Iles Des Saintes to Dominica,

Our sail across to Dominica was really exciting as we spotted a humpback whale; the whale was basking in the sun blowing water from its blowhole, which is how Edi first spotted it. We watched for a few minutes before deciding to try and get closer, we brought the sails in as the wind had dropped to only 5 knots, and turned in the direction of the whale. The enormous flippers seemed to wave at us as it rolled and splashed among the waves, before diving, waving goodbye to us with its enormous tail. What a spectacular sight. A few moments later we spotted two waterspouts about 1000 yds behind us. Bob slowed the engine and we watched for a while as they appeared to be coming in our direction, we waited expectantly, hoping to get another up close and personal encounter with these magnificent creatures, but it wasn't to be, after a few minutes the whales turned and swam back out to sea. Bob cranked up the engines and headed for the shore. Some 3000 whales visit the warm waters of the Caribbean during the winter months to breed and calve. The Humpback is the most frequently sighted whale in these waters, and is often happy to put on a performance for passing boats, as did the one we spotted. The males can grow up to 57 feet in length, and the females up to 62 feet. They will often approach boats with little evidence of shyness towards humans. They do not pose a threat and there is no need to fear them should they approach, if you turn your engine off you may even be able to their eerie songs through the hull.
In 1988 Dominica was the first of the Eastern Caribbean islands to offer whale-watching tours. besides the Humpback, there are also Sperm whales, Pilot whales, False Killer whales, Pigmy sperm whales, Spotted, Spinner, Bottlenose, Risso's and Frazer Dolphins that regularly frequent these waters.
As we approached the coast of Dominica we all stood silently on deck, taking in the incredible beauty of the island. This was definitely the prettiest island so far, mountainous, lush and so green, the rain forests looked incredible, I couldn't wait to go and explore.