History of Cayman Brac
Christopher Columbus sighted Cayman Brac and its sister island, Little Cayman, on 10 May 1503 when his ship was blown off course during a trip between Hispaniola and Panama. He named them "Las Tortugas" because of the many turtles he spotted on the islands. The Cayman Islands were renamed by Sir Francis Drake, who came upon the islands during a voyage in 1586. He used the word "Caymanas", taken from the Carib name for crocodiles after seeing many of the large crocodilians. Many people believe he had only seen the rock iguanas that inhabit the island today.
During the heyday of piracy, pirates would use Cayman Brac as a haven and a place to replenish their supplies as there are a number of fresh water wells on the island and had many sources of food included in the local flora and fauna.
The first recorded settlers on the Brac were there from 1661-1671. Recorded history suggests that Spanish, and later British privateers, roamed the Cayman Islands until the late 1700s. Many stopped to replenish their food and fresh water supplies, and careen their vessels. Much like the settlers of Grand Cayman, Brackers made their living primarily from turtling and other local industries.
Geography of Cayman Brac
Cayman Brac is an island that is part of the Cayman Islands. It lies in the Caribbean Sea about 90 miles north-east of Grand Cayman, 5 miles east of Little Cayman and 120 miles west of Cuba. It is about 12 miles long, with an average width of 1.2 miles. Its terrain is the most prominent of the three Cayman Islands due to "The Bluff", a limestone outcrop that rises steadily along the length of the island up to 141 ft above sea level at the eastern end. The island is named after this prominent feature, as "brac" is a Gaelic name for a bluff.
It is very easy to navigate around Cayman Brac as there is one road along the top (north coast), one along the bottom (south coast), a road that runs along much of the spine and just a couple of connector roads that go across from North to South.
