On to Portsmouth, Dominica - the friendliest port in the Caribbean

svliahona0
8 hours ago
2 min read

We signed up for the PAYS Yachting Festival. P.A.Y.S. - Portsmouth Association of Yacht Security is a group of small boaters who provide assistance with moorings, customs/immigration, taxis and tours. They offer two bar-b-ques each week, for cruisers, locals and other visitors. We found this stop last year and were very impressed with their hospitality and services. Tim received an invitation for this yearly celebration, so we signed up. We arrived several days early, as our weather window to cross over to Dominica was about to close.

Soon, boats began to arrive. Before long, there were almost 30 boats here for the festivities. The first night, we had our 1st dinner at Fort Shirley, nearby.

We went on to have numerous BBQ's, tours and much fun! Our first tour guide, Maverick, took us up the Indian River in a quiet paddled boat, as required by the area. It was scenic and wonderful!

The next day we walked over to explore Fort Shirley.

A couple of days later, we took a tour to Syndicate waterfall and had a delicious lunch at Free Up Farm - a holistic, natural farm/education center.

Finally, our last tour took us to Champagne Beach, where the water comes up through the rocks, under the sea. It feels and looks like tiny champagne bubbles. Then, we went to Titou Gorge, a narrow, volcanic chasm with crystal-clear, cold water that we swam through to reach a hidden waterfall. It was amazing!!!

After a bit of lunch, we went to our last stop, Sulfur Falls. Amongst the trees, we soaked in hot, hot, hot spring water with natural sulfur.

We had a wonderful week meeting new friends, touring Dominica and eating delicious food. We hope to return next year during the Yachting Festival for a repeat performance!

We are still here in Portsmouth, where we will spend the next week, awaiting our friend and a weather window to Martinique.