Dominica, Lesser Antilles
The sun was barely up when we came alongside the small pier below the ramparts of Fort Shirley at Cabrits, on the northwest point on the rugged and lush verdure of this magical isle. Known as the ‘island of adventure’, Dominica lies between the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. The fierce and determined resistance by the Carib Indians prevented the island from being settled by the Europeans until well after 1700. The French used Dominica as a source of hardwoods and began to settle after 1740, but England captured the island in 1761. Despite the swift and thorough colonization by the English, the island changed hands often in the late 18th century.
Our intrepid guests set off after breakfast for a hike along the Syndicate Trail to explore the lush rain forest to search for the Sisserou or Red-necked parrots, a native species of the island. Others went off on horseback to explore the Indian River Valley. Those wanting a slower start to the day, walked up to western bastions of Fort Shirley whose now silent guns guard the entrance to Prince Rupert Bay. Casting off in the early afternoon the Captain delayed setting sail only until the rain-squalls had passed. We settled down in our deck chairs to enjoy our last afternoon under sail. As the sun dipped below the western horizon, one was reminded of Joseph Conrad’s apt observation: “A passage under sail brings out in the course of days whatever there may be of the sea love and sea sense in an individual whose soul is not indissolubly wedded to the pedestrian shore”.
The sun was barely up when we came alongside the small pier below the ramparts of Fort Shirley at Cabrits, on the northwest point on the rugged and lush verdure of this magical isle. Known as the ‘island of adventure’, Dominica lies between the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. The fierce and determined resistance by the Carib Indians prevented the island from being settled by the Europeans until well after 1700. The French used Dominica as a source of hardwoods and began to settle after 1740, but England captured the island in 1761. Despite the swift and thorough colonization by the English, the island changed hands often in the late 18th century.
Our intrepid guests set off after breakfast for a hike along the Syndicate Trail to explore the lush rain forest to search for the Sisserou or Red-necked parrots, a native species of the island. Others went off on horseback to explore the Indian River Valley. Those wanting a slower start to the day, walked up to western bastions of Fort Shirley whose now silent guns guard the entrance to Prince Rupert Bay. Casting off in the early afternoon the Captain delayed setting sail only until the rain-squalls had passed. We settled down in our deck chairs to enjoy our last afternoon under sail. As the sun dipped below the western horizon, one was reminded of Joseph Conrad’s apt observation: “A passage under sail brings out in the course of days whatever there may be of the sea love and sea sense in an individual whose soul is not indissolubly wedded to the pedestrian shore”.
