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“Dominica is remarkable for the beauty of its mountains.....and must be seen to be believed.” Christopher Columbus, 1493
We arrived in Dominica (pronounced Dom-e-nee-ka) on May 31st and spent the next 2 days touring the island. It really is beautiful. After being discovered by Columbus and claimed for Spain, it was first settled by the French and later the English, changing back and forth several times. Dominica became a self-governing British possession in 1967 and finally an independent republic in 1978.
First, for our cruising friends who might be reading this, Portsmouth was an easy place to clear in. Forget the horror stories you’ve heard about the “boat boys”. We found them to be courteous, helpful and friendly. The boat boy/tour guide who greeted us as we entered the bay said “Welcome to paradise! Your friends are already here. My name is Alexis. Just call me on channel 16 if you need anything.” And off he sped. Some of the fruit vendors who paddle out on their surfboards are a little more persistent but after a no thank you, they paddled off. One of them named Junior noticed that we had a small pot with basil growing in it. When he brought us our order of mangos, lettuce, tomatoes and sweet potatoes, he brought us a bag with some soil and some thyme to plant. What a nice gesture! As I was chatting with Junior he mentioned that his last name was Wallace. He seemed intrigued when I told him that maybe we were related because I have ancestors named Wallace. He said, “It could be, because my grandmother is not my color. And anyway, we are all the same color inside.”
We arrived in Dominica (pronounced Dom-e-nee-ka) on May 31st and spent the next 2 days touring the island. It really is beautiful. After being discovered by Columbus and claimed for Spain, it was first settled by the French and later the English, changing back and forth several times. Dominica became a self-governing British possession in 1967 and finally an independent republic in 1978.
First, for our cruising friends who might be reading this, Portsmouth was an easy place to clear in. Forget the horror stories you’ve heard about the “boat boys”. We found them to be courteous, helpful and friendly. The boat boy/tour guide who greeted us as we entered the bay said “Welcome to paradise! Your friends are already here. My name is Alexis. Just call me on channel 16 if you need anything.” And off he sped. Some of the fruit vendors who paddle out on their surfboards are a little more persistent but after a no thank you, they paddled off. One of them named Junior noticed that we had a small pot with basil growing in it. When he brought us our order of mangos, lettuce, tomatoes and sweet potatoes, he brought us a bag with some soil and some thyme to plant. What a nice gesture! As I was chatting with Junior he mentioned that his last name was Wallace. He seemed intrigued when I told him that maybe we were related because I have ancestors named Wallace. He said, “It could be, because my grandmother is not my color. And anyway, we are all the same color inside.”
Our first day on Dominica started at 6:00 a.m. with a hike through the rainforest. This forest looked very different then the rainforest we hiked through on Saba. The canopy was much taller, massive trees with incredible root systems. We went with 2 other couples, Kathy & Kerry from “Bellagio” and Paul & Mary on “Sea Otter” along with our guide, Alexis and his trainee Royce. Alexis was very tuned in to the environment around him. At one point he left the trail following a bird call into the forest. When he motioned for us to quietly follow, we discovered that he had located a Sisserou parrot, the national bird of Dominica and the centerpiece of their flag. A large parrot of 18-20 inches long, they can be difficult to see in the wild so we felt extremely fortunate. The Sisserou sat in the top of a tall tree allowing each of us to get a good look at him.
Our tour guide, Alexis doing a little tree climbing.
Wendy, Mary, Paul and Kathy with Kerry and Jim behind.
The second part of our hike that morning was through farm area to a waterfall. Alexis picked fruit off the trees for us so that we could sample the wonderful papaya, mangos and oranges.
This is a cocoa pod open to show the fruit inside. 
That afternoon Alexis took us for a boat ride up the Indian River. There are 365 rivers on Dominica and it is one of the few islands where fresh water is abundant. We watched the birds, fish and iguanas along the way. The Voodoo Lady scene from the Pirates of the Caribbean Part 2 was filmed at a site we passed along the river.
To keep hydrated, we stopped for a rum punch at a bar on the river. A lime punch for Wendy and a DYNAMITE punch for Jim. Alexis claimed that the last person who drank a dynamite felt strong enough to swim back down the river. Jim can handle a punch and opted to ride back in the boat. Another idea would be to drink the Dominica beer Kabuli. It has a map of Dominica on it so a person could use it to find their way home!
A hummingbird sitting on her nest along the river.
Day 2 was spent touring the island. We were with Kathy and Kerry again and Val and Lloyd from “Puddle Jumper”. Our guide Winston was wonderful, pointing out all the local attractions as he drove us around the north half of the island.
As Winston was pointing out the abundance of fruits and vegetables growing alongside the road, we asked him if breadfruit was in season. Breadfruit is what Captain Bligh and the crew of the Bounty were sent to Tahiti for. He said yes and asked us why we were interested. When we told him we wanted to try cooking some he stopped in the next village where his home happened to be. He asked if any of us ever played basketball. I said “Did you see how tall I am Winston? I come from a long line of basketball players.” At 5’10” I’m a lot taller than Winston!
He had me get under a huge breadfruit tree growing in his yard where he took a long pole to knock down one of the cantaloupe-size fruit. My job was to catch it before it hit the ground and was bruised. I’m happy to say I was successful and didn’t embarrass my family!
A stop at the ruins of a sugar plantation.
Our tour included a drive through the Carib Indian reservation where descendants of the Carib’s still live. The Carib Indians were living in Dominica when Columbus arrived.
Beautiful handwoven baskets for sale.
Next stop, a beautiful waterfall called The Emerald Pool where we swam in cold, clear water. It was a wonderful day on a beautiful island.
A short trip down the coast to Roseau for the night and then it was on to St. Pierre, Martinique. St. Pierre is best known for being the victim of a volcanic eruption in 1902 that destroyed the town and killed 22,000 residents. Clearing customs in St. Pierre was an interesting process. No formality or stoney-faced custom agents in this French port. Customs is located in a restaurant/bar/cyber café which is only open in the morning and then again at 6:00 in the evening to correspond with the café hours. You fill out the form on-line and print out a copy. It’s OK to drink a beer while you’re doing it. Then you take the form to the owner/bartender/customs agent and she stamps it. I keep telling you, the French know how to make it easy! And then to show you it’s a small world, the bartenders’ boyfriend is an engineer and is working on a project in Milwaukee, our home town.
Except for wandering around St. Pierre, we didn’t get to tour Martinique. We just spent a night anchored in St. Pierre and then sailed to the quiet anchorage at Anse Noir for the second night. We had a good, one-day weather window so we decided to move on to St. Lucia while we could. That decision proved to be a good one as we enjoyed a great sail in near perfect conditions. Too bad we had to skip Martinique. It’s beautiful and home to numerous rum distilleries. We bought a few bottles to do our own tasting, minus the tours.
The anchorage at Anse Noir where we swam, snorkled and slept before heading to St. Lucia.
Black sand beach........
We've been in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia since June 6th. We're anchored off a pretty beach lined with resorts and restaurants. This is one of the main tourists areas in St. Lucia. It's been nice just hanging out in this lovely spot.
A hummingbird sitting on her nest along the river.
Day 2 was spent touring the island. We were with Kathy and Kerry again and Val and Lloyd from “Puddle Jumper”. Our guide Winston was wonderful, pointing out all the local attractions as he drove us around the north half of the island.
As Winston was pointing out the abundance of fruits and vegetables growing alongside the road, we asked him if breadfruit was in season. Breadfruit is what Captain Bligh and the crew of the Bounty were sent to Tahiti for. He said yes and asked us why we were interested. When we told him we wanted to try cooking some he stopped in the next village where his home happened to be. He asked if any of us ever played basketball. I said “Did you see how tall I am Winston? I come from a long line of basketball players.” At 5’10” I’m a lot taller than Winston!
He had me get under a huge breadfruit tree growing in his yard where he took a long pole to knock down one of the cantaloupe-size fruit. My job was to catch it before it hit the ground and was bruised. I’m happy to say I was successful and didn’t embarrass my family! 
A stop at the ruins of a sugar plantation.
More scenic views along the way.
Our tour included a drive through the Carib Indian reservation where descendants of the Carib’s still live. The Carib Indians were living in Dominica when Columbus arrived.
Beautiful handwoven baskets for sale.
Next stop, a beautiful waterfall called The Emerald Pool where we swam in cold, clear water. It was a wonderful day on a beautiful island.
A short trip down the coast to Roseau for the night and then it was on to St. Pierre, Martinique. St. Pierre is best known for being the victim of a volcanic eruption in 1902 that destroyed the town and killed 22,000 residents. Clearing customs in St. Pierre was an interesting process. No formality or stoney-faced custom agents in this French port. Customs is located in a restaurant/bar/cyber café which is only open in the morning and then again at 6:00 in the evening to correspond with the café hours. You fill out the form on-line and print out a copy. It’s OK to drink a beer while you’re doing it. Then you take the form to the owner/bartender/customs agent and she stamps it. I keep telling you, the French know how to make it easy! And then to show you it’s a small world, the bartenders’ boyfriend is an engineer and is working on a project in Milwaukee, our home town.
Except for wandering around St. Pierre, we didn’t get to tour Martinique. We just spent a night anchored in St. Pierre and then sailed to the quiet anchorage at Anse Noir for the second night. We had a good, one-day weather window so we decided to move on to St. Lucia while we could. That decision proved to be a good one as we enjoyed a great sail in near perfect conditions. Too bad we had to skip Martinique. It’s beautiful and home to numerous rum distilleries. We bought a few bottles to do our own tasting, minus the tours.
The anchorage at Anse Noir where we swam, snorkled and slept before heading to St. Lucia.
Black sand beach........and Merengue at anchor.
We've been in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia since June 6th. We're anchored off a pretty beach lined with resorts and restaurants. This is one of the main tourists areas in St. Lucia. It's been nice just hanging out in this lovely spot.Each day we get a visit from Gregory, the Fruit Man. He sells fresh fruits and vegetables to the yachts in the bay. He blows a welcome on his conch horn as he approaches each boat.
These kids were getting some sailing instruction and having a little race as they passed by the stern of our boat. Maybe one of them is a future Olympian!
Jim's been doing his best at beer tasting his way through the Caribbean. In addition to the great Belgium beers we've found in the French islands, there are a lot of good local brews.
We're getting a little bit of squally weather today. Nothing serious, just some rain and the occasional wind gust. So we'll hang out here for another day or so before heading south along the coast. We'll update again at the next opportunity.
These kids were getting some sailing instruction and having a little race as they passed by the stern of our boat. Maybe one of them is a future Olympian!
Jim's been doing his best at beer tasting his way through the Caribbean. In addition to the great Belgium beers we've found in the French islands, there are a lot of good local brews.
We're getting a little bit of squally weather today. Nothing serious, just some rain and the occasional wind gust. So we'll hang out here for another day or so before heading south along the coast. We'll update again at the next opportunity.