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The wise old Caymanians say the last big one passed this way in 1932 so I knew it was going to happen again one day , it was just a matter of time. My beach house was so close to the sea I could sit on my deck ( that was connected to my living room) with a margarita in one hand and a fishing line in the other...and believe it or not....actually catch fish. I'd often pinch myself and thank the Tiki God's for giving me such a lovely Island and spot to live. I am a bit of a recluse, but the few guests I've had at my house would always comment on the breathtaking view of the sea and reef exploding white foam in the distance. I would proudly agree with my guests .... yet always remind them , "Sure it's a fantastic location..... until the big one comes" . On September 11th the big blow came... when I saw on the weather channel that IVAN has made a detour under Jamaica....I knew it was time to pack up. My wife and daughters scrambled about boxing up photo albums , documents and canned food. I fastened down the hurricane shutters , my boat and guitars....and then we hit the road and moved inland to a friends house in the Georgetown.
It wasn't till three days later that I made it back to Breakers ... It was impossible to drive past the Bodden Town police station , no road was visible , only coral rocks , mounds of sand , coconut trees ripped from the earth and snuffed-out cars squashed like beer cans. From Bodden Town I hiked... The sky was still a nasty gray and the sea was still boiling - destruction was everywhere. I knew what lay ahead... I knew my home was gone. Though I was mind set for the worst , the word "unbelievable" can not describe what IVAN did to my property and home... the steel reinforced concrete building was ground up as if someone put my house in a blender and pressed the " chop" button. Entire walls of my daughters bedroom were now in my pool... all that was left of my boat was an aluminum cleat hanging from the limb of a leafless, dead tree.... my fridge , furniture , computers , TV's , stereo and the only pair of shoes I owned where nowhere to be seen. With the exception of a few kitchen walls that held up a small second story room....all was gone. IVAN literally decapitated my house from its foundation. "Oh well such is life in the tropics..." At the sight of it all I said to my teary eyed wife "there's a song there". She didn't appreciate my humor, however about 5 weeks later I released the song IVAN and the Radio stations wouldn't stop spinning it. Over the Christmas holidays we quickly sold a thousand copies in a few weeks and recently the proceeds from this were handed over to the National Hurricane Relieve Fund. In spite of IVAN the terrible, Cayman has been good to me so I wanted to do my part to help. With great surprise in early December I received a call from PHIL McGuire , food and beverage director at The Reef, who told me that he was ready for us to start up performing again. I was flabbergasted at the repair and remodeling work that Mr. Lawrence, Phil and The Reef staff had accomplished . Myself and Chuck started back performing at Castro's on December 21st and continue to do so every Tuesday and Thursday nights. This will be my 4th season at The Reef Resort and we are prepared for quieter Barefoot Nights for a while , not the packed sold out evenings of the past..... however.... that's all temporary, I am convinced soon all will be back to normal... and even better. There are a few things that IVAN did not and could not take away... like all the necessities for great Cayman vacation.... sun , sand , sea and top-notch diving. So pack your toothbrush and two piece and head south.... If the wise old Caymanians are right ( and they usually are) we have at least another 75 years before another big blow ....... see you at Castro's.
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1 comment:
What a great read! So happy that Barefoot Man will be moving into his new home. We will be staying with you at the Reef 17-22 July, will he be playing that week?
Looking forward to enjoying the beautiful Cayman Island.
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