anticipated growth trajectory. A confluence of factors, nearly all of which are beyond Cayman’s control or influence, conspire to create the weekly three-hour air traffic jam at Owen Roberts. The short explanation is that the 11 a.m.-2 p.m. arrival window allows aircraft to load up with passengers at a “hub” airport (with many passen- gers beginning their journeys early in the morning at a smaller airport), unload and reload in Grand Cayman, and make it back to the hub airport in time for evening flights. For the past 50 years, local officials have been reluctant to turn down a request from an airline to begin flying to Cayman. The policy has been, “Come one, come all! Any time is fine!” However, the recurring situation on Saturdays may force officials to rethink that strategy. Cayman Islands Airports Authority CEO Albert Anderson said he expects that, in the future, the airport may have to ask airlines to reconfigure schedules so more flights fall outside those peak hours. But wait … What about the airport expansion? Doubts still linger in our minds about whether the airport expansion may prove to be not expansive enough. The first “yellow flag” raised was the decision not to include jetways in the project, with the justifica- tion that they would add $20 million to the $55 million project, and thus were too expensive. Readers may recall that in 2012, the Canadian Commercial Corporation proposed a much larger airport project, including an extended runway (also not part of the ongoing Owen Roberts expansion), carrying a price tag of US$200 million – about three times as much as the current project. In order to enable the expected growth of Grand Cayman’s population and economy, having a world- class airport suited to our country’s present and future needs is absolutely essential – whether it costs $55 million, $200 million or even more. Eliminating the Saturday gridlock at Owen Roberts FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Making government less larcenous WASHINGTON – After two years of stonewalling about its theft of Gerardo Serra- no’s 2014 Ford F-250 pickup truck, the government sud- denly returned it. It sparkled from having been washed and detailed, bumper to bumper, and it had four new tires and a new battery. The government probably hoped that, mollified by the truck’s sprucing-up, Serrano would let bygones be bygones and go back to Kentucky. This was another mistake by our mis- take-prone government. Assisted by litigators from the Institute for Justice (IJ), whose appearance on the West Texas horizon probably panicked the government into pretending to be law-abiding, Serrano wants to make the government less larcenous and more constitutional when it is enriching itself through civil forfeiture. On Sept. 21, 2015, Serrano drove up to the Eagle Pass, Texas, border crossing, in- tending to try to interest a Mexican cousin in expanding his solar panel installation business in the United States. To have mementos of his trip, he took some pictures of the border with his cellphone camera, which annoyed two U.S. Custom and Border Pro- tection (CBP) agents, who de- manded the password to his phone. Serrano, who is what an American ought to be re- garding his rights, prickly, refused to submit to such an unwarranted invasion of his privacy. One agent said he was “sick of hearing about your rights” and “you have no rights here.” So, they searched his truck – this was unusual for a vehicle leaving the country – and one agent ex- claimed, “We got him!” Having found five .380 caliber bullets in the truck’s center console – he has a con- cealed-carry permit but had no weapon with him – they handcuffed him and seized his truck under civil forfei- ture, saying it had been used to transport “munitions of war.” The next time someone warns about the potential for domestic abuse of supposed national security measures, do not dismiss him or her as a neurotic libertarian. Civil forfeiture is the power to seize property sus- pected of being produced by, or involved in, crime. In this “Through the Looking- Glass,” guilty-until-proven-in- nocent inversion, the proper- ty’s owners bear the burden of proving that they were not involved in such activity, which can be a costly and protracted process as per- sons must hire lawyers and do battle with a government wielding unlimited resources. Law enforcement agencies get to keep the profits from for- feited property, which gives them an incentive to do what too many of them do – abuse the process. But, then, the process – punishment before a crime is proven – is inher- ently abusive. The government seems mystified that Serrano will not leave bad enough alone, and drive away. It says he got his truck back after a mere 25 months, so “there is no longer any case or controversy.” Ser- rano says, let me count the ways I have been injured by “thugs with badges.” Before the government would deign to promise (falsely, it turned out) to give him due process – to allow him to request a ju- dicial hearing – it extorted from Serrano a bond of 10 percent of the truck’s value ($3,804.99). The government quickly cashed his check (not until the IJ cavalry rode in did he get his money back). The hearing never happened. During the two years Serrano was without the truck, he had to continue making $672.97 monthly payments on it, and he had to pay more than $700 to insure it, $1,004.61 to reg- ister it in Kentucky and thou- sands more for rental cars. Serrano is suing for res- titution, but also seeking a class-action judgment on be- half of others who have been similarly mistreated. Just at Eagle Pass, one of 73 crossing points on the U.S.-Mexico border, the CBP seizes, on av- erage, well more than 100 Americans’ vehicles a year. Serrano seeks to establish a right to prompt post-sei- zure judicial hearings. These would be improvements, but of a process that requires rad- ical revision, if not abolition. Robert Everett Johnson is one of the IJ lawyers whose interest in the case galvanized the CBP’s hith- erto dormant interest in Ser- rano’s rights. Johnson says: “Imagine being detained at an airport checkpoint because you innocently forgot to take a tube of toothpaste out of your luggage. But rather than asking you to throw it out or put it in a plastic bag, the TSA agents told you they were seizing all of your luggage, in- cluding the toothpaste tube.” That happened to Serrano at the hands of a government – the one north of the border – that felt free to say, “You have no rights here.” George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2018, Washington Post Writers Group GEORGE F. WILL Law enforcement agencies get to keep the profits from forfeited property, which gives them an incentive to do what too many of them do – abuse the process. 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”The islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2018 6 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS WE’VE MOVED! www.MattressExperts.ky and on Call 947·1708 SEE US AT OUR NEW LOCATION: MATTRESSES, ADJUSTABLE BEDS, BEDDING, PILLOWS AND MORE! SAME STORE HOURS: MON-SAT 9am-5pm Elg in Ave . S. Chu rch St. N . Ch ur ch St . H ar bo ur D r. Shedden Rd. M ain St. Sh edd en Rd . PICCADILLY CENTRE 28 ELGIN AVENUE Immigration Central Police Library Fort George Bayshore Mall Dr. Roys Dr. Mar y St. Fo rt St . Ed w ar d St. CCMI introduces new Ocean Awards The Central Caribbean Marine Institute is intro- ducing a series of awards as part of its 20th anniversary. The CCMI community will nominate a group of people for the Ocean Awards, which celebrate exceptional con- tributions to the group’s vi- sion of “vibrant oceans and healthy coral reefs.” The Ocean Awards, which will be presented in eight different categories, will be part of the annual Fes- tival of Seas fundraising gala in November. Dr. Carrie Manfrino, pres- ident and research director of CCMI, said in a press re- lease, “We want to focus on those individuals and com- panies that are making a dif- ference to our coral reefs and oceans. Our aim is to find solutions to declining coral reefs through research, con- servation and education, but we do not work alone.” Community members will be recognized in each of the following categories: Local Hero Award; Scien- tist of the Year; Innovator of the Year; Tourism Advo- cate of the Year; Rising Star; Ocean Conservation Com- pany of the Year; Community Ocean Lover; and Lifetime Achievement Award in Coral Reef Conservation. Nominations for the Ocean Awards will be ac- cepted at info@reefresearch. org from April 19 until July 8. Anyone can make a nom- ination for all of the cat- egories except the Life- time Achievement Award. Judging of nominations will take place this summer by a panel of judges, the or- ganizers said. Finalists for each cate- gory will be announced in September, and the winners will be revealed at the Fes- tival of Seas gala on Nov. 3 at Grand Old House. “We want to take this op- portunity to recognize in- spired leaders, bold innova- tors, creative thinkers and those who give generously and tirelessly of their time and talents,” said Ms. Man- frino. “This network of com- mitted individuals and or- ganizations push us to think bigger, reach further and strive for greater solutions in an effort to realize our vision of ‘a world with vi- brant oceans and healthy coral reefs.’” For more information about the Ocean Awards, the nomination process or to nominate someone, visit www.reefresearch.org/oceanawards2018. ‘GRESSY’ MEMORIAL FISHING TOURNAMENT HELD Family and friends of the late Gressmon Ebanks converged on Barkers Beach on Easter Monday for the third annual Gressy Fishing Tournament. The annual catch and release event is in memory of Mr. Ebanks, known as “Gressy,” a well-known West Bay fisherman. The tournament started with a prayer of blessing by Pastor Jason Knox of the Boatswain Bay Presby- terian Church. A clothes- line of Gressy photos were on display, though windy weather made it a chal- lenge to keep them in place, one of the organizers Ezi- ethamae Bodden said. Rudy Powery blew the whistle to mark the start of the tournament and the fishermen and fisherwomen cast their lines. Gwenda Wil- liams caught and released the first fish and she con- tinued to do this six times, Ms. Bodden said. Pastor Knox then caught and re- leased his first and only fish. The fishing was fol- lowed by refreshments and an Easter egg hunt for the children. Later that afternoon, Ms. Bodden presented win- ners Ms. Williams and Pastor Jason with their prizes, a Captain Marvin’s Watersports’ Stingray City Tour for two people. Other participants in- cluded Dawson Ebanks, In- grid Ebanks, Elvia Powery and Rudy Powery. A diver tends to a Central Caribbean Marine Institute coral reef nursery. The Ocean Awards are being introduced by CCMI to celebrate members of the community who contribute to healthy reefs and ocean ecosystems. Pastor Jason Knox with his first, and only, catch.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2018 Join the Excitement! REGISTRATION: April 12th • George Town Yacht Club • 5pm - 7pm TOURNAMENT: April 14th & 15th • 7am - 4pm WEIGH STATION: Barcadere Marina • 4pm - 6pm PRIZE GIVING: April 16th • George Town Yacht Club • 6pm - 8pm 1ST PRIZE: $5000 CASH PLUS A TUDOR WATCH 2nd $2000 CASH 3rd $1000 CASH Learn more or download a registration form at kirkslam.ky The only all-dolphin fishing tournament in the Cayman Islands returns with fun for the whole family. KIRK SLAM TOURNAMENT DATES Join the Excitement! Join the Excitement! Join the REGISTRATION: April 12th • George Town Yacht Club • 5pm - 7pm TOURNAMENT: April 14th & 15th • 7am - 4pm WEIGH STATION: Barcadere Marina • 4pm - 6pm 1ST PRIZE: $5000 CASH PLUS A TUDOR WATCH 2nd $2000 CASH 3rd $1000 CASH The only all-dolphin fishing tournament in the Cayman Islands returns with fun for the whole family. KIRK SLAM TOURNAMENT DATES APRIL 14 TH + 15 TH 2018The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Minnette Wallace Burey (Sunrise 26 September 1957 - Sunset 26 March 2018) We regret to announce the passing of Minnette Wallace Burey, affectionately known as "Ms. Milly", who died suddenly at her home in Prospect. A memorial and thanksgiving service will be at 3pm, Saturday April 14th, at Kings Sports Centre. In Loving Memory of, We have been asked to announce the passing of Ms. Amelia Rosa Wood of George Town, affectionately known as “Miss Amelia” who passed away on Tuesday March 27, 2018. Details of a Thanksgiving Service will be announced at a later. Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com Christian Steinlechner, known by his co-workers as “The Big Guy”, passed away on March 21, 2018, at the age of 50 years. Christian will be lovingly remembered by his wife of nearly 10 years, Petra, his mother Renate, sister Gundula, brother- in-law Heribert and nephew Matthaeus. He will also be fondly remembered by his island-family and friends, Geof, Charlotte, Wanda, Andi, Margit, Gingi, Markus, Richard, Zulu and many more. Christian was predeceased by his father Franz, his brother Franz and his friend Franz. As a native Austrian, Christian moved to Grand Cayman in 1993 to start work at the Lobster Pot Restaurant where he ended up loyally serving for almost 15 years. He then moved on to work for Tiki Beach and The White House. Christian was a caring husband, son and brother, a devoted animal lover, a mediocre poker player, a grumpy old waiter and the kindest soul. A Celebration of Christian’s life will be held at his home in Beach Bay. The exact date and time will be announced at a later date. Memorial donations in memory of Christian may be made to the Cayman Islands Humane Society, the Cayman Islands Cancer Society or Cayman HospiceCare. STEINLECHNER, Christian 5 percent in the last year ac- cording to Island Air, which handles all non-commercial aircraft, has contributed to the aerial traffic jams. Airports Authority CEO Albert Anderson has imple- mented a “five-minute lon- gitudinal separation” for aircraft approaching the Cayman Islands. He said that ensured a 40-mile distance between arriving aircraft that al- lows sufficient time to clear runway space before the next plane arrives. So far, that flow manage- ment system, in place at peak hours on weekends, has been sufficient to ensure no repeat of the chaos in early March. Mr. Anderson said his staff is looking into other tac- tics to better manage the situ- ation. But he accepts the time is coming where Cayman will have to restrict the number of planes arriving on a Sat- urday lunchtime. “We are close to capacity in the peak hour,” he said. Though airport and tourism officials expect the enhancements to the ter- minal to create a smoother flow of passengers that will increase efficiency on the air- side, few of the current up- grades directly address air- side infrastructure. Later developments, out- lined in a 20-year master plan for the islands airports, in- clude lengthening the runway and adding a new taxiway. ‘Rush hour’ Even with those improve- ments, the midday hour on Saturday is always likely to be “rush hour” in the skies around Cayman. Telling airlines to pick a different time is not as simple as it seems. There’s a good reason airlines target the 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. window, and it is not something that is likely to change. Most airlines operate a “hub-and-spoke” system, a simple but relatively inflex- ible timetabling arrangement that ensures when a plane takes off for the Cayman Is- lands in high season, it is full. Delta Air Lines uses At- lanta, Georgia, as its hub. A flight map of the routes into Atlanta shows a series of short-haul commuter flights from surrounding cities feeding into that hub like spokes in a wheel. Those flights are timed to arrive en-masse between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to fill planes lining up on the tarmac to take them to fur- ther flung destinations, in- cluding Cayman. The same thing happens on a similar time schedule across the eastern United States and Canada, meaning planes from Charlotte, New York, Dallas, Miami, Tampa and Toronto con- verge on Cayman during the same time period. It is a finely tuned system that maximizes the prof- itability of the routes, the number of passengers on the planes and the use of the air- craft itself. It is also designed around passenger conve- nience, allowing a tourist in Memphis, for example, to set a 6 a.m. alarm, make a 9 a.m. flight to Atlanta and be in the Cayman Islands by 2 p.m. on a Saturday – the most pop- ular day of the week for va- cation travel. The margins are small be- cause the financial impera- tive for the airline is to get the plane back to the hub and back in business for the evening schedule. The system largely works in Cayman’s favor, multi- plying access to the island beyond the gateway airport. “We only have direct ser- vice from so many airports. Hundreds of other cities are serviced within that. It is not out of the question to have 60 flights connecting into a hub. That’s how they ensure the plane is full,” Minister Kirkconnell said. That mutually beneficial arrangement is beginning to be impacted by the law of di- minishing returns. Tourism chiefs highlight that chaotic 53-flight Sat- urday as an aberration – a perfect storm caused by an unprecedented influx of pri- vate planes, the busiest spring break in Cayman’s history and the knock-on im- pact of delays caused by con- struction in the terminal. But they recognize there is now little room to maneuver in the Saturday timetable. “We have never had this problem before,” Mr. Kirkconnell said. “We have always been ex- tremely happy if an airline called up and said we have to add a flight. The airports authority is now working with the airlines to look at how they manage the slots and the time of arrivals, be- cause we are coming to a point where no matter how we change the time around, we are maxed.” Rising tourism numbers Minister Kirkconnell be- lieves attracting half-a-mil- lion incoming tourists an- nually, adding another 20 percent to the record set in 2017, is a realistic target that will not stretch the new ter- minal or the island beyond their carrying capacity. He said, “When the air- port is complete, you will see that it is well sized to handle a lot more than 500,000 pas- sengers a year.” Short of building a second runway, not considered prac- tical at the current site, addi- tional flights will largely have to come from outside the peak Saturday hours. One way to do that, ac- cording to the tourism min- ister, is for the Cayman Is- lands to be so successful in its marketing efforts that it no longer relies on the hub- and-spoke system. Cayman Airways already operates “point to point” from most destinations, meaning it is less dependent on timing its schedule to cater to com- muter planes. Mr. Kirkcon- nell believes some mar- kets, particularly New York, are popular enough that other airlines may be able to follow suit. Tourism officials are also looking to expand its hori- zons beyond the eastern sea- board of the U.S. Cayman Airways’s new generation of jets gives the airline capacity to fly direct from much further afield and the national airline could be used to open up new routes from the West Coast. Fabian Whorms, CEO of the national airline, told the Cayman Compass the new fleet means, “we will have the ability to conduct direct flights to almost anywhere in North America, all of Cen- tral America and much of South America.” The timing of those flights could create an opportunity for a new hub much later Dissecting the airport bottleneck CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Private jets and commercial planes are pictured through the fence at Owen Roberts International Airport. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2018 We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Ralston Desford Binns of George Town, aff ectionately known as “Desmond Binns” who passed away on Saturday March 24, 2018. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Sunday April 15, 2018 at 3:00pm at Red Bay Church of God Holiness, 38 Lord’s Way, off Selkirk Drive. Viewing will be from 2:00-2:45pm. Interment follows at Prospect Cemetery. Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Lenny Ray Pinet Trusty who passed away on Sunday March 25, 2018. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Sunday April 8, 2018 at 3:00pm at Red Bay Church of God Holiness, 38 Lord’s Way, off Selkirk Drive. Viewing will be from 2:00-2:45pm. Interment follows at Prospect Cemetery. Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com The family of the Late Armand Dilbert regrets to announce his passing on Tuesday, 27 March, 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A funeral service will be held 4:00 p.m. Saturday, 14 April 2018 at the East End Civic Centre, viewing will be from 3:00 p.m. prior to the service. Interment will follow in East End Cemetery. The family of the Late Jeffery Dyson regrets to announce his passing on Monday, 26 March, 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A Funeral Mass will take place at St. Ignatius Catholic Church 3:00 PM Saturday, 7 April, 2018. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to ALS Society of Canada at www.als.co or Cayman HospiceCare. Funeral attendees are asked to wear bright attire. The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Walter J. Palubiski regret to announce is passing on Wednesday, 21 March 2016. Mr. Palubiski will be repatriated to Canada. The family of the Late Vivion Burowise Ebanks better known as Ping-Ping, announce his passing on March 21st, 2018 in Honduras. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday April 21st at 3pm at the Church of God, West Bay, 108 Capt Reginald Drive. The family of the Late Jaime Levi Williams also known as “James” originally of Cuba, regrets to announce his passing on Monday, 2 April, 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A memorial service will be held 2:00 p.m. Sunday, 15 April at Bodden Funeral Service, 117 Walkers Rd. In lieu of flowers please make donations to Cayman Islands Seafarers association. The family of the Late Ruth Moncrieffe regrets to announce her passing on Friday, 30 March, 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A funeral service will be held 3:00 p.m. Saturday 14 April at the Church of God Chapel, Bodden Town, viewing will be from 2:00 p.m. prior to the service. Interment will follow in New Bodden Town Cemetery The family of the Late Ottley Earl Scott regrets to announce his passing on Friday, 23 March, 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A Service of Thanksgiving will be held 3:00p.m. Saturday, 7 April, 2018 at the Veterans and Seaman's Centre, Cayman Brac. In Lieu of Flowers, please make donations to theVeterans & Seaman Society of Cayman Brac & Little Cayman in the day, bringing more tourists to the Cayman Is- lands without adding to the congestion. Private planes None of that directly deals with the factor that authori- ties say was responsible for the spring break logjam – private planes. Marcus Cumber’s Island Air handles everything from air ambulance and corporate jets to incoming prop planes and military aircraft. He be- lieves Island Air’s current policy of restricting private aircraft arrivals and depar- tures to 10 per hour should be sufficient once other is- sues at the commercial air- port are resolved. “We are already control- ling the flow of general avia- tion aircraft,” he said. “We have been doing this for over three years. We actu- ally tell charter companies or handling companies to move an hour earlier or later de- pending how busy we are during the time requested.” Beyond this arrangement, according to the Cayman Is- lands Airports Authority’s Mr. Anderson, there is lim- ited scope to manage pri- vate aircraft. The sole scheduling re- quirement to land in Grand Cayman is that a flight plan is filed up to an hour be- fore take-off. Mr. Anderson has pre- viously indicated the CIAA could look to increase fees during peak times as an in- centive to private aircraft to operate outside of the bus- iest times. He said discus- sions were still ongoing over the best way to manage this situation. As a destination, Mr. Kirk- connell says the Cayman Is- lands wants to encourage wealthy private jet owners to visit and spend their money in the territory. Once the new terminal is complete, he believes the knock-on benefits will be enough to ensure the problem goes away and, even on the busiest days, there is no need to turn away business. Airport redevelopment In the longer term, infra- structure improvements, in- cluding new aircraft parking slots and eventually a new taxiway, are expected to en- able more efficient pro- cessing of planes as they move between the apron, where planes are parked, and the runway. Governing the redevel- opment of the airport’s in- frastructure is an outline business case and 20-year master plan produced by PwC along with technical consultants WSP Canada Inc. in 2014. The $55-million terminal overhaul is just one part of a recommended $120-mil- lion investment in all three Cayman Islands airports over the next two decades. That report, which in- dicated the developments should be funded out of Air- ports Authority revenues, ad- vised that some upgrades, like passenger-boarding bridges, were too expensive and should only be contem- plated if arrival numbers and revenues increase beyond expectations. It also ruled out extending the runway to accommodate long-haul flights without a concrete commitment from an airline, such as British Air- ways, to fly direct to Cayman. The report set out a time- table of priorities, with the heavily congested terminal building at the top. Mr. Anderson said the Airports Authority, which is working to a December 2018 deadline to complete the ter- minal renovations, has also kicked off upgrades airside, including an expansion to the apron and the addition of two new parking spots for large “Code C” jets. The master plan also in- cludes the addition of a par- allel taxiway, though no specific time line has been set for that. Mr. Kirkconnell said the 2014 report was produced at a time when govern- ment was recovering from a financial crisis with se- vere restrictions placed on public borrowing. “We worked out a budget on cash flow and looked at the most critical need at that time, which was to drive tourism forward and ensure visitors have a good expe- rience coming in and out. That’s what the initial invest- ment was meant to do. That’s what we could afford.” He said a brighter eco- nomic position coupled with higher-than-expected ar- rival figures had created an opportunity to speed up the time line on the airside improvements. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 Mexican politicians slam deployment of US guardsmen MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mex- ican senators and pres- idential candidates put aside differences to con- demn U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops to the border. The country’s Senate passed a resolution Wednesday calling for the suspension of coop- eration on illegal immi- gration and drug traf- ficking in retaliation for Trump’s move. Presidential candi- date Ricardo Anaya went further, saying Mexico should limit anti-ter- rorism cooperation until the National Guard is withdrawn. Anaya is the candidate of a left-right coalition in the coun- try’s July 1 presiden- tial election. Ruling-party candi- date Jose Antonio Meade said “independently of our political differences, it is time for all the presiden- tial candidates to unite in defense of the sovereignty and dignity of the nation … to reject and repudiate thus kind of measure.” Others took Trump’s decision with a grain of salt after the Mexican government said guard members “will not carry weapons or have immigra- tion or customs duties.” The newspaper El Heraldo said in a head- line Thursday “U.S. de- ploys National Guard … tin soldiers.” Meanwhile, presi- dential front-runner An- dres Manuel Lopez Ob- rador said Mexico should send a line of white-clad peace demonstrators to the border. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, this is still just political propaganda, there still isn’t anything to concern our country,” Lopez Obrador said. Dissecting the airport bottleneck AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS IN AND OUT OF GRAND CAYMAN IN THE LAST 5 YEARS 2017 ........................25,680 2016 .......................24,795 2015 .......................24,422 2014 .......................25,146 2013 .......................23,999 TOURISM ARRIVALS IN THE LAST 5 YEARS 2017 ......................418,403 2016 .....................385,451 2015 .....................385,378 2014 .....................382,816 2013 .....................345,380 TOURISM ARRIVALS IN THE LAST 5 YEARSNext >