News from Grand Cayman

A retired US naval ship will be sunk off Grand Cayman in a bid to boost the island’s dive industry.

The USS Kittiwake, a submarine rescue ship decommissioned in 1994, will be sunk off the northern end of Seven Mile Beach next year.

Nancy Easterbrook of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association said, ‘The Kittiwake has been a labour of love and really hard work for over five years, but it is coming to fruition now. It will be transferred to government before year end for cleaning and remediation, with an expected sinking date around June 2009. We all look forward to seeing water-based tourism in Grand Cayman stimulated by this new underwater attraction, suitable for both divers and snorkellers.’

The Cayman Island Government is to slash recruitment in a bid to minimise the effect of the global economic slowdown on the economy.

The government has asked its chief officers to refrain from hiring new staff and reduce their approved expenditure by 6 percent for the 2008/09 fiscal year. The move comes as a result of forecasts that government income for the year will be CI$15 million less than budgeted.

The directive applies to all public bodies and government-owned companies, but will not apply to essential personnel such as police and medical staff.

Grand Cayman’s annual food and drink festival will be held at Camana Bay on November 1 2008. The Taste of Cayman Food and Wine Festival will give residents and visitors the chance to enjoy the best of the island’s cuisine.

More than 30 restaurants will be showcasing their signature dishes, while a wine tasting area will offer wines from 24 vineyards.

Advance tickets priced at $40 are available from supermarkets around the island. Tickets on the gate are $50.

Caymania have opened a new 2,000 square foot store in Grand Cayman. The new duty free shop is located in central George Town, in the building formerly known as Bank of Butterfield House.

The family-run business opened its first store at Owen Roberts International Airport more than 50 years ago.

The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Grand Cayman was voted the number 1 resort in the Caribbean by readers of Conde Nast Traveler.

Over 30,000 readers of the influential travel magazine participated in the survey. The results were announced at a ceremony in New York last week.

Kurt Tibbetts, Leader of Government Business, stated last week that the Government of the Cayman Islands remains committed to term limits for foreign workers. Speaking in the Legislative Assembly he said ‘The Government, after the most careful consideration, has concluded that the choice for Cayman is stark: either we retain a system designed to reduce the number of people who are able to stay here indefinitely and become part of the permanent population with all the attendant rights and privileges that must go hand in hand with long term tenure, or we concede that in ten years or less, the control of the destiny of these beloved Islands will be vested in persons who were not born here. For this Government and we believe for the vast majority of Caymanians, the latter result is wholly undesirable and unacceptable.’

Government data indicates that since the introduction of the policy the ‘brain drain’ predicted by many has not materialised. In fact the number of qualified professionals such as accountants and lawyers has increased significantly.

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) have arrested a 46-year old man in connection with the theft of a million-dollar catamaran.

The Spirit of Calypso, owned by Red Sail Sports, disappeared from its mooring at the Westin Casuarina Resort sometime between 6 pm on Sunday and 8 am on Monday.

Staff from Red Sail Sports alerted police when they arrived for work and noticed the vessel missing. An aerial search located the boat 150 miles south west of Grand Cayman and the boat was intercepted by the RCIPS Marine Unit.

The Cayman Islands National Museum, severely damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, is to have a ‘soft’ opening in November. Restoration work has been going on since early 2007. The museum is expected to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2009.

Chief Immigration Officer Franz Manderson has reminded employers that work permit renewal applications must be submitted before current work permits expire. He stated that a growing number of renewal applications are being submitted late, contrary to the requirements of the Immigration Law (2007 Revision).

Under the legislation employees can carry on working after their current permit expires provided a renewal application has been made before its expiration. If an application is made after the expiration date, the employee must stop working until a new permit is issued.

The Cayman Islands performed well in Scuba Diving magazine’s recent reader awards. Little Cayman and Grand Cayman were voted the 3rd and 4th best Dive Destinations in the Caribbean. The top spot was taken by Bonaire.

The islands fared better in the Top Wall Diving category with Little Cayman taking top spot, with Grand Cayman in second place.