Story and photos by Elaine Lembo
“What’s going on? The best week of your life!”
Hank Schmitt Founder, Offshore Passage Opportunities PAYS supporter
Celebrating 20 years of service to the yachting community, the annual PAYS festival kicked off March 22, 2025, in the stunning, lush Caribbean island of Dominica, with welcome remarks by dignitaries and a well-attended party for sailors and volunteers at the Cabrits cruise ship dock facilities near Fort Shirley.
The nine-day event is renowned for attracting cruisers who sail the islands and even fly in for a jam-packed schedule of barbeques and speeches, cultural tours, river trips, snorkeling, and swimming in the island’s freshwater falls. A fun regatta to the beach town of Mero inspires even more celebration in the form of parties and parades led by island cultural groups who lure spectators into joining in. The Mahaut Bouyon Lapeau Kabuwit drummers and Sensay costume dancing groups from St. Joseph led this year’s dynamic, memorable performance. The colorful and elaborate costumes and face masks whipping through the streets were enough to rattle spectators’ bones into action!
PAYS festival goers also volunteer in community service projects, including planting trees, distributing groceries, painting houses, cleaning up beaches, clearing trails, and hunting invasive lionfish.
As editor in chief of Caribbean Compass editor, I welcomed the opportunity to jump in on the action and captured many of the moments. For more information about the nonprofit PAYS and the annual festival, visit the website.
