What was meant to be a routine fishing trip for dozens of Port Royal fishermen turned into a harrowing brush with nature’s wrath just off the Clarendon coast—days before Hurricane Melissa’s expected landfall.
With skies still calm and no rain in sight, they cast their nets and dropped anchor. But by mid-afternoon, the winds turned sinister. In a matter of minutes, placid waters churned into waves towering nearly six feet high. The first raindrops struck like bullets. The freak squall had arrived.
Fabian’s Ordeal: “The Sea Rose to Meet the Sky”
Veteran fisherman Fabian Simpson says he’s no stranger to rough waters. But this was different.
“The land breeze clash with the sea breeze and everything just lift. Mi watch the whole sea bend and rise. If mi never hold down the tarpaulin fast enough, mi gone,” he recalled, shivering more from memory than the chill.
He and others had departed under a tropical storm watch, confident the real threat was still days away. But the sea has its own calendar—and no patience for forecasts.
Midnight Escape Under Flickering Lights
As visibility collapsed under pounding rain, Simpson remembers the faint glow of scattered fishing boats bobbing far off. Seven, maybe more. Each man now had one goal: survival.
“There was no sleep. The sea wouldn’t let us. Cold breeze, heavy rain, boat rocking like mad. We just pack up and flee.”
Ian Brooks didn’t wait to be told twice. His anchor snapped. That was enough. He reeled in, cut losses, and turned for home. Others were less fortunate.
Riding It Out Until Sunrise
Some, like 68-year-old Alan Williams, made the gut-wrenching call to stay put until morning. “Too much lightning. We couldn’t even see where to head back. So we ride it out,” he said.
The boat took on water. Waves crashed from both sides. “We had to bail hard. But daylight came, and so did our chance to come home.”
Williams has fished these waters for 50 years. His trip wasn’t for sport—it was survival economics. “We needed to sell fish before the hurricane so we could stock up on food. You either make the trip or you sit home empty.”
Between Skill and Survival
The common thread between each story wasn’t fear, but readiness. Every man leaned on years of sea sense—reading winds, securing boats, pulling lines tight. They weren’t reckless; they were calculated. They gambled against the ocean’s unpredictability and, this time, made it back.
They speak of prayer as standard practice. Not desperation, but discipline. “We do what we must and thank God after,” Brooks said.
No Complacency, No Excuses
Their brush with disaster reinforces an old code among seafarers: Never underestimate the sea, even if the warnings seem days away. Simpson and his crew don’t plan to push their luck again.
“We always respect the warning. It’s not worth it otherwise,” Williams said, steady-eyed.
With Hurricane Melissa now barreling toward Jamaica, the fishermen aren’t just docked—they’re already preparing to restart when the storm passes.
Because in their world, surviving is only part of the job. The rest is knowing when to stay ashore—and when to cast out again.
