I nominate Captain Eddylee Martin for the "Excelled at Sea" category because he is the epitome of a Caymanian Seafarer. From the tender age of 13 he ventured off to sea to help his mother provide for their family since his father died when he was young. At the start of his seafaring career he started at the bottom of the totem pole as a mess boy, but with determination in his heart and a strong will to succeed he worked hard and learnt what he needed to learn. He worked hard and excelled at what he did. When he was 23 years old he became a Master Mariner and Captain, being one of the youngest Caymanians to reach this level. He is a valuable part of our Caymanian seafaring heritage and should be recognized for not only obtaining the highest level of his profession but for also being a pioneer who contributed greatly to the seafaring sector of our dear islands. His seafaring stories are endless and can be likened to that of the wildest tales of the most interesting storybooks. I can recall one story of a burning ship off the coast of Mexico on which he was Captain and he had to make an executive decision because he was unable to get into the engine room. He had to run the ship aground in order to prevent the entire crew from burning aboard. There are countless other stories of his days spent at sea that would make anyone realize the magnitude of his passion and love of the sea. Even in his retirement he got a job tendering ships which he loved waking up to go to. Even now he still utilizes his seafaring skills to bring in tankers and ships. Lets recognize this Master Mariner! I nominate Captain Eddylee Martin for the "Pioneer" category because he is the epitome of a Caymanian Seafarer who has contributed greatly to our islands. From the tender age of 13 he ventured off to sea to help his mother provide for their family since his father died when he was young. At the start of his seafaring career he started at the bottom of the totem pole as a mess boy, but with determination in his heart and a strong will to succeed he worked hard and learnt what he needed to learn. He worked hard and excelled at what he did. When he was 23 years old he became a Master Mariner and Captain, being one of the youngest Caymanians to reach this level. He is a valuable part of our Caymanian seafaring heritage and should be recognized for not only obtaining the highest level of his profession but for also being a pioneer who contributed greatly to the seafaring sector of our dear islands. His seafaring stories are endless and can be likened to that of the wildest tales of the most interesting storybooks. I can recall one story of a burning ship off the coast of Mexico on which he was Captain and he had to make an executive decision because he was unable to get into the engine room. He had to run the ship aground in order to prevent the entire crew from burning aboard. There are countless other stories of his days spent at sea that would make anyone realize the magnitude of his passion and love of the sea. Even in his retirement he got a job tendering ships which he loved waking up to go to. Even now he still utilizes his seafaring skills to bring in tankers and ships. Lets recognize this Master Mariner! I nominate Captain Eddylee Martin in the category of EXCELLED AT SEA. His career has spanned 57 years from 1963 to present, and he continues as a Mooring Master (Cayman Brac) for Bodden Shipping. There are a number of outstanding things about Capt. Martin's career, including: 1. He rose through the ranks from Mess Man to Master Mariner in a record 10 years. 2. At the time, he was the youngest Caymanian Master Mariner (Age 23) and he was also the youngest crew member on the ship of which he was Captain. 3. In November 1974, he was Captain of the M/V BREVEDENT sailing from Tuxpan, Mexico to Freeport, Texas when a fire broke out in the engine room of the ship. As the captain, he was the last to leave his ship and by the time he did, his rubber-soled shoes had melted and were stuck to the bridge of his vessel. 4. In 1976, his ship the MIK TRADER experienced engine failure on a voyage from Tampa FL to Cayman Brac. The vessel was drifting into Cuban waters and there was fear that the ship's owner (Capt. Junior Kirkconnell) being an American citizen might be taken by the Cubans. Capt. Martin was skilful in handling the ship and in getting in touch with the British Authorities to notify and negotiate with the Cubans. Due to a change in wind direction, he was able to keep the ship away from the Cuban coast until a sister ship came to rescue them and tow them back to Tampa. Captain Martin is a very respected and well known Master Mariner. He has assisted/encouraged many Caymanians in seafaring careers. He is very deserving of this recognition as one who has EXCELLED AT SEA. I nominate Captain Eddylee Martin for the "Excelled at Sea" category because he is the epitome of a Caymanian Seafarer. From the tender age of 13 he ventured off to sea to help his mother provide for their family since his father died when he was young. At the start of his seafaring career he started at the bottom of the totem pole as a mess boy, but with determination in his heart and a strong will to succeed he worked hard and learnt what he needed to learn. He worked hard and excelled at what he did. When he was 23 years old he became a Master Mariner and Captain, being one of the youngest Caymanians to reach this level. He is a valuable part of our Caymanian seafaring heritage and should be recognized for not only obtaining the highest level of his profession but for also being a pioneer who contributed greatly to the seafaring sector of our dear islands. His seafaring stories are endless and can be likened to that of the wildest tales of the most interesting storybooks. I can recall one story of a burning ship off the coast of Mexico on which he was Captain and he had to make an executive decision because he was unable to get into the engine room. He had to run the ship aground in order to prevent the entire crew from burning aboard. There are countless other stories of his days spent at sea that would make anyone realize the magnitude of his passion and love of the sea. Even in his retirement he got a job tendering ships which he loved waking up to go to. Even now he still utilizes his seafaring skills to bring in tankers and ships. Lets recognize this Master Mariner!

I nominate Captain Eddylee Martin for the "Excelled at Sea" category because he is the epitome of a Caymanian Seafarer. From the tender age of 13 he ventured off to sea to help his mother provide for their family since his father died when he was young. At the start of his seafaring career he started at the bottom of the totem pole as a mess boy, but with determination in his heart and a strong will to succeed he worked hard and learnt what he needed to learn. He worked hard and excelled at what he did. When he was 23 years old he became a Master Mariner and Captain, being one of the youngest Caymanians to reach this level. He is a valuable part of our Caymanian seafaring heritage and should be recognized for not only obtaining the highest level of his profession but for also being a pioneer who contributed greatly to the seafaring sector of our dear islands. His seafaring stories are endless and can be likened to that of the wildest tales of the most interesting storybooks. I can recall one story of a burning ship off the coast of Mexico on which he was Captain and he had to make an executive decision because he was unable to get into the engine room. He had to run the ship aground in order to prevent the entire crew from burning aboard. There are countless other stories of his days spent at sea that would make anyone realize the magnitude of his passion and love of the sea. Even in his retirement he got a job tendering ships which he loved waking up to go to. Even now he still utilizes his seafaring skills to bring in tankers and ships. Lets recognize this Master Mariner! I nominate Captain Eddylee Martin for the "Pioneer" category because he is the epitome of a Caymanian Seafarer who has contributed greatly to our islands. From the tender age of 13 he ventured off to sea to help his mother provide for their family since his father died when he was young. At the start of his seafaring career he started at the bottom of the totem pole as a mess boy, but with determination in his heart and a strong will to succeed he worked hard and learnt what he needed to learn. He worked hard and excelled at what he did. When he was 23 years old he became a Master Mariner and Captain, being one of the youngest Caymanians to reach this level. He is a valuable part of our Caymanian seafaring heritage and should be recognized for not only obtaining the highest level of his profession but for also being a pioneer who contributed greatly to the seafaring sector of our dear islands. His seafaring stories are endless and can be likened to that of the wildest tales of the most interesting storybooks. I can recall one story of a burning ship off the coast of Mexico on which he was Captain and he had to make an executive decision because he was unable to get into the engine room. He had to run the ship aground in order to prevent the entire crew from burning aboard. There are countless other stories of his days spent at sea that would make anyone realize the magnitude of his passion and love of the sea. Even in his retirement he got a job tendering ships which he loved waking up to go to. Even now he still utilizes his seafaring skills to bring in tankers and ships. Lets recognize this Master Mariner! I nominate Captain Eddylee Martin in the category of EXCELLED AT SEA. His career has spanned 57 years from 1963 to present, and he continues as a Mooring Master (Cayman Brac) for Bodden Shipping. There are a number of outstanding things about Capt. Martin's career, including: 1. He rose through the ranks from Mess Man to Master Mariner in a record 10 years. 2. At the time, he was the youngest Caymanian Master Mariner (Age 23) and he was also the youngest crew member on the ship of which he was Captain. 3. In November 1974, he was Captain of the M/V BREVEDENT sailing from Tuxpan, Mexico to Freeport, Texas when a fire broke out in the engine room of the ship. As the captain, he was the last to leave his ship and by the time he did, his rubber-soled shoes had melted and were stuck to the bridge of his vessel. 4. In 1976, his ship the MIK TRADER experienced engine failure on a voyage from Tampa FL to Cayman Brac. The vessel was drifting into Cuban waters and there was fear that the ship's owner (Capt. Junior Kirkconnell) being an American citizen might be taken by the Cubans. Capt. Martin was skilful in handling the ship and in getting in touch with the British Authorities to notify and negotiate with the Cubans. Due to a change in wind direction, he was able to keep the ship away from the Cuban coast until a sister ship came to rescue them and tow them back to Tampa. Captain Martin is a very respected and well known Master Mariner. He has assisted/encouraged many Caymanians in seafaring careers. He is very deserving of this recognition as one who has EXCELLED AT SEA. I nominate Captain Eddylee Martin for the "Excelled at Sea" category because he is the epitome of a Caymanian Seafarer. From the tender age of 13 he ventured off to sea to help his mother provide for their family since his father died when he was young. At the start of his seafaring career he started at the bottom of the totem pole as a mess boy, but with determination in his heart and a strong will to succeed he worked hard and learnt what he needed to learn. He worked hard and excelled at what he did. When he was 23 years old he became a Master Mariner and Captain, being one of the youngest Caymanians to reach this level. He is a valuable part of our Caymanian seafaring heritage and should be recognized for not only obtaining the highest level of his profession but for also being a pioneer who contributed greatly to the seafaring sector of our dear islands. His seafaring stories are endless and can be likened to that of the wildest tales of the most interesting storybooks. I can recall one story of a burning ship off the coast of Mexico on which he was Captain and he had to make an executive decision because he was unable to get into the engine room. He had to run the ship aground in order to prevent the entire crew from burning aboard. There are countless other stories of his days spent at sea that would make anyone realize the magnitude of his passion and love of the sea. Even in his retirement he got a job tendering ships which he loved waking up to go to. Even now he still utilizes his seafaring skills to bring in tankers and ships. Lets recognize this Master Mariner!