the catboat, although not always called that (workboat in grenada), can be found all over the caribbean … a small, single masted wooden sailing vessel usually reminiscent of life boats from ships of days of sail; but they, like most traditional craft, are dying out.
in the cayman islands there’s still a very strong tie to the history of the sea; it is a seafaring nation only 30 years separated from that tradition, where men with the title Captain before their name still exist if only in dwindling numbers and the catboat is an integral part of that history, the traditional fishing and turtling vessel; there is a catboat club and a re-growing interest in this craft.
against an orange sky my little catboat sails out with its crew of a dog and a fair wind at its mast …
arrrrh!