On the Loose in Dominica

On the Loose in Dominica

Friday 18th and Saturday 19th April 2024

When we arrived in Portsmouth, Dominica the harbor was rolly and uncomfortable. Nonetheless, we were able to square away immigration and  get a driving permit. So on Friday morning we were all set to go to shore and pick up our rental car. There are so many beautiful places that we wanted to show Rod, but only two days to explore the island. We decided to spend the first day down in the south-central part of the highlands, visiting Titou gorge, Freshwater and Boeri Lakes and Emerald Falls. These are all highly popular sites but we were lucky and found them almost deserted. 

There was less water flowing in Titou Gorge than when we visited previously, but it was still an amazing experience and Gloria enjoyed it more because she was a little less anxious about the conditions. Entering the crystal clear water at the mouth of the gorge was still a chilly experience, although one of party remembered to bring a shorty wet-suit (and I was happy I did!). After swimming upstream through the narrow chasm we were all able to enter the narrow chamber at the end, where a waterfall emerges through the roof. We were completely alone and it was incredible. I put my iPhone into waterproof bag (of dubious quality) and stuffed that on top of my head, under my cap, to keep it above water whilst swimming. I was able to take some pictures and the phone survived.

Next it was on to Boeri Lake. This was a new location for all of us. A 45 minute hike up and over a mountain ridge took us to the lake. It wasn’t too bad a walk, although I managed to slip on a completely flat rock, launching myself backwards off the trail and landing on my back. I was unhurt, but the plastic sun shield on my telephoto zoom got completely destroyed. The lake itself was beautiful and the setting quite atmospheric. 

In the interests of time, we skipped going to Trafalgar Falls (nearby) and headed over to Emerald Pool. The drive was a bit of a nightmare. Google sent us half way up a mountain road only to discover there was no way through. We ended up driving back to the coast and taking an alternative route. It was 4 pm by the time we got to Emerald Pool and the National Park staff had all left for the day. With the exception of one other man, we had the entire place to ourselves and it was magical.

The driving always takes longer than you think in Dominica and it was well after dark by the time we got back to the dinghy dock. We grabbed our stuff and headed back to Cotinga for a quick dinner and some much needed sleep. Thankfully the anchorage had settled down completely.

Today, Saturday, we took the rental car up to Syndicate Falls. We all enjoyed the leisurely walk up to the falls, which crosses the river four times and Gloria and I took the opportunity to swim. We ate lunch at the bar / restaurant run by the people who own the land. It’s an idyllic setting, the staff are super friendly and the food is good. We finished up by tasting a set of 4 or 5 flavored rums. According to the man serving us, children learn early in Dominica that everything tastes better with alcohol! After lunch we drove up to the Nature Reserve and walked around the trail, marveling at the enormous trees and hoping to see parrots. We did catch the briefest of glimpses of a red necked parrot, but not the Imperial parrot (Sisserou). 

We managed to get back a little earlier this evening and Gloria cooked us a wonderful dinner with Choate (a squad like vegetable) and chicken fajitas. I think everything is secure on the boat and tomorrow morning we plan to leave early for Martinique.

Mike

Rod and Gloria inside the entrance to the cave at the head of Titou Gorge (iPhone)

Rod and Gloria standing outside the exit-shute from the cave, just before swimming back down the chasm. (iPhone)

A rare "selfie" of yours truly inside the cave with waterfall (iPhone)

Boeri Lake up in the central highlands 

A wild orchid photographed on the path down from Boeri Lake (focus stacked image)

Emerald Pool in the late afternoon. The man on the right was the only other person we saw there.

Syndicate Falls from teh river below (wide angle panorama)

Syndicate Falls (a vertical panorama)

The road up to to the Syndicate Nature trail

Blog by Rod (see earlier photo of old guy with a camera!)

Blog by Rod (see earlier photo of old guy with a camera!)

Wednesday 17th - Thursday 18th April 2024

Marigot Bay

Thankfully, today’s plan was to visit Marigot Bay, which we had seen from Fort Napoleon yesterday.   My legs were aching from the climb up to the Fort, so a relatively short walk over to inspect said Bay seemed a piece of cake.   

After breakfast and a phone call to my better half to wish her a happy birthday, we set out for town.  This involved a longish dingy ride as we are moored about a mile from the town dock.  The wind was light so that the dingy ride was dry.  

 

We set out for Marigot Bay after a visit to customs to check out as we planned to depart in the morning for Dominica.  Even more important was the visit to the bakery to stock up on baguettes as we certainly weren’t going to get any on Dominica.

 

What looked to be an easy hike turned out to involve some sketchy scrambling along a very narrow pathway on the side of a steep hill.   Fortunately, most of the path was somewhat shaded and a friendly lizard posed for some photos.

We had hoped to checkout a reputed marina at the end of the path, but it was quite disappointing, mostly a boat junkyard.  The bay was picturesque, but open to the north, so not a good anchoring place except in very settled weather.  

Scrambling back along the path was somewhat easier, but at the end we found ourselves rather “peckish”.  Luckily, there was a restaurant still serving lunch that would accommodate us.  The host told us that there was only fish left on the menu.  We thought they meant only seafood, but what became clear was there was only one entree left making choosing our lunch very easy.  No menu needed!

It turned out to be a very delicious meal, though we are still not sure what fish was served.  Two beers, a large bottle of water and ice cream seem to be adequate reward for our hike.  

  

The walk to town was quite warm, and it was a great relief to get back to the boat and go snorkeling and cool down.  The snorkeling wasn’t nearly as good as that at Pigeon Island, but  the cooling water was much appreciated.  

After quick cockpit showers and a bit of evening chatting, we ate a light evening meal and went to  bed a bit before “boater’s midnight” (9 PM).  

Portsmouth, Dominica

After a rather rolly evening (meaning the boat was rolling from side to side in the ever present swells), we got up at 6 AM to prepare for departure.  We dropped the mooring at 7 AM and hoisted the mainsail, mostly for a riding sail as the forecast was for light winds today, and we expected to motor-sail the entire 20 miles.   We pointed the bow to the south for Dominica, barely visible in the haze.  Our otherwise uneventful trip was enlivened by Mike’s shout “fish on”. Which turned out to be a 2 foot barracuda.  Mike despatched the fish and filleted it.   

Upon entering Rupert Bay, we were met by a workboat that showed us to our mooring and assisted us in attaching our mooring lines to the eye on the top of the mooring ball.  This is a great help as otherwise it is quite a feat passing lined through the loop from the bow of a boat that is bouncing up and down 

 

Checking in at customs was quite easy for me as I just watched the process as Mike filled out the required forms.  A long dinghy ride took us back to the boat, where we picked up Gloria and went to the nearest dinghy dock and strolled along the waterfront street to the police station so Mike could get a temporary permit to drive. 

Back at the boat, we spent the rest of the afternoon resting.  It turns out that no one slept well last night.  Todays’ heat and humidity certainly got me down.   After the early evening temperature dropped a bit, Mike prepared an excellent dinner of green salad, Spanish rice, fried plantains and the star of the meal, the barracuda!   

Tomorrow, we’ve hired a vehicle  and plan to tour some of the Island by car.  

   

Rod

15 34.896 N, 61 27.785 W

A scooter parked on the front patio of a pretty house in Terre de Haut (Les Saintes)

Marigot Bay, Les Saintes. We hiked along the eastern (right hand) shore

You thought I was done with lizards? Not so fast! This little fellow was quite amenable to being a model

Similarly with this guy

I'm desperate to get some shots with a lizard of this type puffing out his throat ... but they don't seem to do it that often ... I don't know if it's a warning sign or to attract a mate

The old boat yard on Marigot Bay provided some good abstract opportunities

These two shots of the underside of a derelict yacht. The streaks are caused by rain washing away the anti-fouling paint

Gloria and Rod enjoying vegetables, bread, cheese and salami in the cockpit

 

Snorkeling, Salty Sailing and the Saints

Snorkeling, Salty Sailing and the Saints

Monday 15^th and Tuesday 16^th April, 2024

Tax day began with completely overcast skies and rain.  We ventured to shore on a dual mission.  Mike was checking us into Guadeloupe, while Rod and I were to attempt some food shopping.  Unlike some places the check-in process was so speedy that Mike caught up with us at the grocery store.  We returned to the boat in another rain shower.  After a few preparations, we left the mooring and motored south along the coast to Pigeon Island, part of the Cousteau National Park. The skies continued overcast with bouts of rain.  We even put on our foul weather gear!

Once we had anchored in the bay opposite Pigeon Island, we had a major debate about the likely weather.  We settled finally on going to snorkel even though the light might not be great.  Once tied up to the dinghy mooring, we donned our snorkel gear and set off.  We were fortunate in terms of timing as the tour operators must have been on lunch break! The fish were numerous but other swimmers were scarce.  While there didn’t seem to be a lot of living coral, there were hundreds of fish.  Big schools were to be seen in the deeper areas and brightly colored specimens seemed to inhabit shallower areas around rocks.  The sun even came out, enhancing the brilliant colors.  

Upon our return, Cotinga was rolling side to side. Combined with intense heat from the emerged sun, I started to feel distinctly unwell.  We elected not to stay overnight in that location.  The next bay along didn’t seem to offer better protection from the swell, so we decided to carry on to Les Saintes.  The initial portion of the trip followed the coast of Guadeloupe.  Surprisingly the wind was from the west!  This was accompanied by some short period wind chop - right on the nose!  Finally, the trade winds prevailed. However, the wind direction from the south east was such that we very tight to the wind.  The motor was necessary.  Once out from behind the island, the seas were significant.  Although the open water section was less than 10 miles, it was far from easy, a very salty ride. We were lucky to find a free mooring at Isle de Cabrit and the sun set just ten minutes after we tied up. The entire crew was tired.

This morning, we went by dinghy to Terre d’Haut.  Our plan was to walk up to Fort Napoleon, followed by lunch at a restaurant we had enjoyed on an earlier trip.  Once again the walk up seemed quite daunting and pretty sweaty.  We toured the museum and the gardens.  Our lunch plan failed as there wasn’t a table available.  We wandered around the town and found another place to eat, which turned out to be good. 

After lunch a short hike took us to the Bay of Pompiers.  While this beach is one that Mike and I have visited several times, we have never gone swimming there!  Having planned ahead we had swimming gear with us.  The water was quite warm but still refreshing.  Once Mike had a sufficient number of goose bumps, we got out.  To our delight there were fresh water showers that were even more cooling!  We spent some time people watching before returning to town and the dinghy dock.  

It has been a quiet and relaxing evening aboard.

Gloria

15 52.375 N, 61 35.780 W

Late afternoon sky as we approached the Ilet a Cabrit mooring field at Les Saints

Cotinga at night swinging on the mooring

Not Frangipani, but a similar type of plant, photographed at Fort Napoleon

A panoramic view looking down from Fort Napoleon. You can see Dominica (our next destination) in the top left, and the main town of Terre d'Haut in the center, and Le Chameau (which we climbed a few weeks ago) on the right hand side.

Palm trees on the beach at Bay de Pompiers

Sunset from Cotinga, moored off Ilet a Cabrit

777

777

Saturday 13th - Sunday 14th April 2024

We left Jolly Harbor at 7 am, sailed for 7 hours at an average speed of 7 knots and arrived in Deshaies, Guadeloupe in the early afternoon. The passage was a little under 50 nm and our average speed was actually 7.2 knots, including the lower speeds as we motored out of the anchorage. We had a single reef in the main and full genoa, and we were flying! I had been monitoring the weather forecast for over a week and it seemed like conditions were likely to be quite fierce. As it transpired the winds moderated a little (16-20 knots) and were from the ENE, a perfect direction for us to sail south on a slightly aft of beam reach. The seas were also from the ENE and quite large (7 feet) with a moderate period (7 seconds) and both Gloria and I felt a little queazy for the first hour or two, despite wearing scopolamine patches. We may just be a little of practice, or we might have put them on a bit too late (immediately before departure). Rod,  has never been seasick (lucky b.....)! We did try fishing and hooked something early in the trip, but as Gloria stated … we practiced “involuntary catch and release”. In other words, when I started to haul it in, I could see it splashing, then it got off the hook … bummer! We saw several boats heading north from Guadeloupe, a more challenging direction under those conditions, requiring close reach sailing. We didn’t see any other boats sailing south, either by eye or on the AIS (automatic identification system). Actually for most of the journey the AIS system wasn’t working. We didn’t want to troubleshoot the problem underway in case we inadvertently lost all our electronic navigation, but as we approached our destination I realized that I had accidentally switched off the power to the AIS … nothing wrong with system, clearly something wrong with the me!

We picked up a mooring in Deshaies, squared away the boat and tried to complete immigration and customs check-in, but the harbormasters office had already closed for the weekend. We were all pretty tired, and after a dinner of chicken scampi over linguini we had an early night.

Today we packed a lunch and took the Dainty Dog to shore, and hiked over to the beautiful orange sand beach to the north. Our route out took us the easy way along the main road and down a dirt track. The surf on the beach was spectacular, but it put us off any ideas we had about swimming. Near the beach we found a display board showing a map of the area with an alternative “sentier” (footpath) back to Deshaies. Taking this alternative route back seemed like a good idea at the time, but actually involved a long and steep ascent up to the summit of the mountain to the north of the harbor, followed by an equally challenging descent back in to town. We did get to see some fine birds on the way - including the endemic Guadeloupe woodpecker and Lesser Antillean Crested hummingbird. The beer we had at the restaurant adjacent to the dinghy dock tasted particularly fine! We all had a late afternoon swim from the boat and Gloria cooked us a wonderful dinner known as “deconstructed stuffed cabbage”. 

Tomorrow we must check-in to Guadeloupe and then move on southwards.

Mike

16 18.476 N, 61 47.796 W

Cotinga sailing beautifully. Rod is a gifted helmsman and he kept us on a perfect course despite being swirled around by substantial waves

A passing vessel mid-way between Antigua and Guadeloupe

Gloria enjoying the passage!

A short video showing Rod at the helm as we travel south at 7+ knots. I think it gives a good impression of how much movement there was. Gloria is sitting on the downwind side of the aft seat (the best seat on the boat!), but she is hidden by the steering wheel and instruments.

A short video looking forward along the starboard side deck. Apologies for all the wind noise in both these videos... I do have a separate microphone with a furry cover to reduce wind noise, but I haven't learned to use it yet! 

They aren't called "cattle egrets" for nothing

A painted concrete gatepost - abstract

The awesome beach at "Grand Anse" (wide angle lens)

A closer view of the breaking waves (telephoto lens)

Rod shooting from under the shade of the trees

Lesser Antillean Crested Hummingbird

Back on Board Cotinga

Back on Board Cotinga

12 April 2024

Our two week trip back to the USA was excellent, but it all went by so quickly! The flight out of  Antigua was delayed by two hours and so we missed our connection in Miami and had to spend a night in a hotel. However, other than that, the travel went fine. We were relieved to find no issues with our house, apart from evidence of some mouse activity and an infestation of lady bugs. Having spent the last several months in the tropics, it was a bit of a shock to experience a Nor’easter storm with wind, sleet and snow. 

One major project we accomplished, with help from Gloria’s brother Rod, was to machine some Delrin (acetal) bushes to connect the autopilot radial arm to hydraulic ram. It was fun to see Rod working on his lathe and drill press, and the new parts fit perfectly. 

Whilst at home, we managed to complete our 2023 tax forms and submit them on line, only to realize a day later that we had missed out two key pieces of interest income. This caused me to have a minor meltdown. Our friend Lee was staying with us at the time and had the dubious honor of experiencing my ranting … sorry about that Lee! One of the items that we had missed was an interest payment from the IRS because they took three years to process our 2020 taxes and issue a refund! There is nothing that raises my blood pressure more reliably than the annual process of filing our tax returns. I don’t object to the paying of the taxes, it’s how complicated the system is that really drives me nuts! In fairness, it only took 15 or 20 minutes for us to go on-line and file an amendment, so it wasn’t such a big deal. 

We also worked our way through a lengthy shopping list of things that we wanted or needed for the boat. These included a replacement shower sump, new dock and dinghy davit lines, spare zincs (sacrificial anodes), new swim flippers (for Mike) and several food items from Costco. When we returned our two checked bags were overweight and we had to do some frantic re-shuffling at the airport. The food caused us a little anxiety upon arrival back in Antigua as we had blocks of cheese, cold meats and bacon, all of which should be declared upon entry, but we cruised right through customs with no issues.

We spent the majority of the visit catching up with some of our family and friends, which was great, but inevitably time passed too quickly and we didn’t get to see everyone that we hoped to. Still, that gives us something to look forward to when we return home in the summer.

One of the main drivers for making the trip home was to see the solar eclipse. Our friends Sue and Stew have a farm up in Vermont that was close to the path of totality and they had invited us up to stay for the event. We had a great time visiting them and seeing first-hand how much progress they have made with their property. They plan to grow asparagus, blackberries and hazelnuts, and are doing a ton of work to get this established. Their daughter Paige was also visiting and the five of us drove an hour further north to join their friends Randy and Stacy outside Montpelier. They had a 10 inch telescope and a solar telescope set up, and we had a wonderful afternoon watching the moon slowly move across the sun. The sunlight gradually declined and the quality of the light changed, becoming eerily grey. The temperature dropped significantly and in the final seconds the earth went dark. We were in totality for about 90 seconds and it was an amazing experience. To me it felt like being in a Sci-Fi movie where you look up and a huge mass has completely blocked out the sun. This is quite possibly the last full eclipse in the USA that we will have the opportunity to see in our lifetimes. We were exceptionally lucky that the skies were clear (more or less) and I am sorely tempted to try and see more eclipses in other countries.

Gloria’s brother Rod is joining us for the next couple of weeks as we make our way south. We met in Miami airport and shared the same flight back to Antigua. The plan is for Rod to fly back from St Lucia and there are many places that we would like to stop on route, more than we have time for in two weeks! Anyway, we are back on board and have mostly completed a long list of jobs ready for departure. We intend to leave the dock this afternoon, anchor outside Jolly Harbor and make an early departure tomorrow for Guadeloupe. It is likely to be a “salty” sail …!

Mike

This is a poster that I made from iPhone photos taken handheld through the solar telescope. Each of the shots taken throughout the progression were cropped square. The colors are not edited or enhanced, simply what my iPhone captured through the telescope. 

Below are five of the shots in their original (4x5) format.