6th June 2024 – The National Trust for the Cayman Islands celebrated National Maritime Day, on 22 May, with the fundraiser “A Night at the Museum: Dive Into Cayman’s Maritime Heritage”. The event was held at the Cayman Collections Centre which is filled with incredible maritime heritage artefacts and historical items on display, a fitting venue for highlighting the importance of Cayman’s historic past. The Honourable Kaherine Ebanks-Wilks, the Minister of Sustainability & Climate Resiliency was in attendance, as well as members from the Catboat Club, National Museum and The Seafarers Association who showed their support and shared with guests their memories of our seafaring traditions. The National Trust are deeply grateful for the generosity of the attendees supporting the event and helping raise just over CI$30,000; these funds willvgo towards the conservation of natural and built heritage.

It was a spectacular night filled with great conversation, ample nostalgia, and celebration. Attendees enjoyed music by Caryn Caffarelli and a collection of stunning images provided by Courtney Platt. A special thank you to guest speakers Denniston Tibbetts sharing his memories of life at sea, and Sabrina Douglas discussing her journey and exploration of the Cayman Trench on the submersible Alvin. James Bebarfald was a fabulous emcee and auctioneer for the evening and engaged with the guests and encouraged them to show their support in the auctions and raffle. There was an impressive array of fantastic items totaling $20,000 in value including staycations, artwork, jewelry, restaurant gift certificates, watersport activities, and more! A heartfelt thank you to all of the local businesses, organizations, individuals, and artists who donated these items to our auction and raffle. The night would not have been possible without the amazing volunteers, and the National Trust cannot thank them enough for all their hard work and dedication.

The event was made possible through the generous event sponsorship of Cayman National Bank, Dart, Cayman Islands Shipping Registry, the Ministry of Sustainability & Climate Resiliency, Celebrations, Cayman Collections Centre, and Cayman Islands Museum.

This event was one of the National Trust’s biggest general fundraisers to date that are hosted each year and an evening to celebrate maritime heritage with the local community. The Cayman Islands has a rich maritime heritage, from discovery, to the Caymanian sailors serving on vessels around the globe, shipbuilding, ocean conservation , to our watersports pioneers and those making a living on (and under) the water today. The National Trust for the Cayman Islands has a 35 year plus legacy of fulfilling a mandate to preserve historical, natural and maritime heritage on all three islands. Many of the sites that are protected are linked to our Maritime Heritage including Fort George, East End Lighthouse House Park, Sylvia’s Reef (Cayman Brac) and Dr. Roy’s Ironshore, among other precious sites.

If anyone would like to make a donation to support the conservation of Cayman’s natural and built heritage please visit the National Trust’s website www.nationaltrust.org.ky or click this link to make a direct donation .