Kirk Marine have opened a new store at the end of Eastern Avenue, George Town, just opposite Kirk’s Supermarket.

The old store used to be located at the Industrial park area, but the new location is set to catch the eye of anybody looking for just about anything to do with boats and sailing.

Rosalind Robinson recently took me for a tour of the store, which has been in operation since 1 October but which will have a “grand opening” event soon.

The store is divided into several sections and, since the new store opened, many of them have gotten bigger.

“Kirk Marine is now the largest marine store in the Cayman Islands,” Ms. Robinson said.

“We have expanded to carry a wider range of products over the following departments: Apparel, Boating Supplies, Parts & Service, Personal Watercraft, Fishing Supplies, Paddle Boards, Racing Gear and we are already well-known for the Boat and Boat Engine department.”

One of the newest additions to Kirk Marine can be found in the Apparel section. There are a great many kinds of cool, stylish clothes now that are just the ticket for relaxing on a boat or yacht. Ms. Robinson is proud of the new collection, and there are many brand-name lines that cannot be found anywhere else in Cayman.

“We now carry exclusive name brands for apparel. These include fishing shirts, t-shirts, swimwear for all ages, watches, and flip-flops, – and we have names like Salt Life, Pelagic, Platypus, B-Swim, iPanema, Cobian, Luminox and more.”

There is a big selection of name-brand paddle boards (which, in case you didn’t know, are the hottest trend right now). They can be seen in the new store on the right hand-side as you enter and are arranged all across one section of the wall, from top to bottom, looking like brightly-coloured modern works of art.

“We have the exclusive YOLO brand – a must see and a must have!” Ms. Robinson said. “Paddle boarding is quite popular and we want every enthusiast to come in to see our assortment,” she said.

Something that particularly caught my eye were the jet skis, arranged all along one window, right by a selection of powerful-looking outboard engines.

“The store is the authorised dealer for the BRP, Seadoo, and Evinrude brands – jet skis, boats and engines. Our Parts and Service department has expanded, and there is tremendous choice in the fishing and tackle and boating supplies departments.” Ms. Robinson said.

When asked why she felt the changes were needed, Ms. Robinson replied, “We needed to give our customers an enhanced shopping experience, more easily accessed and highly visible.  We also needed to give more choice and variety to the market place.  We have always wanted to grow the business in this way.  Our customers are very delighted with the new store, the new products and new location,” she commented.

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