1792-Nov.: Three highly skilled enslaved pilots, all well acquainted with the southern coast of Jamaica, absconded together in a can

1792-Nov.: Three highly skilled enslaved pilots, all well acquainted with the southern coast of Jamaica, absconded together in a canoe. Their escape highlighted a common pattern where maritime experience allowed enslaved people to find work and shelter on the seas. Earlier that year, another sailor named Bob had left his enslaver, who correctly predicted he would attempt to board a vessel. Bob was eventually apprehended over a year later while serving aboard a shallop commanded by a black captain. These cases proved that even heavy mechanical coercion often failed to stop those determined to reach the “masterless” existence of the sea.