Dominica - Roseau (Part 1)

True Colours
James Scrimshaw
Sun 9 Mar 2014 12:29

Position 15:16.81N 061:22.59W

As always, things took longer than expected, and we didn’t leave Portsmouth until Thursday morning.   As planned on Tuesday we filled with water, but decided we would like to see the fort.  So Wednesday morning we walked up to see it.  There is a small museum, but most of what is to be seen was outside, barracks, gun emplacements, officers’ quarters etc. from a fort that was built by the British (actually by plantation slaves under the control of the British).  The fort never saw any action, although it was the site of a rebellion by the West Indies regiment, and also a viewpoint for the naval Battle of The Saintes when the British defeated the French, who had wanted to take advantage of a British fleet weakened after the American War of Independence and gain control of all of the Leeward and Windward islands.

Then for lunch we got a boat ride from one of the boat boys, Edison, who took us to the customs dock from where we walked to the Riverside Restaurant.  After a meal of Burgers (beef a welcome change from chicken) we walked to the IGA supermarket before taking a taxi back to the boat.  In the early evening Sid and Peggy from the boat “Limin’ Time” joined us for a few drinks.

So Thursday morning we left Portsmouth at 08.15.  Forecast was for winds around 17 knots, but we actually saw winds much stronger than that with gusts up to 35 knots.  James’ assertions that the west side of Dominique would be sheltered proved absolutely false, and apart from a couple of areas where the wind was shadowed, the strength continued unabated all the way to the capital Roseau.  Distance travelled 19.9 miles, travelling time 3hours 15mins.  Before arriving we phoned Aldive – according to the guide really strong well maintained moorings.  We received a fantastic welcome – a dive boat came and showed us where to go, Rosemary leapt onto the deck like a cat and immediately picked up the mooring.  Going to shore they helped us secure the dinghy (tethered fore and aft because of the swell) and were really friendly. They showed us how to take the bus into town where we had lunch at the Fort Young Hotel;  the fort was built in 1770 to defend Roseau, and saw some battle action between the French and English before being decommissioned in 1854;  the hotel is in the restored remains of the fort.  As the museum was closed we then went to the Botanical Gardens and on the advice of one of the groundsmen took “Jack’s Trail”.  1 hour later we emerged exhausted at the top of Mount Everest (well it seemed like that to us.  ) and then gently took the road down and returned to the boat.

On the way back we stopped to talk to Ralph in Capricorn, who had been the boat opposite us on the pontoon in Las Palmas, and was moored next to us.

Calm night, so boats pointing in all directions.  Woken at 05.30 as we swung into a boat which had moored both fore and aft (against the advice of Aldive).  Armed with fenders and boathooks we repelled the invader until he had recovered his anchor and started to swing with the rest of us.

This morning, after a quick visit to the supermarket, we did not dinghy straight back to the boat, but went to look at another Grand Soleil in the adjacent anchorage.  Mick and his wife invited us on board for coffee (Nespresso) and we swapped Grand Soleil tales for a while.  Theirs was a 46.3 rather than a 43, but looked and felt very similar.

In the afternoon we again took the bus into Roseau and went to the market.  Cruise ship in so very busy.  We stopped for a beer at Fort Young, and then walked back to the Aldive moorings – which was quite a long way so we had to stop for another beer at the Anchorage hotel.

Pictures of Fort Cabrit, and of the anchorage at Roseau.

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