By Hank Schmitt
You may ask, where is Mero and why is there a race to go there? Mero is a very small beach community on the West Coast of Dominica in the Caribbean 10 miles south of Portsmouth Harbour.
The race is a new addition to the annual PAYS (Portsmouth Association of Yachts Security) Dominica Yachting Festival inviting cruisers to discover this Caribbean jewel of an island that harkens back to what cruising was like in the 1970’s.
The festival was started in 2016 to promote a new mooring field donated by members of Offshore Passage Opportunities (OPO) to encourage cruisers to not only visit, but also to feel secure to leave their boats for the day and explore the many natural wonders Dominica offers. Profits from the festival’s Sunday BBQs pay for a patrol boat to watch over their anchorage 24/7.
The race to Mero is to encourage the government to help expand the mooring field to Mero and to put in a dingy dock so cruisers have more than one safe place to anchor and stay longer in Dominica. Think fun race towing your dinghy and white sails. Not only is there a race but there is race back to Portsmouth on the following day after a “jump up’ street party.
The Race is only two days of the seven-day festival. Here are more reasons to plan to be in Dominica March 21 to March 27.
- Free mooring for the first 30 boats to sign up. There is a $100 sponsorship per boat for the first 30 boats. The deposit (plus $100) goes towards meals, the Indian River Tour, and van excursion. (Moorings are only $12 a night all season.)
- Free opening reception Dinner on Saturday March 21st.
- Sunday and Wednesday BBQs at the PAYS Beach Pavilion are only $25 including all the run punch you can drink.
- Discounted tours.
- Participate in the race to Mero and receive a metal commemoration plaque to mount in your Nav station.
- Free closing party at prizegiving Friday night.
- See their web site for a full itinerary. PAYSDominica.com
The PAYS organization makes it very easy to visit all season long. When you first arrive, check in at the PAYS office. They will take care of customs procedures. In many cases you clear you in and out at the same time. This is a free service. Customs fees are only about $30 US for one week. The PAYS office also sells $12 Park passes that are required to visit all the attractions on the island.
In previous festivals cruisers feel like they won the lottery when they arrived in Portsmouth Dominica by dumb luck and participated in festival program. This year PAYS want to make sure they have a full mooring field by encouraging skippers to sign up in advance.
PAYS can take credit cards to pay for BBQ’s and tours when you arrive, but they cannot take deposits online. That is why Offshore Passage Opportunities is using their web site to take deposits to guarantee you a free mooring. OPO is also sponsoring the extra $100 doubling your deposit fee.
After the 30-boat limit is reached, you may still be able to get a free mooring, but not the $100 bonus or 100% guarantee that there will be a mooring. Of course there is unlimited room to anchor out for free. Sign up at www.sailopo.com/store If you have questions, please feel free to e-mail Hank at hank@sailopo.com.
