Black Jack Smatt- Pirate

Port Royal, a city reeling with a population consisting of people from diverse backgrounds used to be a haven for foreigners. Well-known for wickedness coupled with displays of wealth and opulence, it beckoned people from far and wide including British and European backed privateers to lavish their wealth on the luxuries of life. The city was called The Wickedest City on Earth or, otherwise The Sodom of the New World. During that period in the 17th century, governments stopped issuing letters of marquee against Spanish treasure fleets. This led to many privateers being transmogrified into pirates and soon, pirates the world over made a beeline for Port Royal.

Jack Smatt used to be a merchant when he arrived, but ventured on to try a hand in the world of privateering – the warranted attack on enemy ships. He carved out a niche of his own and came to be called as Black Jack Smatt. Eventually, in the search for true supremacy, he turned to piracy. In the process, he gained name as a womaniser and also a rum drinker.

One of his greatest exploits was the attack and plunder of a Spanish galleon which was on a mission to protect the Spanish Maine. A true floating treasure house, the Spanish vessel was originally sent from Madrid to accomplish its mission. As Smatt’s vessel drew near, the Spanish liner tried to camouflage their intentions and signalled for surrender and started firing its cannon. Fortunately for Smatt, the shot missed the target due to a sudden gust of wind. The pirate crew had, by this time, belayed their grappling hooks to pull the ships together and, took control of the ship in no time. This daring act at sea was considered to be one of the greatest treasure hauls of the time.

Black Smatt’s affinity towards rum and the abandoning of rum rationing rules by the ruling crown made rum’s popularity go high among people. He even used it as a bait to allure his men and the end result was that any scarcity of rum led to conflict among the pirates. Rum gained in value and Smatt even concocted a blend which later became an unavoidable part of their life .And it was rumoured that anyone who got their hands on this original blend would inherit the spark of fortune as received by Smatt. This era between 1650 and 1740 was reckoned as the Golden Age of pirates.

A ferocious earthquake razed Port Royal in 1692 and, along with that Smatt and many others vanished from the city. Even today, it is Jack’s descendants who dominate the maritime tourism industry in the Caribbean. The man at the helm now is Ernie Smatt, former water –ski champion. He carries on Jack Smatt’s legacy and operates from his hotel in Cutlass Bay.

Black Jack Smatt:Merchant -Pirate (circa 1660)

Dating back to 17th century ,Port Royal used to be the grazing ground of  European backed

privateering spendthrifts .With its ostentatious displays of opulence and a population

consisting of street scum ,whores and cutthroats, Port Royal got degraded in morals and

anarchy began to reign supreme. It was at this time that governments abandoned issuing

letters of marquee against Spanish treasure fleets. Soon Port Royal, The Wickedest City on

Earth or otherwise called The Sodom of the New World, became a breeding ground of pirates.

Piracy grew as a lucrative occupation and soon Port Royal gained reputation as the Land of

Pirates .It was at this time that Jack Smatt, the marauder, made his arrival on the scene.
Jack Smatt arrived in Port Royal around 1660 in order to take advantage of the booming

merchant trading between Europe and the New World. Insatiate with his accomplishments Black

Jack, as he soon became known, joined the band wagon to pursue the more lucrative profession

of privateering – the warranted attack on enemy ships. His unrivalled exploits in this

notorious industry and hunger for supremacy eventually led him to the world of buccaneering.

Soon lady luck was smiling on Jack Smatt .But the lure of wealth would not elude Black Jack.

Although Jack’s coffers were full, he would not rest.Meanwhile, off the Panama coast, a

large Spanish galleon set sail and it was passing through his territory. This massive ship

of around 200 tones was originally sent to protect the Spanish Maine, but was in for

trouble. The stage was set for the world to witness one of the greatest heists at sea.

As the pirates drew near with Jack at its attacking helm, the Spanish vessel signaled for

surrender. But the pirates and jack were flabbergasted when the merchant ship’s cannons

roared .It was not to be for the ill-fated liner as a sudden gust of wind caused the shot to

miss the target. It is alleged that it was at this same moment that the pirate crew used

their grappling hooks to pull the ships together. The pirates immediately took control of

the vessel and subdued the crew. This astounding feat made Jack’s name firmly etched in the

history of buccaneering.

A Casanova to the core, Black Jack was infamous for his lascivious acts and was really a

womanizer .He would binge on rum and was well-known as a rum drinker. During that time,

rationing of rum was withdrawn by the ruling Crown. Jack Smatt took advantage of this

situation and used rum as a bait to lure his crew .Soon rum became a part of the pirate

lifestyle. Rum became such an essential part of a pirate’s life that any lack of

availability would lead to conflict among them.

The period of 1650 – 1740, when pirates flourished, was known as The Golden Era.Smatt even

concocted a special blend, created from rums carefully culled from the finest distilleries

in Jamaica of the time. It went on to make a name for itself later by instilling in people

the belief that anyone getting even an ounce would be showered with immense fortune.

An earthquake razed Port Royal in 1692 and the legend of Black Jack Smatt disappeared along

with many other inhabitants of the city. It was deemed an act of Providence against the

wayward lifestyle of the riffraff there. Descendents of Black Jack Smatt still live in

Jamaica continuing to make their living from the sea. Ernie Smatt, once a world water-ski

Champion is one of Smatt’s most notable descendants. Nowadays, Ernie Smatt controls much of

the maritime tourism industry in the Caribbean and he operates from his own hotel in the

Cutlass Bay.

Port Royal and unknown story of Smatts

“The Wickedest City on Earth” and “The Sodom of the New World” is the way Port Royal was tagged. Due to the extravagant display of wealth, anarchy and loose morals, the island was the home of Cutthroats, Pirates and Harlots. With the sponsorship of British & Europe in the midst of the 17^th century, privateers came to the island with their stolen treasures to spend their wealth. Port Royal became the primary base for the pirates sailing the Caribbean Sea due to the relinquishment of the government to issue the letters of marquee against the Spanish treasure fleets with their possessions. This also led the privateers to turn towards piracy after which pirates all round the world congregated to Port Royal, including

Black Jack Smatt.

 

With aspiring desire to flourish in the merchant trade between Europe and the New World, Black Jack Smatt caught the attention of many as he reached the Port Royal Island around 1600. As time passed Black Jack Smatt got even more restless with his customary

labourings and pursued the more remunerative act of privateering a started taking pocession of enemy ships. His outrageous skill in the industry and thirst to excel led him to be the most

spoken about Pirate at Port Royal.

 

The smart and daring Black Jack Smatt was a lover of RUM which he brewed himself and distributed to his people on the Caribbean Island. Taste buds of people at Port Royal cherish the flavor of its unique Jamaican Rum even to this day. The unsurpassed taste led people to surrender any wealth they processed to get the taste of the uniquely flavored drink. Smatt had an unbelievable quench for rum that, it was taken everywhere he went be it even during voyages and created the same need for all crews and people of the Port Royal. The taste of rum was so exclusionary that that period was pronounced as “The Golden Era” where Smatt was known to all.  The ingredients used to make this finest rum were kept untallied and disguised by his people which they distributed in vast quantities all across the world.

 

Black Jack Smatt was a man with exceptional courage and toughness in him with a boldness of a wild cat. He was the most fearless and undaunted Pirate of the Port Royal which his people still talks and flaunts about. Intake of the finest rum at Port Royal recepied by the successful Pirate was undoubtedly the most exotic drinks and named it as the “Jewel of Jamaica”. Voyages for Black Jack Smatt were incomplete without stacking large quantities of his own blended rum. Be it young or old, all were always ready to give up on all other chores of life to be with Smatt just to get a touch and taste of the Jamaican rum. Port Royal always is proud of Smatt the outstanding feather on their cap that led various traders to their Island which in turn increased the wealth of this Island incredibly.

 

The great legend had to come to a disastrous end when an earthquake striked Port Royal island in 1692. After the calamity Black Jack Smatt was history and was never seen nor there has been any other Pirate on that island as courageous as he was. All the sins were berried deep down to never return again. Smatt’s descendents to this day inhabit the island to tell the tale of the brave Pirate. His rum still is being distilled without loosing its fame and name. This has been keeping the great Black Jack Smatt still alive in the Caribbean island of Port Royal