MS Star Flyer Pays Rare Cruise Visit to Cayman Brac

The arrival of a spectacular four-mast sail boat in Cayman Brac on Friday could herald the start of a new era of cruise tourism for the island.

Without the amenities or the infrastructure to adequately handle full-size cruise ships, tourism chiefs on the Brac hope to tap into a niche market of smaller touring vessels like the MS Star Flyer.

The 16-sail ship and its 114 passengers were greeted at Scott’s dock on Friday by an entourage of tourism officials, taxi drivers and tour operators. A small craft market had been assembled on the dock and a sizable crowd of locals gathered to greet the passengers and take photographs of the picturesque ship.

At Barracuda’s Bar across the road, a sign on the window proclaimed “Welcome, passengers.”

Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell was there to shake hands with the first tourists as they stepped on shore.  

The sense of relief, and of opportunity, for the island was palpable.

Few present said they could recall the last time a cruise ship of any kind docked on the island and the prospect of a weekly visit would be a welcome boost to the island’s tourist-based economy.

Friday was the first of five scheduled visits for the island-hopping schooner, which has included both Grand Cayman and the Brac in its itinerary on a trial basis. If successful, the two islands will be part of the ship’s Caribbean region route for next season, meaning weekly calls from September through March.

Gerald Schoeber, the first officer of the ship, said his first impressions of the Brac were very good.

He said the company was interested in changing up its route for next season.

“This is just a trial to find out if it is a good cruise. So far everybody is happy,” Mr. Schoeber said.

“I am quite confident that Star Clippers will want to keep coming here,” he added.

Mr. Kirkconnell, who is also a legislator for the Sister Islands, said smaller ships like the Star Flyer and the MV Island Sky, which will dock at the Brac for a one-off stop on March 18, represented a real growth opportunity for the island.

“When we identified cruise tourism for Cayman Brac, we looked at getting a small upscale cruise vessel that would put the Brac on the itinerary. To see the vessel actually here and anchored, to see the people coming ashore, we are extremely pleased with where we are,” he said.

Source: caycompass.com