More To Do in Dominica

We loved Dominica the first time we visited. Since life onboard Sava Season 2 is about expanded exploration, we had to return. Our second visit to “The Nature Island” allowed us to snorkel, dive, and visit more sites we missed the first time.  We found so much more to do in Dominica.

Roseau Town

This town is much cuter and more interesting than I knew! We were warned off from spending much time here on the trip down, but this visit we spent three nights in Roseau and found a lot to like.

Our arrival coincided with New Year’s Eve, but we were too tired to do much. We listened to the party from shore, and watched the locals set off firecrackers from one of the docks.

Once we were rested, we enjoyed exploring the town. We shopped in the stores, including an excellent supermarket, and ate and drank at an eclectic range of spots.

Roseau Bay, Dominica
Roseau Bay, Dominica

In town, High Rise Beach Bar is popular with locals for the views of the port, cheap Kubuli beers, and decent lunch specials. It is not in a high rise nor on the beach. 

Ruins Rock Cafe exterior
Ruins Rock Cafe in Roseau Dominica
Continue reading “More To Do in Dominica”

Constant Boat Work

“Living on a sailboat is doing boat work in exotic places”

Sad but true. After living aboard Sava for nearly 10 months, we are constantly doing boat work.

One step forward..

We have some good news, but I am afraid to celebrate too much for fear of jinxing us. We are embroiled in what feels like constant boat work but have some good news: the engine and auto pilot are still working!

And several steps back

Just because I haven’t posted recently about breakdowns doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I will recount the latest issues we’ve had with Sava.

Recent Boat Work

Windlass

We tried to anchor in a new spot a few weeks ago only to have the windlass fail again. We moved onto a mooring ball at a lovely marina with a great restaurant, Whisper Cove, while trying to fix the windlass.

Brian dismantled the windlass, unwound the entire anchor chain, and consulted professionals. They cleaned it and couldn’t find anything wrong.

When Brian reinstalled it, it worked better than ever. While we don’t know what was wrong with our windlass, it’s raising and dropping the anchor perfectly so we are happy.

STATUS: Working

Continue reading “Constant Boat Work”

Dominica The Beautiful

There is a lot to love about the beautiful island of Dominica. We spent 5 days in two anchorages on the west coast: Portsmouth in the north and Roseau in the south. We loved it so much we want to return, and maybe we will next season to explore more of Dominica the beautiful, our stop after Guadeloupe.

Map of the Eastern Caribbean islands including Dominica
Dominica on a map

Boat Boys

As a cruiser, you hear about them first. Boat boys are different things to different people. Love em or hate em seems to describe boat boys in the Caribbean. So far, Brian and I choose to embrace them.

Let me explain what boat boys are. These are the local entrepreneurs who ride around harbours in small sturdy boats who make a living by assisting cruisers.

boat boy
A PAYS ‘boat boy” zooming through Portsmouth Harbour, with a mountain in the backdrop
Continue reading “Dominica The Beautiful”

Impressions of The Virgin Islands

I have to get used to moving. A big part of cruising is moving, always visiting somewhere new, but I feel like we are not spending enough time in the places we visit. There are so many islands and so much to do and see on each of them that I know we are missing out by not seeing more.

It’s common for any traveller to have these emotions, this fear of missing out. We are fortunate: most people are in The Virgin Islands for a week on vacation and then have to go home. I have to get more in the mindset of enjoying what we see instead of regretting what we miss. In that spirit, here are my top impressions of The Virgin Islands.

heart
Loving the Virgin Islands

5 Impressions of The Virgin Islands

Continue reading “Impressions of The Virgin Islands”

Touring Puerto Rico

Visiting new places as a cruiser is different: we are traveling around islands as opposed to within them. In Puerto Rico we are trying to do both. Of course we sail, but we try to see as much as possible inland too.

Since our first weekend here, we have covered a lot of ground on this gorgeous island. We’ve been busy touring Puerto Rico.

Gilligan’s island

Just east of Parguera is another popular tourist spot focused around the small and wild Gilligan’s Island. Yes, there’s one here too!

Continue reading “Touring Puerto Rico”