Portsmouth market Dominica

The anchorage (L) and main quay where we left our dinghy

The most significant weekly event in Portsmouth is the Saturday market. Farmers arrive in the evening on Friday night, party in the bars and then set up their stalls in the early hours of the morning.

We’d been told that he best time to visit the market was around 6am to ensure that we got the best produce, but we decided that was just a little too early for us. Instead we aimed for an hour later. The bay is very sheltered and so the dinghy trip across to the main town quay was easy and dry. Provided we didn’t lock it, we could leave our dinghy on the quay whilst we visited the market. It had to be left unlocked in case it needed to be moved by the port staff to allow a ferry in. But then the port staff also had a guard on the quay keeping an eye on things.

It was good advice to visit the market because the fresh vegetables were excellent. It would take much longer for them to be able to sell fruit again after the hurricane damage, but we did manage to buy a pineapple, bananas and a watermelon. Laden down with those and a lot more vegetables, we wandered along the stalls taking in the atmosphere.

It was really colourful and the main street was alive with activity as everyone hunted for the best deals. Typically, being Caribbean, there was also lots of music playing. Bars, which had been open all night looking after the traders, were still serving drinks and adding to the beat but we thought that the best music was from the live band that had set up on the pavement.

It was a great way to start the day and very beneficial in that we restocked our food supplies with good fruit and vegetables that would last well.

Shopping complete, we decided to route back to BV along the shoreline. Most of the buildings along the beach are restaurants, cafés, or small businesses linked to supporting visiting yachts. Most of the dinghy docks and seating areas had been badly damaged and were only slowly being rebuilt as building materials became available. Sadly, just a handful of the businesses were functioning which was a shame because they desperately needed to be up and running to bring in money to fund the rebuild.

We passed the PAYS building (pictured above right) and the Purple Turtle restaurant and bar (above left) which had been one of the more popular watering holes for yachties. It was still working in a limited way and, like many buildings, it was still relying on tarpaulins over the roof to keep the rain out. It used to have very good Wifi but, apart from in the capital Roseau, most of the restaurants and cafés on the island are still waiting for the telecommunications infrastructure to be repaired before they can provide that service to visitors again.

Close to the anchorage is a hotel development being built by a Moroccan company. It was supposed to have been finished this year but sadly was badly damaged by Hurricane Maria at the latter stages of construction; a pretty major setback for them. We did hear building work was continuing, so hopefully the project will eventually be finished.

SY Ellenleaves to head south

We got back to BV by 0930, just in time to wave goodbye to Peter and Jackline, onSY Ellen.We were sad to see them go. They are good company and it had been great fun visiting Middleham Falls with them but in the yachting world, with everyone moving about, you have to accept that there are lots of farewells. We are unlikely to see them again for quite some time because they are heading south for the hurricane season.

We spent the afternoon stripping BV of spare towels, clothes, shoes and tools, essentially anything spare that duplicated stuff we were already using on board and which we didn’t expect to need immediately. Through another OCC member, Nicky had found out about an orphanage that has been doing amazing work for several years placing unwanted children in foster homes. After meeting up with the lady who runs the orphanage Nicky felt that in a small way we could help. She found out that the orphanage has always provided support for their foster families but after the hurricanes it has been particularly hard for the families. The orphanage team has been helping the foster families rebuild their homes and livelihoods and have also been desperately trying to help them replace items that were simply blown or washed away. The electric drill and other tools will hopefully help with the building work, and the linen, shoes and towels will be of far more immediate use to the foster families than hiding in lockers on BV waiting for the ones we are using to wear out.

Prince Rupert Bay, Dominica