You know that feeling you get when you are driving home from the airport after a vacation and you finally pull onto your street?  And it all just feels like home?  That’s how I felt pulling into the harbor in Portsmouth, Dominica.  We had spent two weeks here earlier in the season, and we were excited about spending at least another week exploring our favorite place and visiting with our friends from the island.

Titus found us right away and gave us a lift to customs so we could check in.  We returned to the boat just as the sun was setting over this picturesque harbor.  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath in, and opened them again to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.  I looked at Titus and reminded him how much we love his country.  His eyes swept the scene with familiarity, but there was a peaceful set to his face that showed me that he appreciates this paradise every moment.

The next day, Titus took the kids to play with a bunch of local kids.  Chris and I cleaned up after our little passage, I swam, and we went to the weekly PAYS barbecue.  The local boat guides provide a fun night for the cruisers each Sunday as a fundraiser for their organization.

 

 

The motor vehicle we’ve spent the most time in the whole year.

We asked Eddison to set us up with a driver to take us to Calibishie for the day.  We had enjoyed the Red Rocks there last time and we wanted to explore more of the town.  In true Eddison style, it ended up being a marathon 10 hour tour of Calibishie as well as the entire northern end of the island.  Our driver was Winston and he kept us entertained, informed, and busy!

 

 

 

 

Near the Red Rocks, Winston stopped at the home of a friend.  He told us to wait in the bus.  He said he was going to see if he could get some fruit for us.  Before he was out of the van, he started up a litany of shouting at the house: “Hey You!  Open up that doh!  I know you in there!  Open up that doh!!!!”  I imagined walking up to my friend Stephanie’s house and starting to shout commands at her before I even set foot on her driveway.  “Open up that doh!” has become one of our catchphrases, and it cracks us up every time.  We will try to remember the more classic “door knocking” method when we return to New Jersey.

For more information on Copra, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copra.

 

The next few days were spent doing what we love best.  We swam in the harbor, played at the beach with the local kids, hung out at Blue Bay with the boat guides, or walked into town for ice pops or bread.  We took Porter to the Police Station so that he could complete one of his Cub Scout requirements.  It was very interesting to talk with Officer O’Brian about law enforcement on this island.  Being an island, he knows a vast majority of the population by face, name, or family.  He uses this knowledge to take care of most problems through a little talking-to and a promise to correct the misdemeanor.

s/v Moana Roa anchored next to us

We enjoyed playing with the friends on s/v Moana Roa who we met in Carriacou.  s/v Cascadura also sailed into town, and we had fun exploring Fort Shirley with them.  We also met up with s/v Hands Across the Sea.  We enjoyed telling the Linskeys all about the fun we had organizing the library on Union Island.  We had decided to donate the monetary portion of our fundraising to Hands Across the Sea to use in purchasing books for schools in Dominica and throughout the Caribbean.

We could have spent our last days going on some big, all-day hike or taking the bus to the capital of Roseau, but we preferred the slow, easy days of Portsmouth.  We simply basked in the joys of making connections with all our friends there.

I had been asking the PAYS guys to take me out to the mouth of the harbor to show me what they do for a living.  On our last day, Titus granted my wish to be a “PAYS Guy”.  It was like, “Take your cruiser friend to work” Day.  We loaded up with water and fruit and headed to the entrance of the harbor.  We could see north to Les Saintes and far to the south.  We were on the north side and would only be able to get boats coming from the North.  Another set of PAYS guys floated their boats near the south entrance to get boats coming from the Windwards.

I learned that the name of the game here is patience.  The guys keep track of who got there first and get to go after clients in order.  I still looked around with distrust at the boats around us, daring them to go before us!  Titus said not to worry.  I think they have their own way of making sure that doesn’t happen!  This greatly reduced the animosity and competitive nature of their job as well as reducing fuel costs.  Titus explained to me that years ago, they would race out over a mile to greet new boats coming to Dominica in order to beat out the next guy.  Titus very much favors this new organization.  When a boat comes close, the guys pull up alongside and say, “Welcome to Dominica!”  They introduce themselves and offer their services for obtaining a mooring, finding a spot to anchor, and explaining that they are available to answer questions and arrange tours for the length of their stay.  We waited for two hours and finally a boat came up.  I really wanted to be the one to say, “Welcome to Dominica!” but we agreed that I would keep my American-accented trap shut if the boat was from France.  We pulled up alongside and welcomed the German couple to Dominica.  Unfortunately, they were only stopping overnight and continuing on south the next day.  This wouldn’t make any money for Eddison and Titus, so we let them go into the harbor alone.  Normally, Titus would wait it out for another boat, but it was getting late and I had to get back to prepare for our own departure.  I was so glad that I got a taste of what these guys do everyday.  This job requires tenacity, patience, getting up early and staying up late, hospitality, knowledge of their country, boathandling, and cooperation amongst the other PAYS guys.

It does not require them to open their hearts, though.  Lucky for us, that is exactly what friends like Titus, Eddison, Stan the Man, Ken G, Callie, Stafford, Cobra, Charlie Love, and Providence did.  They opened their hearts and let us into their lives, their country, and their memories.  We will keep them in ours for the rest of our lives.  Until we meet again, Dominica….

 

 

 

I had a great time taking 513 pictures on this beautiful island and just couldn’t whittle it down to the ones in my previous post.  I hope you enjoy these extra ones of flowers at the Botanical Garden and our family in our everyday life on board…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: for those who don’t follow us on Facebook (fan page: conwaysailors.com), we are currently in Hopetown, Abacos, Bahamas.  We are two weeks away from heading back to the United States and are enjoying all that the Bahamas has to offer.  Our SPOT is working again so you can track our route by clicking on the link on our website.

 

 

 

March 1-9

St. Lucia was one of the islands we had looked forward to all year.  Chris and I had been there before, and I had been going on and on to anyone who would listen about the zip lining adventure I experienced when we visited.  On the way to St. Lucia from Bequia, we had to sail past St. Vincent.  Poor St. Vincent.  We have heard that it is a beautiful island.  We would have loved to visit, but the reports of theft, crime, drugs, and more kept us away.  Many cruisers we met have visited recently without incident, but we just couldn’t take the risk having children on board.

As we passed St. Vincent, we saw an amazing whale off the port bow.  It jumped and I managed an okay shot, but it was just magnificent in person.  I’m not sure what it is about whales and dolphins, but their ancient wisdom seems to pull you into the present every single time they grace you with their presence.  I have never heard anyone say, “Yeah.  We saw some dolphins and a whale yesterday.  No biggie.”  They always inspire awe and contemplation.  Every whale and dolphin we have met this year has been a gift to our souls.

 

Also as we passed St. Vincent, Chris caught a wahoo.  It was our biggest catch yet, and it took over an hour to filet it while under sail!  We had three giant Ziploc bags packed to the rim with fish.  Thank you, Mr. Wahoo, for feeding our family!  After our 80 mile sail, we anchored outside of Rodney Bay, checked in at customs, and enjoyed dinner at the Bread Basket.

The next day, Reese and Olivia got their hair corn-rowed and I got a much-needed massage for my back and neck issues.  Wendy and I found the supermarket and an actual mall and we all started making lists of things we should stock up on before leaving St. Lucia.  We had wahoo for dinner (get used to hearing that) and then Wendy and Craig came over to play Spades.

Due to the fantastic facilities at the IGY Rodney Bay marina, we moved to a slip the next day and got to work cleaning the boat.  We had the hull compounded and waxed for an amazing price by some local guys, who were friendly and worked incredibly hard.  The kids played in the pool all day, traipsing back up the dock now and then for food and water.  We were all exhausted by the end of the day, but there was more work to be done.  We spent the next day on boat maintenance as well, taking a break for me to get a facial and Chris to get a massage.  Even though we were leaving the next day, we stayed up till 0100 playing Spades with Wendy and Craig.

We ran into s/v Cascadura, who we met back in St. John.  We are still excited and surprised every time we meet a boat we have seen before.  Imagine the odds of being on the same island, in the same harbor, on the same day?!  But St. Lucia was about meeting new friends, saying hello to old ones, and eventually, it was about saying good-bye…

Now that the practical matters of boat upkeep were taken care of, we got hair cuts, dyed hair, took marina showers (ahhh), and got fuel.  We felt like Dorothy and Friends after their spa day at the Emerald Castle.  Now we were ready to really explore this island!

But first, you must learn to say one thing: “No, thank you.”  Try it.  Nope.  It didn’t sound like you meant it.  Keep practicing, because when in St. Lucia, someone will try to sell you something every second of the day.  You need to figure out how to politely shut it down on the first try.  In fact, if you stay long enough, you can figure out how to portray the image of one who will not be buying shell necklaces, coconut soap, or yesterday’s lettuce.  You will appear to be completely lacking in a desire to take a taxi, get a tour, or have your boat moored for you.  Once that is mastered, you are free to explore a caldera, swim under a waterfall, walk on “Sugar Beach”, or swim up to a bat cave.  Sound fun?  Let’s go!

We headed south ten miles to Marigot with all six kids, which was a blast.  We took a mooring in the tiny lagoon, which was long ago a den of pirate activity.  Today, it is a picture perfect harbor, with palm trees on the beach, hotels nestled in the trees, and a fun vibe that echoed across the water.  We enjoyed an afternoon at the hotel pool and even had a drink at the swim up bar.  This was a nice change of pace after our grueling days of working on the boat.  The pool was round, so I teased myself by saying that it was the perfect lap pool for me, being as I swim in circles anyway!

We had a lovely night, enjoying a real steak dinner, with broccoli and potatoes.  I smiled as my youngest child started reading to me my favorite “first” book, “Frog and Toad Are Friends”.  In the morning, Porter and Bryson got to Skype with their classes back in New Jersey while Chris made fresh scones for breakfast.  Just the thing to get us ready to swim with the bats…

 

We sailed for Soufriere, another ten miles south, and took a mooring next to the bat cave.  We could hear the chirping of the bats from our boats.  We snorkeled in a great spot, seeing lots of coral and fish and bravely swam right up to the bat cave.  There had to be hundreds of thousands of bats.  It was inconceivable.  Further along, we swam with the volcanic bubbles, which are still released from the earth below St. Lucia.  Amazing.

 

The next morning, Chris, Bryson, Reese, and I went zip lining, if only to shut me up about it already.  We all had a great time and enjoyed the drive to and from the park.  Porter stayed on Anything Goes doing schoolwork since he was too young to go.  We brought him back some treats to make up for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St. Lucia had us constantly on the move.  We moved around the corner to Sugar Beach, which lies right between The Pitons.  If you haven’t heard of them, The Pitons are two steep hills that rise straight up from the ground.  At about 2,500 feet tall, they were formed by volcanic activity about 250,000 years ago.  They are stunning and beautiful, and to be anchored in the harbor, nestled between them, is a special moment not easily forgotten.

We took a tour of the Botanical Gardens (I will publish a separate post for the flower pictures I took there.  Too many to include here!) and the Mineral Springs at the Diamond Waterfall.  The rocks behind the waterfall are orange due to iron sulphide in the water.  We paid a small fee to soak in the mineral baths.  We tried to just relax and allow the water to bring out our youthful qualities, but before long, the 10 of us were having breath-holding contests.  Craig won by a landslide, holding his breath for an amazing 2 minutes and xx seconds.  It was a great afternoon, topped off by a stop at Zaka, a local art studio, where Porter bought his first piece of art.

Back at Sugar Beach, the kids played on the beach while we met the first of Wendy and Craig’s many visitors to St. Lucia.  Charles and Karen are an awesome couple who were a ton of fun to get to know.  We had some drinks at their amazing hotel and watched together as s/v Virginia Dare pulled into the harbor.  We continued the party back at Anything Goes after a special “full moon” greeting to our friends Christine and Bob.  We got them good and had a great laugh in the process!

 

 

The next day, Chris went fishing on Anything Goes with Bob, Christine, Craig, and Charles.  They had a great time even though the skipjack tuna “got away”.  Back on shore, Wendy and I took the kids on another one of our whirlwind tours.  Donned with backpacks, cameras, water, snacks, bathing suits, towels, and sunscreen, we hopped in our tour van and headed for the falls.  We are like waterfall groupies at this point.  We barely finish taking the requisite photos before jumping into the water to be refreshed by the water that is so cool and pure and full of air from its flight down from the top.  We all enjoyed swimming and feeling the spray hit us in the face.

Next up, we got to see the volcano.  It is actually a caldera, although my notes also say things like “volcanic plugs” and “lavadome”.  Who knows.  You could hardly pay attention through the intense sulphur smell that permeated the air for a mile around.  We did see an interesting video about the geologic formation of St. Lucia (see how entranced everyone is?), but we remember the steaming apocalyptic view much better.

All that learning made us hungry, so we stopped at Hotel Chocolat for a special birthday lunch for Maggie, who was turning 14.  In case you are wondering, the restaurant at Hotel Chocolat had chocolate everything!  It was a fancy and tasty meal, from the chocolate butter and cacao bean-shaped rolls to the chocolate bars we bought on the way out.  Yum!

We returned to the boats to exchange photos on flashdrives (because 200 pictures a day on our own cameras just doesn’t cut it:)  Anything Goes was going to stay in St. Lucia to visit with several sets of friends who were coming from Dallas.  They also needed to get their autopilot fixed.  We were heading north to visit the Leeward islands before heading to the Bahamas.  As the day progressed, Wendy and I fell into a peculiar silence.  I didn’t know what to say and I was too upset to talk about the fact that our little convoy was going in separate directions.

“Tears are a kind of wealth.” -Saint Exupery

 

Wendy was working overtime, hosting over and over again while all our boats and Charles and Karen were in town.  She makes it look easy and is generous with her space, food, and drink.  We all convened for cocktails and we made a fun party of 16 to celebrate Maggie’s 14th birthday.  Virginia Dare and Gene and Cat departed for dinner reservations and the rest of us enjoyed a delicious and social dinner.  Afterwards, we all enjoyed watching Maggie open her gifts and singing Happy Birthday to her.

The day refused to give us any more time and the moment had come to depart.  We shared memories, gifts, kisses, and hugs.  I shared my list: Top Ten Things Heard Aboard Patronus and Anything Goes (not necessarily appropriate here…) and we laughed together one more time, though the effect was bittersweet.  I cried with gratitude.  Our journey was enriched by our travels with Craig, Wendy, Maggie, Kate, and Olivia.  I cried with fear.  What would we do without them?  We had helped each other, entertained each other, fed each other, babysat for each other, and laughed with one another.  Would we see them again in the Bahamas?  And I cried with sadness.  It was a real loss for our family to leave Anything Goes behind.

We headed back to the boat and put the kids to bed, drying their tears as best as we could.  We left the harbor a few hours later, at 0218, on a course for Dominica, 119 miles away.  We blew the conch and waved farewell into the darkness.  I knew they were all asleep, but after months of saying, “Patronus standing by on six-eight,” I got on the VHF, and hailed, “Anything Goes, Anything Goes.  Virginia Dare, Virginia Dare.  This is Patronus.  Out.”