You know that feeling you get when you are driving home from the airport after a vacation and you finally pull onto your street?  And it all just feels like home?  That’s how I felt pulling into the harbor in Portsmouth, Dominica.  We had spent two weeks here earlier in the season, and we were excited about spending at least another week exploring our favorite place and visiting with our friends from the island.

Titus found us right away and gave us a lift to customs so we could check in.  We returned to the boat just as the sun was setting over this picturesque harbor.  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath in, and opened them again to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.  I looked at Titus and reminded him how much we love his country.  His eyes swept the scene with familiarity, but there was a peaceful set to his face that showed me that he appreciates this paradise every moment.

The next day, Titus took the kids to play with a bunch of local kids.  Chris and I cleaned up after our little passage, I swam, and we went to the weekly PAYS barbecue.  The local boat guides provide a fun night for the cruisers each Sunday as a fundraiser for their organization.

 

 

The motor vehicle we’ve spent the most time in the whole year.

We asked Eddison to set us up with a driver to take us to Calibishie for the day.  We had enjoyed the Red Rocks there last time and we wanted to explore more of the town.  In true Eddison style, it ended up being a marathon 10 hour tour of Calibishie as well as the entire northern end of the island.  Our driver was Winston and he kept us entertained, informed, and busy!

 

 

 

 

Near the Red Rocks, Winston stopped at the home of a friend.  He told us to wait in the bus.  He said he was going to see if he could get some fruit for us.  Before he was out of the van, he started up a litany of shouting at the house: “Hey You!  Open up that doh!  I know you in there!  Open up that doh!!!!”  I imagined walking up to my friend Stephanie’s house and starting to shout commands at her before I even set foot on her driveway.  “Open up that doh!” has become one of our catchphrases, and it cracks us up every time.  We will try to remember the more classic “door knocking” method when we return to New Jersey.

For more information on Copra, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copra.

 

The next few days were spent doing what we love best.  We swam in the harbor, played at the beach with the local kids, hung out at Blue Bay with the boat guides, or walked into town for ice pops or bread.  We took Porter to the Police Station so that he could complete one of his Cub Scout requirements.  It was very interesting to talk with Officer O’Brian about law enforcement on this island.  Being an island, he knows a vast majority of the population by face, name, or family.  He uses this knowledge to take care of most problems through a little talking-to and a promise to correct the misdemeanor.

s/v Moana Roa anchored next to us

We enjoyed playing with the friends on s/v Moana Roa who we met in Carriacou.  s/v Cascadura also sailed into town, and we had fun exploring Fort Shirley with them.  We also met up with s/v Hands Across the Sea.  We enjoyed telling the Linskeys all about the fun we had organizing the library on Union Island.  We had decided to donate the monetary portion of our fundraising to Hands Across the Sea to use in purchasing books for schools in Dominica and throughout the Caribbean.

We could have spent our last days going on some big, all-day hike or taking the bus to the capital of Roseau, but we preferred the slow, easy days of Portsmouth.  We simply basked in the joys of making connections with all our friends there.

I had been asking the PAYS guys to take me out to the mouth of the harbor to show me what they do for a living.  On our last day, Titus granted my wish to be a “PAYS Guy”.  It was like, “Take your cruiser friend to work” Day.  We loaded up with water and fruit and headed to the entrance of the harbor.  We could see north to Les Saintes and far to the south.  We were on the north side and would only be able to get boats coming from the North.  Another set of PAYS guys floated their boats near the south entrance to get boats coming from the Windwards.

I learned that the name of the game here is patience.  The guys keep track of who got there first and get to go after clients in order.  I still looked around with distrust at the boats around us, daring them to go before us!  Titus said not to worry.  I think they have their own way of making sure that doesn’t happen!  This greatly reduced the animosity and competitive nature of their job as well as reducing fuel costs.  Titus explained to me that years ago, they would race out over a mile to greet new boats coming to Dominica in order to beat out the next guy.  Titus very much favors this new organization.  When a boat comes close, the guys pull up alongside and say, “Welcome to Dominica!”  They introduce themselves and offer their services for obtaining a mooring, finding a spot to anchor, and explaining that they are available to answer questions and arrange tours for the length of their stay.  We waited for two hours and finally a boat came up.  I really wanted to be the one to say, “Welcome to Dominica!” but we agreed that I would keep my American-accented trap shut if the boat was from France.  We pulled up alongside and welcomed the German couple to Dominica.  Unfortunately, they were only stopping overnight and continuing on south the next day.  This wouldn’t make any money for Eddison and Titus, so we let them go into the harbor alone.  Normally, Titus would wait it out for another boat, but it was getting late and I had to get back to prepare for our own departure.  I was so glad that I got a taste of what these guys do everyday.  This job requires tenacity, patience, getting up early and staying up late, hospitality, knowledge of their country, boathandling, and cooperation amongst the other PAYS guys.

It does not require them to open their hearts, though.  Lucky for us, that is exactly what friends like Titus, Eddison, Stan the Man, Ken G, Callie, Stafford, Cobra, Charlie Love, and Providence did.  They opened their hearts and let us into their lives, their country, and their memories.  We will keep them in ours for the rest of our lives.  Until we meet again, Dominica….