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Jamaica - Facts

Dec 23, 2023
  • Jamaica is a beautiful island with hundreds of miles of coastline and an abundance of natural harbours. It lies in the Caribbean Sea, 340NM north-east of mainland Central America. Its close neighbours are Haiti, to the east, and Cuba, to the north. There are mountains and plateaus to the interior and east of the island. Kingston is the country's capital and largest city.
  • Jamaica has a total population of 2.9 million people and is the third largest island in the Caribbean Sea, after Cuba and Hispaniola. The official language is English, but the primary spoken language is an English-based creole called Jamaican Patois (or Patwa).
  • The official currency in Jamaica is the Jamaican Dollar. All Inclusive resorts and key tourist areas also use US Dollars. For specifics, see General Info.
  • Jamaica observes Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00) all year and does not observe daylight saving time.
  • For most of the year, the easterly trades blow 20 knots. The southeast corner (Kingston to Portland Bight) has an average 5 knots higher. At night cool mountain air slides down the mountains to create an offshore breeze (Katabatic winds). Tidal variation in Jamaica is about one foot. See Weather below for more details.
  • Cruising around Jamaica is varied with a multitude of anchorages, small fishing villags plus the inevitable over-developed tourist centers. One hindrance is that you have to check in and out of each port visited and finding a secluded beach with no development is probably the greatest challenge. Three weeks should give you plenty of time to circumnavigate the Island. Anchoring in Jamaica is normally fairly easy as the bottom is usually sand and turtle grass. The marina in Port Antonio, the Montego Bay Yacht Club and the Royal Jamaica Yacht Club in Kingston are popular places with cruisers. All three facilities have very good security.
  • There are a great number of fish traps set off the coast of Jamaica. They normally extend out to the 100 feet mark and thus along the coast, one should keep a watchful eye. Keep about one mile offshore as you move around the island.
  • Repair facilities are few and far between. All three docking facilities mentioned above can assist with a number of repair services, and the boatyards at Port Antonio and the Royal Jamaica Yacht Club have haul out facilities. For more details, see Yachting Essentials.

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Jamaica was last updated 2 years ago
Related to following destinations: Jamaica

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