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GoToCayman.com - News from Cayman (ISSN: 1744-7690)

April 2007

The scientists at the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University have issued an update to their predictions for the 2007 Hurricane Season. They predict that the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season will be much more active than the average 1950-2000 season. They estimate that 2007 will have about 9 hurricanes (average is 5.9), 17 named storms (average is 9.6), 85 named storm days (average is 49.1), 40 hurricane days (average is 24.5), 5 intense (Category 3-4-5) hurricanes (average is 2.3) and 11 intense hurricane days (average is 5.0). The probability of U.S. major hurricane landfall is estimated to be about 140 percent of the long-period average. They expect Atlantic basin Net Tropical Cyclone (NTC) activity in 2007 to be about 185 percent of the long-term average. The full report is available at http://typhoon.atmos.colostate.edu/forecasts/2007/april2007/. Their next update will be issued at the end of May - just in time for the start of the Hurricane Season.

April sees the pomp and ceremony of the State Opening of the Legislative Assembly. As usual there were two keynote speeches - that of the His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Stuart Jack, CVO, and also the speech of The Leader of Government Business, the Hon. Kurt Tibbetts.

The Govenor said "We can look forward to the next financial year with considerable confidence", but warned that Cayman musn't become however, becoming complacent about the challenges ahead. The Governor focused on three major challenges likely to impact the Islands - globalisation, climate change, and developments in neighbouring countries. He also said "we need to understand the way globalisation works to plan for contingencies, to be flexible and ready to move quickly. " When talking about climate change, Mr. Jack urged, "We must now start addressing its implications for us" be it for disaster preparedness or planning and building regulations. Developments in neighbouring countries could provide challenges for Cayman, in areas such as criminal activity and migration, as well as opportunities for collaboration, he pointed out. His full speech is available online at http://www.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=1142,2072969&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

In his speech the Hon. Kurt Tibbetts launched a policy statement titled Making a Difference: Delivering Results. The Leader also highlighted the various plans and programmes that would be undertaken by the various departments under his Ministry of District Administration, Planning, Agriculture and Housing. He noted that the three principal factors affecting people's finances are interest rates on loans and mortgages, fuel costs and electricity rates. To obtain meaningful results in tackling these issues, the private sector stakeholders have to assist, he stressed. Government for its part was meeting these challenges head on and would be meeting with commercial banks to find ways to both lower interest rates especially of mortgages and offer fixed rate lending. On the issue of bulk fuel distributor prices, Mr Tibbetts commented that the arrangements "they enjoy now will not continue beyond that time [early 2011]" and that "armed with the knowledge of their mark-up methodology and profit margins" government would open negotiations with the two companies concerned. He also said negotiations with CUC have been "extremely difficult". They hope to have had a new contract fair to the consumer and the company in place by now had not materialised. Cabinet is expecting to receive soon a presentation from the negotiating team and the following week "we will invite CUC to explain their position to us". Following that, a position for the negotiating team to take to the table would be agreed upon. "If there is an impasse, then Government will have to do whatever it has to do and move on," Minister Tibbetts said. "Of this I am sure, there will be no more monopolies and if the negotiations are not successful, the Board of Directors of CUC will have to explain this to their shareholders," he added.

A team from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) visited the Cayman Islands, to meet government and private-sector officials about issues relating to the environment, disaster management, and human development. Key objectives were to further develop co-operation with Cayman; present the UN's Human Development Report 2007; and brief the government on political and strategic issues in the Caribbean sub-region. The group took time to conduct a public presentation on the Human Development Report 2007 – HDR 2007: Human Development and Climate Change – and sustainable development. UNDP Governance and Poverty Programme Officer Dianne McIntosh spoke on a variety of social issues and said that one area of particular relevance to the Islands, with its large foreign workforce, was the problem of getting local people to address issues such as crime, educational problems, sexual abuse and other issues that impact directly on the quality of life. She highlighted that these problems do not surface in Cayman because ex-pats in jobs are afraid to speak out for fear of losing their work permits. Fellow team member David C Smith, concentrated on the threats presented by global warming. Much of Caribbean tourism depends on the coral reefs, which are under direct threat from increased sea temperatures, which kill the reef structures and without the coral are likely to lose the fish. This could result in a substantial reduction in the tourist value of destinations such as Grand Cayman. Mr Smith also addressed the physical threat to property and facilities. Cayman has two of the 26 airport runways in the Caribbean less than 26 feet above sea level; Owen Roberts Airport on Grand Cayman, at eight feet above sea level and Gerrard Smith Airport on Cayman Brac, at seven feet. He was also concerned about buildings and roads close to the high water mark which interfered with the natural movement of sand thereby causing beach erosion. He also warned specifically that Cayman must protect its diving tourism market. "Diving tourists make a lot more money that cruise ships. These are what you want – not people who simply come in, buy a $20 t-shirt, then leave."

If you are flying with Cayman Airways from Miami, then their check-in counter is now on Concourse F next to the Air France check-in counter and near to SBarros Italian restaurant. Dave Gibson, Cayman Airways Miami Station Manager said "This new location will shorten the walking distance from counter to gate significantly. In fact, it will be one of the shortest walks at the Miami Airport for any airline!"

A dinner and auction held in the Houses of Parliament in the UK raised just under CI$50,000 for the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme in Cayman. The event organised by Ms Kate Kandiah of the Cayman Islands Government Office in the UK, was initiated by the Friends of Cayman's UK Chairman John Owen, CMG, MBE. The event was sponsored by Andrew Rosindell MP, a member of the Cayman Islands All-Party Parliamentary Group, and was co-hosted by Friends of Cayman and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. An informative presentation by Mr. Fred Burton, director of the recovery programme, outlined the important work that needs to be done in Cayman to protect the blue iguana. Ms Jennifer Dilbert, MBE, Cayman Islands Government representative in the UK said "The atmosphere on the night was fabulous and, along with raising funds, events like these also raise the profile and standing of the Cayman Islands in Westminster."

The Cayman Islands will host the annual DirecTV National Football League (NFL) Quarterback Challenge. The NFL has signed a three-year agreement with the Cayman Islands to host the event. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Charles Clifford said "The Cayman Islands is proud to become the first international destination to host this high-profile NFL skills event. Together, the NFL and Cayman make an excellent partnership for the owners, managers, players and fans to combine a vacation with their passion for football." The two hour special will be filmed in May and aired on ESPN at the start of August. In its 17th year, the Challenge tests the NFL's premier quarterbacks in four skills competitions: accuracy, speed and mobility, long distance throw and "No Huddle." Top NFL receivers also will participate in the "No Huddle" timed event in which the quarterback completes passes to receivers.

Volunteers from the Cayman Diving College and friends undertook a Clean-Up Day to help celebrate Earth Week, gathering an impressive 300 kilos of refuse from the Wreck of Cali.

Red Sail Sports Grand Cayman has agreed a partnership with the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman to be its preferred supplier of scuba diving and watersports services for its guests. There is even a Red Sail Sports representative at the hotel seven days a week to answer questions and make reservations. The dock at Morritt's Tortuga Club has been re-built and is now in service. To celebrate Red Sail Cayman's 20th anniversary they are giving away a six-day dive package for two worth $1,200. For more details see their website at http://www.redsailcayman.com/gc_contest.html