Indian River boat trips, Prince Rupert Bay, and Dominica's undiscovered Caribbean — the Nature Isle at its quietest
Portsmouth is Dominica's second-largest town, sitting on the shores of Prince Rupert Bay in the northwest of the island — a Caribbean town that feels genuinely unlived-in by tourism. The Indian River, which flows into the bay just south of town, is one of the most atmospheric boat journeys in the Caribbean: a palm-canopied waterway through Pterocarpus swamp forest, rowed (not motorised) by licensed local guides past the ruins where the Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed. Prince Rupert Bay itself is a prime anchorage with one of the most vibrant beach bar and grilled fish scenes in the Easter…
Prince Rupert Bay was one of the most strategically important harbours in the 18th-century Caribbean — its deep-water anchorage and fresh water from the Indian River made it a critical provisioning stop for both British and French naval fleets in the constant war for Caribbean dominance. The Bay was the site of the Battle of the Saints (April 1782), where British Admiral Rodney defeated the French fleet under de Grasse in the largest naval engagement in Caribbean history, decisively ending French naval supremacy in the Americas. A large British fort (Fort Shirley, now Cabrits National Park) w…