The Crew of the "Juana Mercedes"
When she departed Cienfuegos, Cuba, on October 30, 1922, the schooner "Juana Mercedes" had aboard a total of eight people. Four of these people were Cuban, one was Spanish and two were Caymanian. Two of the Cubans were young deck boys, one black and one white. When the "Juana Mercedes" arrived in George Town, Grand Cayman, British West Indies, from Cienfuegos, Cuba, on November 1, 1922, only three men were aboard.
Piracy and Murder
My novel, CAYMAN CROSS, uses the historical backdrop of the "Juana Mercedes" incident to give faces and lives to those aboard during this ill-fated voyage.
I have done my best to realistically and fairly portray the life and times of the people directly and indirectly involved in the mutiny, piracy and murders that actually took place on that voyage.
In my efforts, I have been greatly assisted by available historical documentation and old photographs that put real images in my mind's eye when I was writing.
On this page you will find some of the vintage photographs of 1920's era schooner crewmen in the Caribbean. Although none of these images actually portrays the "Juana Mercedes" or her crewmembers, I hope they help to bring my characters back to life for you as they did for me.
Jack Scott
"It was still eleven miles across Cienfuegos Bay to the city, so the boys walked up to the bowsprit and sat in the shade of the taut foresails. To Jose, the cool soft breeze and the hiss and foam of the bow cutting the crystal water of the bay was almost hypnotic."
I have done my best to realistically and fairly portray the life and times of the people directly and indirectly involved in the mutiny, piracy and murders that actually took place on that voyage.
In my efforts, I have been greatly assisted by available historical documentation and old photographs that put real images in my mind's eye when I was writing.
On this page you will find some of the vintage photographs of 1920's era schooner crewmen in the Caribbean. Although none of these images actually portrays the "Juana Mercedes" or her crewmembers, I hope they help to bring my characters back to life for you as they did for me.
Jack Scott
"It was still eleven miles across Cienfuegos Bay to the city, so the boys walked up to the bowsprit and sat in the shade of the taut foresails. To Jose, the cool soft breeze and the hiss and foam of the bow cutting the crystal water of the bay was almost hypnotic."
A Quiet Conspiracy
"The morning broke clear and quiet, and the crew of the Juana Mercedes had gathered at daybreak around the crew table on the fantail. Angel Perez had prepared a breakfast of huevos rancheros y tortillas, and his dark coffee was freshly ground and steaming in the pot that he passed around. The crew ate heartily and the conversation was disjointed, each crewman pushing anecdotes about his own life and family while the others competed for a better story."
A Voyage to Destiny
"Both of the headsail jibs had been shackled to the forestay, so with the breeze steady on the starboard forequarter, two of the crew hauled the halyard tackle to lift the upper jib. As it rose the land breeze popped it open with a snap and a flutter, and the bow of the Juana Mercedes began to swing to port with a lurch. As her nose came around with the wind, the crew reset the jibsheet on the starboard and without any order raised the lower jib to fly below."
