Dominica

Dominica is another ex-British colony and it fascinated us to see that the ex-British islands are run so very differently to their French owned neighbours!  The geography of the islands is also so different, and whilst Martinique had many beaches and bays, Dominica is much more rocky with only a couple of viable moorings and one bay called Portsmouth!

Most of our friend boats were already in Portsmouth so we joined them and chose to drop the hook over taking a buoy.

Early the next morning we took the dinghy over to the port dock to check in. The officials will allow you to check in and out at the same time and it gives you a fourteen day duration before departure. This seemed like an ‘own goal’ to us as nobody stays longer than two weeks. We had read that if you drop the skipper off they don’t charge for landing on the dock, but we found that wasn’t the case and a charge was made that we couldn’t avoid!  Never mind!

After finishing the check-in we went ashore with Joyce Ellen to enquire about doing a day trip the next day.  Dominica is very unusual in that all the boat boys have clubbed together to create PAYS – Portsmouth Association of Yacht Security – and they all work together to ‘sell’ tours and help visitors with moorings and anything else you need.  How refreshing!!

Sasha at the PAYS office was happy to help us arrange a tour and told us she had some other people also wanting to go the next day and if we went together it would be cheaper! Of course we said yes, and made some good new friends on the tour the next day.

Time To Explore

Having made our booking we ventured in to town with Vince and Lyn and they showed us the sights. It was quickly done as there is just one long high street and they took us to a place they’d found previously, a local bar which was more like walking in to someone’s kitchen and through in to their back yard. In the bar were two old boys who were obviously friends of the proprietor, sat next to a drum and high hat.

As our beers were replaced with new ones, we let slip that it was Jenni’s birthday and within minutes happy Birthday songs were blaring from the shack, with the two old boys drumming along to the tunes. Eventually, we’d had enough birthday tunes, but Chris was able to take over the controls and put some more music on. Sometimes the simple things are the best. Whilst we there, we watched two young lads fishing on the beach, one of them caught a fish and he was overjoyed. We also felt hungry and had noticed a roti shop next door as we came in. We asked the owner if we could buy a roti next door and eat it at his place, “Sure man, no problem!” So laid back!

The Tour

The tour was another full day with a Kevin, who loved taking us to see “eye candy” which were little viewpoints off the beaten track, and as a Rastafarian greeted all his friends with “Yes I”!

We visited a chocolate factory and rum distillery and amazing rock formations and another authentic village.

The highlight is always the driving in crazy rocky hills and he shared some interesting facts, including when we drove through the “Village of the Dans” where apparently all the men manage to marry all the most beautiful women!!

Portsmouth is also famous for its Wednesday and Sunday bbq’s and as it was Jenni’s birthday celebration we had arranged to go on the Sunday night.

There ended up being quite a crowd of us, and our friends on Sea Dreamer (which is a large 46 foot catamaran) kindly offered to host pre-dinner drinks, and we had saved some French fizz for the occasion.  After drinks and as night fell we all went ashore in various dinghies, and all indulged in the free-flowing rum punch and lots of dancing!  It was a great night!!

We had purposefully not arranged anything for the next morning, so had a chilled day, before we carried on the next island shortly.

Guadaloupe

Another French island where the clearance procedures were easy and online!!

We went to Les Saintes, which is a group of island just south of Guadaloupe, and decided to go to Terre de Haut.  After dropping the anchor Jenni went for a swim and was just getting back on Yanula Blue when heard someone shout “DOLPHINS”! She jumped back in to see if she could spot them and a dolphin was swimming under Yanula Blue on the ocean floor.  It was swimming on its back and smiling at her, so she says!! What a dream!!!

We went ashore the next day and had a look around this cute little town and bought a baguette – but we decided to move on straight away and left just after lunch! Why? Well our mission had always been to get to Antigua as Chris was keen to join the Royal Naval Tot Club of Antigua and Barbuda and Jenni had discovered a virtual friend was there and was a member! As you have to be sponsored and introduced by a member this was too good to miss.  We set off to another anchorage just to spend the night, and left again with the first light the next day, to get to Antigua as soon as we can!!