20. Guadeloupe and Dominica

I left Nevis early morning and made the 35 miles to Montserrat in about 8 hours. I arrived after 4 o’clock (after customs closed), and left before they opened, so saved some money. It took me another 8 hours or so to get to Guadeloupe.

Deshaies waterfront, Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is amazing. Deshailes Bay is absolutely beautiful. The day after I arrived I swam with three dolphins less than 20 feet from my boat – a mummy, daddy and baby dolphin. I didn’t try to touch them, but snorkeled above them in about 10 feet of water. So fun!

French restaurants line the waterfront, I had a good meal, and wine at L’Amer the day I arrived. There’s a good French bakery as well. Everything very French. Although when I left Sunday morning, lots of local people, all wearing red and white clothes were coming out of the church waving green branches, for Palm Sunday, I’m guessing…

Now I’m in Dominica, and it’s wooden shacks on the beach. Much less French and much more Caribbean; reggae, and Rastas. It’s also much poorer, and so much cheaper. Customs was only three bucks. They have the best national flag – a parrot surrounded by stars. In Guadeloupe they took Euros or US dollars, here everywhere takes only East Caribbean dollars, which looks like English money – coins and notes with the Queen’s head on. But dollars not pounds.

Prince Rupert Bay, Dominica

I anchored in Prince Rupert Bay, which is a really nice bay. It was easy to anchor, and be near a good dinghy dock. Quite close to the beach I could hear the music from the bars. There’s small town, where I got some food and managed to get some laundry done, but really Dominica is about the rainforest. There’s lots of hiking, cheap up river tours and jazz in the jungle parties, I’d like to do. Especially I’d like to go to the hot springs, in the jungle, they look amazing.

I saw more dolphins on my way down to Roseau. And grapefruit. My friend Eddy, one of the pirates in St. Martin who was from Dominica, said ‘you’ll know you’re in Dominica when you see grapefruit floating by.’

Roseau, Dominica

There was no wind so I had to motor most of the way. For the night I stopped on a buoy. Desmond from SeaCat tied me up. He’d dinghied up to me as I was approaching the bay. It cost ten dollars, but I didn’t really have much choice. It’s the first mooring ball I’ve ever paid for. Ironic that later I went to the Anchorage Hotel, for a swim, shower, some food and water.