Old Negril Photos

[Van]

Thanks for the pictures of Glorias Sunset. Brings many good memories. I still stay there at
Barrys.

[captaind]

Thanks for the pictures of Glorias Sunset. Brings many good memories. I still stay there at
Barrys.

Days on the beach with Ken and Dot........How the circle keeps turning

[kaycee]

Wow! Negril was beautiful back then! Thanks for sharing.

[johng]

Hi kaycee,

Negril is beautiful now too it's just different like the world is. Look at wherever you live and think back to 1975 and remember a slower pace of life, no computers or cell phones, far less BS in the universe. Negril Beach was and is one of the nicest in the world it's just developed and more crowded, polluted, far more hustle. When I first visited Negril it was a bargain, brought my own tent and pitched it in Miss Gloria's yard and stayed for about a month cost me including food, drink, etc... about $300 USD. Airfare from NYC to MoBay was like $150 round trip. Back then the exchange rate was $1 USD = 80 cents JA. The vibe in Negril was very laid back, no problem, cool runnings!!! Crime amounted to stolen wallets or cameras usually left unattended on the beach. Police were rare and as long as you kept your wits about you and didn't do anything really, really stupid you could have a really awesome time.

[kaycee]

Hi John,

Barry has a nice renovated bar now. I like the laid back setting. I agree, Negril is still beautiful and even more so when you compare it now to back then.

[johng]

Hey Cap,

Please do say Hello from me when you check Barry next time. He was just a little boy when I first stayed with Gloria. He was a very hard worker and helped out every way he could doing chores, helping guests, etc... I used to take the Big Bus as transport and especially to the airport in MoBay, great experience and no haggling on price. You paid what everybody else did. So on my departure day Barry would be my lookout man for the Big Bus. " John, Big Bus Soon Come" I can hear his voice in my head now. Gloria tried very hard to bring Barry up right and protect him from the many evils that lurk around all of us. She did a darned good job and as far as I have ever known Barry grew up knowing how to treat people with kindness and respect. The last I spoke with him was in 1999 and he seemed to have a nice little place on the site of Gloria's Sunset Cottages. Please tell Barry that John and Brooks say hello and show him the picture, he'll remember me straight away.

[captaind]

Hey Cap,

. Please tell Barry that John and Brooks say hello and show him the picture, he'll remember me straight away.

I certainly will. The more I look at you pictures I keep thinking we've met.

Cap

[johng]

Hey Cap,

Could very well be that we have met somewhere down the line. Do you live in Negril now??

John

[captaind]

Hey Cap,

Could very well be that we have met somewhere down the line. Do you live in Negril now??

John

I have returned after an absence of 25 years but I have taken care of my family all along.

My yard is in Spring Garden which is about 7 miles from Negril.

Here's some pictures from that era.

The work permit was from the days I was running a ship for Wray & Nephew/Grace Kennedy (1969 - 1974).

The others are from late 70s when I had the sailing business on the beach

[johng]

Hi Cap,

Thanks for the memories. looks like you had a nice gig for yourself. Not sure where on the beach you operated from and although you look familiar I can't say for sure if we've met before. As you can see many of my photos contain sailboats so not sure if any were yours or not. Do you remember the sailboat that beached right out in front of T-Water Cottages in 1980. My understanding was they brought in some heavy machinery to try and upright it but it was already filled with sand so it just eventually broke apart over time. I did meet a guy in about 1976 with a sailboat moored right out in front of Gloria's Sunset Cottages and stayed on his boat for a few days, can't remember his name though. Working for W&N / GK must have been pretty cool. I imagine you sailed from Kingston around Treasure Beach to Black River? I did a photo shoot last year at Appleton Estate and met with Joy Spence the Master Distiller. They have branched into some boutique brands of aged rum although Overproof and Special always cured my woes. Not sure were Spring Garden is but must be nice. I ended up spending quite a bit of time on the east end of Jamaica in Portland Parish up in the mountains called Cascade District up from Buff Bay on the road to Hardware Gap. On the road down to Kingston you pass through the JDF Newcastle Training Center. Nice climate and change from sea level and Negril.