Rivers & Waterfalls
The passage from Saint Pierre, Martinique to Dominica was more exhilarating than we had anticipated. The seas between the islands were +3 meters, the wind speed +30knts with gusts much higher. One gust took our amphometer out of action requiring a power reset. To be on the safe side, Simon hand steered while enjoying the occasional salt water shower. Fortunately the distance between the two countries is less than 20nm so the days “work” was minimal. We had Aura safely on a mooring ball in Roseau by lunch time J
The check-in process was easy enough once Simon found the dock to tie up the dingy. The simple things are not always so obvious. We had already cleaned the salt from our cockpit as we made our way up the island so the afternoon was spent relaxing while Si took the dingy out to explore the anchorage. We were fortunate to have a mooring away from the other yachts and could watch the sunset without interruption. Si attempted to capture the sunset as we contemplated life and the usual topical poignant matters.
After a rolly night, we caught up for coffee with Steve and Dee on La Mischief. They had enjoyed the hike to the boiling lake and an island tour that involved climbing over big boulders to visit a waterfall. It all sounded a bit strenuous for me as I was hoping for something with less walking so I can ease myself back into hiking. It has been three month since I have done much more than a walk along the beach.
We decided to sail to Portsmouth, a wide bay north of the island. The morning sail along the leeward coast of the island was idyllic with blue sky and a gentle 20 knots of wind on our stern. Naturally this changed as the gentle breeze ripped over the volcanic mountains when out of nowhere we had 30 knots at our 60 degree sweet spot…Aura took off like a wild thing. Simon kept himself busy with a spot of stainless steel polishing while I took the helm (with the help of “Ray”) and played around with trimming and furling the genoa.
As we entered the bay, we were greeted by a number of boat boys, all very friendly welcoming us to Dominica. After a second attempt, we put our pick down with good holding.
That evening Isabelle and Gilbert came over for chicken pie and a few rum punches. We had not seen them for a week and it was great to catch up. The next morning was market day so I went into town for a few fresh produce. It was a large market with a lot of stalls. I always enjoying seeing what is on offer and picking out the best looking fruit and veg. I made a very nice ratatouille with fresh eggplant, capsicum, zucchini and tomatoes.
Later that day we stretched our legs with a walk on the beach and watched the sun set with a local Kubuli beer. When we got back, Aura was beeping at us to let us know that her batteries need recharging. Aura isn’t fitted with solar panels therefore we have a morning/evening routine of running our generator to recharge our battery bank. Unfortunately that night generator was not happy and kept stopping, indicating a “No Raw Water Flow” issue. The investigation revealed sea weed was clogging the raw cooling water inlet pipe and the non-return valve. The removal of this section for cleaning is a 6 hose clamps however due to their location and Si’s limited tool kit, the process took 10 times longer than necessary. Unfortunately the impeller had also failed. This change was completed in a record time of 30 minutes. Our BBQ dinner was cancelled but at least we were making electricity and water again.
The following day Isabelle, Marie Claire, Jean-Roc (Teiva) and myself went for a rainforest and waterfall walk. It was a nice gentle uphill walk. Our guide was great pointing out the local parrots and the various fruits and spices that are grown on the island. I collected booty of bay leaves, nut meg, cinnamon, papaya, pomplamoose just to name a few. The climb up to the waterfall followed a gorgeous river. We had to cross it a number of times which proved to be fun. On one occasion, Isabelle ended up going for a swim. The waterfall was stunning and well worth the walk.
The local organisation that manages the moorings and provide the security, host a weekly BBQ which supports PAYS and the people that are employed. This week coincided with Super Bowl Sunday. Many of the yachts in the anchorage came ashore for the BBQ that consisted of chicken. mahi mahi, salad and free flow rum punch. Large tables were pushed together creating a great opportunity to catch up with friends while making new ones. Once everybody had finished eating, the tables were promptly removed and we danced along to some classic reggae…loads of fun!. We took a break from the dancing to watch the half time Super Bowl entertainment and a little of the game. Then back for some more dancing and rum punch. A few of the local joined in, their dance moves of bump and grind lookedmore like they needed to get a room so we knew it was time to go home.
We booked a tour of the island with Vent D’Allures and Teiva. Winston was our driver and tour guide for the day. The tour took us down the Atlantic side of the island, through the Indian reservation, across to Roseau and back up to Portsmouth. The highlights was a visit to a chocolate factory run by a German chap. He walked us through the whole process from drying the coco beans through to packaging. It was really interesting and very inspirational as although a small business he is passionate about his chocolate which is all sourced locally. We got to sample some of the chocolate and purchased a couple of bars to enjoy back on Aura. After a lovely lunch we visited the Emerald pool. The pool is surrounded by beautiful rainforest with a waterfall that feeds into it. Unfortunately it was not warm enough to go for a swim (maybe only 26c) but the visit was well worth it.
Chocolate Making Process
The following day we decided to depart Dominica and head to Iles Des Saintes (The Saintes)…back to France. Strong winds were forecast and we wanted to get across and settled before the wind and swell increased. We can highly recommend Dominica for its natural lush beauty and the friendly locals.