TNS454 23/12/15

Monday night we anchored off Portsmouth in Dominica. A bright moon guided us in. We were close enough to shore to make out the headlights of individual cars, and to hear the music from beachside bars. We were excited to explore the island for ourselves.

This morning, after an energetic happy hour, we organized tours for the day. Some crew chose the Indian River trip. They were rowed up a rainforest-enclosed creek to the Bush Bar, a rum shack specializing in a potent punch called “Dynamite.” After two hours drinking rum and watching hummingbirds they piled carefully back into their boats and sang shanties as they floated back to the shoreline. The tour guide offered sage advice to those looking for wildlife along the waterline: “Small hole, small crab. Big
hole, big crab.”

Other crew members chose a waterfall tour. They were driven high into the forest. They scrambled up hills and across rocks, weaving back and forth across a  river bed. The reward: A 25-meter waterfall with a small pool at the bottom. They played in the water for an hour and took a shocking number of selfies before hiking out.

Later the crew reconvened in Dominica’s waterfront bars and restaurants, drinking local Kubuli beers and putting money into the island economy 5 East Caribbean Dollars at a time. Island hopping suits us.

Tuesday we left Dominica for the short hop to the Saintes, a group of small rocky islands just off Guardeloupe. We arrived at anchor in time for swimming. Most of the crew abandoned ship, with a splash and swam in the warm Caribbean waters. This was a great moment for Ruth who had always wanted to swim with a whale! Admittedly it was James Whale but surely that still counts.