Simon Shows us Carriacou

Carriacou is a Carib word meaning "island surrounded by reefs" and today has managed to maintain its charm and character primarily due to being off the beaten tourist track.  It has lovely protected anchorages and fine beaches and has become very popular with cruisers.  We also learned it is easier to find a rum dealer than a fuel dock as they have a tradition of smuggling alcohol that goes way back in time.

Since we’ve been in Tyrell Bay we have explored the small town from one end to the other and discovered a number of good restaurants, a dive shop, rum shops everywhere, but had had little opportunity to see much of the small island.   Simon, a local guide, would come by in his boat and ask cruisers if they wanted to have an island tour.  We thought, why not and negotiated a tour for four at an unusually low price and asked EV if they would like to join us.  So we are all set and meet Simon in town at 9:00 am the next morning.  When he pulls up in his little two-door car we look at each other quizzically and see four-seats and wonder where the fifth person will sit?  Being the adventurous (and thrifty) travelers that we are we somehow managed to squeeze ourselves into the car.  Jack being over 6 ft. tall sat up front with Simon (who I might add is no light weight), Marce sat on my right and Walter on my left and my buns shared a tiny little space from each seat as I straddled the center hump and then off we went.

Marce & Meryl a little too cozy

Up and out of the car to see the view

We headed initially along the West side of the island through the busy town of Hillsborough. The car often strained on the way up hills but we managed to continue on toward the northern end of the island and over to the eastern coast to a beautiful lookout point.  We quickly got out of the car for a much needed stretch, and walked about taking in the scenery and asking questions about the island.  We could see Le Petite Martinique off in the distance and wondered if we might be visiting that island someday by boat.

Le Petite Martinique

Our guide Simon.

Photo op with Marce and Jack off Escape Velocity.

On the way back we stopped at a wonderful little shop called Fidels that operates out of a ship's container.  It has some of the most creative and artistic handicrafts we have seen in the Caribbean.  Local artists use natural objects like turtle shells, seashells, coconuts, etc. to make colorful and beautiful pieces of art.  They also hand paint and print great t-shirts.  I could have spent a fortune getting gifts for my grandkids and family.  I did buy a lovely bracelet for my daughter for her birthday -- not so easy to do with all the many choices.  We also learned that Fidels has a web site and another store in Grenada so we’ll have to visit that one too.  

Fidel's small shop in Carriacou.

Something for everyone.

Grenadian's call it a Flamboyant Tree (also known as Royal Poinsettia).

Fisherman cleaning his daily catch

We thanked Simon for the tour and decided to go to lunch at the other restaurant on the water called Slipway down by the marina.  We sat with Jack and Marce and enjoyed a lovely lunch as we shared adventures and got to know each other better.  

Marce and Jack at Slipways

Most of us had healthy fare of Pasta, bok choy, garlic, and beans

We are learning cruisers are a very interesting and diverse group of individuals.  With the wonderful common thread of sailing and living side by side, it doesn’t take long to make lasting friendships.  It was a great ending to a great day.

Another Big Birthday!

Today is a very special day we will celebrate for the 66^th time!  It can be difficult when you are out cruising as you never know where you’ll be or who you might be with at any given time or special occasion.  It was nice to know we were among friends and had found a great little place to celebrate Walter’s Birthday in Carriacou.

Jack & Marce on Escape Velocity and Sara, Mark, Elizabeth, Michael & Beatrice on Field Trip all met up at The Lazy Turtle for pizza and some homemade cupcakes to help us celebrate Walter’s further steps toward old age!  After some drinks and pizza we sang “the birthday song” and toasted to Walter’s special day. 

Beatrice and Field Trip helping Walter celebrate

Elizabeth & Michael on Field Trip had created a beautiful hand painted card and wrote a very sweet poem for Walter.  Elizabeth stood up and read it out loud to us all and we thoroughly enjoyed the personal little details and the thoughtfulness that went into creating the card. 

Elizabeth & Michael's creative card

Walter, was so tickled he still has it in full view on the ledge by the settee onboard.  It is always the homemade gifts that really make us smile.   Thanks to all our “yachtie” friends for making it a very special birthday for Walter.

Trades Carry Us to Carriacou

Much as we were enjoying Dominica, we realized we needed to continue moving down the Caribbean island chain to our goal of Grenada before July 1^st to keep our insurance folks happy. We decided to save Rosseau, the capital of Grenada and larger port city for next seasons visit.Escape Velocity had already left for Rosseau to explore further and Field Trip was ready to head south as well so we decided to leave together and sail down to Carriacou, part of the Grenadian Grenadines. The distance is approximately 180 miles requiring an overnight sail and passing Martinique, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent.

We hoisted anchor at 7:00 am with typical weather trades of 15-18 knots in the forecast. The most difficult issue from the start was the fact we were in the lee of the island and therefore in very light winds.Adding the high mountains of Dominica into the equation, we were further affected by light winds.

Early morning squalls off of Portsmouth on the way to Carriacou.

We started off trying to get far enough away from the island to get more wind and managed to keep moving along. Once we reached the southern tip of Dominica we had some stronger winds compressing and curving around the island jetting us along, commonly called the "cape affect".  Now we were really moving averaging well over seven knots.  We had more than enough wind and decided to pull in the genoa to a reef point where we were more balanced.  It was also easier on the autopilot trying to keep us on course in the stronger gusts and easier on us as we could relax a little more. We settled into our three hour watches as the evening approached.

Our buddy boat, Field Trip, sailing at a brisk pace.

We couldn’t have had a more beautiful night and as I gazed up at an idyllic moon lighting our path; it was a special moment of thanks to be where we were at that exact moment and have been so fortunate to experience these past years.

Moonlit path guiding us along our course

No lack wind for the rest of the trip as we sailed past Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and down past Bequia and the Grenadines until we finally reached Carriacou, Grenada. We had one of our best passages to date with no motoring required, the best of weather conditions, and in the end we were only about an hour behind Field Trip.Competition aside, catamarans can really get moving on a beam reach so it can be hard for monohulls to keep up. They can't touch us,  however, when we are close hulled and pointing into the wind. Only problem was that Customs was closing at 4:00 pm and we got to the harbor at 3:30 pm without enough time to get anchored and dinghy into port to clear.No worries as the Aussies say, we grabbed a mooring ball off of Sandy Island close by and called it a day.After 20.5 hours of sailing we were ready for a couple sundowners and a little feet up time.We relaxed and enjoyed the sunset and planned to clear customs in the morning and then head over to Tyrell Bay.

Another spectacular sunset.

Kicking Around Portsmouth

Some days you just want to kick back and explore, and Portsmouth was a good town for exploring. Dominica on the whole is one of the most beautiful and resource rich islands in the world, but it is still essentially undiscovered and as a result, is a very poor country in economic terms. It doesn’t enjoy the subsidies from other countries such as its French neighbors; it doesn’t have a burgeoning cruise ship business like the US Virgin Islands or charter yachts like the BVIs; and doesn’t have an industrial base like Trinidad. It just has some of the most beautiful forests, mountains, and beaches, and some of the most wonderful, friendly and industrious people of any of the islands we’ve visited. Progress is being made.

Denny the Magnificent.

We talked earlier about P.A.Y.S., the local guide association formed to help regulate the boat boys and set standards for service. Now, instead of being inundated by boat boys the minute you round the corner, you can establish a relationship with a local guide based on recommendations from other cruisers or ads placed in cruising guides. The Saturday night BBQ put on by P.A.Y.S. is a good place to mingle with the guides and meet fellow cruisers.

We were always amazed by the entrepreneurship of the locals on Dominica. Michael would paddle out on his paddle board to take our garbage into shore, Alexis handled our overland and boat tours, and the most industrious, Denny, became Meryl’s favorite when he returned time after time on his paddle board or a borrowed boat to bring her various fruits such as guavas, mangoes, and coconut.

The first couple of coconuts were not the drinking type, so he returned later in the day with a new batch. He jumped on our boat and proceeded to give us a lesson on how to properly open a coconut with a machete. I would have definitely cut off my hand if it tried that. It’s important to note that it’s about a ¾ mile paddle out to the boat in the pouring down rain.

Later that day, waiting until the rain abated, we took the dingy into the fisherman’s dock to explore the local surrounds. Portsmouth is not a yuppie town like Terre Haut in Ile des Saints; it’s a working class town with several small grocery stores, some millinery shops, a couple of non-descript restaurants, and one small hardware store.

As we walked from shop to shop the rain squalls would roll down off the mountain and everyone would duck into the next overhang and wait out the deluge. Some would pull out umbrella or even elephant plant leafs and hurry to their next destination.

We're still not sure what it was, maybe some ex-pat architect's drug-induced dream.

Getting away from Main Street we wandered down some back alleys and found the most amazing pink house. We’re still not sure what it was, maybe some ex-pat architect’s drug induced dream.

For some reason this strikes me as a great name for hip-hop group.

Other areas were just run down, a result of the lack of opportunity and jobs in what is essentially a third-world country. Slowly the Dominican’s are getting their act together. During the season a cruise ship visits the island; eco-lodges are being established in the mountains, and more goods and services are being made available. Like a championship football team that’s fallen on hard times, it’s a country that you want to root for and hope them the very best.

They deserve it.

Fort with a View

When people marvel at how green Washington State is, I'd have to remind them that "its because it rains all the time." Dominica is much the same. The mountain peaks were constantly shrouded with sullen rain clouds, ready to rush downslope at a minute's notice to drench cruisers and townspeople alike. After a while, you accept the fact that at any minute it could start raining, sometimes torrentially, and then you go about your normal, albeit somewhat wet, life.

One such rainy day we choose to visit Fort Shirley, located on a ridge overlooking Prince Rupert Bay where our boat was anchored. The fort is in Cabrits National Park, which includes a large marine park and wetlands (source of tenacious mosquitos that eventually got the capital of Dominica moved from Portsmouth to Roseau years ago). The park now has a large cruise ship dock, and in season is inundated by thousands of rampaging tourists straight off the boat.

The original stone road up to Fort Shirley.

We visited late in the day and virtually had the park to ourselves. For some reason we didn't expect much, we just wanted to get off the boat on a rainy day, but we were very pleasantly surprised. We walked up a long stone road, through the fort's main gates, and around the corner to a beautiful view of the fort with an expanse of green lawn sweeping down the hill. The purpose of the fort and it's long cannons was to protect the British ships anchored in Prince Rupert bay from the marauding French, Spanish, and various privateers. At its peak over 600 men were garrisoned at the fort.

Drawing depicting what Fort Shirley looked like in the early days.

The fort has a unique historical presence for on April 9, 1802, a mutiny of the all black 8th West India Regiment broke out at the fort. As a result of this mutiny, over 10,000 slave soldiers in the British Army were freed. It was the first act of mass emancipation in the British Empire.

We wandered around the various stone buildings, some of which were renovated in 2006 and now used for weddings, receptions and concerts. The view from the Officer's Headquarters and the gun emplacements was beautiful, encompassing the breadth of Prince Rupert Bay. There was also a lot of tropical flora on the site, including teak trees and a huge Silk Cotton Tree with branches at 90° angles.

Silk Cotton tree.

Aware of the lateness of the day, we walked down the stone road to a pathway climbing up an adjacent ridge housing the Captain's House and gun emplacements at the top. The Captains' House was a real treat; a once proud mansion nestled in an overgrown jungle setting now on verge of collapse. If they ever film Conrad's Heart of Darkness, this would make a good location.

The trail climbed up at a very gentle grade (remember they had to haul those large cannons up to the top using mules or horse trains. As it got darker and darker it got spookier and spookier. Every once in a while a lizard would startle us as it scooted through the dry leaves causing quite a racket.

Some of the cannons they towed via horse carriage up to the overlook of the bay.

Flying Cloud is in the bottom right corner.

At the top the ridge flattened out and we were treated to an expansive view of Port Rupert Bay and the town of Portsmouth. With darkness rapidly approaching we hurried down the trail hoping they hadn't locked the pier where we tied our boat. Luckily the night watchman was there cooking his dinner on a small gas stove and smiled at us as we walked by.

Up the Indian River

Marce and Jack, and Mark and Sara and kids join us for the tour of the Indian River.

After our tour of the rain forest we were ready for more. The next morning, Alexis, our boat-guy, picks us, Field Trip, and Escape Velocity up in his locally made wooden boat and motors over to the entrance of the Indian River. The Indian River tour is described as a "mini Amazon" and it certainly lives up to its reputation. Since outboard motors aren't allowed, he shifts from the back of the boat to the front and begins slowly rowing the heavy boat up river against a gentle current.

Alexis, our guide, grew up in the mountains and was an expert on local flora and fauna.

Marce and Jack off Escape Velocity.

Along the way he starts telling us some of his childhood experiences growing up and playing along the river and in the highlands of Dominica. The chocolate-colored river slowly meanders through a lush tropical forest of the overhanging canopy of branches and flowers, making it dark and cathedral-like. Long vines dangle and reach down to brush us as we float by and birds flit through the air as they call out. Prehistoric old trees with massive root systems line the shore like sentinels guarding a parade route.

Large land crabs populate the banks of the river.

Alexis points out hundreds of land crabs in all sizes scurrying in and out of their holes on the mud banks. The locals come at night and hunt the crabs, the largest of which are several pounds. Land crabs have one huge claw in front and you don't want to get grabbed by one, you could easily lose a finger.

House from the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Pirates of the Caribbean II (they haven't released the actual title of the movie yet) was recently filmed on the river and several of the sets remain. We passed a sinister looking cabin that is the home of one of the characters in the movie, waiting for Johnny Depp to pop out from behind a door. We continue slowly up the river marveling at the serenity and beauty of the scene.

Meryl pretends to be the bartender at the Ticking Croc Tavern.

Alexis shows Michael a close up of the local crabs

Eventually, we stop at another set called the "Ticking Croc Tavern" where we hop out and explore the area in detail. Alexis finds a land crab and shows us the difference between the females and the males with the large pinchers and gives Michael and "up close and personal" view of the creature. The tavern set is very realistic and everyone has fun wandering around exploring the grounds.

Red Ginger flowers all a bloom

A beautiful Protea.

Even the big girls got straw animals from Alexis.

Close up of the straws Alexis made for everyone.

A series of trails lead off from the tavern through the lush jungle with many exotic plants and flowers, including the bright red ginger plant. Alexis finds some long grass strands and starts making the kids & ladies some grass birds by cutting and meticulously folding the strands. He impresses us as he finds some beautiful ginger and bird of paradise flowers to attach to the birds. Once back on the boat I place the flower & bird on our table as a centerpiece so we can continue to enjoy the creative little souvenir of our river trip.

Oh, we so look like tourists.

The Boyz: Jack, Walter, and Mark.

Mark on Field Trip made an incredible video of our trip. Watch it this link:   (*Posted by Meryl)

http://vimeo.com/69541946