Cayman Islands, the Trip that Wasn't

This trip didn't go well, to put it mildly. Fall 2004 turned out to be a record year for hurricanes, and while there was always a risk with our group traveling during this time, it never proved more than an inconvenience... until now.

As the date approached, several of us were watching the pattern of the storm, Hurricane Ivan, some with interest bordering on compulsion. As the travel day arrived, it became increasingly obvious that we'd either need to arrive early, or late -- that based on the storm's track, arrival on the appropriate date wasn't going to work.

A few of our travelers took the more conservative route of flying in early. The rest had waited for their regular flights, which were, one-by-one, cancelled. We were in touch via conference call a couple of times, strategizing our backup plans, trading cell phone numbers -- trying to find ways to stay in touch as we were literally to be cast to the winds.

Saturday (the travel day) came and passed. Sunday was looking less likely. Sometime on Sunday afternoon, or perhaps Monday (Tom?) we got the news from the Aggressor staff: the trip would be cancelled; the boat would not be operating that week. She headed to an inland waterway to escape the brunt of the encroaching storm.

Meanwhile, we had been unable to reach the threesome in the Caymans. The storm had not "hit", but we speculate that concerned friends and relatives in the US had been overwhelming the telephone system in the islands. Finally, they reached us. About the same time as their call, we heard that the Aggressor had cancelled the trip. We'd try again a later time.

For the trio "on site", things went from bad, to worse, to dreadful. One was forced to leave his hotel but was able to join the others. As the storm approached, the hotel began boarding up its windows and making emergency preparation. However, the fury of this storm ultimately proved too much for this hotel -- our three members ended up in an island shelter with about 600 people.

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