AFTER AN ABSENCE of seven years, the original Jolly Roger schooner will be coming back to Barbados, thanks to Black Pearl Party Cruises Inc.
Directors of the newly formed company, Allan Kinch and Martin Bynoe, said when they went searching for a new floating tourism attraction, they never thought they would get so lucky.
“We went to Roatan in the Honduras to enquire about the Black Pearl, a replica of the Henry Morgan pirate ship, but we didn’t like the construction; not many boats can do this type of work,” said Bynoe.
The men said they had decided to take in the sights when they stumbled upon a sight they never thought they would see.
“A Saturday morning, we went on a tour and saw the Jolly Roger 1 docked. It no longer went out to sea and had been turned into a bar and restaurant,” said Bynoe.
Bynoe said they immediately realized this was the original Jolly Roger boat. After some negotiating, they sailed it from Honduras to Jamaica, where it is currently docked before its grand return to Barbados in March.
The men said the 100 foot-long by 23 foot-wide vessel was in excellent condition and they only had to do a little refurbishment and add “one of the biggest sound systems in Barbados”.
Kinch and Bynoe are no strangers to tourism or business as Bynoe is the former owner of Harbour Lights and Kinch used to run a bar on the South Coast.
“The way we look at it, we are bringing back a Barbadian icon. We will cater to all, and the Barbadian people will want to go out on her again. We will also be targeting land-based tourists and cruise ship tourists,” said Bynoe.
The men said they had already received enquiries and had bookings for Crop Over, especially with the private local cruises.
The businessmen said they planned to employ around ten to 15 people and a similar number indirectly. Mooring permission is presently being sought from the Coastal Zone Management Unit in order to avoid dropping anchor frequently, which would cause the possibility of damage to the reef. Kinch and Bynoe gave the assurance that once everything was clear, the Jolly Roger 1 would be sailing in local waters again.
