This was a days sail from St Pierre and we arrived in the southern port of Roseau. Very swelly mooring area and almost impossible to tie the dinghy up to the various jetties that were not in good repair. Pete minded the dinghy while I walked to the ferry terminal to check in – we decided to stay only one night and do all our looking around from the north. Prince Rupert Bay in Portsmouth is very well organised and the local people have put together an organisation to stop the touts annoying the yachts and offer good safe tours and moorings. We took a tour of the island and saw the local quite famous chocolate factory. I don’t know what I was expecting – maybe big gleaming stainless steel vats and people in white coats with chocolate thermometres – but no. Very low tech and hands on in an old house that was having the upstairs added on for his daughter to live in and the various chocolate making processed happening in sheds and outside etc. However – VERY good chocolate. He makes about 120 blocks a week and exports to the other islands. We bought some of course.
We travelled through the local Carib reservation where the only remaining indigenous people in all the islands live. The rest were enslaved or killed or both. The island is quite pristine away from the coast – lots of rain so therefor very lush. We went up Indian River with a guide (the only way you can do it) early one morning – silly us, as the very picturesque rum bar was closed before 9 am.! We did see the shack that was built to be the witch’s house for Pirates of the Caribbean. We went on a very tame walk to a waterfall and had a swim. What with one thing and another (internet, weather, laziness) we stayed there a week. Climbed up to the fort -British - Prince Rupert Garrison. Must find out why Prince Rupert was such a big deal in all these ports (French and English) since he was German.
Now heading south – via Ste Anne - to help with the finish line for 200 plus ARC boats coming in from Europe over the next 2 weeks.