“It seems that all tropical islands are beautiful. Each is equipped with picturesque beaches, swaying palm trees, quaint towns, and intriguing cultures. Then, you stumble onto that one particular island that captures your heart and takes your breath away. For us, that island was Dominica.” ~ Alison Gieschen
Our voyage thus far has had more than enough scary moments, mishaps, and unfortunate situations interweaved into our adventures. However, once we reached the island of Dominica, we had a new experience. Every day was filled with pleasant surprises, all of them good. This diverse and beautiful island enveloped us in her warm embrace and showed us her delights and wonders. The people, the places, and the new experiences were breathtaking. We finally had the experience we had always hoped for when we cast the lines from the dock and set out on this adventure.
Before arriving in Dominica, I had never heard of the island. There are hundreds of islands in the Caribbean, most of them innocuous, not popular travel destinations, quaint and beautiful in their own way, but not a stopping point for most people in the course of their lifetime. When sailing through them, you pop in, hit the most talked about highlights, take your photos, smile, and wave, then move along. We may have never even stopped in at Dominica if it wasn’t for our rally group, the Salty Dawgs, that planned to meet up during Dominica’s Yachtie Appreciation Week. It seemed the perfect destination for our rally reunion.
Our passage from St. Kitts eastward to Dominica was not pleasant. We were once again heading directly into the wind and waves. It seems all we need to do to plan any new course is to wake up that morning and determine which direction the wind is coming from. That will be the direction we need to go. It’s a “no brainer”. However, we completed our overnight passage and had no idea what to expect when we approached the harbor at 9:00 AM. Before we reached the harbor, a small wooden boat approached us. We were greeted and welcomed by a gentleman in a dinghy, offering to help us into the harbor and secure a mooring ball. Since we are on a tight sailing budget we usually anchor rather than paying for a mooring ball. When Dan asked how much the mooring ball cost per night, the man replied, “Nothing mon, the ball is free!”
This set the tone for our arrival. The harbor was buzzing with dinghies and sailboats. The atmosphere was welcoming as we began to recognize boats we had spent a week with back in Virginia before our crossing to BVI. A few minutes after we secured our free mooring ball, another dinghy approached with one of the event organizers. Brian welcomed us and handed us an itinerary for the week’s events. The first was that evening, an island beach BBQ, only $20 per person, including unlimited rum punch.
What was most unique about this harbor was that an organization called P.A.Y.S. employs locals to be of service to boats who stay in the harbor. These men assisted with any needs, provided transportation to anywhere you needed to go, lent a helping hand in any situation, even walked the boat dogs while owners toured the island. They only worked for tips. Sometimes, after helping out, they would turn to leave and you would have to call them back to give them a tip. They were not simply looking for handouts.
Our first day, after reuniting with our buddies MaryAnn and Gary on Whatever She Wants, (our official buddy boat) we decided to hike the nearby trails into the mountains and visit ruins as well as a park containing a historical fort. Other boaters had the same idea and we met and conversed with other travelers that had been to Europe and other destinations we plan to visit. We gathered helpful information and tips as we hiked the trails, photographed the vistas, and had a picnic on the top of the mountain.
The fort was incredibly well-preserved. It offered placards of historical information. We noticed a recurring theme of the presence of Christopher Columbus, those traveling to Jamestown, and John Smith, names mentioned on many of the islands we visit. And after a day of rigorous hiking, we made our way into town, walked down the streets and met the locals.
Smiles, hugs, and high-fives. That’s how complete strangers are welcomed in the town of Portsmouth. The small establishments that line the streets of town often have only one or two people in them, but there is a warmth and welcoming spirit from the people who live there. We met and spoke to several people who had incredible life stories. One man was raising his daughter on his own, spoke 5 languages, and owned his own business. He had lived in Holland for 5 years, was intelligent, kind, and gregarious. If you had passed him on the street and not spoken to him, you might think him poor, indigent, or uneducated. This man spoke to us about the importance of all people loving one another, how life is a gift, and that experiences, not money are what fulfills the human spirit. We walked back to our boats that night talking about how ingrained our American perceptions are of people. All our lives we have valued our cars, homes, fancy possessions, our appearances, and yet, this island man educated us on the value of what lies inside a person.
Dominica was greatly impacted by hurricane Maria in 2017. We talked to many people who lost their homes and businesses. She is still rebuilding. Tuesday with our group activities involved an hour drive to the other side of the island to volunteer for an organization called Feed My Sheep. We arrived in three separate vehicles and congregated to conquer and divide the tasks. The organizer, Lena 
Augustine, was overwhelmed by the large group and our enthusiasm. We got a brief introduction to the facility. Their services include providing assistance to all Dominicans by providing food, shelter, counseling, and a home for orphaned children. The organization has no outside assistance and relies on donations and volunteers. We separated into groups and began construction, painting, and outside projects.
Lena quietly asked if anyone would be willing to walk up the street to the elementary school to read to the children. “They love visitors,” she explained in her thick island accent. “It is such a treat to have an adult read to them. There are not many left you know, but we are doing what we can.”
Maria had destroyed the school. Many of the children are shipped off to other schools on the island and only a few dozen remain at the local school. There is an extreme shortage of teachers and the temporary school is tiny, cramming the children into small areas with dividers between the classes. The few teachers there had more than one grade level in their groups. Five of us walked up the hill to the school to read to the children. Their smiles, hugs, and appreciation, made the entire day worthwhile.
It was late when we arrived back to our boats in the harbor, but there was another event on the schedule we just couldn’t turn down. The park was embarking on another important volunteer project. Specially trained rangers were rallying help to capture an evasive species of tree frogs that jumped ship bringing supplies in after the hurricane. The Cuban Tree Frogs carry a disease that could affect other species on the island of Dominica. Just like the Lionfish introduced to Caribbean and Atlantic waters, these tree frogs are threatening islands and even the lower Everglades in Florida.
As per the instructions, we donned our long pants, put on our headlamps, and waited in the parking lot for our guides. It was dark, after 7 PM when we climbed into the back of the pick-up truck with the rangers. We had no idea how to hunt tree frogs or what would be involved. Nonetheless, we were excited to be embarking on a new adventure.
We arrived in a dark vacant field a few miles out of town. It was a known area for the Cuban Tree Frogs. The thing was, there were not many trees. These little buggers hide more in tall grass and shrubs than trees. That was a relief. I had pictured myself falling out of a tree at some point in the evening. The confusing part of the introduction was the directions to distinguish the native tree frogs, the good guys, from the Cubans, the bad guys. They looked similar but the Cubans were slightly larger. We had to don rubber gloves as the Cuban’s slimed you with a toxic substance that would burn your skin on contact.
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he game plan was to shine the light on the flora and fauna until you spotted a frog. Stealthily, you snuck up on the frog and grabbed it, grass, leaves, and all. Next, you stumbled around in the dark to find a ranger who would properly identify it. If it was the invasive species, you worked together to get the little bugger into a plastic bag for tagging and bagging. They were later brought to a vet to be euthanized and recorded for age and gender.
We wandered around the field for hours stalking and grabbing frogs. I ran into a few cows laying hidden in the
grass, tied to trees, that scared the crap out of me. I think I probably scared them too. MaryAnn caught a goat – it was tangled in a fence. Dan was the best at catching frogs, but he seemed only to be able to catch the good guys, which are notoriously hard to catch. I managed to capture three Cubans in the span of our two-hour search. Fortunately, the group effort collect more than two-dozen tree frogs – the bad guys. We did our best and got a good education on tree frogs.
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hus our experiences unfolded in just a few days with much more to see and do. It seemed there were just not enough hours in the day, or days in the week, to experience everything. Our departure day was Friday, we arrived on the Sunday prior. The rest of the week was non-stop with trips and experiences. We hired a guide for the day and hiked to a gorgeous waterfall. During the journey, we stopped along the way and were introduced to the plethora of plants and herbs used by the island natives. From healing to seasoning, the source of helpful and tasty plants was astonishing. We sampled papaya, cocoa, grapefruit, bananas, coffee beans, ginger, just to name a few, fresh of the plants and trees. We learned their history, met and talked to local farmers, and got a first-hand view of the abundant island harvests.
Finally, we hiked through the rainforest toward the waterfall. Dominica contains waterfalls, rivers, hot springs, and boiling lakes, and is home to monkeys, parrots, and many species of birds and animals. Our guide stopped us just before the waterfall and collected a handful of leaves from a bush. When we arrived at the waterfall and all dove it, he crushed the leaves on a rock and we used the leaves to create a rich, thick, soap to wash our hair and sweat from our skin.
The waterfall tumbled from a hundred feet above us. We all became kids, splashing, playing and reveling in the exhilaration of the unique and incredible feeling of being underneath the thundering water. We emerged, fresh and invigorated for our hike back home. Instead of returning back to the harbor, our guide stopped in a tiny seaside village one would only find if you lived on the island. We entered a small shop and bought some libations. Then, a man approached me and asked me if I wanted to feed some fish.
“Of course I want to feed fish!” I replied and walked out the door with the lovely, elderly, man. Next to the 
shop was a river feeding into the ocean. We walked to the edge, he had a loaf of bread in hand. He handed me a slice and told me to put my hand in the water and hold the bread. “But don’t be afraid,” he guided, “they won’t hurt you.”
I peered into the water and saw not one hint of a fish. The water was shallow, there were many rocks, but no fish. I shrugged, kneeled down, and wiggled the end of the bread in the water. It took about 10 seconds before a hundred small fish caused the water to churn and bubble around my chunk of bread. I immediately squealed and pulled my hand out of the water. I heard the man laughing behind me. “Go on,” he said, “they won’t hurt you!”
The fish turned out to be mullets, not the kinds we find in the US. These river mullets are protected by Dominica and there is a heavy fine for fishing them. This man comes to the river every day and feeds them. They come in droves for his delicious bread and readily take it from the human hand. Before long, the rest of our group came to the river to feed the fish. Once again, I saw adults, seasoned sailors, reduced to giggling like school children and fascinated by another unique experience.
I can’t say the adventures ended there. There was still one more day to go before departure. My favorite part of the trip came next. No one is allowed to dive in Dominica without going with a local dive shop. We have not done much diving and I really wanted to see the beauty below the island, to see if it was as rich and magical as the island is above water. I was not disappointed. The dives we experienced were some of the best diving I have done in 30 years. The abundance of life, color, diversity, was incredible. Not only that, but they fed us fresh banana bread and amazing citrus tea between dives.
In addition, I was introduced to Lionfish hunting. Dan and I brought our Hawaiian
slings along as the dive master promised there would be Lionfish to hunt. This is a hugely invasive species that have no natural enemies other than humans. I had not been spearfishing yet on our voyage and was looking forward to trying. I was also daunted by the idea of once I caught a Lionfish – what to do with it. I heard they were tasty but had no idea how to clean one.
It turns out, I’m a Lionfish hunting prodigy. I successfully speared six. Dan only brought back two, but between the two of us, we had more than enough for dinner. I was very excited. Our dive master instructed me how to safely clean the fish, and along with the spectacular diving experience, we had dinner to boot. This made MaryAnn VERY happy. She loves it when I cook.
We still had a few hours of daylight left after our dive. Our wonderful dive crew set us up with a friend who had a taxi business. And… wait for it! We drove to a side of the island we had not seen yet and visited a… CHOCOLATE FACTORY! The mountain grown chocolate was prepared in a small operation. We tasted the various stages of beans, before drying, after drying, after roasting, and the gooey warm chocolate turning for four days in a large vat. Then, we tasted all the flavors of chocolate from ginger and spiced, to mint and tangerine. Dozens of flavors are produced in the small shop. All were incredible.
This guide stopped at the beautiful vistas along the drive. He educated us on the distant side of the island and about the rare single white sand beach and other attractions. Unlike taxi drivers one is used to, these drivers enjoy showing and telling about their island. There is pride, great spirit, and a willingness to share information with visitors that we have never encountered on any other island.
To say we were sad to leave Dominica is an understatement. Besides our plethora of sailing friends, we felt we had bonded with the people there. School children, relief workers, park rangers, guides, drivers, were all real people to us, people we came to care about. We only touched on the beauty of the rain forests, waterfalls, rivers, and underwater treasures. There was so much more to see, do, and experience. But alas, we must island hop over to St. Martin to meet friends and get some much-needed boat work done. Let the adventures continue… the good adventures, please.
Alison and Dan
s/v Equus