THE Nature Island

We had heard and read many things about Dominica that peeked our interest and fueled our desire to sail here.  It is aptly nicknamed “The Nature Island” and we were heartily welcomed into Portsmouth’s harbor by Martin in his service boat, Providence.  Standing in his boat as we both motored into the bay, Martin began touting the history and natural wonders of Dominica even.  We appreciated his genuine enthusiasm for his island and easily connected with him during our two week stay.

 (Martin- you had us at “Hello!”  Besides, you gifted us with that luscious bunch of finger fig bananas and we would have followed you anywhere after that.)

Our hike to the "Hot Tub" with (L to R) Phillip, Rose, Heather, Peter, and Florence.

And so our Dominican adventures with Martin began. He stopped by most mornings to see if we needed anything.  Some days he suggested hiking routes nearby that we could do on our own.  Others days he took us on personally guided tours offered at very reasonable rates.  We’d be gone for hours without packing a lunch or drinks and Martin would always manage to find a tree with ripe fruit (like mango, grapefruit, banana, cocoa) to satisfy us.  Or he’d find coconuts to hack open for us to enjoy the water.  Martin also had a wealth of knowledge in natural healing remedies that he spoke of freely.  (I wish I’d taken a notebook!) 

 

It was easy to fall in love with Dominica.  It is by far the least spoiled by industrialism and big business of all the Caribbean that we’ve seen.  The bulk of the people seem to work at farming or at fishing.  The soil is rich and many fruits and vegetables grow well in Dominica, BUT most of the terrain is a steep grade, so the farmers’ work is extraordinarily hard.   Martin said that because Dominica's land is so productive, no one should starve unless they are lazy.

MARIE GALANTE-FWI

(More pictures to come)

We sailed the last leg of our zigzag course southwest about 12 miles to reach the lovely island of Marie Galante.  Upon nearing the island, we were force to weave in and out off multiple "mine fields" of fish traps.  The number of traps we had to avoid were unbelievable!  There were so many that the Captain has given the First & Last Mate the new pretrip assignment of notifying all fisherman of the island to which we will travel that they should make a clear path for Exit Strategy.

We rented a scooter for the day and that’s all it took to see the entire island.  Driving along many of the sugarcane lined roads felt very much like rambling down the corn fields of the Midwest.  And just like when we were kids living on our quiet farm road, when we passed someone out in their yard, they smiled and waved at us.  No fences around the island either, but we did pass cattle, pigs, goats, and horses that were tethered to individual posts allowing them to graze in circular patterns. 

What I LOVED most about these French islands is that there were trees, vines, fields full of ripening tropical fruits and vegetables!  I could barely stand to walk by yards without picking something that’s hanging over the fence and popping it in my mouth, but I didn’t.  (And it’s been killing me!)

The other thing we find irresistible are the plentiful creamy-colored sandy beaches.

What do I HATE about the French West Indies?  I hate that we don’t speak fluent French.

GRANDE TERRE, Guadeloupe-FWI

Downtown Pointe A Pitre
(where you can buy 4 French cut swim suits for 16 Euros)

Next, the winds took us northeast 16 miles or so see some of the other half of Guadeloupe called Grande Terre.  Our course led us to the “crotch” of the butterfly island to the metropolitan port of Pointe a Pitre.  We anchored just outside the multiservice Marina Du Fort Burt and their ENGLISH SPEAKING STAFF were extremely helpful.  We ended up doing what big cities are made for- we shopped.

Guadeloupe is known for its madras fabric (see tablecloth) 

Dan managed to take a few photos at the huge market before a lady firmly told him in FRENCH that it wasn't polite for him to photograph them.   One little boy was selling small mangos and we were his first customers. He was so thrilled that he kept filling our bag with more and more.  At one point, he scurried over to his mother's table and got a few more for us- all for 1 Euro. The fish market was extensive and impressive with theprice of their catch posted as 10 Euros per kilo, translating to less than $5 US per pound. 

  We were going on day number 10 in the French West Indies when I realized that my French was NOT getting any better. One day I told a shop keeper that I was looking for a swim suit for “mon mairie.”  He looked at me funny and directed me to another store. I should have said “mon mari,” as in “husband” not “city hall.”  A few days later while ordering at lunch at a beachside café, I asked for a “gras” bottle of water…I should have said, “grande,” as in “tall” not “fat.”  Dan is doing much better than me because he mainly sticks with only “Bonjour” or “Merci” and flashes his million dollar smile.  And oh, yeah- “Heineken” and “rhum” roll off his tongue pretty easily also.

On this occasion, I spoke French to order a Rhum Punch. 
I got a shot of rum with a squeeze of lime, no ice.
 It took me about an hour to finish it...  

ILES DES SAINTES- FWI

Although we had not yet exhausted the list of all we wanted to see and do in Guadeloupe, we set sail for its sister island group- Iles des Saintes also known as The Saints.  At the time, making the 10 mile trip was a better point of sail and ES made good time.  We dropped anchor in a small bay on the eastern side of Terre d’en Bas that was unmarked as such, although three boats were there.  The Saints are largely a fishing area and this bay was next to a lesser bay with fleet of small French fishing skiffs. 

Many tropicals were loaded with fruit like this breadfruit tree.



Very cool playground (notice CONCH)

 The next day we made our way around the island to Anse De Fideling where we were able to hike the roads around the quiet villages a bit and have a wonderful dinner ashore.  There was no written menu… we were given the choice of a “whole fish or a filet” in broken English IF we returned after 7 pm. (Getting used to eating LATE is another subject altogether!)  We feasted on platters of rice, veggies, fruit and grouper while finishing a bottle of white wine for only 60 Euros!

View of The Saints from Fort Napoleon

The islands that comprise The Saints are a stone’s throw from one another, so the next day we motored on to Bourg de Saintes on the main isle of Terre d’en Haut.  Here we found it increasingly easier to find an islander who spoke a little English.  The Saints, we learned, are where many Guadeloupeans have their “cottage” and multiple ferries can get them there pretty quickly inexpensively. (For almost less that a round trip toll on the Chicago Skyway, with much less traffic.)  The islands are relatively small and easy enough to walk around IF you can handle the mountains and we did.

BASSE TERRE, GUADELOUPE- FWI

We awoke to church bells chiming “six heure,” smelled the distinct aroma of something chocolaty wafting from shore, and peeked out of the hatch in time to see two fishing boat puttering nearby to fill their nets with ample bait for the day. As lovely as it all seemed, once ashore, we were soon sorely frustrated. Finding someone in this little fishing village who could “parlez englais” or was willing to speak English was next to impossible until we went for dinner and, thankfully, our waitress spoke English.  I kept our French phrasebook in hand as we walked about . However, a few nights later, at a different bistro, Dan mistakenly ate BOTH our entrees due to the language barrier! 

Who is that dude?

Guadeloupe is shaped like a butterfly and we explored part of the larger wing known as Basse Terre first.  The terrain is mountainous with rolling hills at the shoreline. We did a walking tour of Deshaies and also trekked to a long beautiful quiet beach just to the north over the hill called Plage de Grande Anse.  Our anchorage at Pigeon was peaceful and filled with sea turtles, as well as quite a few fishing vessels.  From there it was a short dinghy ride to the Jacques Cousteau National Underwater Park which we thoroughly enjoyed snorkeling. 

I had Pigeon Island & the Cousteau National Park
in the palm of my hand.

Guadeloupe is very agriculturally rich, so we’ve benefited from being able to buy a wide variety of fresh food and seafood at reasonable prices.  Trying to identify and buy cuts of beef or pork in the markets is a whole other story…

It's All about the VOLCANO

Exit Strategy at anchor in Little Bay, Montserrat

The first draft of our float plan did not include Montserrat because the description in our cruising guide was minimal and, at best, depressing.  In the summer of 1995, the Soufriere Hills Volcano erupted repeatedly, destroying much of Plymouth, the island's capital that was located at its foot. The island's population went from about 11,000 to 4,500 people when many residents of Plymouth accepted Britain's (their mother country) offer to relocate them to England rather than rebuild in a safe zone on Montserrat. The rumblings and eruptions continued in 1996, '97, '03, '06, '07, '08. '09, with the most recent occurring in February of 2010.  The activity of the Soufriere Hills Volcano has rendered the island two-thirds uninhabitable, leaving only one-third of the land in the safe zone.

Plymouth as it looks today; many buildings were buried.

So why did we stop in Montserrat after all?  Some of our cruising friends said it was a "must see" during our island hopping, so we took them at their word.  We were not disappointed thanks to a superb 4-hour tour of the island given by Joe Phillip (avalonstours@live.com).  Joe was born and raised on Montserrat and decided to stay and rebuild a home for his family in the safe zone.  His tour was comprehensive, complete with "before" photos he collected over the years to show the extreme changes causes by the volcano.  Joe made it real for us, taking us into some select abandoned buildings, walking in the ashy sand where the rains washed huge boulders and rock down the valleys covering golf courses, roads and bridges,houses and everything in its path.

This 3-story home sat at the edge of the golf course.

Today, the island of Montserrat is looking strong and beautiful.  The tour with Joe Phillip was awesome and obviously given with much heart.  We'd encourage you to visit Montserrat and witness the resilient nature of its people for yourself. 

Standing in a resort's pool with volcano in background.

Excellent snorkeling here in Rendezvous Bay.

ST. KITTS and NEVIS

Looking south on St. Kitts with the Atlantic on the left and the Caribbean on the right.
Nevis can be seen in the background.

Our 136 mile crossing from the BVI to St. Kitts culminated just as the day was dawning.  In the gray morning light,  St. Kitts' main port of Basseterre looked rather industrial with its many two and three story buildings lining the waterfront.  The beach looked like regular dirt and we could not see the anchor hit the bottom at a depth of 16 feet.  As the sun rose overhead, we were able to read the bottom clearly and were utterly surprised to find it dotted with sea stars in every shade of orange and loads of white sand dollars!  We learned that the beaches on the island were not dirt, but soft dark sand that resulted when fine bits of volcanic ash washed down the mountainsides during heavy rains.    The volcanic ash enriches the soil and much of St. Kitts and Nevis is lush with growth. 

Original Caribelle Batiks hung out to dry

The week we were there, St. Kitts' radio reported that they were expecting 31,000 tourists on 15 different cruise ships.  And from what we witnessed around the shopping mall squares of Port Zante and The Circus, the Kitticians really know how to capitalize on tourism!  You couldn’t walk six steps without someone trying to stop you to explain why you shouldn’t miss their tour of the island.  We had planned on hopping on the local bus to get a cheap feel for the lay of the land, but finally succumbed to a polite young man who introduced himself as “BRYAN” but wore a name tag that read “ALEX.” 

NOT our tour guide;there were multiple mannequins like this around the malls;
 each was missing at least one appendage.

Nevis, on the other hand, was quite a different story.  This island is much smaller and more rural, in a kinder and gentler sort of way, with more sea stars and sand dollars.  No hard sells for tours and trinkets were experienced.  We did take the local bus to see what the island was like and when the rest of the passengers got off, our driver gave us a little guided tour along his route, even offering to stop at some places to let us get out & look around.  The high light of our brief stay in Nevis was having dinner at SUNSHINE’S on Pinney’s Beach.  Dan likened it to “Foxy’s ” on Jost Van Dyke-BVI. 

The meal at SUNSHINE'S was DEElicious!

"...then home again, home again, jiggety jig!"