Thursday, April 17th, 2008...3:07 pm
James Bond, alive on Navy Island
Ian Flemming is famed to have dreamed-up 007 from this place. But the present day ‘reception’ on Navy Island looks a million miles away from the tidy scenes of Moneypenny’s office and Q’s futuristic armory. Moonraker? Well….the landing dock here today needs a pretty good rake of the old-fashioned horticultural kind- and that’s being kind. Having said that, it is a million times all the better for it. The ram-shackled, broken, abandoned rooms, shutters and stairwells hang heavy with atmosphere and it isn’t long before you are trying to grasp the ghost of Flemming’s inspiration from the same air. I often find it appealing to visit somewhere in the world that has spawned a global icon and the setting here did not disappoint – it’s as if the debris you find has lived multiple aftermaths of Bond’s battles.
Technically you are no longer ‘allowed’ on the island today, as it is private property and not open to the public. With this in mind we stayed only a few minutes – but could not resist taking a few snaps…(sorry)…at each move anticipating Jaws, or some other Odd Ball, to emerge in scuba gear from the surrounding waters.
Select scenes feature, and video footage below:
How to get there?
Island of Bond from ashore. Quaint.
Murals from a bygone era:
There’s something fishy going on here:
Atmospheric sight, through blinds:
Where is this? Show me on a map…
Intrigued? Want more? Watch the video!…
Article and photographs by Oliver Wright. Video by Jermaine Evans.
10 Comments
April 26th, 2008 at 9:46 am
I seen this island from afar last year while driving to Portland. I had no clue those buildings were there. Very interesting!
May 28th, 2008 at 11:19 am
My parents and brother used to live and run Navy Island many years ago. It is sad to see the state it has fallen into. Maybe someone will come along and return it to its former beauty.
June 18th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Hi Peter, wow that must have been interesting for your folks. Yes, wouldn’t it be great if it is restored. The natural landscape has been left to flourish, wildly, since the tourists stop coming – so it would be a real treat to be able to venture round it again and then stay over in beautiful accommodation. Perhaps it could be used as an ‘eco-island’, showing-off some of Jamaica’s lushest vegetation & wildlife? Mmmmmm….
September 16th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Wow how sad are these photo’s!! I spent 2 weeks on Navy Island back in 1986 and it was so Beautiful then, I was part of a dive expedition, we were collecting samples of fish, We had 2 villa’s and a couple bungalows, I stayed in both Villa’s 1 week in each, it was awesome! they didn’t have many exterior walls it was wild waking up and your first sight was of the jungle, and the bathrooms were just as breezy, Thank God there was thick jungle or a lot of people would have been treated to an interesting show!!!While we were there they had a movie premiere, Robin Williams made a movie there called Club Paradise and we got invited to the screening and a party afterwords, it was a blast, I wonder if the Roof Club is still in business, awh Memories, It would be nice if someone could fix the place back up
September 26th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
It’s very embarrassing to know such wonderful piece of legacy is in ruins. Some funding should be sort to restore this wonderful and intrigue piece of legacy.
If this property is privately owned, I will say to the Jamaican government, you need to re-purchase this gem of an island and set it up for Eco-tourism.
It’s currently in a very appalling condition and needs urgent attention. Help is wanted immediately!
November 5th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I would like Peter to contact me about navy island as I am planning a book about navy island and errol flynn. email is teitlov.1@netzero.com. any help would be appreciated. I visited navy is. in it’s heyday and just recently returned after a visit to port antonio and spent a couple of hours exploring. thank you, jon
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:59 am
I’m quite surprised to see these photo’s. I love Portland overall and have family there, but for some reason in all my visits, I have never been to Navy Island. To me it was like a fantasy place that I just didn’t get the opportunity to visit. Just recently I asked a friend living in Port Antonio about Navy Island & she told me the ferry still goes there, so I’ quite surprised to see it in this condition, as it was on the top of my list of possible places for my company’s funday. The government really needs to step up & utilise this property as it is a possible gold mine. I can’t understand why it has been there so long without any sort of development of use in our tourism industry.
July 3rd, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Thoughtful post and well written. Please write more on this if you have time.
August 26th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
I was there in the late 80’s, working on a private yacht as crew. We were on our way to Mexico from Sag Harbor and pulled into dock, it was the most fabulous place. Our boat was to long to tie to the dock so the bow had to be tied to a palm tree. My parents marveled at that. I remember calling home from the little booth and the operator has to put the call through. I watched old Errol Flynn movies and sat in the bar, walked around the island and simply fell in love with the place. So sad to see how it looks today. If it comes up for sale maybe we could all buy it and restore it, its a wonderful piece of history that deserves that. Not to mention how beautiful it is.
September 22nd, 2009 at 12:27 am
I sailed a boat into Navy Island back in 1993 after crossing the atlantic. The Jamaican welcome on arrival was that of their tradiational breakfast, great place great people, i wonder if James Bond felt like he was on the moon too!!!!
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