How I got to Jamaica

[captaind]

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.......

[VVHT]

and then......

[captaind]

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

[captaind]

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

[Kuda]

Keep the story going please?

[captaind]

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

[captaind]

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

[captaind]

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

[captaind]

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.

[SLP]

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