Near the dock at Coco Cay in the Bahamas, visitors are greeted with a gorgeous mermaid statue of Caylana of Coco Cay in a fountain. map
The bird in the mermaid statue's hand seems to have a very long tail. No one seems to know what kind of bird this is or what the long tail means - if anything.
The mermaid's name is Caylana, she is cast in bronze, is about 9' tall, and she has been here since 1992 or earlier, probably from about 1989 or so. It was created by internationally acclaimed bronze sculptor Kathy Spalding (1952-2014), commissioned by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.
Coco Cay is a tiny island in the Bahamas which is leased by Royal Caribbean for its exclusive use. It used to have small dock, so passengers arrived there on small boats from the Cruise liners. In recent years a pier for Cruise ships has been added. While on the island you can visit the beaches, restaurants and shops, and the aqua park which was put here in 2003 as a joint venture by Royal Caribbean and the Coca Cola company. Carrying forward the mermaid theme, the aqua park was called Caylana's Castle Cove, and features inflatable floating castles, water slides and more.
Other mermaid statues in the Caribbean include The Little Mermaid replica in Charlotte Amalie on St Thomas and Amphitrite, located 60' under water by Georgetown on Grand Cayman Island.
References:
● http://www.recmanagement.com/200309fp03.php
● The Mermaids of Earth coffee-table book: See page 110 in the book about this sculpture.
