Our next destination would be the luscious island of Dominica - perhaps the most natural jewel of the Caribbean. We arrived late in the morning of December 16 after the 18 nm sail south from Les Saintes, picking up a mooring ball in Prince Rupert Bay, near the northern tip of the island and near its second largest town, Portsmouth.

Much of Dominica is set aside as Reserves which are covered with tropical rain forests . Perhaps the "wet spot" of the Lesser Antilles - it boasts 365 rivers. A glance of the island chart certainly reveals many more rivers compared to other nearby islands. It's also perhaps the poorest of the eastern Caribbean islands. What a dichotomy! The poverty is glaring, yet the residents appear well fed and most seem to have cell phones. All the young residents have iPods. Electricity must not be too expensive as evidenced by the loud music booming from town every night. The poverty certainly drives the abundance of "boat boys" who greet you in small boats as you approach the island and market their "services" - ranging from assistance to pick up a mooring, selling fruit and veggies, to offering guided tours of the island. We knew to expect this somewhat annoying hospitality and were armed with the name of a reputable boat boy. Once you choose a particular one to help you, the others back off and privacy can be found - except for the twice to four times daily "fruit guy" who can be quite persistent .   

We soon discovered how the island stays so green and fills so many rivers. It rains a lot - and this was supposed to be the start of the dry season! Don't believe it if you are told the rainy season ends with the hurricanes. We are still in the rainy season--one guidebook describes it as lasting through January—and we believe it. The boat was soon cleansed of all salt and Dave devised a way to collect rain water streaming off the bimini. We marveled at the seemingly continuous beautiful rainbows that could be seen.

On December 18, a Saturday (read "market day" in the Caribbean), we felt adventuresome and decided to take a "bus" to explore the main town of Roseau, on the SW side of the island, about an hour’s drive away (approx 30 miles) where the island’s main market is held. The buses are really group taxis and operate on an ad hoc schedule. Being in a hurry isn’t an option. Somehow the drivers or their "loaders" sense you desire to go somewhere as you approach and herd you into one of the micro vans lined up in the center of town . The vans hold 12-14 people and DO NOT depart until they are full. There is no price competition - all the fares to Roseau were EC$9 (the Eastern Caribbean Dollar is pegged to the US Dollar at $2.67 US per $1EC). This was a pretty cheap fare for going from one end of the island to the other. Since price competition wasn’t in play, drivers competed for riders by honking their horns to announce that seats were still available. When the van is full, it finally departs. Apparently, the best horn wins. We’ve come to actually enjoy this mode of transportation which, at first try, is a bit intimidating as it forces you to plunge into the local interpersonal culture. With 14 people jammed into a small van it’s impossible NOT to be assimilated. But once immersed, you find the locals are almost always friendly, helpful and eager to help strangers get around. Plus, we get to catch up on all the local gossip…..

The drive followed the contour of the seaside, passing through several small communities, many elevated amongst hilltops . Compared to Portsmouth, Roseau is cosmopolitan. The cruise ships dock here and all the streets we saw were paved. Being a Saturday, the market was in full swing and we enjoyed viewing all the fruits and veggies and gathering of the locals. Dave even watched a real island style dominoes game being played with each player having his dedicated set of cheering (or jeering) fans. We also toured the nearby botanical garden and hiked up Morne Bruce to enjoy the elevated view. The steady rain held off for the most part, yet we were cooled by an almost constant mist and drizzle. Then it was back to the "bus depot" for the honking contest and return ride to Portsmouth.

The following morning we took an easy hike to the restored Fort Shirley near our anchorage. This was a British garrison begun in 1774. Over the years, depending on who controlled the island, the French and British continued to expand the fort until it was abandoned as no longer needed in 1854, rapidly being overgrown by the tropical vegetation . Portions have been restored and it was interesting to see the high quality of original construction. Coincidently, while we were there, a replica square rigger cruise ship was docked at the fort's dock, completing the 1800s scene for us. We also hiked to some pre-restoration ruins that were fascinating. Stone works and undisturbed cannons consumed by rain forest set an eerie, ancient scene. Donna thought that of all the many forts she had visited over the years, this one was the best because of those items still found in their original state—especially the cannons with their royal markings still visible and a fascinating original stone stairwell carved of many steps into and up the steep peak of the mountain--you could just imagine the troops mustering up that exquisite stairwell!

While touring Fort Shirley we learned some more Virginia history as we had back on Nevis. The Jamestown settlers visited Dominica on their way to Nevis and eventually to Virginia. This was documented on a plaque provided by the Commonwealth of Virginia, displayed in the restored section of Fort Shirley, commemorating the 1985 reenactment of the 1607 voyage of the Godspeed to Dominica. We expect the settlers had no trouble filling their water casks....

Donna had inadvertently jammed the little toe on her left foot into one of our deck chairs (she wasn’t looking where she was going when Dave beckoned for help raising the dinghy) and this put off our plans to take a more ambitious tour and hike in the Dominican interior mountain rain forests. We felt it best to give her toe a chance to recover and would return to Dominica on our way back north in February or March. Maybe then the dry season will have arrived, making it more conducive anyway for hiking at length. Right now, even our boat boy tour guide agreed that it would be a muddy trek.