Showing posts with label hurricane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hurricane. Show all posts

Monday, July 21, 2025

Trek to Alligator Pond.

Wi nevva even catch cole!😭

That's the fate of fisherfolk. Sometimes the fish are running and sometimes they keep their mouths shut.

About a week ago, we went out from our usual spot in Duncans, Trelawny, but not even the fisherman who took us got a bite.

So,  having been told that Alligator Pond in Manchester had better fishing grounds, we drove over three hours for the big catch.

Shanti who took us out

We stopped at Sunny Isle Cay. Last year's hurricane wrecked sections of it.

This is by Sunny Isle Cay off the coast of Alligator Pond

The only thing we caught all morning was sea weed.😭

Three times I thought I got a bite and it was sea grass. Not even the fisherman got a nibble.

That area would be great for manatee (sea cow) but we ate them into virtual extinction on the south coast.

Anyway it was a good trek as we got an Airbnb and lymed at Little Ochi the night before.



Our Airbnb 





Port Kaiser and Lovers Leap in the distance.

Hanging out at the Airb&b.

Lots of fishing boats around






David, Bernie, Joan, Kai, Father Topping

Mitzie and David 





Mr and Mrs Evans who organized the trek. They gave us lots of fried lobster and curried crab😋

David and his dad

Yup we came home empty handed, but next year we gonna catch those critters .

 I can't believe it's tomorrow that I have to leave😭. 

How time flies when u having fun.

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Mitzie saved the day/Cousin Delroy.

 The greatest fishermen will tell you that often, they go and spend hours at sea and come home without any fish.

Well that didn't happen to the big fisherwoman, Mitzie, but the rest of us returned empty handed.

Her's was a Silver Snapper 




Oh yea, I got a bite and was bringing in a little one, but alas just feet from the boat, it jumped off and took off like Bolt.

And Bernie got a bite too but his fish did not tarry long at all.



Regardless, we had a wonderful day meandering along on the long, impressive Black River, with its beautiful scenery and serenity.





Quite a big croc

We never saw many large Crocs this time, but a few babies were in the hatchery.





And did you know that the 26,000 acre Black River Morass had natural gas? I certainly didn't but when we saw the smoke, the fisherman explained that on hot days, the sun ignites sections of the morass that are shallow and dry. 

Successive governments have decided not to exploit this reserve though, as it's too important as an environmental resource.


I agree totally.

 As I always say, if I don't learn something every day, it means I am dead. And I ain't, as I am enjoying life.😀 



The only slight disappointment on this trip was that we had heard about this restaurant called Miss Lou which was famous for its delicious curried crab. It's in a district called Slipe. We heard the road to get there is terrible, but we didn't have to drive to get there, as it's right on the river!

In case you never heard though, sections of Jamaica were badly damaged by the terrible hurricane Beryl about 3 weeks ago. 

And while where we are escaped,  almost the  entire island seems to have lost electricity and it is being restored very slowly. So many small businesses people are having serious financial challenges.

Well Slipe still has no electricity so Miss Lou cannot cook her crabs.

Really hard on her.

Slipe bridge

Miss Lou's crab place.

PS. ( August 26, 2025.)  As we had in St. Elizabeth, we took a quick trip to Munro to visit our cousin Colonel Delroy Ormsby who had managed the Silver Sands properties for decades.

We had been unable to get him by phone for weeks so journeyed to his farm where he lived after retirement from Silver Sands.

Glad we did, for although he looked well, hardly had we returned home to the US before we got a message that he died.

Today, 08/26/2025, which incidentally was the birthday of my late mom Madeline Marshall, is the 1st anniversary of his death and I was happy to get pictures and videos from his widow Blossom, of his funeral and memories. I am storing them right here!

His daughter's wedding 

A painting given to him by his squad in the Jamaican defense force.

The late Delroy's son Simon and granddaughter Raquel.


My late dear cousin Delroy's memories.🥲

Below are other fishing memories🙂.

The would-be fishermen below.
 😁


What a beautiful, serene environment!





Captain Kai












Not even this almost empty cooler can spoil these memories.😁