On the 19th January we set sail along with John & Jo, for Dominica and the port of Roseau. We have never stopped at Dominica because we always thought it need a few weeks to "Do it Right". Well this was our time and we were going to try and get it right. Roseau has a very steep shelf to anchor on so most boats take a mooring. We saw little space to anchor so we did too. Now usually we never take a mooring for two reasons: first they are not as pridictable as our own anchor, secondly they tend to get expensive quickly. Well these were only around $10US per day so that was Ok, second was the depth and at 10m+ here we decided to take one. Also as we were intending to do a lot of the walks and hikes around the southern end of the island so to base ourselves here was a good idea.
Our first job the next morning was to check in at the ferry terminal which is downtown by the cruise ship dock. We walked to the docks and had a very warm welcome from the folks at immigration and customs. As we are staying on the island for more than 14 days and we are moving anchorages we have to check in and get a coastwise pass as well as checking out before we leave. If you stay less than two weeks you get to check in and out at the same time.
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| Raising the Q flag |
With that done we explored the local bus options and got the cruise ship dates from the local travel agents. This was to help us avoid crowds at the major attractions later. Then we had a nice walk around the town (City by local standards) and visited the fruit and vegetable market and found a IGA supermarket that had ice cream too. The town has a lot of small shops and we found R134A refrigerant available to buy at auto stores for our fridge (some islands won't sell it without a license). We also found a good pharmacy as John was a bit under the weather still.
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| The local market in Roseau |
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| The emancipation statue |
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| The fort has become a hotel, very posh too. |
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| Nice digs for the premier |
Our first trip was to Trafalgar falls which are two very large waterfalls that drop into the same gorge. They are often referred to as Mother and Father. We caught a local bus from Roseau up to the base of the falls for only $4EC each. The falls are part of the nation parks system and a small fee of $5USD each, which is common for all park entrances unless you buy a week pass for $12USD. We were keen to get into the pools that surround river which flows through the gorge, so we scrambled up the very large boulders to find just the right one. When we found it our friends Jack and Sherri from s/v Tiaga were already bathing in it but we're happy to share their pool. John had told us there used to be hot springs here and the park ranger told us they were washed out in the Tropical Storm Erika in July 2015. It turns out this was bad info, much later friends told us they are up at the base of the falls but the park rangers rather you didn't go that far. Such a shame as John really wanted the hot springs to ease his flu like symptoms.
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| Arriving at Trafalgar falls |
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| Hot sulfur spring by the path |
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| The mother and father falls |
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| Huge boulders to scramble over |
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| A nice Jacuzzi |
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| Jack and Sherri |
Jack and Sherri invited us to see their hotel on the way back to the bus stop so we walked down to catch them in the hot springs behind their bungalow.
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| Nice falls into the garden |
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| Nice flowers all around too |
The walk back to catch the bus was a delightful experience too.
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| A lovely bar / restaurant on the road to the bus stop |
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| The outdoor grill/oven across the road from the bar |
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| Lovely roadside fauna |
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| Back at the bus stop |
Our next trip was a short walk around the Botanical gardens in Roseau and up to Jack's walk and the hills overlooking the town. It was well worth the effort as the views are really excellent.
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| The botanical gardens |
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| Star jump competition? |
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| Looking for Mountain Chicken |
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| Jack walk |
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| John & Devin on the path |
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| Great views over Roseau from the summit |
We walked back to the boats and relaxed aboard for the remainder of the day. Well about mid afternoon Devin noticed we were moving, not something you want when attached to a mooring ball. We were quickly both on deck and while Liz started the engine, Devin checked the mooring gear. We expected to find the mooring had parted as we had two lines to the mooring. Unfortunately nothing had parted and we had drug the whole set-up including the huge concrete base off the bottom and it was suspended beneath Moosetracks' bow. The owner kindly asked if if we could get it back in position, we tried but we couldn't get it back up the underwater hill. So we dropped it by releasing the bow lines. Unfortunately they both were very difficult to retrieve as they had bitten deeply into the rope loop. Devin almost did himself an injury pulling on the lines and had a very sleepless night with a chest strain and sore wrists & arms. We did get all our lines back and took another mooring further down the beach.
The next day we got up really early to go to the Boiling lake on a very long hike. To catch the first bus we left at 6am and luckily we were there early as the bus left at 6:45am about 15 minutes before we were told. Any way it was a very nice ride up to Laudat and for only $4EC each again it was a very good deal. We start the trail from the foot of the Titou Gorge and have a few hours of reasonably gentle incline. Then we had a steep descent to the river and back up to the trail. After this we summit out on the ridge before reaching the Valley of Desolation. The drop into the valley is a very steep scramble with the rain we were hiking in it was a slow and difficult descent and later just as bad ascending on the way home.
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| An early start for John & Jo |
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| Devin & Liz in the rain forest at 8am, |
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| The steep descent into the valley of desolation |
The valley of desolation has several hot springs or fumaroles which allow gases to escape from molten lava pools underground. One of the local guides is sitting by one boiling some eggs for his guests to try when they arrive.. The smell of sulfur is very strong in the valley so we know it's a very active volcanic area. The water in the rivers is steaming in places and the whole valley is shrouded in mist so it's a very special place. The desolation in its name refers to this and a much earlier eruption that cleared all the vegetation from around here, you're warned to stay on trails as there is only a thin crust between the surface and the lava below.
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| The Valley of desolation |
After the Valley of Desolation we stride down a river and often have to wade thigh deep in the water to cross the river or continue the trail. We see the last river crossing and wonder how we get to it. We have to descend a steep muddy slope about 15-20' high and then cross another raging stream thigh deep. Well we have walked almost 3.5 hours so we are going on! We drop to the water helping each other with foot holds and then help each other across the water. Thankfully that is the last major obstacle and we climb moderately to the boiling lake about 200-300' higher. The lake is indeed boiling for us, it stops occasionally, in recent history in 2016 it was dry for a while. It is difficult to get great photos as there is steam above the lake but hopefully we captured it.
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| A really steamy Boiling Lake |
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| Can you make out the lake surface? |
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| OK no swimming boys and girls! |
The return walk was just murder, we had taken 4 hours to get here and it was just the same returning. When we got to the trail head we were exhausted and drenched from all the rain. We didn't have the energy to swim in the Titou gorge, so maybe for another trip.
The next day was no surprise to find us boat bound, we needed a full day to recuperate and catch up on sleep. After that we decided to catch a local bus the other way this time to Scotts Head park. Here you can walk, swim or snorkel and enjoy a very old volcanic feature which is mostly submerged in the bay. We opted to walk to the end of Scott Head for the views. It was a an easy 30-40 minute walk and affords great views of the surrounding sea, corals and mountains. We could have snorkeled in the park for another park fee but decided we were not recovered enough to have the energy. The Champagne reef is apparently a bubbling area off the coast here but we managed to miss it too, we guess the walk just about took everything out of us. Still it has allowed us lots of ideas for a return visit!
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| Jo, Devin, John and Liz |
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| Scotts Head views are wonderful |
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| Walking the beach back |
We spent our last day clearing out of Roseau for Portsmouth in the north, again the officials are super friendly and we did a little last shopping before we left.
s/v Moosetracks
