Author: The Reads

It has been a strange few weeks.

Like the rest of the world we have been gripped by the relentless spread of Corvid-19.

We have watched in horror as the virus has gone from an epidemic to a pandemic.

We have watched countries all around the world go into lockdown.

We have watched with morbid fascination as lives have been placed on hold.

We have watched hospitals and health systems overwhelmed.

We have watched as it crept closer. Until finally it was here and now we are going through the now familiar rituals of a society infected.

The pattern here has been a carbon copy of other countries first, hand washing, then social distancing, school closures, shops emptied and finally lockdown and life is paused.

This is the new normal everywhere and here.

Cayman’s schools have been closed for a week and look set to be closed for another six. 16th March until 27 April.

Teachers have been tasked with working from home. We have had to find ways to provide some continuity of education for our students.

The technological solutions adopted in many countries simply will not work here. Homes just don’t have the same technological infrastructure.

In some schools the levels of poverty means that the communities do not have access to the internet. Distance teaching through Zoom or Teams is not a viable option.

For other families, with both parents working from home, older siblings preparing for CXCs, Caribbean GCSEs, the youngest simply do not get a look in. They do not get computer time.

So we have a mishmash of work packs being put together. These are supplemented by WhatsApp and Facebook conversations with class teachers.

WhatsApp Web has been a Godsend, enabling teachers to interact with students and parents in real time sharing files and videos.

We had our first staff meeting by Zoom on Friday. It went well, lots of laughter, shared ideas and everyone glad to see each other.

But you could sense the worry that is a universal constant, another new norm.

Fear is everywhere you can feel it, you can smell it and if it wasn’t for the social distancing you could touch it.

Rumours and disinformation are rife, no one trust the government and conspiracy theories are fanned by verifiable behaviours. Stories straight out of the tale of Guy Fawkes!

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Pubs, restaurants, churches salons, and shops are shut. Cruise ships are banned, the airport is closed. Everyone is working from home and social isolation is the order of the day.

It’s like living in a ghost town. The sea normally busy with floating cities is empty. The sky bridge to the world is silent, no planes arrive or depart. We are cut off from the world. Extreme self-isolation on and island wide scale.

In this new quiet birds sing and in the last two days we have seen an eruption of butterflies. Clouds of them everywhere with flights of swifts gorging on their bounty.

People sit and contemplate, books are read, music is played. We cook and bake turn our hands to new distractions.

Today James and I turned our hands to cutting each other’s hair. Well, the barber’s is shut.

Much talk among the church communities is openly of the ‘End Days’ and ‘Signs’.

Living in such a fervently religious community one fact of life is that the Bible is a living thing and provides a frame of reference for understanding daily and world events.

2020 has brought us environmental destruction, earthquakes, fire, the news of swarms of locusts in East Africa, famine and now a plague.

For religious minds it is more than reminiscent of Bible stories it is the embodiment of prophecy.

To those of a secular philosophy it is strange but here it’s part of life. Faith is lived, belief is reality.

It adds a level of complexity to the way people are responding to the events around them and at a time when so many believe we are living in ‘the time’ churches have had to close their doors.

One of the few things you can do, at the moment, is dive. The virus does not spread underwater or in highly salt saturated environments.

As you can imagine this weekend I have spent a lot of time underwater.

I have managed four dives in two days.

Perfect isolation and an antidote to the endless news cycle.

Oh and we had two earthquake both around 4.5mag.

The first on Sunday while we were underwater. We were at about 40 feet and the sea was crystal clear then for no apparent reason the sea suddenly went cloudy as the sand was stirred up it was quite spooky.

The second was Monday evening at 9:00pm.

Driving home late on Tuesday after a long day.

Windows down the smell of the sea and the fading heat of the day washing over me.

The tension of the day dissipating with the salt tang air as I get my the first glimpse of the Caribbean Sea glistening in the bright moonlight as I come around the corner.

The sea dark, the track of the moon turning it gold on black, fading to night at the horizon.

Then familiar route home lulling me, muscle memory and reflex taking over.

I drive on auto pilot, thoughts vague as the routine and ritual of the road take over.

I snap alert. Pause. Shudder.

My subconscious registering something out of the corner of my eye. Something new, changed, different.

What was that?

I look again. Trying to understand what had pulled me back from my revery.

At first my eyes slide over it without compression. Unable to take in what I am seeing.

Then I see it.

Sitting on the horizon. Lights. Not the garish glare of a cruise ship leaving George Town. Not one of the gaudy floating cities but something else.

An iridescent spectre. A fey thing.

A willow the wisp dancing on the moon bright black Sea. Spores and lights and wings?

The memory of the Mary Celest flashes unbidden through my imagination.

I pull over to better understand and find myself staring at a ghost ship. Masted and under full sail. A tall ship it’s rigging hung with lights. Moving with a stately grace straight out of history.

The elegance of the sight left me gaping.

This must have been a sight familiar to the early islanders. The way they saw their connection to the big world.

It was a momentary glimpse through the curtain of years to another age. An age when ships were connected with the wind and sea before the birth of the modem behemoths that heedlessly plough their way through the waves today.

Tuesday

7: 05. Driving to school I was struck by the sight of the sea. I had never seen the sea look so calm. It was like a mirror. Not even a ripple. The sunrise looked amazing, all pinks and there was a corona around the sun.

I mentioned it to one of my teachers. She looked at me and totally seriously said, ‘something is coming’.

She said last time she had seen the sea the way I described there had been a quake.

I thought no more of it and went about my day.

2:15. I stepped out of my office and suddenly felt dizzy, off balance, that feeling when a lift lurches downwards suddenly. ‘I shouldn’t have had that third coffee’ I thought thinking it was a caffeine rush.

Then I realised the whole building was moving. I could see the whole thing swaying. It was like it stretched away imperceptibly and then snapped back. It was strangest sensation like being in treacle.

Earthquake!

I grabbed the school PA system and called ‘duck, and cover’.

Staff were brilliant every child went under a table.

The quake lasted 1.5 to 2 minutes. The whole world roiling and liquid. The sense of vertigo and nausea all pervading.

Then as suddenly as it started, it stopped.

I signalled the evacuation of the building.

Staff and students cleared the building in about two minutes.

Once outside we checked everyone was accounted for.

All safe!

Then came the call from the government. A tsunami alert had just come into effect.

My school is built as a shelter and designed to ride out quakes and to offer protection against tsunami.

So, back into the building we filed and to the hall. Our strongest and safest room.

Staff led songs. A nervous hour passed as the wave passed us by. Parents arrived and joined us. But thank goodness due to the deep water that surrounds us we are well protected against waves. The trench absorbs the energy of incoming waves.

At 3:30 came the all clear and we began to send children home.

We have felt aftershocks all afternoon, six so far, the largest magnitude 6.5., 10 times less than the first quake which measured magnitude 7.7.

We are expecting more aftershocks through the night.

All around the island potholes opened up, wells and boreholes erupted like fountains, swimming pools sloshed their contents out, pictures fell from walls and in shops shelves collapsed.

So far there are no reports of anyone being hurt though my friend Paul has suffered the loss of his gin glasses.

This was the second largest earthquake in the Caribbean in the past 176 years, only the Dominican Republic 8.1 magnitude event on 4 August 1946 was bigger.

The last big earthquake in Cayman Islands was in 2004 when the Islands were hit by a once in 440 year magnitude 5.9 quake.

The last earthquake of 7.0+ in the Caribbean Basin, felt in the Cayman Islands, was on 12 January 2010, at 7.1 magnitude. The earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010, killing more than 200,000 people, was a magnitude 7.0 event.

So how come we came off so lightly?

Luck. Blind luck.

The epicentre of Tuesday’s quake was 70 miles from land and the fault occurs where two plates move laterally past each other, where two plates are sliding past each other rather than directly into each other causing an up thrust. The 2010 earthquake that impacted Haiti occurred inland rather than out at sea.

https://www.caymancompass.com/2020/01/28/7-7-magnitude-earthquake-strikes-cayman/

Wednesday

7:05. An uneventful night.

The water is off, or at least pressure is so low it might as well be.

School is closed.

So day off.

 

For years I have wanted to experience one of the world’s great rail journeys. I have had a desire to pack a light bag, climb on a train, sit back and watch the world go by. Lost in thought and looking at the vista.

Be it across Russia; through Europe to Asia Minor or East to West Across Canada the idea of sitting on a train watching the country, rivers, towns and cities role by. Looking out at the sea or at mountains and the endless miles is an idea that has fascinated me for years.

Travelling over Europe, America or Australia by plane is mesmerising but I have always wanted to see the detail, to get a real sense of the scale of the world in a way that clouds obscure.

Not for me a holiday on a stately ship or floating hotel. The idea of travelling on a cruise ship leaves me cold.

No for me it is the train that calls with its sense of getting lost and actually seeing a country or continent unfurl mile by endless mile.

This summer James turns 18 so he and I are going to take the plunge and do it.

Our plan at the minute is to fly to Houston or Atlanta. Hop on the train and travel overland to LA. A couple of days in LA and San Francisco before taking the coastal train and following the West Coast all the way to Seattle.

From Seattle taking the Northern Route to Chicago and then on to Washington before following the East Coast down to New Orleans and back to our starting point.

A circumnavigation of the USA by rail over 15 days.

There are some great forums to help with the planning, with useful tips like:

You need to board the “Sunset Limited” in Houston, Tx, which is scheduled to depart at 9:50 p.m. Instead of starting the rail pass in Houston, you pay $31 extra to ride the train to San Antonio. Your Rail Pass (which you purchased in Houston) does not go into effect until the next day (at San Antonio), giving you 22 extra hours to complete your trip.

So now we begin the planning in earnest working out the details and dates. But James is excited and really wants to see America. The first step is rail passes. An Amtrak 15-day pass coast around $450 (£350) a bargin and a great place to begin.

Six thirty Sunday evening bobbing in the sea off Seven Mile Beach. We stopped to watch the sun set.

As the sun sank towards the horizon the sea was mirror flat and a near perfect reflection of the colours of the sky.

At first the sky was a Caribbean blue but it darkened and the horizon turned pink. This had the effect of turning the sea into a molten blue and rose gold.

The sun in its last few moments shifted from yellow to orange to palest blue before flashing green. Not once but twice just before it dipped down into the sea.

It was at this point I realised the hundreds of people in the water and on the beach were silent. As the green flashes occurred they all erupted into cheers.

But the show wasn’t over.

The sun, from below the horizon, sent the most amazing beams. Like a technicolour Japanese flag. Streaks of pink, red, orange and every blue.

It was absolutely stunning.

Yes it is that time of year again when the pirates invade and take over the islands.

Pirates Week started with a bang on Friday evening with an amazing display of fireworks over Hogsty Bay. This was followed by a dance party and soca concert by the harbour that went on into the small hours.

On Saturday we headed in town to see the pirates arrival.

This year mermaids appeared in the Harbour to greet them! The Artistic Swimming Team performed a routine in the sea. They were brilliant. Poppy and her team mates put on a fabulous show.

Into the harbour came the pirate landing party. They managed to miss running down the mermaids.

The Redcoats rushed to repel them but once again they were overpowered and captured.

It’s like they were not even trying!

I am beginning to suspect that they may even be in cahoots with the pirates.

With the pirates in charge and the Honourable Martin Roper, Governor of the Cayman Islands, their prisoner the parade and party really began.

Some like Maddy’s parents scarpered off island to avoid the hardship. Poor Maddy was left behind so she sheltered with us for the weekend.

All sensible folk adopted to disguises themselves as pirates and joined in the frolics and merriment.

Arty became Aaarty.

Turns out the pirates were quite a nice lot really more interested in drink and dance than pillage. I mean we had to make a few sacrifices and there was a little hardship. For instance due to the privations of the invasion we had to settle for a simple breakfast of pancakes.

By Sunday afternoon the Governor and Redcoats managed to escape and Law and Order returned once again! However as the pirates were exiled they vowed to return…

To celebrate our liberation from the pirates the Turtle Sanctuary releases twenty Green Turtles into the wild. The work of the Sanctuary has helped bring green turtles back from the brink of extinction.

Well it’s been a busy few months on the SCUBA skills development front.

James qualified as an PADI Advanced Diver and then as a PADI Rescue Diver.

Not to be out done I completed my Advanced Diver Certification and have spent the last two days doing my in water training to become a Rescue Diver too.

Part of the requirements for the qualification saw Jim and I taking our Emergency Firsts Responder training. So now we are both first aid trained and have to carry a first aid kit with us as part of our dive kits and we can both tie slings.

This week Boy and I have had a few shore dives and a boat trip out to the Kittiwake.

One of our shore dives was unreal. We jumped of the dock at Sunset House into the sea and headed due west for The Wall.

We saw a tiny juvenile spotted drum fish. They are like magical ribbon dancers.

The little Spotted Drum Fish just mesmerising.

On route we passed the two biggest barracudas we have ever seen. Easily seven feet long. We swam out over the wall and looked down into the black of the Cayman Trench before turning back.

On the return leg we saw a huge Goliath Grouper, over five feet long tip to tail.

We were surprised by a green moray eel, and yes he was huge.

We couldn’t believe it. What a dive. We were giggling all the way back to the sea pool, as we entered the pool James spotted a free swimming octopus. No not huge but what a treat!

The ship is now tipped completely over on its side! Swimming through it is like a visit to an underwater funhouse. Crazy angles, floors where walls should be and slanted doors.

One outcome from all the diving we are doing is that both James and I can stay underwater quite comfortably for over an hour on one tank now.

James and I are just dotting a few t’s and crossing a few eyes so that by Christmas we will both be accredited as Master Scuba Divers.

For me, other than a few specialty courses to hone my skills, (Nitrox, Underwater Scooters, ) that will be the pinnacle of my dive qualifications but for James it is just the first step towards the career he is working towards in diving.

He is signed up to a dive boat and rib piloting course.

He has started the theory part of his Dive Master qualification.

He is volunteering for the Department of the Environment and doing coral conservation with Cayman Echo Divers. He also continues to intern with Go Pro Divers working as a deck hand and dive guide.

The day after his eighteenth birthday he will begin his apprenticeship to become a dive instructor. It’s really great to see how focused he is on his goal of getting into a dive career. So proud.

Post dive treat.

It was Scott’s 50th birthday last week and Steph’s 50th birthday this weekend so given our joint pledge to grow old disgracefully it has been two weekends of fun.

For Scott about 16 of us got together to play laser tag. Yep running around in a maze shooting each other. Husbands vs wives, with a few grudges sorted out! Very therapeutic. It was a giggle.

For Steph it was a jet ski safari. We picked up wave runners at the south end of North Sound and headed for Stingray City.

The trip out was something of a learning curve. Gaining confidence, getting a sense of balance, learning to jump waves and turn without falling off. But after 20 minutes we were all chasing Paul (an experienced motorbike rider) and whizzing about giggling.
Stingray City was stunning as ever, with more rays than I can remember on any other visit. The rays were very feisty bumping us and even knocking Ali over.
Back on the wave runners and off to Rum Point for a drink.
After a rest we headed into the mangrove for an explore but not before we all zoomed around like mad creatures for 30 minutes.

We emerged for the quiet of the mangroves for another spell of chasing about at high speed.
A brilliant day out.