After our short stop at Bequia, Dominica was only a few days of sailing away. We anchored right outside of Portsmouth, along with at least a hundred other boats and yachts (we were by far the most beautiful though!). Due to some unfortunate business on the ship, we had a lot less shore leave than anticipated in Dominica, however, we still managed to have a ton of fun!
On the first day, a group of us were wandered down the beach looking for adventure. We stopped at a beach art gallery and asked the artist what he suggested we do on the island. He told us that we shouldn't miss a tour of the Indian River. He found one of his friends who had a boat and we were off. As it turns out, the Indian River is where segments of Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest was filmed (the specific scene is when Jack Sparrow and his crew visit the sea witch in her hut on the edge of the river). The river itself is a protected national park so our guide turned off the engine and took out a long paddle to push us through the water. It was really unbelievable – just like the movie, but better. It was the real life version of the Disneyland ride … I can’t even describe it was so incredible. On the way we also saw an iguana, which was super cool.
For our port program, we rode a bus out of town for about an hour and then hiked through the forest to a breathtaking waterfall. On the two-hour hike we realized how out of shape you become living on a ship. Although we’re building muscle from pulling on lines, our cardio has sure gone out the window. The water beneath the falls was FREEZING (especially compared to the lovely warm Caribbean Sea we have gotten used to!). After the hike out, legs cramping and soaking wet, we boarded the bus again and headed to an area where the scene with the tribal people and the bone cages was filmed. We swam through dark caverns until we reached a waterfall inside a cave. At this point, the current was so strong that our guides had to tow us to the rocks in pairs to get past the rushing water. After everyone was safely on the other side, we scrambled up the rocks to a second pool and waterfall. We then took turns jumping off the first waterfall into the water. It was SO COOL. I loved it. And do you realize that we swam in the same water as Johnny Depp!
We spent our last day wandering around the town and hanging out at the beach. It was great. We ended our day at Big Pappa’s restaurant for a birthday barbeque that a floatie family had set up for their son’s birthday. We spent the evening dancing, eating and laughing. It was really fun. On departure day we sailed full sail off the anchor and out to sea. Only a few short days until the Dominican Republic and more adventures! Can’t wait.
For our port program, we rode a bus out of town for about an hour and then hiked through the forest to a breathtaking waterfall. On the two-hour hike we realized how out of shape you become living on a ship. Although we’re building muscle from pulling on lines, our cardio has sure gone out the window. The water beneath the falls was FREEZING (especially compared to the lovely warm 
