We arrived at our docking birth in Dominica at 7:15 and we were cleared by 8:20. The rain was pouring down in buckets as we motored into Prince Rupert Bay. Dominica’s lushness was immediately apparent and understandable when one considers that the highest peaks on the island—up to 4.5 thousand feet—receive up to 400 inches of rain a year. It is worth restating that that is 30 feet of rain! The mountains on this volcanic island rise to above 5,000 feet. We boarded minivans for the ride through the picturesque town of Portsmouth on our way to “Morne Diabolitin” National Park, the site of the rain forest. We divided into three groups. We were hoping to see the elusive endemic parrots of Dominica, the Jacko and the Cicero. These Amazonian basin parrots are protected and today I saw about six, of course from a distance or flying overhead in the rain. We saw many species of birds and our guide Honoré was able to catch a Zandolin. These lizards are about 6 to 12 inches long and the male, which he caught and released, has a large light brown dewlap immediately beneath the throat. Honoré is an enormously talented bird caller and his ability to imitate the many species of birds from the Mountain Whistler to the Cisero to the Trembler is nothing short of remarkable.
After our excursion to the rain forest some of us visited Fort Shirley and some went snorkeling. I gave a brief overview of Cabritz point and of Fort Shirley. The fort was begun in 1774 and finally completed by 1820 and built almost entirely by slave labor. The fort is massive and spreads across most of the 200 acres of the Cabarets headland but it has only been possible to recover a small part of the original. The fort never saw action and existed principally as a deterrent. It was designed by the 18th century American architect Harrison to protect the Royal Navy at anchor in Prince Rupert Bay as the canons could sweep the entire area in front of the town of Portsmouth. There was another battery across the Bay and the two batteries made the bay inviolate. At its zenith the fort had 700 enlisted men and a contingent of the 8th West Indian Regiment made up of slaves. The French forces under Admiral DeBouille took Dominica in September of 1778 only to loose it again in the Treat of Paris of 1783. The Fort was abandoned in 1852 and lay derelict and in ruin covered by strangler figs and the jungle until Lennox Honeychurch undertook restoration beginning in 1982.
Fort Shirley from the shoreline to one thousand feet is part of the Cabrits National Park and the fish are not hunted. The reef is in good condition and abounds with enormous barrel sponges, some so large that you could swim inside them. I saw tangs, grunts, and damselfish, parrotfish, and wrasses, and probably a lot more, which I cannot recall at the moment. We were greeted on our arrival back on the Sea Cloud with afternoon tea.
