Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
114
at most boat char ter outfits (and often r equire a substantial cash
deposit before a ne wcomer will be entr usted to take it out onto the
deep blue sea). However, there are numerous ways for less experienced
sailors to rent small boats.
Small (about 3.3m-long/11-ft.) sailing craft are the specialty at the
Cayman Islands Sailing Club,
Spinnaker Road, Red Bay, near the
hamlet of N orth Sound (
&
345/947-7913;
www.sailing.ky). On a
sunbaked, grav el-covered compound, isolated fr om the traffic and
congestion of West B ay, y ou'll find a two-stor y war ehouse crafted
from wood planks and corr ugated metal panels, a clubhouse with its
own trophy-filled bar, and an inv entory of about 70 small-scale sail-
boats, usually P icos, Lasers, or (least high-tech of all) simple sailing
dinghies, each suitable for one or two persons. M ost boats r ent for
2-hour periods, time enough to do some quality brisk sailing in
Grand Cayman's North Sound. Boat rentals are CI$30 to CI$40 per
hour. Rentals are available every day from 9am to 5pm and require at
least a rudimentary level of sailing experience. I f you don't feel com-
pletely proficient, you can sign up for a series of sailing lessons, each
lasting 8 hours, for a fee of ar ound CI$600.
SUBMARINE RIDES
Atlantis A dventures
(
&
866/546-7820
in the U.S., or 345/949-
7700 fr om the Cayman I slands or other par ts of the world; www .
atlantisadventures.net) is the better established of two outfits on
Grand Cayman, both of which promise to take you, safely and pano-
ramically, beneath the sur face of the wav es. The company pr ovides
underwater tours with vie ws of the r emarkable geology beneath the
sea ar ound G rand Cayman. Each trip depar ts fr om a clearly sign-
posted building set directly on the waterfront of George Town, imme-
diately south of the cruise ship piers.
The cheapest submarine experience, limited to r elatively shallow
waters, is offer ed within the
Seaworld E xplorer
semi-submarine.
Developed in Australia for viewing marine life from the surface of the
Great Barrier Reef, this is a steel-hulled water craft that only appears
unusual beneath the waterline (it looks like a r egular boat fr om
above). In the ship's lowest level, in cramped pr oximity to up to 45
other passengers, y ou'll be seated next to windo ws that angle do wn-
ward for panoramic vie ws of the deep . B ecause the ship nev er
descends beneath the surface of the sea, a ride is best suited for vie w-
ing sun-flooded r eefs, ship wrecks, and objects lying no mor e than
7.5m (25 ft.) beneath the sur face. Part of the attraction of this trip
derives from the scuba divers who dispense scraps of fish to all man-
ner of hungry marine life, including Bermuda chubs, sergeant majors,
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