Megawind in the morning and looking overcast but that’s pretty typical. The weather for our tentative departure date of Monday or Tuesday looks perfect.

Ormond was hoping to pick us up around 9 am to drive to Roseau. His truck would undergo further repairs there while we would … ? dunno. Anyway, we dinghy into the market at 8 am to be able to meet Ormond at 9. I wait in the dinghy while Christy shops.

Back on Milu we wait for Ormond’s call which doesn’t come when we expect. I eventually call him and he says his Roseau mechanic is coming to him so he has to wait in Calibishie. We have some time. Christy researches our next stops while I do water chores, tighten the alternator belt and check the engine. Good to go for our departure.

Ormond calls and we go to meet him and his wife Ruth. They want to do some market shopping so while they do that, I take the coffee pods (!!!) that Ormond kingly brought from Canada back to Milu.

We decide to drive to the beach at Mero, Ormond makes a few stops to show us some sights he knows about. Very cool. He knows a lot of people and greets them everywhere we go.

First stop at Mero is lunch which is not very good but needed. We hem and haw about a swim because Ruth and Ormond don’t have their gear. We decide to go anyway, Ormond in his shorts while Ruth gets a chaise in the shade. I go back to the car to get our bag and run into the Texans from yesterday and have a few laughs.

It’s a lovely beach and great water. I go for a long swim while Christy befriends a chiropractor swimmer and Ormond chats with old friends. Out of the water Ormond gets a fruit plate for EC$15 (awesome, though we’re picking mango out of our teeth for two hours after). Ormond learns that the carnival is just down the road at St. Joseph so we have to go. We do.

The carnival is much the same as the Portsmouth carnival, the same loud music coming out of trucks loaded with speakers and blaring at volume 15, similar dancers, pole walkers, satanic dancers, Queen of Dominica, etc. Ormond is very excited and you can tell just by watching the people they love carnival.

We walk ahead of the carnival a bit, I’m not sure why until Ormond meets two more old friends, I guess he grew up with them and spent some time in the building right here. Ormond buys a bagful of plantain and fried fish (like smelt) which we poke away at. I’m a little afraid he wants to wait here for the carnival to come by as that will be hours but soon enough we depart for the car. As we get to the car his mechanic calls and says he is waiting for him at Calibashie. We boot it back to Portsmouth where we say goodbye to Ruth and Ormond and climb aboard Milu.

Try out the new coffee! and relax as I write this.