Dominica

We left The Saintes and settled in for the short hop across the way to Dominica. Andrew had the engine running so that we could make water, but we also had both the main sail up and the Genoa out.

Fish pots are a major problem, especially in shallow water and can be seen miles offshore. The fish traps are attached to a line with only a plastic bottle, sometimes a buoy, which is very hard to see. Next thing, Andrew yells, takes George off autopilot and swerves to port. Too late! Although the fish pot looked further away, the line attaching the buoy to the cage at the bottom of the sea, was directly in our path. We had snagged it. 

Quick action was necessary. We switched off the water maker and the engine. I grabbed the knife which we have attached to our companionway steps and gave it to Andrew. He used the boat hook to try and snag the line while I manoeuvred the boat into the wind. With me holding the boat hook, or rather hanging on to it as the fish trap was heavy, Andrew managed to cut one line but we still had something around our keel. Andrew lay on the platform at the back of the boat and snagged the line and cut it loose. Sadly, we didn't catch the buoy, which would have been Wilson the second. This was our first fish pot but we were gifted Wilson the first by Ian on Gumbar at Christmas. Crisis over, we continued on our way to Dominica.

We arrived in Dominica and were met by boat boys even before we got to the mooring field. As we had heard and read in the guidebook that they were indeed helpful, we told Bonto that we would talk to him after dropping the anchor.

He stopped by the boat later in the afternoon and we agreed to a river tour and a land tour. He had another family who were also interested and we settled for the following day.

We were up bright an early the following morning as he said he would fetch us at 7am. He was a little late, but he eventually arrived.

Bonto motored to a point in the river and then had to switch off the engine and row with huge, long wooden oars. It was magnificent. So peaceful and quiet. A beautiful start to the day.

So calm

Big fish, no crocodiles 

Look closely - you might see a crab

Early morning traffic

Strange but beautiful flower

We stopped at a point where the river got narrow and very shallow and hopped off his boat for a short walk. 

Rickety dock

Bush bar used in scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean

Up the creek

Look familiar?

Tia Dalma's place

Bird life

After our meander up the river we went ashore and were picked up by a tour guide for the land tour. Allenton, our tour guide was very informative and chatty.

Banana tree

Mango tree

Our first stop was Syndicate Falls. It is a beautiful waterfall on private land and should have cost us 10 EC but the office was closed so we didn't pay. We had to park outside the gate and walk for about 15 minutes, crossing the river a few times, before reaching the falls.

Cinnamon tree

It had been raining and the ground was very wet, but then we came across a pipe that had come apart at the seam, spewing water down the hill, making the ground even soggier. I wanted to find the owner and tell him/her that all this lovely water was rushing down the hill. Such a waste, not to mention the erosion that it will cause! Allenton didn't seem all that perturbed and just put the pipe on one side of the path.

Land crab

The pictures don't do the size of the waterfall justice. And when we swam we didn't ask anyone to take a picture. It is about 30 meters in height and the water falling down on our shoulders was like a massage.

Allenton stopped every now and then to point out the fruit growing near the side of the road. He picked a hibiscus flower for each of us.

On the way to our next stop, we pulled over on the side of the road to look at the breathtaking view.

Tour bus

Our next stop on our tour was Cold Soufriere. We had to park on the side of the road and walk through beautiful green land to get there. Allenton told us that when Hurricane Maria came through it blasted all the trees on that side of the mountain. Some of them have still not recovered.

Cold Soufriere is a unique volcanic manifestation. The water bubbles from a volcanic crater, hissing through gaps in the earth, but it is not hot, it is cold. The ground is grey with clay like porous stone and it smells like sulphur.

The bridge was broken and we had to walk under it to get to the other side, through the sticky, clay-like, murky water.

Squelchy feet hike back to the bus

The countryside is really beautiful with lovely plants growing on the verges of the road.

We refer to Laura's cabin as her Bat Cave! We found an alternative for her!

Next stop was lunch. Allenton had phoned in our orders to save time, which I thought was very ingenious. So often on these tours you spend more time waiting for your food than actually eating, which takes time out of the day. We had chosen the fish option, which arrived on a banana leaf with rice, plantain, mango and lentils. It was delicious. Sadly, it was raining while we were eating as I am sure the view would have been amazing.

After lunch we headed off to Red Rock. It was still pouring with rain so we waited a bit for it to stop. The rain made the red sand very sticky and muddy, which made walking down the path difficult. Once we got out onto the rock it was stunning. 

The rock was formed by a nearby volcano which erupted many years ago and spewed its basalt rich lava down the mountain and into the sea. Basalt is rich in iron and over time in the hot Caribbean sun and being washed by the salty sea, the rock oxidized and turned the grey, rocks into the rich red colour that they are now.

The last stop in our tour was the chocolate factory. The lady at the factory took us through the process of making chocolate, from the cocoa seeds, drying them, grinding them and then making the chocolate. After tasting many flavours we decided to buy some mint and salt. It is delicious.

Chocolate factory

Cocoa seeds

Drying trays

Carefully placing stickers on the packets

We drove back to the dinghy dock through the most beautiful green lush hilly parts of Dominica.

The following day we decided to walk to the fort, Fort Shirley. We couldn't really see it in all its glory as they were setting up for a jazz festival that was going to happen that weekend.

Abandoned hotel along the route to the fort

Tents for the jazz festival and food stalls

There was a trail above the fort which we decided to explore. And yes, Brandon, we were in slip slops! Nothing changes with us and walking. 

The earth is very dry

Half way up. I wasn't sure she was going to continue

She got to the top eventually

We saw many lizards and birds and I even saw a snake slither off the path in front of me. Apparently they are all harmless.

Definitely saw that snake

It was a lovely walk but it did go on forever, winding around the mountain until we eventually got to the top. We were rewarded with a beautiful view and a canon!

Obligatory selfie

Well done, Laura!

The brilliant thing about Dominica is that you can check in and check out at the same time if you are only staying for two weeks. So we didn't have to go back to the offices to check out. We decided to break our next leg by heading down the coast to Roseau before departing Dominica.

The bay in Roseau is big and we radioed SeaCat who have mooring balls in the bay. We tried several times before he eventually answered. He directed us to a really dodgy looking ball really close to the shore. We made sure the anchor alarm was on all the time but thank goodness it was all fine.

Early the following morning, just as the sun was rising, we upped anchor and set off for Martinique.

In the next installment, we eventually arrive in Fort de France where we decided not to check in or go ashore, just spend the night. Then we head down to Sainte Anne where we spend a few days.