Little Cayman Condo Perfect for Vacation Home

This 3 bedroom-3.5 bath condo in the Sunset Point development is priced perfectly for a 2nd getaway vacation home at US $250,000. This condo development contains only 4 private units. It is located right on the beach on the far west point of the island to view those beautiful sunsets. It has been recently painted and offers hurricane shutters. For more information, please contact your Sister Islands real estate expert.

Our Own Sir Thomas Turtleton

In celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, Sir Thomas Turtleton, a 600 pound adult turtle was released into the wild. Sir Tom has been a resident of the Cayman Turtle Farm for over 30 years, coming to the farm when he was around 20 years old. He is estimated to be approximately 60 years old now. Sir Tom was captured in 1970 as an original member of the breeding stock of Mariculture Ltd., original name of the Cayman Turtle Farm. 

Tracking Sir Tom has been easy with the help of a satellite-tagging device. He is currently heading toward his original home of Suriname, South America. The data obtained from his tracking device will be used to ensure he as adapted to the wild and successfully survived after years of being pampered at the Turtle Farm. Track his course at www.seaturtle.org.

Free Solar Panels

As part of a new renewable energy programme, the government has designed an initiative to assist the elderly and indigent with increasingly high energy costs. A planned $15 million investment will install 1500 homes with solar panels. According to Joey Ebanks, the new managing director of Cayman's Electricity Regulatory Authority and chairman of a new committee to promote this new programme, Cayman “has been too, too slow” in getting onboard with reducing its dependence on fossil fuels. 


According to Mr. Ebanks, the first to receive the panels will be those who are currently being assisted by government to pay their power bills. Then will come those on a fixed pension income to install panels in their homes. If homes are not able to have panels installed, free standing panels can be utilized. 


In addition to reducing the carbon footprint, the initiative will assist in generating jobs and providing local companies with additional business opportunities.

Cayman Islands Dictionary Now Available

In the hopes of preserving Caymanian culture and heritage, The Cayman Islands Dictionary is now available in supermarkets and authorized retailers across the three islands. Particular interest lies in protecting Cayman's unique language and dialect. According to author Kevin Goring, the publication came about when he began collecting Caymanian words 12 years ago. The dictionary is part of a line of products he hopes will fuel cultural interest in promoting Cayman's culture, comprising over 1000 words used in the Cayman dialect. “I was in college at the time and simply became interested in learning more about my culture,’ he said. “I started researching words by interviewing my friends and family members, reading local books, and I even made several visits to the National Archive. After reviewing the massive collection of information that accumulated over several years, I decided that I should publish a dictionary. It’s just something that needed to be done, because the Cayman Islands are over 500 years old and we have never had our linguistic heritage documented for all to see.” He said that he hopes to expand Caymanology as a movement towards heightened cultural awareness and native pride.

Doppler Weather Radar Station in Cayman

With a CI $4.6 million European Commission grant, Cayman officials are hoping the new Doppler Weather Radar Station currently under construction in East End will be ready for the 2013 hurricane season. All information gathered, covering some 250 miles, will be available online in real time accessible to anyone. “At the moment the Cayman Islands uses satellite imagery, which requires interpretation of the data, but with the Doppler system Cayman will get accurate real-time information when storms or any other weather systems threaten or move through our area, so that residents can be better prepared,”said Fred Sambula, Director General of the Cayman Islands National Weather Service. This system is the final link that will connect radar stations in Belize, Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. 

Doppler weather radar is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type. Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the intensity of the precipitation. Both types of data can be analyzed to determine the structure of storms and their potential to cause severe weather.

 

Affordable Beachfront Cottage in Little Cayman

This is the perfect vacation home to get away from it all! Seaheart Cottage is a 1 bedroom/1 bath home located right on the beach. Sitting pretty on a .35 acre parcel, it has swimming and snorkeling right off the backyard, located just east of Mary's channel on the North shore of Little Cayman. The asking price is US $335,000.

For more information, contact your Little Cayman Real Estate expert.

Indigenous Iguanas Get Counted

A special subspecies of the Cuban rock iguana found only on the Brac and Little Cayman has been the subject of a census to determine their numbers. The Department of Environment is spearheading the count of this endangered species to preserve their habitat and educate the public to ensure their continued survival. The last count numbers 63 and rising with the help of researchers and many school aged children as volunteers. Fellow Brackers and members of the Brac National Trust are also coming out to help with this undertaking. The US International Reptile Conservation Foundation has also been in support of the program.


The rock iguana faces many of the same perils as its Blue cousin on Grand Cayman. Feral cats and dogs and speeding cars have taken their toll on their numbers. With the help of a hotline number, researchers take location information of the iguanas and capture them to record pertinent information such as length, weight and gender. A microchip is inserted which will record its entire life span and be regularly monitored. A small number is then painted with white-out on its side to be visible in case of future capture. Photos are taken and the animal is released back to its original location. Continued monitoring will also determine the mating and births of these recorded iguanas, which will also be added to the growing data collected.


If you spot a rock iguana, call the hotline number at 917-7744.