Cabrits, Dominica
After spending the evening and night cruising under power from Soufriere, St. Lucia accompanied by the light of a waning moon, we arrived at the island of Dominica around 8:30AM. This “Natural Jewel” of the Caribbean was adorned in all her emerald radiance as we docked at the little pier of Cabrits, in Prince Rubert Bay. Off on an adventure to walk the Syndicate Nature Trail, those of us who have chosen not to snorkel with Berit Solstad, have boarded the vans which will carry us through one of the Caribbean’s lushest rain forests. On we drove through the little village of Portsmouth and upwards towards Morne Diablotins National Park. Past little plots of land where the local farmers were tending their banana, grapefruit, and orange trees, the vans climbed. Coffee plants, Avocado, and Mango Trees were all represented, and some being harvested. Upwards we rode, noticing everywhere, the lush vegetation and fertileness of the mountainside soil, the evidence of abundant rainfall. It is sad to note that in the shifting world marketplaces, Dominica has lost its market for most of its fruits and is struggling to regain new markets. As a result, a lot of its fruit output presently goes to waste, according to our guide. We can hope that this situation rights itself so the abundant fruit of this “Natural Jewel” will once again be appreciated by consumers.
Forty-five minutes of driving, brought us to the Syndicate Nature Trail, an area of protected rainforest, made possible by the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, the organization that Lindblad Expeditions has donated to significantly. Herein lies a sanctuary for the national bird, the Sisserou Parrot (Amazona Imperialis) and its cousin the Jacquot. Before we embarked on a nature walk on the trail, we visited the interpretive center which explained the birth of the islands, and the wild life that inhabits the rain forest. We could hear the sound of chain saws, working nearby and then, without warning, there was a thunderous crash, a shaking of earth, the splitting of wood and another huge tree had fallen to the ground, giving us first hand evidence of the rain forest clearing we have all heard so much about. What a shame!
Our stroll on the Syndicate Nature Trail was nothing less than sublime in spite of the destruction evident from Hurricane Dean, (August 2007), just months ago. We noticed many fallen trees (by the hand of Mother Nature) and a canopy that was more open to the sky than usual, but one could feel the “spirit” of this protected forest already regenerating. We saw the many species of exotic trees and plants brought to life by our guides.
A refreshing drink was enjoyed by all at the end of our hike, and then it was time to board our vans, returning to the Sea Cloud II for another wonderful lunch.
The afternoon gave us the opportunity to ride or hike up to Fort Shirley, an historic fortification that is one of Lennox Honeychurch’s restoration projects. Here we could survey Prince Rupert Bay and the surrounding sea, just as the sailors/soldiers of yester-year did. However, we refrained from firing the cannon on our beloved Sea Cloud II.
15:15 All aboard ! It was time to depart for our next port of Iles des Saintes, but not before everyone had seen the beautiful wall mural (see picture) inside the pier building, that our “on board” renaissance man, Lennox Honeychurch, painted.
After spending the evening and night cruising under power from Soufriere, St. Lucia accompanied by the light of a waning moon, we arrived at the island of Dominica around 8:30AM. This “Natural Jewel” of the Caribbean was adorned in all her emerald radiance as we docked at the little pier of Cabrits, in Prince Rubert Bay. Off on an adventure to walk the Syndicate Nature Trail, those of us who have chosen not to snorkel with Berit Solstad, have boarded the vans which will carry us through one of the Caribbean’s lushest rain forests. On we drove through the little village of Portsmouth and upwards towards Morne Diablotins National Park. Past little plots of land where the local farmers were tending their banana, grapefruit, and orange trees, the vans climbed. Coffee plants, Avocado, and Mango Trees were all represented, and some being harvested. Upwards we rode, noticing everywhere, the lush vegetation and fertileness of the mountainside soil, the evidence of abundant rainfall. It is sad to note that in the shifting world marketplaces, Dominica has lost its market for most of its fruits and is struggling to regain new markets. As a result, a lot of its fruit output presently goes to waste, according to our guide. We can hope that this situation rights itself so the abundant fruit of this “Natural Jewel” will once again be appreciated by consumers.
Forty-five minutes of driving, brought us to the Syndicate Nature Trail, an area of protected rainforest, made possible by the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, the organization that Lindblad Expeditions has donated to significantly. Herein lies a sanctuary for the national bird, the Sisserou Parrot (Amazona Imperialis) and its cousin the Jacquot. Before we embarked on a nature walk on the trail, we visited the interpretive center which explained the birth of the islands, and the wild life that inhabits the rain forest. We could hear the sound of chain saws, working nearby and then, without warning, there was a thunderous crash, a shaking of earth, the splitting of wood and another huge tree had fallen to the ground, giving us first hand evidence of the rain forest clearing we have all heard so much about. What a shame!
Our stroll on the Syndicate Nature Trail was nothing less than sublime in spite of the destruction evident from Hurricane Dean, (August 2007), just months ago. We noticed many fallen trees (by the hand of Mother Nature) and a canopy that was more open to the sky than usual, but one could feel the “spirit” of this protected forest already regenerating. We saw the many species of exotic trees and plants brought to life by our guides.
A refreshing drink was enjoyed by all at the end of our hike, and then it was time to board our vans, returning to the Sea Cloud II for another wonderful lunch.
The afternoon gave us the opportunity to ride or hike up to Fort Shirley, an historic fortification that is one of Lennox Honeychurch’s restoration projects. Here we could survey Prince Rupert Bay and the surrounding sea, just as the sailors/soldiers of yester-year did. However, we refrained from firing the cannon on our beloved Sea Cloud II.
15:15 All aboard ! It was time to depart for our next port of Iles des Saintes, but not before everyone had seen the beautiful wall mural (see picture) inside the pier building, that our “on board” renaissance man, Lennox Honeychurch, painted.
