Portsmouth

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Mon 16 Mar 2009 22:47
 
Portsmouth
 
 
After last night and drinking the bar dry of rum punch, we had a quiet start to the week, rudely interrupted when Bear found that the on going saga with the bow thruster had reared its ugly head again - many buckets of battery acid stained fluid hoiked overboard and a fed up Bear was placated with the offer of lunch in town. So with electric outboard fully charged off we went.
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
On route to the town jetty we saw this funny little German boat called Noah's Ark. Very strange to see a boat at anchor with no mast, owned by a local fruit trader with St Martin, who hopes to make her look beautiful. Next to us as we pulled in was this very hard working dinghy.
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
The shore line is littered with shipwrecks, a few from Hurricanes Lewis and Ivan, a few from a freak swell in the bay in 1995.
 
 
          
 
 
 

Portsmouth in the Parish of Saint John is the former capital of Dominica, in 1730 there was an outbreak of malaria and Roseau took its place. The town has 2,977 inhabitants making it second in size to Roseau.

 

 

High Street, Portsmouth.

 

         

 

Ambling along the High Street we saw Bee's Electrical Supplies. Too much for us so it was time for lunch.

 

     

     

 

We found a cute looking place called 'Sea View'. A popular eatery and take away, owned and run by a sweet lady. Bear went to order, I sat quietly with the place mats, nailed down against sea breezes. Bear had Mahi-mahi, I had chicken washed down with a coke, then a mango juice as I had sipped Bears' and thought it delicious. The first time we have ever sat in a restaurant looking at a shipwreck. Great food, four drinks £8. Marvellous.

 

   

 

Some houses look chocolate box cute but many were little more than wrecks to match the shoreline.

 

         

 

The chap who lived in this house took living next door to St Anthony's very seriously. Just not too sure about the pink.

 

 

         

 

A nice shop, I was very taken with the home made shelving and neat stacking. The main supermarket in Portsmouth, a little different to the one in the UK.

 

     

 

Just like Roseau, Portsmouth did not fall short on "one careful owner" with many to choose from, but a slight twist was seeing one with a shipwreck behind it.

 

   

 

Some school children resting in the shade, this chap was in a rush and the G.P. Surgery, open for business. We popped in to see Edith in the chandlery to see if Hubert had brought the petrol outboard bits from Roseau that Bear had orderred, but being Caribbean Time, "not yet". We stood under a sign across the road that read "Michael Douglas Boulevard". Court was in session with all the doors flung open onto the High Street. The Bailiff shouted up and down the road for the next person due in and with that we thought our senses had had enough adventure for one day. Back to the dinghy armed with more beer and a watermelon as we were expecting Jim and Ann (Bees Knees) and Phillip and Joanna (Delphinus) for sundowners.

 

     

 

I spotted this Pelican sitting on one of the smaller wrecks. Bear snuck us over for a closer look, off he flew to a more distant relic, no sooner than we passed he flew back from whence he came.

 

 

ALL IN ALL a sorry sort of town that needs tender loving care. The people are still very friendly but not as purposeful as in Roseau.