Dominica

I'm starting this post with a rant:

In many Caribbean locations with a high population of visiting cruisers, enterprising people from the area will come out to see us on the boat, offering a wide variety of goods and services. We have been offered:

• lobster
• fish
• beer, wine
• water
• ice
• jewelry
• fruit and veg
• a spice garden tour
• hull cleaning
• garbage disposal
• propane
• flags
• dinner on shore
• mooring ball
• showing us the best place to anchor
• marijauna (called a bunch of names neither of us have ever heard of!)

Cruisers tend to call these vendors "boat boys", a term that we find offensive. In our case, the majority of the people that come to see us are grown men, although there are often teenagers, younger boys, and women. The word "boys" is belittling and feels reminiscent of the days of slavery. Beyond the label, many cruisers treat these entrepreneurs as a nuisance or a threat and as a result enter a new village with their backs up and expecting the worst. In fact, many go as far as to completely avoid an area or even a country where this practice is commonplace.

We strongly believe that you get back the attitude that you give. No matter how exhausted we are, everyone that takes the fuel (even paddling costs calories) and time out of their day to come and see us gets, at the very least, a smile, some conversation, and respect. If we need anything and have the means we are happy to support these small local economies which we would rather do than support large multinational corporations! As a result, everyone that has come to the boat has been friendly and pleased to welcome us to their community. And of course you meet some real characters that you remember forever.

I'll end this rant by asking any other cruisers reading this to please stop using the term "boat boys" and treat the vendors that come to your boat with the same respect you would treat the members of your own community back home.

The reason I bring this up is that when you arrive at the beautiful island of Dominica the vendors there have formed an organization called PAYS (Portsmouth Association of Yacht Security and Services) that come out to meet you, rain or shine, and help you find a suitable place to anchor, find anything you need, and generally keep an eye on the bay. The guys were very welcoming and helped us find a good spot. We were tired because on the way over one of the belts on our engine had shredded and James spent an hour untwisting the old belt from the engine, picking out bits of rubber, and installing the new belt while I tried to sail the boat in 2 knots of wind.

When we finally got settled and checked in we were off to explore Portsmouth. For a small town, it is very lively and the hub of town is near the bus terminal where privately owned minibuses are ready to take Dominicans and tourists anywhere on the island they wish to go for a few Eastern Caribbean (EC) dollars.

We hopped on board and were whizzed up to the mountains to hike to a waterfall we had read about. The hike was lovely and we were surrounded by

 fruit: bananas, papaya, lime, avocado, and pineapple. We never actually found the waterfall (we think that the signs may have been removed to encourage the use of a guide a la Nevis) but the views were spectacular. On the way back we stopped at a gorgeous deserted beach for a swim. We then tried to take the same bus back into town but after standing on the side of the road for almost an hour, we were still waiting. A couple of construction workers in a flat-bed truck stopped and asked what we were waiting for. After discussing amongst themselves they informed us that the road was too busy to wait there and they didn't feel safe leaving us there - they said they would give us a ride. Not sure how this was the safer option; we hopped aboard and held on tight to some 4x4s and rebar. Riding through the lush mountain scenery in our own open-air tour bus was an unforgettable experience! What a beautiful place.

The hikes in Dominica are plentiful and unique. We wanted to do them all. Unfortunately James came down with a bug of some sort which put a damper on the hiking. Nevertheless, we still got to see Chaudiere Pools, Trafalgar Falls, a second waterfall near the capital of Roseau, and my favourite - the incredible hot springs at Wotten Waven. I had been ranting to some fellow cruisers about how much I missed being able to have a bath and guess what we found in Wotten Waven... natural hot baths!! Heaven. After all the long hikes and nature walks, even James enjoyed a day at the Spa - we had Te Kwon Glo Cho Spa to ourselves for the afternoon. There was cold waterfalls, mud baths, and natural hot springs all surrounded by stunning flowers.

The people in Dominica are so welcoming and kind. We were offered directions countless times when it was obvious that the lack of street signs had us confused. Even in Roseau, the busy capital, strangers offered us a ride when the new the bus we were waiting for wasn't coming.

Unfortunately Dominica seems to always be on the path of hurricanes and tropical storms in the summer and was still recovering from Tropical Storm Erika in 2015. Many bridges were still washed out from mudslides, even along the main highways. As an independent country Dominica is slower to recover from natural disasters than other islands that have links to powerful European countries. So if you love hiking, fresh fruit, and independent eco-tourism-type places, consider Dominica. (Just checked Google Flights and you can fly from Toronto for $570!).

Our own private beach!

Trafalgar Falls 

Walking to Wotten Waven - steam escaping fumeroles

Te Kwon Glo Cho Spa