Probably right, Matt. He made a portal by destroying his ship. Still, why keep that a secret? That’s not something that is shameful or anything.
“I made a portal out of my ship” See. Easy.
I think it comes down to a pride thing, rather than trying to hide anything shady. The JR isn’t just a ship to him. It’s his home, and a symbol of his piratehood. This would not have been an easy decision for him to make. Destroying the JR just for a woman he loves would spread the word that he’s gone soft, like Blackbeard said if he had chosen finding Eric over the JR. Maybe he’s also too embarrassed to let Emma know how he came down to making this decision. Also, both the scene with Neal and the conversations between Hook and Zelena clearly show that Hook never aligned himself with Zelena. Nor was it likely in Zelena’s plans for Hook to retrieve Emma. She kept Walsh in NYC to make sure she never leaved, because Emma’s magic was a threat to her. When that failed, she turned to option B with the cursed lips.