As one of the finest sailing and boating destinations globally, the Cayman Islands feature premiere service marinas dedicated to assisting boaters with docking facilities, buying parts and carrying out repairs and general maintenance.
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Read on for the procedure of arriving to Cayman via boat (who to notify and what requirements you will need to provide), as well as information on the Island's marinas and marine fuelling stations.
Arriving by Boat
Those intending to visit Grand Cayman via boat can, with advance notice, notify The Barcadere Marina and they can arrange all customs requirements prior to your arrival. Their phone number is (345) 949 3743 or visit their website on www.barcadere.com.
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and, as such, is a highly regulated jurisdiction with entry to the Islands controlled exclusively by CI Customs and Border Control (CBC).The official port of entry for Grand Cayman is the main port on the west coast of George Town. Without exception, once arriving within 12 miles of the Islands, all vessels wishing to clear into Cayman waters must notify CI Port Security via VHF 16 for instructions on how to proceed. Port Security are available around the clock though CBC are open Monday-Friday, 8.30am-4pm, and Saturdays, 8.30am-12.30pm. An extra fee is applied when you enter outside of these times.
It is entirely up to Port Security to direct you to your clearing-in point as determined by CBC, and failure to notify the authorities of your arrival in Cayman waters or to comply with Port Security instructions can result in fines and penalties for the vessel.
You must have a passport valid beyond the date of stay to enter. However, with advance notice, and timely receipt of relevant documentation, it is also possible to request CBC clearance for visiting vessels at the Barcadere Marina in George Town.
Marinas
There are four marinas in Grand Cayman, though the Cayman Islands Yacht Club and the Barcadere Marina are more traditional long-term marinas for visiting boats, long-term residents who live on boats or a home for charter boats.
Kaibo Marina is great for a day or weekend trip away, and Harbour House Marina is a full-service maintenance marina (as is the Barcadere Marina) which has very few, if any, long-term dock spaces left available.
All four marinas are listed here:
Marine Fuelling Stations
On the North Sound there are three marine fuelling stations – Scotts Landing at the Barcadere Marina, the Cayman Islands Yacht Club and Marina on Governor’s Creek and Harbour House Marina on the West side of the North Sound. All three locations sell gasoline and diesel.
No ethanol gasoline is sold at marinas in Cayman and the only land-based location is at Refuel in the Industrial Park. Tel: (345) 745 3835). Address: 126 Maclendon Drive, Industrial Park, George Town.
Please note that Cayman Islands Law states that all fuel stations must display their fuel prices (within sight of the fuel dispensers) in CI dollars and imperial gallons. However, most marine and mobile fuel providers dispense fuel in US gallons, which is almost exactly 20% less per volume than imperial gallons. Make sure that you are being charged appropriately.
The diesel now being sold in Cayman is ultra-low sulphur diesel. However, it is worth checking which marine fuel stations add a lubricity booster to their fuel to help prevent deposits accumulating in fuel injector pumps.
Scotts Landing, located at the Barcadere Marina, is the Island’s exclusive dealer for ValvTect Marine fuel, which is specially formulated to ensure the best performance from your boat or watercraft but is also ideal for use in generators and will improve the performance of vehicles and other equipment. They are open 7am-7pm, seven days a week, and feature dockside and landside fuel dispensers for your convenience. They guarantee to provide only ultra-low sulphur diesel and premium 93 octane gasoline. The Valvtect additive causes fuel to burn more cleanly, reducing harmful exhaust emissions while cleaning your motor’s fuel system and combustion chambers and it is proven to increase performance and fuel economy by up to 7% in independent testing. It also increases the stability of the fuel and contains extra water dispersants and corrosion guard technology. The diesel additive boosts cetane level and lubricity, making it more suitable for EU diesel engines using the lower cetane US spec diesel available on-Island. Scotts Landing also offers a full-service dockside sewage tank pump-out service for boats.
Here are the phone numbers of the Marine Fuelling Stations:
Barcadere Marina: +1 (345) 949 3743
Cayman Islands Yacht Club: +1 (345) 747 2492
Harbour House Marina: +1 (345) 947 1307