News

The Fair Weather Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving maritime heritage and culture in the Cayman Islands, has received some much needed wind in its sails, bolstering efforts to preserve a vital piece of Cayman’s maritime history thanks to a financial donation from Dart.

The foundation’s mission came to life after the S.V. Fair Weather, the last Caymanian-built sailing schooner, was found to be still afloat in 2021 on the other side of the Atlantic. In the years since, the organisation struck a deal to purchase the vessel that was built in 1947 and has been charting a course to get it restored and brought back home to teach young Caymanians about their seafaring heritage and give them practical skills and hands-on sailing experience.

These efforts were brought to Dart’s attention and the company decided to make a $30,000 Holiday Give donation towards the cause in line with its recent shift from corporate gifts to philanthropic giving during the holiday season.

“The work being done by the Fair Weather Foundation resonated with us here at Dart. We believe connecting with the past is essential to creating a positive future. This holiday season, we’re proud to support their project with this donation,” said Mark VanDevelde, Dart’s chief executive officer.

“This is quite an undertaking and there is a considerable amount of work to be done to get this historic vessel home and the support we’ve received from Dart is vital to keep the project alive,” said Paul Deegan, a director of the Fair Weather Foundation.

Although the 72-foot vessel was built in in Jamaica, the work was led by renowned Caymanian ship builder Arnold ‘Cappy’ Foster of Cayman Brac. At the time, National Bulk Carriers recruited Caymanian men to work on their ships, as Caymanians were regarded as some of the finest mariners around the world. The Fair Weather’ was launched in Jamaica and registered in George Town in 1950.

The S.V. Fair Weather is currently in Gloucester, UK undergoing a refit to make the trans-Atlantic journey to the Cayman Islands. Four young Caymanian apprentices recently spent six months training to be shipbuilders while working on the restoration project through a partnership between the Fair Weather Foundation and Inspire Cayman.

Deegan said the foundation is still in need of financial support to make their dreams a reality and is calling on those who can afford to support the project to do so.

“You can help to preserve our rich maritime history by sponsoring a plank and having your family’s name etched on a plank aboard the vessel,” he said, indicating that he hoped this approach to demonstrate support for a national treasure would appeal to families of the countless seafarers who helped established Cayman’s maritime legacy.  It costs $1,000 to be part of this historic initiative by sponsoring a plank.”

For further information about the Fair Weather Foundation and to learn how to support its fundraising efforts, visit: www.fairweather.ky.

Dart’s Holiday Give initiative started in 2018, when the company pivoted from distributing corporate gifts during the holiday season to supporting philanthropic causes, focusing on education, the environmental and youth. In 2020, every primary school in the Cayman Islands was gifted literacy, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), sports or other supplies. In 2021, financial donations were provided to Boys2Men and Jubilate! to support youth engagement. For the past two years, with inflation and food insecurity at an all-time high, The Cayman Food Bank was the designated beneficiary, receiving US$30,000 each year.