How I got to Jamaica

It was May, 1968. I had just graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point NY.

The placement officer had several choices but Jamaica kind’a caught my attention.........


Next thing I know I’m on a prepaid flight to Kingston.......

and then......

I'm checked into a very nice hotel hotel and have several meetings with men who were upper management at Wray and Nephew as well as Grace Kennedy. One of whom just recently passed away.

Fast forward a month or so........ I have a flat in Beverley Hills (Kingston) and I'm first mate on a 7,000 GT island freighter with the assurance that I would soon have of my own ship. Shipping dry goods all around the Caribbean.

Cap

Keep the story going please?

So by November I'm ready to get my ship. She was an old tramper that was one of three we used. I really didn't think she was seaworthy but I soon adapted to situation.Before taking her I got to choose my crew. By now I understand patois (The crew was not going to suddenly stop speaking it and use the Queen's english for me. I was undergoing a considerable amount of scrutiny) but that's another story

Anyway, we had a fortnight (2 weeks) off while she was being prepared for cargo. One of the crew said "Hey boss you want to see the West end of the Island? Sure I did, so we took my company Volkswagen and headed off toward the West.

Cap

Are you going to write a book about your life because it sounds amazing.

He is writing a book and now you're in it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SLP

Are you going to write a book about your life because it sounds amazing.

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"Hey boss we got to leave at 0500 if we want to get to Negril before dark" Say what? How big is this Island and what's Negril?

"Nice beach place. We're going to stay with my uncle near the beach" Oh OK.

So we start driving out of Kingston and suddenly Jamaica is totally different. I've been living in Beverly Hills for four months and never left the city when I was on land. I went to diner with what I thought were regular Jamaicans not knowing they were rich people. Servants serving diner, meeting Ministers (What's a Minister?) I had a "helper" who cleaned my place, did my laundry etc.

We drive through what I now know is Spanish Town and I suddenly realize "there people are poor! Culture shock sets in pretty quick

Nicky says we're going to stop in Porus for some great fruit. OK. (What the heck is a Porus?) On the we pass someplace called May Pen. Why pen? "They used to keep the slaves there so it called a pen. Lot's of pens in Jamaica boss"

More culture shock

Loving it!! Thanks!!

Well, Porus (pronounced "poor-us" LOL) turns out to be a small town with a million fruit vendors along the road. We stock up and keep rolling.

Nicky says next we're going to the mile high city of Jamaica (like Denver?). Not sure what that is but as we get there I realize we've been climbing and it's really getting cooler.

Mandeville turns out to be a really nice town with what seemed to be a more middle class. Certainly coolest temp I felt outside on the Island. We stop for lunch but have to move on (how big is this Island?...I know it's 144 miles but it seems like we've driving forever)

After lunch Nicky says he has to drive because the road gets "dangerous" because of something called Spur Tree Hill

I wonder what that is?

Great timely post Cap for those of us stuck indoors not only because of Covid but also cold temps. Was snowing here this morning! ):

So off we go from Mandeville. We're driving along and Nicky say "we a come to Spur Tree Hill".

OK we start down a fairly steep hill and I'm thinking what's the big deal. I'm sitting on the left side since he's driving and all I see is a tree line,

We break out into the clear and I'm looking down from 2,200 feet to the land below. Freak out. This is not today's roads, this is a two lane potholed, no guardrail road going down one steep hill after the other connected by tight switch backs so we can traverse the "cliff"

At each section there are signs that say "check your breaks" with run off areas at the switch backs. That immediately boosts my confidence immensely (BTW...going up the hill behind a big truck at 10mph for what seems to be an eternity is the other option)

We finally get to the bottom and pass into what I now know is St. Elizabeth parish.....Nicky says "you in the wild west now mahn"

Cap

So we're driving past places like "hey boss over there is Frome" and a little later it's Sav-la-Mar" whatever that means!

It's getting dark and I start asking like a pickny "are we there yet?"

Nicky say "we soon there mahn"

Cap

So now it’s totally dark and the VW lights (6 volt) are not the best. At that time there was little to no electric
service in the West of Jamaica,

We’re going down the road and then we turn off onto what to me looks like a donkey trail. “hey Nicky, where the hell are we?“

Nicky - “ Everything irie. We soon reach where we sleep tonight” Down this winding trail and we come to a cross road. It’s pitch black but I see a house with some kerosene lamps burning. I’m kinda nervous.

Little did I know that I was about to meet lifelong friends and arrive at my future home district.

Cap

Nicky introduces me to Mas Hugh Peynado and his wife Miss Ivy. We greet and Mas Hugh says you must be hungry. I don't remember what we ate but it was wonderful.

They said I was sleeping in the front room. At the time I didn't know that was an honor. Nice double bed and screens on the window and mosquito netting.

Here are pictures of Mas Hugh and Miss Ivy a few years later, (she's on the left) And years later in their final years. I loved them both beyond words. This is they're graves in the church yard at St. Paul's in Spring Garden.
Attachment 55055Attachment 55060Attachment 55057Attachment 55058Attachment 55059

A digression,

Years later after I had become part of Mas Hugh and Miss Ivy's family we were sitting on the verandah one evening. Miss Ivy was always ragging on Mas Hugh for not joining the church. She was a member of St. Pauls Anglican in Spring Garden. The Anglican church was for the upper class at the time and they were part of the gentry in the district. Hence the "Mas" title which is short for Massa or Master from slave days.

Any way she's going on about how he can't be buried in the church yard with her when they die.

Mas Hugh goes into the house a gets out the book of common prayer and turns to the wedding ceremony and points out "till death do we part" Mas Hugh say "Mi no care where you a go when we dead"

As you can see by the previous post he finally did join the church and they are buried side by side RIP

Cap

and I'll bet she's still raggin on him for sumtin
That's why I want to be cremated and sprinkled off the beach & cliffs. Let my wife come find me to continue naggin