Cayman Islands

Another great passage to Grand Cayman which is about as opposite from Cuba as you can get except for the friendliness of the people even though they have three to five huge cruise ships arrive every day. The first impression is one of wealth and comfortable living. Must say, it was a joy to go into a supermarket with everything we are used to after the barren shelves in Cuban stores.

We were able to pick up a free mooring right opposite the town and go ashore to clear in which went well. Free moorings are everywhere to save anchoring on coral and we made use of them for most of our stay.

Town is crazy with tourists wandering the streets and duty-free stores, tee-shirt and stuff shops galore. We lasted a few days before heading to North Sound.

North Sound is very shallow and our chart was way out for the entrance into the lagoon, our track showing us crossing a reef!  Luckily we were able to follow "Miles" in yet again and never saw under 2.1m (our draft is 2m) the whole way to Mitchells Creek which could have been anywhere in Florida with it's canals and big houses. Close by was a huge cheap supermarket so we were able to stock up on essentials like coke for our evening rums.

On the east side of the lagoon we anchored at Starfish Point beside a park with showers and shade. It's a popular spot for locals and tourists alike. We did some walking and splashed out on a bowl of fries for $12 US!!!! Nothing cheap here! We also took Windora over to the reef with Steve and Helen onboard to see the stingrays along with a pile of tourists. Once again the difference between Cuba with its unpopulated beauty and here with its thousands of tourists was amazing.

We returned to Georgetown to clear out after a good week, did a last shop and headed off for Panama. Carol has been suffering from seasickness on every passage and this time she was ill right from the first hour. With a 4 day passage ahead of us, we turned back and she flew out, to rejoin us in Panama. We are now waiting for fair winds which gives us an extra few days to enjoy here. Meeting a local, Graham Morse, a fellow cruiser and writer, we will have a day with him tomorrow, touring the island and seeing his eco house. A bonus....