Beach chair rental ‘pops up’ at Boggy Sand
Beach chairs have appeared on Boggy Sand Beach (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
(CNS): West Bay residents have taken to social media demanding answers about the latest ‘pop-up’ beach chair and umbrella rental business that has appeared on Grand Cayman’s shoreline. A picture of the new commercial enterprise catering to cruise ship tourists, this one along Boggy Sand Beach, circulated yesterday but so far there are no answers as to who is involved. The beach rental equipment, which appears to be brand new, seems set to be the latest controversy over the growing question of where cruise visitors can go to enjoy the sea, as access to Grand Cayman’s famous Seven Mile Beach becomes evermore limited.
The bright yellow umbrellas and chairs are a very recent addition to the beach, located where Boggy Sand Road meets Mollie Hydes Way. They are adjacent to a property which has courted controversy since it was erected, as it was built very close the water’s edge. There is now no way for the public to pass freely along the full stretch of Boggy Sands Beach, where access has been in dispute for some time, since landowners have also blocked and gated all but one of the access points in the area.
CNS has contacted the chief officers and ministers in the commerce and tourism ministries as well as the constituency MLA, Tara Rivers, about the latest beach vendor in order to find out the details of the operation, when and how licences were granted and where this leaves beach access rights. We are awaiting a response.
But residents of the district are already crying foul online, questioning how this continues to happen and what can be done to balance the wider public right to access all beaches, the problems of where to put tourists and the commercial opportunities that people are seizing without always following the proper channels.
Category: Business, Local News, Tourism
Cayman Government needs to put in place a law where there is none of this commercial activity on public beaches..
Good point, Eden rock plastic toy look awful, never seen anyone on them iiiii wonder why?
Because they haven’t officially opened yet ?
When folks think of the Caymans…this is not what they picture
I do!
Why can’t I rent chairs below the water line in front of the Kimpton?
Queens Bottom. Needs cabinet approval.
First impressions of the Cayman Islands are often excellent. The streets are generally clean and safe. Officials welcome foreign investors and innovators. There is much talk of respect for women’s rights.
Yet there is another side to the Cayman miracle. The ‘village’ nature of small country
creates extensive personalization of politics. An excess ratio of politicians to voters. The capacity and the political will to act against wrong-doing is undermined when every official is related to or well-acquainted with everyone on the island. There is a generalized lack of governing capacity from limited human capital. Technical capabilities are weak as a small number of people mean a limited range of talent. New graduates can feel they ‘know it all’, wanting to be at the top without learning procedures and systems.
Policy development is difficult to achieve in the face of short-term concerns on close-knit communities; the direct connection of the leadership to the affected population; the lack of the confidentiality needed to take difficult or unpopular decisions; and the lack of data and skills to devise evidence-based policy.
Cronyism and persistent patronage are rampant. Cayman leaders seem to have eyes in every Caymanian home and enforce obedience through fear. Fear of retribution if one signs the Referendum petition, for example, is widespread.
Unchecked power, authoritarianism is self-serving and dangerous. Silencing alternative voices doesn’t banish discontent; it bottles it up, risking an explosion in the future.
Just let’s not forget the big money people that come in and take advantage of weak, thirsty politicians and locals. Jus sayin.
You mean Dart?
Beach chairs and umbrellas are expensive, so here are a couple of ideas for my fellow West Bayers who would like to also profit from their beach and water but don’t have any capital to put up.
1. Get a big rock and put your identifying marker on it. Go early and place your big rock in a public parking space and then charge $5 to move your rock and another $5 per hour to use the parking space where you keep your rock. The $5 per hour is to ensure the security of their vehicle, but you could also offer windshield cleaning and rim polishing while you are waiting there with nothing to do. The more rocks you own the more money you can make, but don’t be selfish if others want to own rocks and parking spaces you can form a co-op.
2. Someone might eventually convince the police to stop the rock parking, so next you take granny to the beach in her house dress and sit her on a torn up towel with a small cardboard sign that says she is willing to give up her spot for $25. The fresh air will do her good, and if you have a nice spry granny she should be able to cover up to 5 spots per day. There are probably a lot of older people in West Bay who would be happy to be taken to the beach every day, so this one could be a win-win for all.
Now you have to be willing to stand up to those “entry prenewers” who will say they had the idea first, so nobody else is allowed to sell chairs and umbrellas, and that your ugly granny is bad for their business.
$5 is a cheap rim polish. Paid more that in Cuba.
Wow some nasty comments here my goodness..I have been doing tours in that area for 30 years and I have never seen anyone even sun bathing at the spot.Looks nice having the tourist enjoy rather than hang out with the bums just down the road.As Caymanians we have much bigger problems facing us and for once it will not be Dart to blame.
Read post above at 10:47. All your concerns are answered here.
Whats wrong with chairs being professionally rented on the beaches? its more comfortable than sitting on your towel….the beach is public….take it back from these fools who pay millions for a box in a tower…..but CIG must properly license vendors and they must display licenses….nothing wrong with this at all…if you license people on any part of the beach, you must allow them to operate on all of it…none of it is private…the developers and CIREBA mercenaries have been praying we dont ever find out and stand up….its time….open the gates…take back the beach….most of these oceanfront properties are empty 10 months of the year anyhow…..save cayman…save the future…save yourselves
Get a forklift and confiscate it all.
MAL Barbara Connolly sure put a stop to it at Smith Bacadere very quickly. Congratulations to her, for doing her job.
If she was doing her job it wouldn’t have appeared in the first place.
If CNS would allow me to tell some of you like on Facebook, some of you would change you minds and the way you thinks about the Islands and other people except your political parties.
?
Yes but this is West Bay and the Honorable Bush & Captain Eugene said its ok.
“Honorable”. ???
Not really. The only reason it could be stopped at Smith’s Barcadere were the covenants put in place by the Websters who donated the land. It was not due to actions by Connolly or any of the current government. It is under their tenure that public beach has become such a hot mess, and the infestation spreads….
Here we go again. Take note people, this is how quiet and subtle the downward spiral begins. Third rate tourist destination here we come
So you are saying that because I pay to sit on a desk chair on a beach that I am a third rate tourist?
That is correct. Sit you ass on the sand and hush.
Yes, and gullible!
Yes. Stay home and sit in your chair.
Not really but you would look kind of nerdy on your desk chair…
Cayman is already a third rate destination, especially with the fanny pack brigade in town each day. Garbage piled Environmentally a catastrophe smelling like poo on West Bay Road each day. Ugh. No thanks.
Even entertainers “cancelling” due to scheduling conflicts for Kaaboo…
Kaabo: ecological nightmare 101.
When the deal was cut to allow vendors to stay at 7 mile public beach it started this S&%T! Now there is no turning back. Which MLA did this? Hopefully they work just as hard as they did to satisfy illegal beach vendors to get LEGAL beach vendors OFF of what’s left for the public. NO BEACH VENDORS ARE NEEDED IN CAYMAN!
Why can’t government designate areas that commercial activity can occur and others where it can’t??? So many people enjoy the beach and many travel the world to come here and enjoy…. why not have zones where certain activities can and cannot occur???!
It already has. In shops it can, on beaches it cannot. Really quite simple, according to the Law.
Because then you create a business district within a finite space in a public area, certain people unfairly profit from leasing their quadrant of public land without any ownership, lease payment, or redeeming social benefit. They have inelastic price control and a monopolistic intention which commercially favours the first one or two entrepreneurs with the right connections, rather than on any merit, or free market theory. No shortage of greedy piggies.
Public land and private land. Know the difference!
The question that no one seems to be asking is ‘Where are Caymanians supposed to go to enjoy their beach?’
Are we supposed to accept a declining quality of life?
Stand up for your rights! March as Caymanians used to do. Speak truth to power, before it is too late.
Great to see, stop the moaning and support those trying to earn an honest living
Well that’s just it: it’s dishonest to sell or lease public beach access. There is no permit for this activity, and it is already against the law.
The downward spiral quickly accelerated when the West Bay road was moved to accommodate a certain corporation. Now we are seeing further undesired acts like this one. Just wait until a certain person’s 50 floor building is approved.
This is very true.
nothing to do with the road…and you can be sure that dart does not want this near its properties…
That done approved. Thats why they floating it now. Like the Barcus Beach!
Don’t stand in the way of progress!
Do you mean self-destruction?
No. DO stand in the way of it.
DART continued to negatively influrnce Cayman.
DART and MAC sre destroying Cayman.
Might I refer you to this from 2011? https://www.caymancompass.com/2011/11/09/seven-mile-beach-a-disgrace/
Remind me again when West Bay Road moved..
Check out Balboa Beach chair rental. The sign states Private Beach. Are these guys mad.
It’s not the road, it’s the ghetto politicians we have in office. Everything happening on this island is a reflection of them. And for the most part this place is turning into a ghetto on their watch.
da beach is mine i can put up umbrellas anytime! tell dem that i Jack say the beach belongs to me because they sold it to me. Youur leaders have sold you out Cayman Face it!
Caymanians who don’t like it can now catch a flight to UK and live on the Dole and in a nice housing project! Yes mi dear dis wha it a cum too ya now Bwoy!
Once again, Young Caymanian entrepreneurs cannot catch a break! Everybody has to get a start somewhere! I like the fact that I never have to leave West Bay to get to a nice beach and the Subway is close by too!
West Bay lock up just around the corner too BoBo
Lol ?
Bull squash. The usual crab in a barrel approach. Take what doesn’t belong to you. Why always trying on something illicit, immoral, or which belongs to everyone collectively. Gotta get what’s mine everytime ?
Beach chairs immoral?? The horror!
Let me tell you, some of them seen a thing or two.
Next month it will be Governor’s Beach.
I am going to open my hot dogs stand in front of the government building, in fact, next to the front door. And if they would try to stop me, I would point them to the chairs and umbrellas on the public beach.
Simple, CIG to put signage at both ends of beach access to state the prescription law and more importantly what rights the pubic have especially, SMB. Its public, all of it, not just for access so why put stupid access signs up without stating the rights/laws.
Maybe then beach trading and hotels moving people on will stop.
Signs would disappear the very next day, besides, with selective law enforcement in this country, any signs woyld be just waste of time amd material.
In Cayman: benches, signs, and picnic tables = firewood.
Disgusting.
why???
Shouldn’t be too difficult to find the culprit
If you think this is bad wait until they build the dock!
Open the gates
Too late people, you let the CIG abandon Public Beach to the current day gong show, what do you expect?
Govt won’t do sh*t about Public Beach because its owned by DART who will have the area blocked off with security in the next year or so and those people will be told to go elsewhere, there’s a reason why they bought Calypso, Royal Palms, Tiki Beach and everywhere else that we don’t know about………..only piece of public beach left will be Sand Cay.
DART does not own public beach.
Where in the world did you get the idea that DART owns public beach?
Well, he made it what is is today, and he’ll made it how he want to tomorrow.
My guess is with the whole Barkers charade, we will soon hear of a deal where he gets public beach if he agrees to leave Barkers undeveloped as our ‘new’ public beach. Govt can and will make deals behind closed doors!!
Wow! Another nuisance. No class, no pride, no love and respect for our Beloved Isle Cayman.
Entrepreneurship out of control. There’s also the food guys serving up dishes at Ivory Kai/Starfish Beach to the visting boats and tourists, along with the floating water park just off shore there.
I am sure it is all regulated and approved…just seems turning any available public or semi-public piece of land into a circus is the current trend.
Hands are clean and my heart is pure, hush up unnah mouth you voted from this type of progress so eat unnah unity gov’t $#@! and hush nah! good “Gowernunce” Transparuncy and Caymanian marginalized and begging for their own rights How sad ???
This is how all pubic beaches and access will be taken away from the public for personal gains and friends . The politician just keep quiet and hope it go away . Better grow a pair if you want to go in the water to wash them .
So what, this is progress
Why would you think it’s right or good, just because you call it progress? Can you hear the words you say?
Cayman is one small pot with too many people eating out of it.
…and they want MORE! We need to do something. but what exactly can be done!?
Tell me I can’t cross the beach and see what happens, bet that’ll get the police on site quick
Yeah… They will arrest you in for trespassing!
I going up there to see if someone denys me access.
I do not know why I bother to comply with Cayman Islands laws. The whole country seems to be farcical in its haphazard and unequal application of rules. Is there even any proper enforcement of anything?
What do you even like about the place? Serious question.
Everything, except the corruption. It betrays the people of these Islands and our future.
Tends to go with the general territory we live in, Caribbean islands by-and-large. One of the great attractors to live here the last 35 years has been the somewhat absence of ‘Red Tape Complications’ on the civil side , relaxation of most society restrictions that plague the real world. Its a fine line in the Boggy sand between Nanny State & Chaos 345 , but sadly we tend to now be more on the Chaos beach chair , with an umbrella. Its got so bad at the Sand Bar now that I plainly refuse to take people out there for fear of being run down in our 30 foot boat by a nutcase driving a 60 foot boat with 100 people on it . What took the cake was last weekends fiasco of a Kite Boarder actually kiting through the middle of the sandbar to flirt with some girl on a floaty.
We are ALL part of the problem b
Someone in a position of power, behind the scenes, approves this.
Smith Barcadere 2.0?
Where will it stop?
This is no fly-by-night outfit either. Those umbrellas and chairs require capital. It would be interesting to know who owns this business…
What difference does it make who owns it? Does the Law not apply equally to everyone? Are we really that overtly corrupt?
Yes
Well done Capt. Obvious!
Who ya talking bout not my Captain Ebanks are you, oh I forgot which Ebanks? Hahahahahaha
2:49 ‘Does the Law not apply equally to everyone?’ Get real!
Where you been living the last 20-30 years? It’s one rule for ‘them’, their friends and families and another for everyone else.
So, you just described corruption. WTF are the police or governor doing? Good Governance? Bullshit!
Somebody needs to be named and shamed for their blatant disregard for the law.
A young west bayer and 100 % caymanian.
boggy sanders won’t like this.
but..yes..thanks again ppm for ruining the public beaches of cayman.
Please it all legal.
Please this is not Boggy sand to get to Boggy sand from here you have to take the main road that white man garage is in the water so know your facts. AN ITS ALL LEGAL.
CIG needs to open a trade school and give these higglers some useful skills!!
Including in their home country where applicable. Many of these characters are not even from here.
This is caymanian 100%
Immigration? WTF are you doing?
Wafts of ganja smoke would run them out.
Legalize it.
What about the ridiculous plastic inflatable “toys” floating off Eden Rock. This is about as tacky as it gets. If this is what rejuvenating George Town gets us, God help us.
Nothing my propeller can’t fix.
I wouldn’t bother. The first nor’wester will take care of it.
2.50pm Please go for a moonlight cruise and fix it!
I can’t believe that someone who has made a living from the environment has done this to the environment. Absolutely disgraceful!
Who is behind that orange joke of a water park and how did this government planning authority allow drilling in a marine park.
Why isn’t that lazy non existent environmental MLA the never seen Capt from West Bay who happily takes his massive salary making any comment.
Oh of course now we see why Moses wants the lowest end of the cruise ships here with a third rate plastic attraction carvinal will be the only one sending passengers there.
Third world holiday destination Cayman
LOL Da wha ya get.