One fisherman’s dream shouldn’t be able to turn into one of the most famous bars in the Caribbean — and yet here we are, standing knee-deep in the Caribbean Sea, one mile off the coast of Parottee, Jamaica, marveling at Floyd Forbes’ driftwood masterpiece. Floyd literally dreamed this place into existence in 2001: a bar on stilts in the middle of the ocean, accessible only by boat, where the pelicans outnumber the umbrellas and the Red Stripes stay cold. Hurricane Ivan flattened it in 2004. The community rebuilt it with lumber from Jake’s Hotel. That’s the story of Floyd’s Pelican Bar — a place so good, people refused to let it die. Order the grilled lobster, lose a few rounds of dominoes, and try not to cry when the boat comes to take you back.
