Location: Portsmouth, Dominica
At the end of the day today, I heard someone say, “Wow, today feels like it has been a week,” which is how most days feel here. Although, this one was particularly eventful, considering we spent half the day on one side of Dominica and half the day on the other side. We had some interesting experiences along the way. After breakfast and OCB class, we began what was supposed to be a quick and easy motor from Roseau to Portsmouth. Shortly into the trip, the crew was surprised with a practice Man Over Board Drill. We repeated the drill twice, with considerable improvement between the first and the second time. Just as we returned to what we were doing before the drill, we were called back on deck one more time. However, this time it wasn’t a drill.
Immediately we notice the somewhat intimidating and official Dominica Coastguard boat approaching Ocean Star. Three officers climbed on board and talked to the Captain and First mate for a little routine check. They showed them our customs and boat’s papers, checked out life jackets, and since everything looked fine, they let us continue with our passage. Finally, we dropped anchor at Portsmouth and left the boat for a River Tour with Cobra Tours. We paddled up and down the Indian River, stopping periodically to test salinity and temperature for the OCE class. On our way, we also stopped to see the famous house of the witch Calypso from Pirates of the Caribbean. In addition, we discovered many species of birds and crabs, some iguanas, and we even got to stop for a break at the Ticking Croc Tavern, where we tried homemade teas and juices. We finished the day with burger night, SLD class, and some delicious brownies.