Hey guys, well you know me… writing makes me feel better and sometimes it is just personal therapy to share all the interesting things I have found in the last week. We sailed up to Dominica despite some hazy lingering worries about safety here based upon some older active captain posts and sailor word of mouth. What we have found though was an absolutely lovely place full of wonderful people.
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The Sail in
The last blog post I was able to share with you guys WildChild had a great time in Martinique and a few interesting adventures while we were there. We sailed north from there on Monday (March 2nd) morning and made a relatively easy crossing up north to Dominica. We did it almost in a straight shot with only like one tac I think. The winds were a little light and swirly until we got north of the land mass of Martinique and away from the mountains then the sails filled in nicely and we found ourselves sailing close reach, rail in the water, heeled over and like a bouncy shot thru the swell. We conquered the sail almost as planned and arrived in Roseau Dominica a comfortable 2 hours before dark.
Although the first part of the sail was much lighter and slower than planned WildChild made up time sailing 7 knots into the winds in the opening of the straight between the two islands. Waves smashing the bow and spraying high up into the air and thoroughly washing the decks. No matter what anyone ever says, WildChild is just such a great yacht, I love this girl.
After a few recent mishaps with Elena having trouble at the helm I have decided it seems best if I stay at the helm during take offs and landings. Mr. Kol is doing wonderful as a sailor and interestingly, it seems lately, Elena has been taking more of an interest in trying to be a good sailor again. Maybe the competition has struck a cord in her? Although it is still stressful for me to maintain mental clarity over both of them during sailing procedures they are starting to learn the boat. Letting them do the physical stuff has given me the time to focus more on the mental part of sailing, making it easier for me to over-watch them. In this picture the two of them are working as a team to drop the main after the sail.
With the two of them on the bow here they are lifting the anchor in Martinique. Elena has recently expressed interest in learning how to do the anchor work for WildChild. Although Captain Lexi is clearly in command of WildChild and my crew listens to my orders and responds very well, the interesting new thing developing is watching my two quiet German crew try to learn to communicate with each other. Elena mumbles and is so soft spoken you can hardly hear her. Kolja is not used to this and he himself is often unsure how to communicate with Elena without setting her off. It is sort of fun for me to watch.
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Dominica and Safety Concerns
We had arrived off the shores of Roseau about 2 hours before dark and the boat guys again found us about a mile out. Although we are all on a tight budget and we seldom ever pay for mooring balls, in Roseau it is kind of necessary. The under water cliffs rise sharply to the coastline and there is only a very narrow ledge of water the right depth for anchoring. This precious real estate is filled with mooring balls.
So although I was hesitant to take a mooring, the price is a clear and stable $40 e.c. ($15usd) per night and does not fluctuate according to the value of your boat. I figured… meh… support the local people a little bit and do not have to worry about my boat might be worth the money. Sea Cat found us first and we told him we wanted to get a mooring ball as close to the dinghy dock as we could. He said Welcome to Dominica in a friendly manner and happily helped us get hooked up to a Marcus mooring ball.
It seems this turf is divided between the two competing men but they do not fight over the cruising boats at all, Sea Cat informs me no worries we share all the boats… no problems. Marcus drove up as we were motoring towards the mooring ball Sea Cat chose for us and he also greeted us in a kind and friendly way … “welcome to Dominica.. don’t worry you will have a nice time…” Marcus is pretty famous among us cruisers and he has been providing security in this anchorage for the last 9 years.
Once we had gotten settled onto his mooring ball Marcus came back to talk with us for a while and see if there was any way he could help our stay be more pleasant. What was interesting is that although everybody on this island will happily be your personal tour guide for the day for the (Said sarcastically…) “….low low price of only $200 usd per day…” Marcus did not pressure us in anyway. He offered advice on things of interest to do and said if we need anything just ask him and he will help us figure it out. He put us on his phone with a tour guide who told us of the sights to see the prices if we were interested. All prices are of course in US dollars as it sounds like less because the exchange rate for e.c. is x2.7 but everything was very expensive.
As we are all young, and therefore poor, we are not the wealthy droids they are looking for. With Marcus though this was no problem, we wanted cheap things to do and to take local buses and he happily helped us anyway. There was something oddly… hmmm… safe… or friendly about these people.
Marcus himself is an interesting character. The next day when we dinghied to shore to explore the island and have some adventures we got to know Marcus a little more. He stuck out in my mind as a character, and we all know writers love characters.
When we landed on his dinghy dock, for free, no charge, Marcus was there waiting and helped us with our lines. As always Captain Lexi is the last to exit the dinghy as I have to secure it and make sure I feel comfortable it will be safe. Last anchorage a dinghy got under the pier at low tide and stuck under there as the tide rose up and popped it. As a basic security precaution I had already made sure everything in our cockpit was removed and everything on the yacht locked up. We always have a cable lock for the dinghy but on this dock, I could find no place to attach it to. I was a little miffed when Marcus asked me what I was looking for. As I explained he said don’t worry… don’t worry…. I AM YOUR CABLE LOCK..! He went on to elaborate that we do not have to worry about our boat either… he promises he will keep it safe.
As I start chatting with him he explains that he used to be a street fighter around here… then a professional boxer for his country. As he is calmly smoking his joint he reassures us… “… don’t worry you will be fine… nobody here will ever fuck with me… they would not dare to mess with Marcus… you are safe… they know I don’t fuck around… I am always watching over your boat and keeping you safe… nothing will happen.. go and enjoy my country… you will see… the people here are very friendly… very nice… ask anyone for help and they will help you.
And you know… he was right. Every single person we ever asked for help or directions was super polite, friendly and kind to us. The spirit of the Dominican people was absolutely amazing and very lovely.
Marcus also went on to tell me about what it was like to suffer thru the big hurricane they had here two years ago. Now understand that Marcus is one tough guy. He recalls how 300 local people went into the church during the last hurricane (2 years ago) to take shelter together in the stone structure and pray they live thru the experience. He says he was on the floor with his daughter sitting between his legs as he shielded her with his body and he cried worrying that … ” oh fuck… if this roof goes off we are all dead…” He says the wind was so strong… and there was so much debris flying thru the air you could not even see 1 foot in front of you when you look outside the window… nothing. He said after it was over and you walked outside it was like a different place… I could not recognize this place… mud and debris everywhere. There were no leaves on the trees… nothing green survived… it was like winter in a place with no winter.
I have never been in a hurricane. I am incredibly curious about hurricanes. I am also very sure I never want to know first hand what it is like to sit thru a major hurricane.
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Exploring the Island of Dominica
As you guys know I am a worrier and ever vigilant for possible dangers or threats, but I felt completely safe and secure during all of our time on their island. Elena and I even wandered thru all kinds of sketchy looking neighborhoods that I would definitely not walk thru on American soil. All the local people smiled, said hello or good afternoon and seemed to have no malice in their hearts or eyes at all.
Although my crew is constantly trying to convince me the point or purpose of travelling is to see geography I am always far more interested in the culture and the people. How do you explain or quantify the culture of anyplace though…?
I think one of the most important indicators I have found about the health of a nations economy and society is the level of education. As america leaves most children behind in education Dominica seems to understand how important education really is for their own futures. When you see local kids walking home from school and they are all wearing a tie and a school uniform, in that quintessential British style, you know that this place will be okay. I think this stands out to me as the critical factor in the development of a society, poor well educated people do not act like animals.
UNEDUCATED HUMAN BEINGS DO ACT LIKE ANIMALS
I have seen this in Haiti.
If you remember in the last blog I spoke about visiting a local graveyard and how impressed I was at how well cared for it was. I think a societies respect for the dead also tells you a lot about their culture. In Dominica the graves are all overgrown and clearly neglected. The living do not visit the dead or spend much time remembering them as the French do. I am not in anyway saying they are a bad society but perhaps it indicates a non-spiritual society.
It is interesting to me that the Caribbean countries most homophobic are also the most religious. The strangle hold of the church generally remains strong in the former British colonies. I am unsure however… how much interest or respect these same cultures have for their immortal souls though? It is kind of weird. Countries where it is not a crime to be gay… take better care of their graves and have more respect for their dead. Countries where it IS a crime to be gay… do not seem very interested in the dead or the souls of the dead.
It seems weird to me. The only possible reason to be against gay people is the tired old argument GOD does not like it, it is a SIN, and their souls will go to hell. BUT this comes from the people least interested in their own souls. In Dominica it is 10 years in prison or in a mental institution to be gay here yet they seem to have no interest in their own souls, no care for the graves of the dead.
Isn’t that weird…?
PEOPLE…. sometimes they make no sense to me…
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Exploring Roseau
Elena and I decided to just wander thru some local neighbourhoods far removed from the cruise ship tourist areas. We wanted to see how the real people of Dominica actually live.
Although I will openly admit many of them live in shacks or hovels and the remnant signs of past hurricane damage is still present the people seem to be contented. With no winter here and no need for protection from the cold, as it never gets cold here, their homes do not need to be well insulated as in Canada. In the aftermath of the last hurricane 2 years ago there is still much debris around that nobody bothers to clean up. Is this lack of pride in their neighbourhoods…? I am not sure. In Canada we take enormous pride in our homes lawns and neighbourhoods, to let your front lawn grow too tall in Canada is disrespectful to your neighbours, we wouldn’t dare be disrespectful to each other. Here though… in Dominican culture… such things as keeping a garbage dump on your property is not, in their culture, considered disrespectful at all.
At no time walking thru dilapidated neighbourhoods did I ever feel nervous for my personal safety or uncomfortable with the eyes of the locals. Every single local who noticed the white girls walking thru their hood waved kindly and said a friendly hello or good afternoon. None of them stared at us with beady eyes of malice as I have felt in other places.
I am beginning to think that perhaps the most vital crucial building material to these poorer countries might very well be corrugated steel sheets. They use them for everything, fences, roofs, walls and even floors. There are still so many buildings damaged by the last hurricane that have never been rebuilt. I think you have to give credit to the spirit of the people who suffer thru such environmental devastation and remain gentle kind and good in their spirits.
Elena and I were on a bus yesterday, quietly stuffed in with the locals as we listened to a couple of local women talking about how no matter how tough life gets you always want to walk on your own two feet, no charity just get up and get it done, gotta work for a living. I just sat their quietly with a big stupid smile on my face in admiration of the spirit of the Dominican people splayed out before me like that.
Although I still contend that Grenada stole my heart and is a place I could see myself living someday… the people of Dominica have shown themselves to be just lovely civilized and kind.
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The Fun Stuff
On our first day here we spent the morning checking into the country. We had to find and walk down to the ferry terminal, and wait outside for while as they officials dealt with the ferry passengers first. Once it was our turn, along with another cruising yacht, we entered the building. The officials spoke wonderful and clear English, they were very gentle kind and polite, even joking around with us a little bit.
The check in cost us $40 e.c. (apx. $14usd) which is pretty cheap and the officials were relaxed and kind. Check into the country was easy, just the usual stupid British style forms (who manufactured your outboard engine for your dinghy..? WTF… who cares about such a stupid thing… ) But in short order we were both checked in… and checked out in 7 days as per our request. So we will have no need to go to customs up here in PortsMouth to check out when we leave tomorrow. Easy process.
We had decided that there was a good snorkeling spot nearby called Champagne reef a short bus ride up the coast Marcus told us about.We returned to WildChild to change into bathing suits and grab our snorkel gear then Marcus helped us flag down a local bus to get there. Mr. Kol came with us and we by-passed the pay tours and just went down the rocky beach by ourselves.
It seems it is called Champagne reef because volcanic gasses are constantly bubbling up from below and rising to the surface. As you are swimming it looks kind of like the way the bubbles rise up in a glass of Champagne. The water clarity was fair and although nothing compares to Bahamas reefs and water… there were quite a few fish to be seen in this protected area. I am always happy to just drift on the surface in my bouyant wet suit and face down watch the marine life below just doing their thing. Recently I have been seeing these long super skinny fish that almost look like a blade of grass. Here on this reef I found some of them that had grown quite large at around 60cm long. When the video eventually comes out you can see them.
After this fun dive experience we had heard that further down the coast towards Soufierre there was a hot spring near the beach. For some reason Elena just loves hot springs and is always dragging me on a quest to find the local hot springs or sulfur spring. So to please my crew… we hitch hiked our way further south along the coast.
Although once we had finally arrived to the hot spring it was quite a disappointment as usual. It was really just a sand box on the shore of the ocean built up with sand bags and a small retaining wall, and with the tide low… the “spring” was almost empty of water. Really there is no fresh water spring running down into it… it is just a small area where the volcanic heat rises a little bit up thru the sand of the shoreline. Elena sat in the warm salty puddle for a while and it seemed to make her happy. Mr. Kol and I made friends with the others on the beach. It seems there is a French boat out here we have run into several times in the last few weeks.
It seems the 4 ladies from France have borrowed the family sailboat of the one girl and decided to spend a summer sailing around the Atlantic ocean and winter in the Caribbean. Personally this is only the second time I have found another female sailing captain out here and I just love the girl power these ladies have inside. Talking to the other chic captain though… she does acknowledge how stressful and hard it is to be the captain. Her crew however are a bunch of free spirited party animals.
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The Adventure Never Goes According to Plan
The next day we wanted to go and find the mythical and world famous Mosses of Dominica… and landed on shore around 10am to figure out how to achieve this. Although yes… most of the locals know who Mosses is… and where he is… it seemed… it would be an all day start at 4am kind of deal to find him. He lives on the other side of the island near Victoria falls and there is no road directly there due to the steep mountains. You need to take a private tour bus and drive completely around the north end of the island to get there. Our hopes quickly got dashed.
So this is when Elena and I decided to wander around thru local neighbourhoods and just see what we find. As we approached the city of Roseau from the south end on foot we came across this statue. It seems they remember well here among their people about their history and their past.
We wandered around the town and found the local cemetery and eventually stumbled our way into the botanical gardens by accident. At first we were not impressed at all, as far as botanical gardens go, but eventually we stumbled onto a jungle trail hike up the mountain to the over looking barricades above.
My legs are still sore from the last volcano hike we did last week so I was not super keen on trekking up another mountain but this one was far smaller and shorter than the last one. The gardens along the route and the wonderful plants along the trail were just awesome to walk thru. Personally I am always amused by the local lizards and we saw hundreds of them along this jungle hike, no really large ones though. At the top I even caught my first tiny little lizard and named him Dino during our photo shoot. Dino was not super happy to be in the palm of my hand though and alas the paperwork involved in bringing him aboard WildChild as crew would simply be unfeasible to conquer… Dino had to be released.
We have had a spectacular time in Dominica. The people are just absolutely lovely, civilized, educated, polite and very kind. I have not been able to share all of our adventures this past week with you… but rest assured they are all good ones. Yesterday we sailed up to Portsmouth and today I am resting and catching up on website and YouTube work. Mr. Kol is onshore today to hike around and explore. Tomorrow (March 6th 2020) we will sail north again and make a short hop up to Isle de-Saints and check into Guadaloupe. I hear it is a lovely and quaint old french fishing town. There is not much to do on Guadaloupe next week so we will probably not spend much time there… but… looking on the charts and reading some active captain reviews… About halfway up the west coast there is a Jacques Cousteau marine dive park off this little island that is supposed to accessible by dinghy.
Maybe we will go check this out next week.
Anyway… I fear I have accidentally written another novel for you guys again…
Cheers Sailors..
Captain Lexi…
. …… the happy…..