We have been so lucky and maybe this is what the other sailors talked about – we had a good sail from Falmouth Harbor, Antigua to Pigeon Island Guadalupe – perfect waves and wind for me…. basically non-existent. A good introduction for Chuck; sitting on the “foredeck” seats – watching the world go by … we sailed 53 nautical miles that day….left at 6:30 am and arrived by 5:00 pm.
Capt'n Dale and Chuck heading out of the Harbor
Pigeon Island is a spectacular little and I mean little island that has 2 mooring balls – a huge pile of rocks with great snorkeling – a tremendous sunset – so red, it brought back the sailors poem… “Red skies at night a sailor’s delight!” We held well all night – tides changed in the morning and we left pretty early as we only planned to be in “transition” in Guadeloupe for the evening.
Continuing the journey south – we had a shorter sail on Sunday – only 42 nautical miles – very quiet for the first couple of hours – then the winds picked up and the waves came alive with a little chop. I decided that these last two long voyages I really should try to “medicate” myself – I needed to do that so I would be “happy”, “non-drowsy” and certainly not sick – so “that” worked out well.
Arriving into the charming bay of Portsmouth, Dominica was like sailing into a movie set – picture perfect. The island has a professional group of “boat boys” – PAYS (professional association of yacht services) – they came out to greet us – welcomed us to Dominica, helped us to secure a great mooring ball and invited us to join their fund-raiser BBQ that night – of course we were all on board…. rested for a little bit and readied ourselves for a good meal….. and all the rum punch we wanted!!! Going to gatherings like this, we always meet characters – a professional oboe player and professor from Des Moines, a Coast Guard retiree, an Education Specialist from Seattle and her husband (they have been doing this for 10 years). We enjoyed visiting with these folks and know that our paths might cross as we all continue south … what a lifestyle.
Dominicia beach - love the crystal sand!
Another service of the PAYS group is land tours – so Monday we spent 9 hours driving thru the lush hills/mountains of Dominica – dense rainforests, scenic roads on the coastline, agriculture is plentiful, banana plantations, and my most favorite - seeing the floral “road-sidia” - all along the curving roads … huge clusters of Helaconcia, orange/yellow and red – Anthurium – pink, red and white - giant bushes of Poinsettias – red, and white. A feast of color for all eyes.
Our driver for the day, “Dr. Love” as he is known by his nameplate on the front of his van was an excellent host and representative for his country…. knowledgeable and safe. We shared our van with a family of sailors from Finland. They just crossed the Atlantic about 8 weeks ago with a 6 year old. Can you imagine?? Our tour included hiking to the Emerald Pool, lunch on the mountain top, hiked to another waterfall and back to the harbor -
So after sharing stories of what brought us to this point in our lives – “Dr. Love” knew the way to my heart – stopped at different spots on the road – cut cinnamon bark off of the tree, sheared some “lemon grass” for us to make soup with, basil hand picked out of the garden/shed where we purchased a “Carib Indian” basket, and then harvested a handful of tropical flowers …..what a treat for this florist….now what kind of “vase” did I have on board to do the flowers justice?
Helaconia on the side of road - thousands of clusters.....
How about using a “Planter’s” peanut jar – the right height and width – not top heavy…. I am going to have to do some serious shopping now!! I have a mission!!
From the road to the centerpiece!!
Dale and Chuck are both good – enjoying easy company – and quiet nights – we are getting use to the early to bed and early to rise scenarios. Sailed today for 15 miles south to Roseau – the capital of Dominica – tomorrow we are meeting my cousin – Mary Kay’s friend – Ophelia and her husband Mark…. we look forward to sharing with them,
The Birthday Child!
Today is Danylle’s birthday – a good day for memories!! Thanks Danylle for continuing to the person you are and continually making us proud. We love you. See you on Saturday!! How lucky are we!!!
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