Ships Ahoy at Jacmel.

• Author: Kiernan, James Patrick
• Position: Brief Article

JACMEL, PERHAPS Haiti's prettiest city, sits at the head of a wide horseshoe-shaped bay on the country's southern coast. In the nineteenth century, it was a busy coffee port; the mansions of its rich merchants, laced with iron balconies, graced its windy streets.

Today, although its glories have somewhat faded, Jacmel is vibrant with creativity. In fact, it has been called the craft center of Haiti. In addition to naive paintings, which ubiquitously color Haiti, the many small shops of Jacmel sell a diverse collection of locally produced items, crafted from wood, metal, and papier-mache, such as giant masks of lions with flowing manes and other animals and spirits. To this menagerie of traditional crafts have recently been added the large model ships of Cayes Jacmel.

Five years ago, a French hobbyist and model shipbuilder lived in Cayes Jacmel, a village down the coast from Jacmel, set in coconut groves and stretched along the beach. He engaged a young local, Carzeau Jude, to help him build a model boat, passing on his knowledge to the young man. The Frenchman soon moved away, leaving Jude with newly acquired skills, ambition, and...