April 06, 2005
N15.25, W61.73 Dominica
Martinique is a beautiful island, very French, and very us. This is an island we will return to visit again. Our sail to Dominica was to be straight-forward, but the tall peaks of Martinitique’s mountains proved to be a challenge, as the winds accelerated, swirled, died, and swirled again. It was a constant effort in sail trim to keep our course. Having finally put the island behind us, it was full-on Atlantic Ocean for 20 nautical miles. Very exhilarating!
In our haste to make it to Guadeloupe to have repairs done on Platina, we did not have an opportunity to visit Dominica. There is the other matter of Dave dropping the Dominica flag in the ocean about 6 miles south of the island (it is a courtesy to fly the flag of the host country on the starboard side of the main mast), which made us embarrassed and uncomfortable about staying too long. The Cruising Guide had a wonderful photo of the anchorage at Mero where we stopped for the night, but when we got there, we were alone.
The island of Dominica is one of the most mountainous of the Windward Islands. Seen from afar, this forest-clad island presents a forbidding face with its lofty peaks brushing the rain clouds that frequently shed their load to make this the lushest island in the Caribbean.
The island was sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1493. When he was before King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, trying to describe the awe-inspiring mountains of Dominica, he resorted to crumpling a piece of paper to illustrate the dramatic form of the island.
It was inhabited by the indigenous Caribs, who fiercely resisted both French and English occupation. The two powers finally came to an agreement in 1805 and France ceded Dominica to the British in exchange for a payment. Dominica became self-governing in 1967 and gained full independence in 1978.
Agriculture dominates the economy, including sugar, limes, coconut oil, cocoa and citrus fruit. There is a desire to temper tourism to prevent the destruction of the “Nature Island”. Dark volcanic sand beaches are located on the north and west coast, the water is very calm, and the island’s waters are rated the 5th best scuba diving in the world.
Posted by dave at 11:19 AM | Comments (0)