(Almost) smooth sailing to Pedro Cays

Other journalists have described their visits to Pedro Cays as harrowing experiences.

However, last Friday, my colleagues and I embarked on a journey that offered a completely different perspective. Our adventure began the moment we were welcomed aboard the HMJS Samuel Sharpe vessel by the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard team. The ship's executive officer and co-captain, Michael Walker, greeted us, while Captain Levar Carter led the mission.

The voyage to Pedro Cays, which is approximately 80 kilometres south of Jamaica, was estimated to take about six and a half hours. We set off close to midnight, and my team and I made our way to the 'bridge' [the part of the boat where they navigate the ship], where at least five soldiers were diligently setting the course for travel. I was captivated, observing how the crew managed to navigate through the darkness and communicate with other Coast Guard teams to avoid collisions.

The ship's crew operated in shifts, with six different teams ensuring that the vessel was always properly manned -- a routine they endure seven days a week, back and forth. Captain Carter noted that the sea was unusually calm during our journey, a condition that, according to the crew, typically occurs whenever civilians are on board. They even joked that we weren't getting the full experience they encounter daily. Though the sea was relatively calm, my colleagues and I still felt a bit nauseous. The vessel itself was comfortable and, while my colleagues slept, I stayed up, watching the watch, with absolutely no phone signal, just the VHF radio and the deep, dark sea.

About 6 a.m., we stopped just shy of the cays while the soldiers unloaded supplies onto a small canoe captained by a man named 'John John'. The wait caused the ship to rock and it was at this point that I made my way to the stern to throw up -- after six hours of toughing it out.

As we prepared to transfer onto the small fishing boat, both the soldiers and John John advised us to travel light and keep our limbs inside, hinting that we were crossing shark-infested waters. When we finally touched the soil of Pedro Cays, we were relieved to be on land. The sight that greeted us was both picturesque and intriguing. Conch shells lined the shoreline as if placed intentionally, booby birds were flying about which added to the scenery, and fishers watched as we approached their tidy zinc dwellings.

Our journey to Pedro Cays may not have been the harrowing experience others have described, but it was unforgettable in its own right. It was an adventure filled with unique challenges and a newfound appreciation for the lives of those who call these remote cays their livelihood, and the Coast Guard members who maintain order both on the cays and in the surrounding waters.