We were exploring Portsmouth, Dominica after checking in.
The Purple Turtle is the beach bar right in front of where Escape Velocity is anchored and we were keen to check it out. We anchored over in the North end of Prince Rupert Bay because most of the other yachts were anchored there. You might ask why, with all of the space in this beautiful bay would everyone jam into one small corner of the anchorage? The wifI access point is on the roof of the Purple Turtle Bar (PTB) and these days it’s all about Internet access, isn’t it?
Of course we knew roughly where the PTB was but on land everything looks different. We’d already walked a good distance out of town before the wind suddenly began to howl and bands of horizontal shredded rain plastered our faces. We looked at each other and said, “We’re being Guadelouped!” Remember, you heard it here first.
The PTB, looking like it had been through one too many hurricanes, was an open air affair and seemed mostly abandoned, with perhaps a fire in its not too distant past, except for an extremely well stocked bar. Well, at least they have their priorities straight.
I knew this was Dominica’s rainy season but I thought ok, it’s going to rain some almost everyday, but here it rains some almost every hour.
Tomorrow, Alexis our assigned yacht minder is arranging a tour of the Indian River which is supposed to be great. I say assigned because after a long day of bouncy confused seas with winds in the 30’s and no autopilot, while rounding Prince Rupert Bluffs we were hailed on VHF radio and assigned Alexis, for all our boating needs. Yes, someone is watching you.
The hike back to town featured two women doing yoga in a gazebo hidden in a copse of trees on the beach, an aborted walk back to town on the beach, a delightful conversation with a shopkeeper about how she likes her breadfruit prepared, a quick lesson on the intricacies of Caribbean ATMs, more potholes than a Pittsburgh alley, and an ugly scene with a drunk trying to take beer money from a little girl in a school uniform with a tight grip, all while being Guadelouped.
That’s the life aquatic.
