Port Royal and The Palisadoes

Part of Kingston parish, the Palisadoes is a thin stretch of barren sand, brush, and mangroves; it acts as a natural barrier protecting Kingston Harbour, with Port Royal at its western point. History has not smiled on this corner of Jamaica, perhaps due to some divine justice aimed at washing clean the sins and abuses that made Port Royal Britain’s first commercial stronghold in Jamaica. After Lord Cromwell seized Jamaica for Britain from the Spanish in 1655, Port Royal grew in importance, as the town’s strategic location brought prosperity to merchants who based themselves there. The merchants were joined by pirates and buccaneers, who together through their commerce, pillaging, and looting created one of the busiest and most successful trading posts in the New World. Imports included slaves, silks, silver, gold, wine, and salmon, while exports consisted mostly of rum, sugar, and wood. The British collaborated with the pirates as an insurance policy against the Spanish, who were thought to be seeking revenge on the island’s new colonial masters. Port Royal flourished, with a local service economy growing alongside its bustling maritime commerce until June 7, 1692, when a massive earthquake left 60 percent of Port Royal underwater, immediately killing 2,000 people. Eight hectares supporting the principal public buildings, wharves, merchant shops, and two of the town’s four forts disappeared into the sea. Aftershocks rocked the rattled city for months. In 1703 a fire devastated what little remained of Port Royal, sending most survivors across the harbor to what soon grew into the city of Kingston. The town also sustained significant damage in the earthquake of 1907, and then again during Hurricane Charlie in 1951.

Sleepy Port Royal is well worth a visit. The village is hassle-free and small enough to stroll leisurely around in a few hours. Scuba trips can be arranged through Port Royal Divers, based out of Morgan’s Harbour Marina. On weekends the square comes alive with a sound system and an invasion of Kingstonians, who come for the fish and beach just offshore at Lime Cay.