Tag: tour

Dominica The Beautiful

There is a lot to love about the beautiful island of Dominica. We spent 5 days in two anchorages on the west coast: Portsmouth in the north and Roseau in the south. We loved it so much we want to return, and maybe we will next season to explore more of Dominica the beautiful, our stop after Guadeloupe.

Map of the Eastern Caribbean islands including Dominica
Dominica on a map

Boat Boys

As a cruiser, you hear about them first. Boat boys are different things to different people. Love em or hate em seems to describe boat boys in the Caribbean. So far, Brian and I choose to embrace them.

Let me explain what boat boys are. These are the local entrepreneurs who ride around harbours in small sturdy boats who make a living by assisting cruisers.

boat boy
A PAYS ‘boat boy” zooming through Portsmouth Harbour, with a mountain in the backdrop
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Exploring Saint Kitts and Nevis

Our next stop after the BVIs: Saint Kitts and Nevis, meaning more new places for us to explore! We arrived on Tuesday and spent fun rainy days exploring Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Both islands, and many in this region of the Caribbean, are marked by a large mountain, making them easy to spot from sea. Each is a rain forest which we thought accounted for the clouds and rain since our arrival. We have since learned it is just timing. It’s the end of the dry season and rain is much needed.

approaching and exploring Saint Kitts
View of St. Kitts from our boat

St. Kitts is larger and less accessible than Nevis, at least from our experience on our sailboat.

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So Much To Do In Key West

When someone mentions Key West, you think sunshine, music and beachy cocktails. Having come from there just now, yes, yes and yes but so much more too! We found there was a lot to do in Key West, and here are our recommendations.

About Key West

Key West is known as Margaritaville after Jimmy Buffet, who lived and worked on boats there in his 20s. Much of the music style heard in the bars on Duval Street today is a descendent of Buffett’s “yacht rock”.

Key West street scene
Busy Key West streets

We learned a lot of bits of history on our tour with Key Lime Bike Tours, an entertaining 3 hour roll through the town’s highlights. Bike tours are generally a good way to get an overview and see a lot of a new place and this one was no different!

Key West is also known as The Conch Republic and got that name after a P.R. succession from the union to protest a government roadblock at the entrances to The Keys. It worked! Locals call themselves conches ever since.

We loved The Conch Republic and its residents. They embrace weirdness and like to have fun. Like Nashville and New Orleans, the bars are open early and full of live music. The restaurants are also good, serving local seafood and Cuban cuisine.

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