A new year often enables people to welcome in change and reinvent their lives. There are resolutions that are usually broken before the first wind of the year and the setting of yearly goals that are as elusive as those scored by the English football team. On Ruffian we've made no resolutions, no life changing decisions (we're rubbish at decisions) and in the famous words from the great film TeenWolf "We don't like change round here. Stick to the path."

Leaving Marie-Galante we were to stick to the path bound for Dominica. Unfortunately the path was all really rather rolly and really rather unbeaten. Against Iain's better judgement, as his breakfast was trying to see the light of day again, Fiona deployed the fishing line and within seconds dinner was being dragged behind Ruffian.

Most jobs on Ruffian are not pink or blue but the reeling in and despatching of fish is very much a blue job. Now Stugeron™ and flat seas are a good cure for seasickness, getting intimate with a rather upset Mahi Mahi and then covering everything with its guts is not. Battling both the Mahi and his seasickness the creature of the deep was expertly dispatched to the fridge and Iain's breakfast was nearly dispatched to the sea.

Arriving back in Dominica and welcoming in the New Year we stuck with what we normally do and headed off into the mountains in search of more waterfalls. New Years Day is a holiday and traffic along with public transportation was rather thin on the ground. As we ventured further and further from home in the one bus that was running we became increasingly worried about how we'd get home. Tarmac and even concrete was becoming non existent and any drivers in their right mind would avoid this part of the island like the plague. Still we pushed on.

Dropping us off in the middle of nowhere and hiking further into the middle of nowhere we feared for our return but pushed on none the less. Our adventurousness was rewarded with a power-shower unlike any thing that's available from your bathroom showroom. The water cascaded down with such ferocity it gouged the dirt from the pores of our skin and poured over our heads with such velocity that it literally pulled the hair from our scalp.

Now we had to hope beyond hope that we'd be able to get home. Finding civilisation we even found a bus stop and amazingly someone waiting for a bus. Now this could either mean that a bus was imminent or one hadn't come for hours and wasn't expected. Just on cue the same bus that had negotiated the treacherous roads to drop us off was ready to take us home to Ruffian.

With the wind howling through the anchorage we thought that when we got back to Ruffian her batteries would be full to overflowing. We were to be sadly disappointed. After 1000's of miles being towed and 1000's of hours valiantly spinning around "Ampie" was following in the footsteps of French baggage handlers. He was on strike.

Performing open heart surgery we took cables to bits, tested rectifiers (whatever they are) and checked voltage, current and continuity, all of which was pushing our electrical knowledge to its limits. Like usual while Iain was looking for the complicated solution Fiona did some thinking and honed in on the simple real answer. In no time, thanks to Fiona's enormous brain, having changed a fatigued cable we were up and operational. The next time the French baggage handlers go on strike Fiona will be there brokering a deal.

As Ruffian was all fixed we could once again head out into the wilds. This time we were not in search of waterfalls but instead the majestic beauty of hills and rainforests where vistas could be found looking over the islands that nestle in the blue Caribbean Sea. Once again the bus dropped us just around the corner from the middle of nowhere and we disappeared into the bush.

As we romped in the hills we surprised everyone we met. The farmers were shocked to see us on their slippery paths, while the guided group were shocked that we'd venture out alone with no idea how we'd get home. After walking for hours we finally popped out into civilisation and en-route to the bus stop got a full on political run down, not from a politician or a learned man but a machete wielding, concrete covered builder. He was awesome.

Once again Dominica has prove to be the gem amongst the Caribbean islands and we are happy to be continuing to do what we do best, not making any New Year resolutions and in the tradition of the great TeenWolf we're 'Sticking to the path.'

Opaque Mahi-Mahi.


Transparent Mahi-Mahi.


Lockers shouldn't be full of antifreeze.


Into the forest again.


Yummy yummy. Breadnuts stewed in 'dishwater'.


Powershowertastic.


Open heart surgery on "Ampie".


Where's your wardrobe in the morning? The bottom of the sea; that's where it is.


It's not all play. Water is always heavy.


The odd one out.


We'll be going over that hill there we will.


Walking through nature's pantry.


Photo opportunity.


Nice squally weather.


Fiona's bottom burps reach new levels.


The worry of anchoring in weed.


I'm really really sorry to have disturbed you Mr Puffer Fish.