05/03/12 - Tenacious

We arrived in Dominica yesterday not long after lunch. We immediately set to placing the gangway on the dock. Taxis were arranged and after securing the moorings and gangway the crew gave a roaring song and applause for Watchleader Emma's 30th birthday. A massive spread of chocolaty rocky road heaven was presented and smoco commenced! After the sugar high taxis were arranged and the crew set of for a night on the town of Roseau

The crew split off once in the town in search of food. Half went to find the "best pina colada" the islands had to offer, or so said the Medical Purser Ronan. The crew was not disappointed! Delicious, smooth, creamy coconut perfection was had at the Fort Young Hotel Bar. The bar was outdoors with high dark wood ceilings with large, lazy fans spinning above us as we sat on couches and chairs with fluffy pillows behind us.

The other half of the crew went to find local food and had freshly caught mahi-mahi. They raved about it when the crew all met again back the bar where the taxis dropped them off. A round of rum punch soon followed, locally made and bottled in large jugs with hunks of spice inside them. They call it rum punch for a very good reason! Hands down the most potent cup of grog in the area!

The crew headed back for a well-deserved night's rest. And they would need it for the day to come!

An early breakfast of bacon and sausage biscuits at 7:30 then a dash to the taxis started the day. Most of the crew were headed to the Gorge, a hike through the rainforest and then a swim though freshwater volcanic springs.
The caverns near the springs were the same ones featured in the film Pirates of the Caribbean!

The smaller group headed to Champagne Beach where a short walk over a rocky beach brought them to a coral reef populated by all sorts of tropical fish.
The name of the beach comes from the tiny bubbles of air that are pushed up through the reef by underground volcanic movements. The closer to the bubbles you swim the warmer in gets!

Scuba gear equipped the crew went out to swim with fish and even took some underwater pictures! There was a tour guide who took them out to see caverns that have been there since the 15th Century as well as a canon that has a coral growing overtop of it.

Ronan was snorkelling with us when a near by boat let some air out of their diving cylinders. Ronan's head came up in panic and he shouted, "I thought that was a whale!". If we could have wet ourselves we would have done!

After hours of swimming the crew headed up to the nearby bar and had a few beers and huge plates of coconut battered chicken and tuna steak with rice, fried bananas, salad and spiced black-eyed beans. Cheap and plentiful!

Then it was off to the market! Shirts, dresses, gifts for home and more were acquired - along with many wide grins at the crew's developing haggling skills!

Then it was back to the ship to remove the gangway from the dock back onto the ship and release the moorings. We motored up the coast for a few hours then caught a good wind to take us the rest of the way before we anchored for the night just outside of Portsmouth.

A long, but fun-filled and delicious day for our Voyage Crew!