MEET YOUR CAPTAIN
Meet your captain Sam The Man, Sam "The Boatman" or plain and simply Captain Sam. Any one of these monikers suits him well as you
would in short time realise that he is one heck of a captain and master of the seas.
Sam The Man is one of the most laid back captains you would ever encounter. He is very engaging, pleasant and more importantly without
a doubt the most knowledgeable captain plying the waters of St. Kitts-Nevis and the neighbouring islands. Sam the Man is the
ultimate "boatman". He knows it as he has seen it, experienced it and made it. He is one of the Christina ferry survivors, the worst
marine tragedy ever recorded between St. Kitts and Nevis. On St Kitts you could not have a cogent conversation about fishing, sea
taxis or boating in general without Sam the Man's name being mentioned.
Sam is the living pioneer in the fishing and boating business in St Kitts/Saint Christopher, yes like Captain Sam his country has many
names. Sam the Man built the business/industry of fishing and sea taxing in St Kitts. Captain Sam The Man plies his trade with the
greatest of pride and enjoyment. He loves the sea, and a fishing trip or a sea taxi ride across the waters with him would be one of
the most enjoyable experiences of your visit to St Kitts or Nevis.
It is always a pleasure on a fishing/ snorkelling/sea-taxi trip with Captain Sam the Man. The first thing you would observe
is the firm grip of his handshake, which he liberally dishes out when greeting his guests/customers on board his boats- Celica New
or The Boss. His weather beaten but ever-smiling face is also a welcoming and engaging trademark of the man. Right away you feel his
warmth and energy and confidence that you know you are in safe hands.
Oh by the way, did I say Captain Sam The Man is an entertainer? On days when the fish may not be jumping on to your fishing lines
as fast as you may wish, it would never be a dull moment. Captain Sam the Man is a walking encyclopaedia of jokes. And as we say in our
local Kittitian parlance "boy can he tell a good one". In moments like these, Sam the Man is at his best. It is during the periods when
he may be busying himself with baiting of a line that you see the best of the man himself. These are opportunities where he regales his
guests with the widest breadth of jokes. The man is well-travelled and very current with world events, always willing to engage his
guests on any topic palatable to their ears.
Did you know the man is also a polymath? Captain Sam The man is the quintessential renaissance man. He is proficient in many
disciplines even though he is very humble about it. He can fix anything which is another reason why people depend on him and feel safe
journeying with thim. I could recall the leader of one of our most popular calypso bands in St Kitts making a profound statement in the
presence of his colleagues and bystanders-"With my band, I will travel to the neigbouring islands with no other captain but Sam The Man".
That says it all ladies and gentlemen!
By Don James
