Rafting on the Rio Grande in limbo

BERRYDALE, Portland:

Struggling to recover from an extended shutdown of the tourism sector brought about by the global pandemic COVID-19, raft captains assign to the Rio Grande rafting, Portland’s premier tourist attraction, have taken up new occupations to support their families.

The crippling blow dealt to Jamaica’s oldest attraction has seemingly disrupted the once vibrant and active rafting activities, which not only allowed the approximately 80 legitimate raft captains to feed themselves and their families, but have also brought commerce to a halt in the community of Berrydale in the Rio Grande valley.

And although the fleet of rafting vessels which were recently built following the reopening of the tourism sector can be seen on the beach area of the Rio Grande, raft captains have remained idle and with a high level of uncertainty as to when or where their next meal and payday will be realised.

“Rafting gone dung (down) right dung a grung (ground) and many of us have turn to farming or just doing odd jobs,” said Lawrence Chisholm, president of the Raft Captains Association.

He added: “Dem a go seh a COVID dweet now, so mek wi say a COVID. But di people dem weh run rafting, TPDCo (Tourism Product Development Company) to me dem nuh have no regard fi raft captain. Wi contracted to TPDCo and COVID come in from wah … March ... and until now TPDCo nuh gi raft man not even a word a prayer.

“Even di money weh di Government gi raft captain or gi di country, right now some raft man nuh get fi dem all now. Right now Rio Grande a dead out, enuh ... it a dead out. Is like we have two rafting a run. Wi have one from St Margaret’s Bay up di river and one from Berrydale. And right now to mi it look like TPDCo waan kill out Berrydale rafting and bring in the short trip from St Margaret’s up di river.”

SIGNED A MOU

According to Chisholm, in 2016 they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) indicating their willingness to participate in the ‘short trip’ proposal put forward by TPDCo for St Margaret’s Bay, as it was agreed by both parties that tourists travelling from Ocho Rios to Port Antonio, then to the raft stand at Berrydale for the two-and-a-half-hour journey on the Rio Grande, was time-consuming.

“Dem say cruise ship a go come a Ocho Rios and dem waan fi do rafting pon di Rio Grande. But in order for dem fi do rafting on the Rio Grande, wi affi organise a shorter trip. Because it hard fi dem fi come from Ocho Rios, drive all di way to Berrydale and do two and half hour rafting and fi drive back to Ocho Rios ... it a go hard fi dem. So wi agree. I personally signed an MOU fi agree to the rafting from St Margaret’s Bay.

“From 2016 until now wi nuh get one raft from a cruise ship. And dat MOU expire and rafting still a gwaan from Rafters Rest (St Margaret’s Bay). Every time a tourist come to St Margaret’s di first introduction to dem is a short trip. So di man dem dung a St Margaret’s Bay a dem alone a benefit from rafting. Berrydale man dem naah benefit,” Chisholm argued.

He is claiming that with the MOU expiring in 2017, any rafting activities taking place at Rafters Rest in St Margaret’s Bay is illegal. He is also alleging that despite the ongoing illicit rafting activities, the operators of Rio Grande Rafting continue to turn a blind eye.

But while Chisholm is casting blame at the feet of TPDCo for failing to curtail the illegal activities surrounding rafting, the perennial problem of mining operations on the Rio Grande, which has been affecting rafting for decades now, is further crippling that industry.