Moving on

Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.  

-Henry David Thoreau

We spent two glorious weeks in Dominica exploring all that was humanly possible and soaking up the local hospitality.  We knew it was time to move on when Chris informed us that we had a good weather window to Grenada.  There was no time for lingering and no time for long, sad goodbyes.  Thank goodness, cuz I don't like those kind anyway.  

As cruisers, we make friends instantly with a common bond.  Leaving friends behind in one port is merely a sign of hope that we'll meet again in another.  Saying goodbye to Dominica was only second to the farewells we said when we left home.  It was especially difficult because not only did we make friends with the local adults and kids alike, we felt at home.  Even though we were not locals, we certainly felt welcomed like locals.  When we thought about the potential experiences we would have on this trip, fostering relationships with the locals and becoming intimately familiar was at the top of the list.  What we experienced in Dominica was exactly what we had hoped for and so much more.  Moving on was going to be very difficult.  It was forever.  We knew that we wouldn't see them in the next port and it would be a very long time before we were back for a visit.  It was surreal to actually be leaving such a special island.  As we raised the sails early in the morning with Portsmouth fading into the distance, we felt a sense of loss.  There was an empty feeling in our hearts and a kind of melancholy fog around our boat.  We could only hope that we would encounter such a special island again.  And if we didn't, we would forever be filled with amazing memories that will last a lifetime.

 Erica and I left this message to the PAYS guys the night before we left