Onthe Waterfront
When Co-operation Is Co-operative
By H.E. Ross
Land &Sea Co-Op Society staff. Standing (l-r): Denia Bush, Glynnis Hydeand Archie Whittaker. Siting (l-r): Marva Jackman and Julia Swanson.
The irony of the Caymanian tourism cycleis that it started as cruising vessel visitations to an isolatedculture and is now a cruiseship destination to a financial centre.In this era of flight, it is interesting to note that visitationby sea is still how most tourists first set foot on the CaymanIslands.
The natural tourism attractions of the CaymanIslands are sun, sand, sea and the warm interaction with the people.All three ingredients are manifest in the country's seafaringtradition of welcoming strangers and sharing the best of whatthere is to share. With a maritime cultural foundation of over300 years cruiseship tourists find these attractions still natural.The buildings might have grown but the blunt friendliness of theCaymanian still rings with a no nonsense echo of the sea.
And in tourism this balance of controlledcruiseship masses and quiet protected visits is being maintainedin a purely Caymanian way.
The Caymanian Land and Sea Co-operativeSociety Limited, known locally as the Land & Sea Co-op, wasfounded in January 2001 by a group of individualists to addressan expected overwhelming increase in cruiseship visitations. Watersportsoperators, taxi drivers, and tour guides came together to forman organisation with goals that would satisfy both the cruiseshippassengers and the hotel guests.
The idea was to retain the warm feel ofthe unique Caymanian way while efficiently dealing with an explodingnumber of first time arrivals. This cohesion of these independentthinkers was assisted by cruiseship guidelines with concerns aboutorganisation, scheduling, safety and insurance.
Back in late 1951, Captain Marvin Ebanksremembers going down to the Seaview Hotel from West Bay by autoto see if somebody might be there who would want to sail by Catboatover to Rum Point.
Today, we can see up to six skyscrapingcruiseships sitting on our Western horizon with tenders tryingto keep up with the demand to embark and disembark thousands ofpassengers. Today, on the waterfront, we also see buses and taxisin orderly lines and passengers rotated to bus or back to ship.We see North Sound trips, bone and deep sea fishing expeditions,snorkelling, diving and submarine excursions, as well as the landtours. A large number of the participants of these tourist attractionshave to adhere to the separate schedules of the cruiseships.
Located at A-4, 2nd Floor of the TrafalgarSquare Building, Co-op General Manager, Julia Ann Swanson, ClaraFaye Bush, and Archie Whittaker and a staff of four others overseethe administration and co-ordinate the operation of the Land &Sea Co-op. Julia, with a corporate management background, washesitant at first to take on the job but soon found that all heryears of experience was called upon to keep a flow going thathad been maintained by her predecessor, Kattina Anglin.
"Tina worked non-stop. All I've doneis enhance what already was here with the help of my very capablestaff," says Julia, a deeply religious person who feels thather conviction is what maintains her balance in the daily operationalwar of nerves. She also credits the members as her source of strength."They give us support, all 150 owners of the Co-op, and theyare always helping us, supporting us, going out of their waysto make things better."
"The Co-op was formed by men and womenwho had individually served the tourism industry for more thanfifty years in some cases. They have good common sense ideas asto what service means to the visitor. Our job is making sure theirexpectations are carried out by the end of each day," explainsArchie Whittaker, the Marketing and Promotional Manager who alsoassists in the operations,
George Bush, who runs both a tour taxi anda vessel, is confident that the Co-op is on the right road. "Everybodyhas their own way of doing things, so there are little problems,it seems to be working."
Clara Faye Bush, the Operations Manager,who has been in the hospitality business most of her adult lifesays this is the most satisfying job she has ever had in Cayman." We work hard, put in long hours and learn. And it works."
The month of September is earmarked fora Co-op membership drive. According to Archie, "Our goalis to go from district to district and inform the general publicof what we are all about and to invite them to become members.The Co-operative is for all Caymanians is the message that wehope to get across."
One question that always seems to pop uphere in the Cayman Islands is why can't Caymanians work together?The Land & Sea Co-op, all those interviewed agree, demonstratesthat if the reason makes sense then the most individualistic ofCaymanians (at this point 150 of them) will go out of their waysto work together. After all, working together is a traditionalCaymanian trait.
Send Feedback and Suggestions to
Cayman Maritime Heritage Foundation
PO Box 11023APO
www.caymanmaritimeheritage.org
Phone: 946-9452 Fax: 949-9653
herossea@hotmail.com
On the Waterfrontis sponsored by The Ritz-Carlon Grand Cayman: preserving Cayman'sHistory towards a bright future