Our sail to Dominica was perfect.The winds were light to start but we were able to sail conserving our fuel and the seas were calm so we had a comfortable ride. We hauled anchor at 7:15 and arrived at 12:30 in the afternoon in beautiful Dominica.
Here we are leaving the islands of The Saints and you can see mainland of Guadeloupe in the background.
Dominica in the distance off of our bow.
Arriving in Dominica, bit of ha hazy day for pics though.
Entering Prince Rupert Bay.
We kept a sharp eye out for whales which are supposed to be numerous in Dominica this time of year and I think that I saw one breach just once off in the distance but we were not rewarded with any real sightings. As we rounded the corner to the anchorage in Prince Rupert Bay, Portsmouth, we were greeted by a “boat boy”. (These guys are not actually boys but full grown men that operate small boats in the area that cater to the needs of cruisers.) They provide tours and services and this is their livelihood. They have worked out a system where they all take turns with the arriving yachts so they all get a chance to make something. We’ve noticed that not all boats that arrive actually take advantage of their services so it can be a hit or miss for these guys if they make anything for the day. We were greeted by Andrew from Seabird and the first words out of his mouth were: “Welcome to paradise!”
Passing by a fort as we enter the harbor. You can see all of the damage to the trees from hurricane Maria.
Brian talking to one of the “boat boys” that helped us tie up to the mooring ball.
We thought that was a awesome welcoming! As we came into the anchorage we were surprised and delighted to see lots of other cruising boats. There were boats anchored and on mooring balls but we chose to pick up a mooring ball to support the local PAYS (Portsmouth Association of Yacht Services). The local Indian River guides formed the group to help promote saftey for cruisers visiting the harbor. Crime was once a issue here for visiting yachts and cruisers would bypass the bay however since the PAYS group was formed saftey seems to not be an issue. They patrol the harbor at night during high season and host various functions for visitors. Of course we still take our precautions but, we are thankful for PAYS because they gave us the comfort of feeling more secure so we can visit their beautiful bay. We found our spot in the anchorage and settled in.
This guide looks fun. This is a tour coming back from the Indian River.
The views of the mountains from the harbor are amazing! We’re going to write more about Dominica in our next post. It is known as “The Nature Island”. So far we have explored the nearby town by foot and taken a tour up the Indian River (famous for it`s beauty and for being also being in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies). It was beautiful! I want to get this posted so we will save that story for our next post. Lots to do here and we still have our eyes peeled for whales. I just know that we will spot some!
Take care for now. Jennifer and Brian SV/Moon