Caymanian Catboat - George Town, Cayman Islands - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

The catboat is an iconic figure in Cayman’s maritime history and the half-sized replica was commissioned by the Government in 2007.

The project, which took five months to research and construct, was officially unveiled at the second National Heroes Day celebrations in January 2008.

Despite a full order book, Karoly Szücs and his team of Artisan Metal Works accepted the complex commission and gave their time.

“This is just the kind of creative commission we enjoy,” said Mr. Szücs. “We chose to make it in bronze because it’s extremely weather resistant and ages well, but it was a challenging project because the curvature of the catboat made it hard to bend the bronze tubing.

“That Artisan Metal Works won the second highest award in an international field makes the commission even more special,” he said.

The marker reads: "Caymanian Catboat 1904 - For the first half of the twentieth century, the catboat was integral to the economy of the Cayman Islands and the daily life of Caymanians. Designed primarily for catching turtle far out at sea and carrying them to schooners for shipment to market. It was also used for fishing close to shore, for transporting people and goods around the islands, and even as an ambulance. Most children learned their sailing skills in small catboats, and catboat races were a favorite recreational activity when people had time to spare. With the decline of turtling and the arrival in the islands of automobiles and outboard motors, the catboat gradually fell into disuse. In the 1990's the establishment of the Maritime Heritage Foundation and the Cayman Catboat Club led to a revival of interest in this unique craft, and today the Caymanian catboat is celebrated as a living icon of Caymanian culture."

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Type of publication: Newspaper When was the article reported?: 03/26/2010 Publication: Cayman Compass Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: national News Category: Arts/Culture

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