There are things in life that you can control, but the wind isn’t one of them.
Mike Minichiello of the Kite House, at the Ocean Frontiers Dive Resort, on Grand Cayman’s eastern shore, looked up into a cloudless blue sky and sighed. Not a breath of a breeze. He had students, harnesses, ropes, inflatable kites, expertise and the kind of winning personality that makes tourists want to sign up immediately for whatever he’s teaching – he just didn’t have the wind to get us off the beach.
A lesser man might have been defeated, but not Mike.
“You’re going to love paddle boarding,” he grinned.
Paddle boarding is a sport born of necessity. On calm days, enthusiasts grab their windsurfer style boards, sans sails, and their extra long paddles and head out. Whether you choose to lily-dip your way through the mangroves or head out to a sunken shipwreck not far off shore, this is a sport designed to provide instant gratification. If you can stand up and paddle at the same time, you’re an expert. Even if your balance is iffy and you prefer to sit or even kneel on the board, you’re still in business, as long as you can get that paddle in the water.
I could stand and was soon gliding over the calm blue waters with minimal effort. This was my kind of sport! As we neared the wreck, which sat atop a sandbar, occasional waves provided a bit of excitement. It wasn’t exactly the ‘catch a wave’ surfing of my Beach Boys-inspired childhood dreams, but it was fun.
I’d had no illusions that I’d be kite-boarding after a single day of lessons anyway. An exciting, challenging sport, kite-boarding involves every muscle group – most importantly, the ones in your brain. When your source of power is an arc-shaped kite blowing above you and pulling on the ropes of your harness, knowing how to manage the wind is key.
Managing the breezes isn’t only important for kite boarders on Grand Cayman. Just half an hour’s drive from the sandy shores where Mike teaches his kite and paddle-boarding classes lies the site of the island’s most innovative new development, Caymana Bay. A fascinating project designed to combine living, working and entertainment spaces in the most environmentally and people-friendly way, Caymana Bay features European-style courtyards carefully situated to make the most of the prevailing breezes.
The creators of Caymana Bay are making a welcoming place, where those who work in the elegant office spaces, live in the soon-to-be-constructed luxury vacation homes or come to dine in the upscale restaurants can enjoy as much outdoor time as possible.
It’s nearly always the case that when a development is built, the living spaces come first. New owners sometimes endure the growing pains of their new neighborhoods for years, while public spaces, schools, shopping and entertainment areas slowly develop.
Not so in Caymana Bay.
Before even one home has been built, Caymana Bay already boasts a well-developed town center, complete with shops, a multi-screen movie theatre, well-stocked book store that could rival any Borders or Chapters, and a chic coffee shop next door. Guests from the island’s popular Seven Mile Beach luxury hotels flock to Caymana Bay to buy a book, grab a cup of coffee and sit in the charming courtyards to savor the breezes. Soon, an ocean-front boardwalk of shops and restaurants will offer Grand Cayman’s residents and tourists even more ways to enjoy outdoor living.
Next to the fresh ocean breezes, it’s one of the most exciting things to blow into the Caribbean in years!
Want to book a trip to the Cayman Islands? Check out the tripatlas.com/new Trip Builder where you can request a quote local travel agents who are waiting to offer you custom prices on your trip.
Liz Fleming is an award-winning Canadian travel journalist who specializes in adventure, health and wellness and learning travel. For more from Liz, go to: Liz Fleming’s Travel Tales