Kem Jackson The Quincentennial Seafarer
Catboat mariner, Kem Jackson
It's been a busy few weeks for Kem Jackson. He has toured with the King Carl Gustav of Sweden in a catboat, he was recognized and awarded a lifetime achievement for maritime heritage preservation and won the prestigious traditional category in the seafarers regatta.
Kem has played a leading role in bringing
the catboat back from the brink of extinction. A few years ago
there were perhaps three working boats, the remainder were often
literally rotting under sea grape trees or in people's yards and
garages.
Now, there are ten boats that are rigged and ready to sail. It
is a terrific achievement and though not all the credit can go
to Mr. Jackson, he has attended almost every meeting of the club,
taken hundreds of young Caymanians out for a sail and he shows
up with his boat at many functions.
He is a critical member of the catboat club and his determination encourages the other members to keep the Caymanian sailing craft from heading the way of the native crocodile.
On May 10th, four catboats entered the regatta. Kem Jackson got caught up in a small waterspout but was still able to steer the partially swamped "Captain D" across the finish line in first place. Second place went to the "Heritage" captained by Jerris Miller. Third position went to Tim Austin, a significant achievement considering the "Skinny Lilly" and fourth to Richard Parchment in the "Brac Cat".
Kem Jackson is the backbone of the club that is trying to preserve and actively encourage the use of the old local watercraft.