The Christmas Winds (see previous post) have created rough seas and frequent squalls, so we have been hunkered down in Prince Rupert Bay, Dominica, waiting for better conditions.  We have been to the local market, where almost all offerings are island-grown.   We have dinghied and hiked to the area of Ross University (site of a two-year medical school) where we did some shopping at a modern supermarket and had lunch in a food court with many stands featuring island food and catering to students.  We hiked in the Cabrit National Park where we once again enjoyed Fort Shirley.

When the boat-boy association (PAYS) decided not to host their traditional barbecue on a Sunday, citing the bad weather and the paucity of would-be attendees in the Bay, Barb stewed for several days and then sought and received permission to use the PAYS Event Centre for a cruiser potluck.  She and Devi took our dinghy around the anchorage and invited everyone to join in, rediscovering in the process the differences found in the social mores of different nationalities.  The Canadian and USA crews, as well as several others, were appreciative participants.   The French could scarcely conceal their scorn as they declined the invitation.

Did I mention the rain?   Almost every day, multiple times.   One day it rained so hard and so long that Portsmouth experienced floods:  a creek/river near the University was so swollen that it overflowed a bridge for the first time in fifty years.   Today, Dec. 15, there are no squalls so far, but the wind is gusting above 31 km.

The Tern’s dinghy had developed a crack in the bottom, so water could seep into the space between the bottom and the dinghy floor.   When this happens, the extra weight results in a very heavy and sluggish dinghy.   Hunter and I had repaired our dinghy several years ago in Bonaire, so we knew just how to effect a repair.  We used the davit and lifted their dinghy up onto our upper deck, and every morning we have been in the dinghy repair business.   As this is written, the repair is complete, two coats of  paint have been applied, and the dinghy will splash tomorrow after the paint has dried.  (You will notice an absence of the “middle” steps in the dinghy repair pictorial chronicle below — both Hunter and I were too busy laying in increasing-sized cloth to stop for pictures.)

The way to fix a dinghy is not / to get yourself a stool / but draw a line around the spot / and call it beautifool

(My apologies to e.e. cummings)