Cayman National donates new catboat to Cayman Catboat Club

The Cayman Catboat Club has a new addition to its fleet thanks to a donation by Cayman National. The “Truman B” was christened at an official handover ceremony held at the Catboat Club on 20 June as part of Cayman National’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

Cayman National commissioned the building of a new catboat to commemorate the retirement of a founding shareholder and a former chairman, The Hon. Truman M. Bodden. The boat was built from scratch by Buxton Boats in Stonington, Maine, United States, using traditional methods and building materials based on detailed examination of local boats. Cayman National will also fund the boat’s maintenance in the early years.

Cayman National Corporation Ltd. (“CNC”) board director Clarence Flowers, himself the owner of two catboats said, “Catboats are emblematic of our identity as a seafaring nation, yet we have less than a dozen still in operation. Cayman National has a long history of celebrating our maritime heritage and we are proud to contribute to the Catboat Club’s outstanding work in keeping our past alive. The construction of this boat was made possible by dedicated efforts of Heber Arch, boat builder Peter Buxton, and former CNC CEO Stuart Dack.”

The “Truman B” will join the Catboat Club’s current fleet of 5 catboats and will be used for racing and catboat rides, giving today’s generation the opportunity to experience a mode of transport that was once a way of life in days gone by. Beyond fishing and turtling, the catboat was in frequent use as a ‘pick-up truck’ in the days before roads were paved.

As outboard engines and cars became more popular, most catboats went unused with their wooden frames left to rot. The Cayman Catboat Club was set up in 1998 to preserve the art of building and sailing Cayman’s iconic boats.

“There are very few of the older generation left with the skills to build a catboat in the old way,” said Jerris Miller, president of the Cayman Catboat Club. “Our aim is to inspire and educate the next generation to make sure catboats are not lost to the past. We are delighted to have another operating catboat and would like to thank Cayman National for making such a valuable donation to the Club. This marks a milestone in the evolution of Cayman Catboat Clubs’ desire to create a fleet of one-design catboats, made to a specific plan of an existing Cayman Catboat, and replicable by anyone familiar with the old time Caymanian boatbuilding techniques. The “Truman B” is an exact replica of 68-year-old “Captain D” and begins a one-design fleet that will allow us to invite international sailors from other countries with Caymanian dysphoria in North, Central and South America, where over 100 years ago, Caymanians took the catboat building tradition, which is still alive today.”

Cayman National has a long record of celebrating the cultural importance of Cayman’s seafaring history. Most recently, Cayman National was lead sponsor at the National Trust’s fundraising event for National Maritime Day which was held on 22 May at the Cayman Collections Centre where many maritime heritage artefacts are on display. Cayman National is also sponsoring the Fair Weather, the last Caymanian-built schooner still afloat that has been restored in England and is due to arrive back in its home port next month.

“Over the past 50 years since Cayman National Bank was founded, Cayman has changed immeasurably,” said Flowers. “While we must adapt and modernize to stay up to date, as a company or a country, it is also important we recognize and celebrate our roots and where we have come from.”