Eco-tourism. That about sums up Dominica. We knew the anchorages were not going to be fabulous, there are not very many, and there are a lot of restrictions. It’s true. Scuba diving can only be done with a dive boat, and many of the snorkeling areas we are not allowed to even dingy to, requiring a tour operator. There is a lot of hiking on the island, and the national parks are the main draw to the island. Never being built up most of the island is still wilderness with small towns, no large hotels or resorts are found here.
Our first stop is in Portsmouth, before we even make it to the anchorage we are met by the boat boys. They are a part of an organized group of certified tour operators, PAYS. In addition to being tour guides, the boat boys will buy ice and bring it to your boat among other services, provide you with information, and they monitor the anchorage that has really helped to reduce theft problems that have been a big issue in the past. We met up with Alexis and agreed to go on an Indian River tour the following morning. No motors are allowed on the Indian River, and no yachts are allowed to take their own boats, you must go with a guide. During The one mile paddle up the river, Alexis tells us some of the history of the island, points out different flora and fauna, birds, and even a filming site from Pirates of the Caribbean. The trip ends at a riverside bar; from there we take a walk through a plantation, where Alexis points out the different local fruits and vegetables. Alexis was friendly and a very knowledgeable guide.
The country really does it’s best to hide trail maps, bus routes and schedules and pushes taking a guided tour to visit it’s many destinations. The guides do provide a lot of information about the area but at $160 price for two to go on a 3-hour hike is a bit more than our budget really allows for. I’ve never really thought too much about eco-tourism until now. I realize that the government is trying to create jobs for the people and I would be happy to help the economy but not at US prices. In a place where the cost of living is fairly low, these tour guides are making more money than many of my friends back home.
Although the anchorage feels safe in Portsmouth, and the PAYS guys are friendly and helpful, there is also a constant barrage of other guys paddling out in boats or on surfboards trying to sell fruit take trash or anything they can make a buck on. These guys are mostly just annoying. If trying to take a nap, read a book or relax inside they will hang on the boat knocking and calling, refusing to leave until someone comes out. One day of that was really quite enough so we didn’t stay long, and headed down to Roseau.
Roseau is the southern most anchorage available, below it everything is a marine sanctuary and no boats are allowed, well except dive operators. The anchoring space was a bit limited and we opted to pick up a mooring for $10 a day, a very reasonable amount. With a nice southern swell at night, the anchorage is not the most comfortable. I wake up with my arms and shoulders sore from constantly bracing my body from rolling in my sleep. Aside from that it’s a pleasant enough place to be.
We try, unsuccessfully to find a trail map and see if we can hike on our own. We do find the forestry office and they tell us where we can find a trail map, but the store is already closed for the day. They also mention a number of hikes that are marked well enough to not need a guide (the first time we’ve heard this). In the meantime our friends find a taxi driver that will take us to Middleham Falls for $100 and claims we will need a guide there that is available when we get there. Splitting the cost 3 ways we decide to go along with the plan, since we need at least another day to figure out a trail map and transportation on our own. We should have known we were in for a ride when the next morning the taxi driver raises the price because he didn’t know there were 6 people :-/ Then he promptly hands us over to someone else, he wasn’t even taking us. Once up at the park, we see the Ranger who is collecting the required park permit that our driver has failed to acquire first. We keep going into town to get the permit, stop at one location that is closed, turn around and go back. This time I hear the conversation with the Ranger who informs our driver that he told him to go to all four locations before coming back and he should know the regulations, the Ranger than informs our driver that he will drop us at the trail and go get our permits while we are hiking. Good Ranger. Bad cab driver. The supposed available guides are no where to be found.. thankfully as the trail so did not require either a guide or a trail map. The trail was very well maintained with good signs at any intersection. The falls were beautiful and were too tall to fit in a photograph. A refreshing dip in the cold fresh water was wonderful. On the way back we detoured to the stinking hole. Which was exactly that, a hole that stinks. We find out later for $1.50 a bus comes up to this area. Great information to know for next time. It was a successful adventure; don’t think I’ll be keeping that cab drivers number though. Next time we’ll just spend a few days getting appropriate maps rent a car and go where we want.
Skipping the rest of the islands natural beauty to visit on the return trip the following day after a particularly rolly night we take off bright and early in the morning for Martinique. As we head out of the bay there is hardly any wind at all, seems as though it will be an easy trip down. A few miles later as we near the southern tip of the island, the wind and seas start to build and we start to wonder if we should have checked the weather forecast. As we clear the tip of the island, the wind is 25kts with gusts to 30kts, the seas are 6-8 ft with some occasionally higher, and we wonder if we should go back and wait for another day. There is a squall in the distance and we wonder where it’s headed. We do keep going and eventually the wind drops down to a very civilized 15kts and the seas subside to a very reasonable 3-4 ft. As we sail into the lee of Martinique our wind all but dies and we complete our trip into St. Pierre motoring.
