Old West Bay was an important commercial centre on Grand Cayman. The sheltered bay had good holding ground for anchors and protected generations of Caymanian mariners and their vessels. Goods for the community were landed by catboat at the government wharf and could be purchased at the seven or eight stores located in the seaside town. Turtle were brought ashore to the south. The wharf, a gathering place for members of the community, was destroyed in the 1944 hurricane. E.L. Banks, a Caymanian schooner, wrecked at anchor in the bay while loaded with casks of lard; her dispersed remains rest in the offshore waters. To the north, near the present dock, is a place in the ironshore where rock was removed for road building. The resulting water-filled pen was used as a turtle crawl (see Historic Turtle Crawls). West Bay also is the start of Seven Mile Beach, one of the most famous and beautiful beaches in the world.