March 13th 2026, 0741am and we were finally leaving Antigua after a month of repairs and waiting on parts. Needless to say we were more than ready to be on our way. The seas were sporty - 5 foot swells with 1-2 feet wind waves but this was the best weather window for over a week so we took it. With the seas this lumpy it was hard walking around the boat so in less we were in dire need of a pee we sat still. With limited weather windows we were just one of many boats underway today. Today's destination was for sleeping only - Pigeon Island Guadeloupe. And since we had no plans to go to shore we didn't bother checking into the county. By 3:22pm the hook was down and we were settled in and extremely happy to be underway and away from the dock. What we consider "real" boating can only be found at anchor. It's the freedom of being on your own, supplying your own power and water and swimming directly off the back of the boat. It was very refreshing after being pinned to a dock for so long.
Pigeon Island, Guadeloupe
Pigeon Island Anchorage
Sunset Pigeon Island
The next morning we awoke to a beautiful rainbow and thought it was a good luck omen for our passage south to Dominica. At 0818 we up-anchored and were on our way. Today's conditions were much like yesterday's - 4 foot swells with 1-2 foot wind waves with 23 knots of wind. More lumps but once we made the 46 mile run to Dominica we planned to settle in for a week. When we arrived we contacted Edison who is part of the PAYS group in Portsmouth, Dominica. They are a country certified organization who run the mooring balls, offer tours and help keep the area safe. They are very professional men and we felt good about working with Edison. By 2:20pm we were secured onto our ball. We gave all of our boat paperwork to Edison and he handled all the checking into the country for us. We didn't even have to leave the boat. Great service.
Good Morning Rainbow
Lumpy Seas Underway
Approaching Portsmouth, Dominica
Edison Guiding Us In
Another Rainbow
Our first full day in Dominica was a Sunday so we slept in and had a nice slow morning. We purposely timed our arrival for Sunday because one of the things the PAYS organization does is put on a weekly bbq for all of the cruisers on Sundays. We heard good things about it so we didn't want to miss it. At some point during the day the winds picked up and the mooring field got a bit rolly. We decided since we would be having some drinks at the bbq to get a ride from one of Edison's guys. We radio'd him and he sent someone at the time requested. It was nice to not have to deal with the lowing the dink and then raising it again after drinking and with the boat flying around in the dark. The bbq was a lot of fun. We all sat around having some drinks while the food was being prepared and set up and then at some point we went through a buffet of various veggies and rice and bbq chicken and fish. It was better than expected. At our table we met a sailboater from Germany who had three female crew members helping him get around the world. They were very interesting to talk to. After dinner some of the tables were removed and the dancing began. There was a woman there who seemed like a local live aboard who was dancing with everyone including Jeff. It was very entertaining and a great time. By the time we were ready to leave the wind had really picked up and we were very glad we were getting a panga ride back to the boat.
BBQing
The BBQ scene
The Dancing Queen
Dance Party
The next day we were feeling a little rough from too much bbq. The morning was slow per the usual and at 4pm we had scheduled a tour up the Indian River with one of Edison's guides named Nigel. He picked us up from the boat and the fresh air was actually just what we needed. The river itself was quiet and peaceful and stunningly beautiful. There were parts of the river where there were no motors allowed so Nigel pulled out oars and rowed us part of the way. It was wild watching him row an entire panga. We saw a hut where scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean was shot. We sat back and listened as Nigel told us stories about the river and described the flora and fauna. It was all quite peaceful and relaxing. The river conveniently ended up at little hut that had a bar in it and two women there welcoming us. We of course got rum punches and sat back and enjoyed the jungle setting. There were a couple of trails we could walk along to do a little exploring and see the plants a little closer up. It was just so gorgeous. After a little while we piled back into the panga and Nigel rowed us out.
Nigel Taking Us To The Indian River
Entering Indian River
Nigel Rowing Us Along
Indian River
Pirate Of The Caribbean Shot Here
River End
Indian River Bar
Jeff Made A Friend
Walking The Trails Along The River
Nigel Made Me a Bouquet
Herron Hanging Out Along The River
We needed a little leg stretch the next day so we took the dink into town and checked out our surroundings and walked out to the old fort. There wasn't a whole lot going on in town. Pretty quiet. But, when we made our way out to the fort we had some interesting walking mates. As we made our way past an old abandoned hotel we noticed a whole heard of goats grazing on the grass and as we walked past it's if they didn't want to be left behind and starting following us down the road. They weren't aggressive or anything it's like they just wanted to hang out with us and see where we were going. Every so often I would turn around and they were still there. I think they followed us for a good 10 minutes until finally loosing interesting and heading back into the grass. It was such a funny site. We couldn't get over it. The fort itself was in great shape and we took our time going in and out of the old structures and enjoying the view over the mooring field. When we walked back into town we came across some sea sisters having some drinks in the bar and decided to join them. It was fun meeting new people and hearing everyone's plans.
Portsmouth, Dominica
Goats Grazing In The Grass
They're Following Us
The Old Fort
Inside The Fort
Old Cannon Balls
View Of The Mooring Field
At The Top
Walking The Trails Around The Fort
We decided we needed a proper tour of Dominica while we were there and Edison arranged a full day tour with one of his guys Uncle Sam. He met us at the dingy dock and off we went. We amazingly crammed a lot into one day. We managed to visit a waterfall, have lunch, see red rocks, a chocolate factory and a gin distillery all in one day. Uncle Sam was nice and very knowledgable about the island and as he drove us around spoke about the area and gave us some history as we looked out the window. The island of Dominica is so stunningly gorgeous, green, lush and hardly touched by man it's just a vision and unlike everywhere else full of houses and development. Even without the tour I would have been completely content just staring out the window.
The first stop was the waterfall which required a short walk in order to reach it. Uncle Sam led us through the forrest until we reached it. It was so beautiful and we took our time just staring at it. After a sufficient amount of staring we made our way back to the van and Uncle Sam drove us to lunch. The restaurant itself didn't look like much but it was right on the ocean and the views were stunning. They even had a vegan lunch for me. After lunch it was time to keep moving. We drove to an area called red rocks The rocks were red yes but they were more like red cliffs that stood tall against the ocean. We walked out on them and soaked up the ocean views.
Next it was time to head to the chocolate factory and gin distillery. They are both relatively new and owned by the same person. We were given a tour of the chocolate factory by one of the workers there who explained to us the process of chocolate making. We have been to so many of these chocolate tours pretty soon we'll be able to give the tour. Nonetheless it was still interesting and the best part came at the end when we got to try all of the different varieties and bring some home. We found the gin distillery interesting because when you think of the Caribbean you don't think gin you normally think rum. This was a very tiny operation with two workers and the tiniest gin mill. We listened as they explained the process and tried some samples. I'm not normally a gin person because I don't like juniper but this was pretty tolerable. By late afternoon we were winding down and Uncle Sam drove us back to the dingy dock and we went home. Quite a lovely day.
Starting The Tour
Hiking To Waterfall
Uncle Sam Leading Us
The Waterfall
Driving To Lunch
Our Lunch View
The Restaurant
Red Rocks
Red Rocks
Coco Beans
Chocolate Making Room
Gin Distillery
After running all over the island the next day we decided we needed a slower paced activity so we got a day pass at the Intercontinental Hotel. Just a short walk from the dinghy dock this hotel opens itself up to cruisers who want to spend the day by the pool and enjoy some lunch at the restaurant. The hotel was really nice and it felt like such a treat to be able to spend the day there. We swam and read and had a nice lunch then walked back to the dink and headed home.
Arriving At The Intercontential Hotel
Intercontential Hotel Pool
Our final day in Portsmouth would be a memorable one. We spent the day onboard going slow in the morning and then swimming off the boat and playing backgammon in the afternoon. A relaxing and wonderful boat day. Every evening around 6pm at anchor we start the generator and let it run three hours before bed in order the charge up the batteries for the overnight, run the ac and cool down the boat for sleeping and have power for making dinner. For some reason this night the generator decided not to start. Jeff worked on it for a long time trying a variety of things to get it going with no luck. We nervously weighed our options. The batteries wouldn't make it overnight without being charged. There was no marina around to duck into for power. The only thing we could come up with around 9:15pm was that running the motors would in turn charge the batteries. Without a generator we couldn't make it overnight and in the dark in the middle of a crowded morning field we let go of our ball and decided to go overnight to Martinique where our ac's were waiting for us and we could plug into power. Little did we know that as we were underway our alternator wouldn't work as well and we sat watching the batteries deplete more and more and before going dead in the water we made an emergency bail out to Roseau, Dominica where we dropped the hook at 11:51pm in the pitch black where we felt safe.
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