CUBA
from october 31st to december 26th 2003

 

 

from the balcon de Velasquez, we have a rainy view over the sea and we forget a while that we are in the Caribean!! As we look like two wet doggies we finally decide to look for a place to stay to enable us to wake up dry! After a nice warm shower, we find a restaurant with live cuban music for a reasonnable price, eventhough the little propina plate run around the tables, but with no obligation. After dinner not yet bored with cuban music we go to la Casa de la Trova where, every evening from 11 pm, they play. The music is a bit like Buena Vista Social Club, it is cheap : 1 dollar! very good and so cool!

 

El "Castillo de San Pedro del Moro", stands on a 60 meters high cliff overloooking Santiago's bay. Designed in 1587 by Giovanni Bautista Antonelli, an italian ingeneer, to protect the town from pirates, it was built between 1633 and 1693 and is still considered as one of the best preserved 17th century spanish military complex in the caribean. It is really fascinating to go up and down in that fort which helps to forget all the mean tricks of town.

After taking photo after photo and un from every angle, we reach the Cordillera de la Gran Piedra, where a rock stands at 1234m. From the moment we start climbing we are getting in a rain forest, humid with scents of moss. The trails are covered with guava, lime and orange trees.

 

 

 

When we get to the top, a few steps are still to be climb before being 1234 m abobe see level! As it is very cloudy we decide to turn back and stop at the Botanical garden, which is in fact a small nursery. We go through the plants fields guided by the "technico" who gives us the latin names of the flowers, which helps as this way we all talk the same language! Thanks to my brothers and my mum! I almost knew all of them! When we leave the place I'm covered with flowers given to me during the visit by the technico, Gardenia, Paradise bird, Jasmin, Orchids and the Mariposa which is the national flower of Cuba and looks like a "butterfly".

 

As we keep approaching Holguin, the landscape changes, gigantic royal palm trees cover the small valleys. At the end of the valleys some little hamlets remains, far away from and everything and everyone. It is when you are awayform the cities that you can meet the real Cuba. The little wooden houses with strow or palms roofs kept sparkling clean, are a pleasure to watch and to go through. Here, off the beaten track, people sell their produce oranges, limes, garlic, corns, tomatoes, just to make a few more pesos and always smiling. We buy a very tasty cheese for 25 pesos (1 dollar) to an old lady. Of course sanitary conditions are probably not too good, but it is almost like in the past!

we stop at the big Resort where we took the car. As it is an "all inclusive", this way you have the less money manipulation possible, it is quite difficult to pay for something. We though we could enjoy one of the few good restaurants of the resort while paying for it. We make up our choice on the buffet one. As we ask if possible to dine, the hostess answer it is not as we are not customer of the resorts! So we turn back and then she calls us back, offers us a coktail drink and tells us to sit at one of the table and say nothing! We remain sitted at our table while waiters keep filling up our glaces and enjoy au real terrific buffet where we eat for almost 2 days and on behalf of Fidel, as it is a Gaviota S.A. group and belongs to the Army!! Thank you Fidel !

We take a last tour of Vita, where the little village itself reflects the cuban poverty. Although Holguin is covered with reosrts, you can still find typically locals houses with piggs around them. However, they build large buildings for the people working in the resorts, to be closer to their jobs.

In this country time is non existing. People can be seen waiting along the roads for anykind of transportation to get somewhere. Buses are pretty rare and when you see one it is awfully loaded. Every thing able to go is good, but where it takes 10 minutes for a car to go through a short distance it will take ages for an oxcart to do the same distance... When you are watching how things goes on in cuba, you just wonder how a company can run as they have no idea when all the employee will be there. The chinese bike is often the solution to replace the missing car, but for long distance it is another story!! Quite a lot of them own a horse and it gives to the country a kind of argentinian look with gauchos coming out of the trails on their proud mount, wearing spurs! The personal car is considered as a luxe and those able to preserve their beautiful american cars from the 5O's are reall good handyman with resourcefulness.

Our ashore tour ends and we are back aboard Iritis. We buy 28 bottles of Rhum at 1.75 usd each, at the marina food store. Don't worry we are not only drinking, but considering the price and it is the last island producing Rhum of our itinerary, we could not resist!

 

 

Salidad signed the authorities let us leave to Gibara, where we are told not to stay more than 2 hours. Things begins to go bad, it seems! When we reach Gibarra we realize it is impossible to stop just 2 hours as the bay is so large, so we keep on and go to Puerto Padre. Arriving in Puerto Padre, we are boarded by the Imigration, and as it is a commercial harbour we are told not to disembark! and we anchor close to the cranes, while the officer keeps telling us that tourists are free in Cuba, what we are ready to believe of course. The next morning after clearing out we head to Puerto Manati.

Puerto Manati is a little fishermen community where a litte train link the village to the main town Manati. The guarda frontera comes to us on a small wooden boat as the dock is not in a good shape enough to be used. They do not mind us to go ashore and even to go to Manati. They are very friendly and do not seem used to have sailng boat around as well as visitors!

 

 

Next mornig we take the one wagon train going to Manati. The train works with a diesel engine and drive through the mangrove swanm up to theurn per person! There are 3 trains a day : 5.30 am, noon and 5.30 Pm. It is sunday and a group of teens is singing while accompanied with a guitar. Cool trip to town. The train looks like a peruvian train, making strange noise and tooting around, the windows are kept open with a little piece of wood, or a paper!

 

 

Manati is a very clean little town where streets intersect at right angles, having pretty wooden houses with nice blossomed gardens. Enormous banian trees covers the streets offering a great shadow where are found some cafetarias. . Tiendas and dollar shops are closed as it is sunday. The town is quiet. A group of young army guys wearing brand new uniforms is waiting for a bus to take them back to the military school. A brick manufacture looking in ruin is still working and is probably the only local industry around. From the little station trains also leave for bigger city inside the country.

In a state restaurant we are served a cold lunch for the price of one dollar for two persons. We visit the silent ghost city. While waiting for our train to get back to puerto manati we watch a football match in between two kids team, one is from manati. The invited team is poorer as most of the kids wear too large Pro Shirts, some have shoes, some play with normal shoes others wear socks or go bare foot!

Our train approaching we buy our tickets and wait to board. As we get in the driver tells us that there will be a delay of almost an hour as we have to wait for another train to drop his people as it is the last train of the day. The delay is only 15 minutes long and off we go. The train keeps the light on until the first stops and then the only light will come from the headlights. Reaching Puerto Manati the station is full of people taking that little train back to manati after visiting their family for a short week end.

Next morning we clear out at the immigration office at the end of the village and leave this very quiet and nice place where the immigration officer were pretty cool to us.

 

The weather is nice and warm, kids go fishing building their own speargun, and this is where dream and resourcefullness rhyme together.

 

Jean-Luc discovesr the pretty bay, calm and so well protected we are not allowed to get in. Fishermen boats are all anchored inside a small park, as under surveillance. It seems that each cuban boat coming in or out has to inform the imigration. Florida's so close...!!!

 

 

The town is now bustling as the carnival is getting on. Dancers and floats are getting ready to move on . Jean Luc is often asked to take pictures. Carnival atmosphere is already on every one dance and laugh. Floats are decorated wth everthing founded, Toilet paper, aluminium paper, etc, and pulled out with tractors followed with a powe generator. The music is on, people just wait for the moment to start moving. Every carnival are synonymous of holyday mood, carefreeness and above all have that particularity, to hide reality for a while. It is time to give way to dreamworld, adults and kids, porr and rich, princess or queen of oneday , Have fun every one and viva la Musica.

Hard to believe, the cold front is coming down and carnival is going to be wet tonight. I guess cuban needs more to get discouraged!

 

We sail along the coast up to Havana fort. Close to the harbour it is a true oil slick leaking the boat's hull and we move away quickly. I'm glad we do not have to get into this harbour. Anyway in Havana you cannot moore or anchor, you have to go in a marina. Marina Hemingway located 20 km away from Havana city do not answer to our vhf calls so we keep going..

 

Arrived there Control again! they go again through a full search and do not understand we have so much medecines aboard It is difficult to make them understand that our boat is our house! Once the search and all type of formalities done we are told to get to canal 2 and moore on Number 227. A few boats are moored along canal 2 and only two or three seems to be sailing.

The harbour master come along to welcome us but to tell us the price of being in Marina Hemingway. We do not need electriciy, just water. The water we refilled the tank with in Marina vita turns green in spite of all kinds of treatment.

As soon as arrived, we have a nice chat with a canadian couple of Montreal, john and Maria, moored a few block further. John, came down on Solario through the Champlain lake and then sailed a long way straight to Cuba, he tell us when he left it was already quite cold in Canada and he is now here for 8 days. I feel ashamed to let him know I'm cold hre where it was just 23°c inside the boat in the morning!!!!.

 

 

The so well known Marina Hemingway is made up of 4 canals and only one is really in use, canala N° 2. Security guard are posted every 20 meters and wathc at every movement you do, but are specially entitled to avoid a cuban boarding your boat. At one end of canal are the harbour master offices as well as a shipchandler. Heading in the shop we are surprised to find only food and beverages, but no spare parts, no epoxy stuff, no shakle... The food and the wines are sold here for the boaters and at a very good price compare to other shops, but be careful when paying as we noticed that on the bill there was here a 10% "propina" which means tips and not tax, you are allowed to refuse, unless they really deliver your supplies to your boat! At the other end of the dock there is a supermarket with a butcher where they have good chorisso and meet but it is a dollar shop and prices are similar to US.

Canal 3 is where the Hotel is, as well as luxury shops, sports shop, perfumes, shoes and so on. At the reception desk of the Hotel you can buy 15 minutes internet for 2 usd. From the Hotel entrance a free shuttle departs 3 times a day to Habana Vieja. Guided tour buses are also available for reasonnable prices. As a Marina guest we have the possibility to use the swimming pool.

On canal 4, is a bakery named "le pain de paris", they also have fairly good pastry, the bread is often from the day before as they do not have too many customers. All around that kind of gigantic tourists campus are a few restaurants but we didn't try any, prefering to eat outside the marina for better prices and more fun.

 

Juamanaitas, is a small fishermen village where you can also good vegetables and we get cucombers, oranges, limes, advocado, fresh little onions, a whole bunch of lettuces. The guy do not weight anything and announce a price of 3 dollars US. I want to pay pesos, as it is peso market, and jean luc ask for the price of each thing then. The price suddendly drop down to 1.50 us and I give him pesos. Here in Cuba it is very common to double the price for tourists so you'd better watch out!

To go to Havana we take the free "late" shuttle! Local time! It takes us through Havana suburbs, where big banian trees shadow the whole avnues, which is quite enjoyable. Cars are more oftenly seen than anyother cities we've been in, bikes omnipresent. Compare to other provinces, here very few calashes are used.

We can admire splendid and luxuous residential area with a tiny american-louisiana look and arrive onto a more popular area where all kind of architectural styles are gathered. Large townhouses, which were certainly somptuous in bygone days, are nowadays in such a bad shape. Often shared in many flats they shelter more than one family and just look like crumbling buildings where the laundry is drying from the windows. Sometimes the front facade can still reveal nice painted fresco or a few spanish style piece of earthenwere. Close to that a few blocks of houses have been demolished to build brand new building in the most purest style "rabbit cage". Therefore, here and there, a few wooden houses still stand, probably ready for the next demolition program.

La Habana vieja

The bus stops right at the little Fuerte Castillo de la Real Fuerza. Its moats are full of water and the castle is closed for restauration. This castle is facing the Fortalezza de San Carlos de la Cabana located on to the other side of the river. We are now entering Havana Vieja, where every buses drop their loads of tourists. It is going to be time to be crafty!!

 

La Plaza de Armas, laid with cobblestones is more a gigantic book market for new or second hand books sold in us dollars. Almost everything can be found, litterature, russian books translated into spanish, a great number of books onto the Che's life, socialism, communism, a few french books onto paintings, architecture, art... This area makes me think of the second hand book market along the river Seine in Paris and also have a little of Montmartre and its "place du Tertre". All around the Plaza de Armas, some sublime restored buildings as the museo de la ciudad, or the palacio de los Capitanes Generales, can be visited. The street of Havana are crowded whether tourists or cubans who come along to do some shopping in the many dollar shops!

 

We manage to make our way throughout theses narrow streets where the archtiture reminds us Spain, discovering wonderful hotel with green and blooming patio. Arriving to the Capitol, an gigantic building we could point out from the sea, built in the 29's under the initiative of the dictator Gerardo Machado, it took 3 years 2 months 20 days, 17 million dollar US and 5000 workers to do it. Until 1959 it was the seat of the cuban parliament. Today it houses the Cuban Academy of Science and Technology and the National Library of Science and Technology. Close to the Capitolio Nacional the Parque de la Fraternidad brings a little bit of green to soften such an architecture..

Across el Parque de la Fraternidad are parked all kind of cars from the 50's, one of them really look alike Batman's, in worth condition! Stranges eggs-taxi wait for a possible customer to show up. They are scooters, and you can sit 2 persons plus the driver. Many bikes are transformed into tricycle and replace the calashes we loved in other towns.

 

 

 

 

Havana is a hugge city and as we haven't seen enough of it we go there again. As we want to visit la Fortalezza San Carlos de la Cabana we have to cross over and we there is a small ferry which drop you onto the other side down the giant statue of Jesus. To do so you have to go throuhg a ckeck point, they check my bag, and then Jean-Luc's. They find jean-luc's knife, ask for our passports, pass the knife to each other and after we though they would keep the knife while visiting the site, they turn passport and knife back to us as we are not allowed to cross at all. So we just have to remain on to Havana viejar! Anyway we've seen quite a lot of fort around and there are plenty in the country I come from, so off we go!

We go back to the capitol after looking at a wedding, touring and having lunch in china town which is of course smaller than the Paris or the New york one. In two minutes you are down, but they have a real good vegetables, fruits and meet market. It is a shame it is so far away from the Marina. We manage to buy 5 chorizzo sausages I carry all afternoon in my bag!

 

If there is something specific to Cuba it is Cigar and if we have to visit a museum it is The Partagas Cigar Manufacture. The visit is guided and we are lucky Arnold, the guide, speaks a real perfect french. We are just two couples to go with him which makes it a kind of private visit. Arnold takes us right inside the manufacture where we are standing in between the employees, trying not to bother them too much. Tobacco smell is heady and omnipresent, though less terrible than when it is smoked!! There are cigars of all kind of shapes, short, long, round at one extremity, round at both extremity, sharp at one etc... In each workers room there is a reader. In the morning he reads the news and in the afternoon he reads a story! The employees age average is 21-25 years old. Some persons of 60 are still working in but not so many. The retirement is up to 55 for ladies and 60 for men.

As medecine is the spearheaded of Cuba, we are shown the dentist cabinet of the manufacture! Due to the high number of woman working here there is also a gynecolog cabinet!

Tobacco leaves comes from the whole Cuba but the best one grows in the Pinar del Rio province more wet and higher. When the bundles of tobacco leaves get to the Manufacture, leaves are counted down one by one manualy, then sorted out, spraid with water, and dried. The nervure is removed before the leaves are mixed up to get the qualite determining the taste of the cigar. Employees are then given a bag of mixed leaves and on the "galeras" are going to manufaccture more than 120 cigares a da. To obtain a cigar, they roll a few leaves together and put them into a "capote" and put each roll under press for half an hour. La "capa", a remarkably thin leave is next to come to cover the cigar. Most of the famous cigars come out of the Partagas Manufacture as Montecristo, Roméo et Juliette, cohiba.

Cigars are tasted too! A 60 years old guy tests around 5 cigars a day! He really seems to enjoy the treatment and looks in a very good health! Would it be the secret ? Pictures are forbidenn and it is really a shame there were pretty good one to take!

Each manufacture belongs its school and the whole school production is sold to the cubans. Each employee is given 2 cigars a day and the minimum salary average is 10 US and Partagas os a state pwn company.

We are really surprised to see that the french couple with us know nothing upon Cuba. They are chocked to hear that the monthly salary is 10 usd, and compare it to the price of a cigar! What Arnold tries to explain them without success is that Cuba has a paralel market. It is strange to realize people can still nowadays travel without having a look at a guide book, not trying to know a bit more about the country they are going to visit!!! They don't even know there is a US embargo onto Cuba!! Forgot to ask them if they knew who Fidel Castro is!!

The visit done we pass the beautiful Gran Teatro de la Habana, housing a contemporary art exhibition. Today no ballet is on, just an Opera "Mrs Butterfly".

 

 

 

Paseo de Marti takes us up to the seaside throuhg a shadow alley with marble banks with a lion sculpture on. It is a very popular walk where people enjoy to gather. At the end of Paseo de Marti, stands a modern building having in its garden a modern collection of a kind of art! not to be ignored in cuba : tanks, missiles among others!! We then enjoyed very narrow streets and arrive right on market craft for tourists where Tshirts with the Che are sold, as well as a lot of stuff from or not from Cuba.

Reaching the Cathedral we try to get in the famous, because of Hemingway, Bodeguita del Medio. It is impossible to get as people stops everysecond in a small corridor to read every signature on the wall!

The place around the cathedral is very pleasant as a cuban group plays music. Shame the tienda del navigante is closed.

Back to the marina we have a little chat witht the mexican boys arrived from Florida onto a 24 feets sailing boat. They had a technical problem arriving in Havana and they were towed away right into Havana Harbour by the authorities. The result is that their white hull has a black large line at the surface. They remaines only 3 days in Havana Harbour but in one day the oil sleek damaged the hull, and they are not allowed to clean it in the Marina!! They where charged a lot for the tow away and when they went to the bank to withdraw money with their mexican credit card, it was refused as the mexican bank is linked with an american one!! and US credit card are not in use in Cuba!! Carlos is a dive instructeur in Cancun and Memo owns a yard to repair sailing boats in Cancun too. Memo wants to sell his VHF as it is brand new from West Marine, but I am more interested in buying his bike! He sells it to me for 50 usd, and we also buy the VHF. Then Carlos can fly back to Cancun to send money for Memo to repair the boat. We go for a little biking tour, stop in a pollo frito fast food to try some kind of cuban food. Well, cuban are not certainly the best cook in the world!! They do not use spices, as they do in the caribean, they only use onion. Their pork sandwich are better than any porc or beef steack!

No wind to sail from Bahia Honda so we stop in Cayo Paraiso. A nice little ilot which was once a place Hemingway used to stay. The island has disminished and there is a part of it underwater. The water is turquoise blue as it is very shallow and sandy. Cormorans stands on every piece of woo reaching the surface. Two fishermen come along the boat on a strange embarkation, Two inner tubes unrolled stuck together as a catamaran, both of the fishermer rows at the same time, and they offer lobsters. The anchorage is not good as the swell is coming in so we leave to Cayo Levisa, not too sure it is a good idea or not as there is a resort!!

I have to concede if every resort was like this one it would be paradise on earth! A small island, really small, a sandy beach, 20 bungallows, a small dive shop, a little shop, a restaurant, and that's it!! People arrive here on "all inclusive" stays on a small shuttle. The only problem is that unpleasant smell coming out of the mangrove, but water is turquoise!!!

 

We find here our first sailing boats. First time we can move around with our dinghy and go swimming, fishing, no one care!! We free dive in the reef and are happy to swim with a manatee. The underwater is poor and fishes over catched. We manage to catch 2 hog fishes to barbecue!

This is a wonderful province and the most beautiful of Cuba. Here grows tobacco, rice, corn, vineyards, it is so green and probably rainy too. Cattle is everywhere. The mountains are full of grottos and caves and it is one of the most wellknown tourist attraction around though it is not exceptionnal! The weather is not too sunny which is good to bike. It is a rural countryside and there are not many bars offering refreshment!! When we find a lolo we drink almost 3 refrescos one after the other!

 

As there is not money to buy gas, tractors are rare. So there is no intensive agriculture possible when you have to use an oxcart to work the fields!

Vinales is a small town where buses of tourists stops before getting to the caves and it looks the resource of the town is only because every house is offering a B&B!! The country around Vinales is beautiful and even if my knees hurt... I'm glad I went up the hills!!

 

 

Little rural houses are everywhere and even down that uggly prehistorical wall, which has nothing to do with prehisoric, but the pure product of a way to trap tourist!

 

 

Two days after biking to Vinales my knees are still painfull! but nevertheless I have no regret about doing it! It was a good way to forget about all the clearances done and to breeze pure air in such a wonderful landscape before leaving the northern coast to the south where life should be easier!

The current is not too strong as we pass Cabo San Antonio and as we reach Maria la GOrda we can only anchor close to anice beach as our engine starts, but not the propeller. In the morning we find out a rope is entangled into the propeller. The beach right before us is sandy and the water crystal clear. We anchored only a few meters away from the dives sites. But we are not allowed to dive by our own we must go with the dive shop. Frustrating!!

The propeller freed from the rope we move to Maria la Gorda. Two sailing boats are already there, a canadian one Easy GO with Bob and Kathy, and a american one Saschay with Bruno and Olga who are french living in Key West. The water is so clear it has been a while we have seen it like this. The anchorage is not too good as you have to dive to manage to block your anchor into a small hole!! and in case of a coming cold front you'd better move quickly! !

Olga adn Bruno are facing the same problems we had to renew theri visa and unfortunately won't manage to do it and will be ask to do their despatcho and leave Cuba! The authorities here haven't been very helpful. As they did their clearance they come onboard Iritis to chat with us and the Guarda Frontera arrive to let them know they do not have to be on our boat but remain on their boat until they leave!! We tell them we are waiting for a weather fax, but Bruno decide it is better to go back on board his boat before it becomes worth!!! The next morning after receiving the weather fax we print it and Jean luc dinghy up to Sashay to give him. They sail away to the Caymans Islands.

 

Sashay left this morning to the Caymans and the wind was completely down. At 2pm we clear out and leave as the front is coming in. An american power boat arrived during the night and has been through a 5 hours search, with dogs, and so on, and we are glad Sashay cleared out the day before!! The moment we pull away from Maria La gorda the wind has reinforced and we move to cayo San Felipe where we anchor at 3am. Later in the morning we sail up to Cayo Coco where anchoring is better!

We anchor on december 12th, after sailing under a heavy and grey sky, at la Ensenada del Barcos. Afew hours later Easy Go is anchored close to us. We spend a tranquille night in this very protected bay where no one pop out to control us!!

 

After tacking all day long we finalyy get to the channel entrance to Nueva Gerona. On the riverside can be seen the ex-shuttle going to mainland Cuba. They look more as spoutnik saucer but they are named "komet"!! Formalities here are pretty fast . Easy go join us a little later. There is no marina here as we were told from a cuban guy we met before leaving maria la gorda. But two days after arriving officials people let us know it is 35 cens a foot to dock here. A bit expensive due to the lack of facilities, a filthy dock covered with trash dropped there and not picked up for ages! and the water is running at the end of a single hose! Oh, by the way it was free a week ago!!! It is just a little detail!!

Back to our bike to visit the town. La Isla de la Juventud is the biggest of the Cayo Largo. Indians named it SIGUANEA, then Cristopher Colombus in June 1494 renamed the island El Evangelista. From 16 to 18 century the island became a shelter for pirates as famous as Drake, Howkins, Baskerville or Morgan and they even named it Parrot Island. Later named Pine Island, and since 1978 Isla de la Juventud.

 

Batista in 1955 declared the island "free zone" giving it a special status. Famous for its universities and also for the prison having an illistrious tenant : Fidel Castro. Nowadays you can even visit the cell he was emprisonned in, as a museum!

Cost of life here is cheaper than in Havana. A lot of fresh food is available for everyone and flight to Havana are just 25 usd. People from Havana often come for a weekd end to get fresh food they can not find in Havana easily.

Nueva Gerona is a large city with a long pedestrian street with plenty of restaurants and dollar shops. Some square garden plays music where people gather. Cafetaria pesos offer sandwichs, refresco or else

Even if there is a highway it is a rural city and cars are more than rare! Humoristic Advertisements are hand painted on concrete.

Cayo Rosario, no one around except fishermen, no one to tell us what to do or not, no one to forbid us to go ashore, to go diving, it is just like a dream!! No control! Fishermen come to us to offer lobsters or fishes. We give one can of beer and are given an enormous snaper! Then for less than half a bottle or rhum we have a full bucket of lobsters! What else can you ask!! A fisherman just want to have a little chat with us and despite our very poor spanish, we manage to understand that underwater there are plenty of conches! He also warn us that there are crocodiles too, but we just pretend we did not understand!!!

Water here is blue! But as there are a lot of fishermen we do not expect to find a lot of fishes but decide to do a dive. The swell is heavy and the visibility not too good on the reef and the fishes probably "gone fishing" for x-mas!!! Anyway we did a dive in Cuba ! On the inner side of the reef we find tons of conches and we fill the dinghy up. For the next two days we are going to be busy making preserves.

We go ashore and find many iguana marks on the sand, and try to follow them but not one take us to an Iguana, probably gone for vacations too!!

A sailing boat anchor close to us. It is a german family on a rental Bavaria 47 from Cienfuegos base. Easy go is here too but anchor in the other bay. We think we should have sailed the souht coast only and fly the cities we wanted to visit instead of wasting our time on the paranoiac north coast! Here the cayos are really abandonned. Our visa is nearly finished and we realize it won't be possible to go to Cienfuegos and Trinidad. Anyway we go to Cayo Largo del Sur and from there we'll do our international despatcho and try to be in the Caymans for New Year's eve!

Cayo largo del Sur, december 23rd to 26th, 2003

We sail of this little paradise to get to Cayo Largo del Sur. As soon as we dock the marina, the nice people of a british ketch Tantalus welcome us and take our lines, and the friendly harbour master and the immigration officer come aboard. The Marina is a vast nautical sports complex from the dive shop to the little tour to iguana cay for the high number of resorts onto this island. Cayo Largo essentially remain onto tourism. The next day after we left a big Air France Jumbo was expected to land there!!

The only way to check our emails and to give a phone call is to go into one of the latest big resort on the island, so we take one of the little shuttle as from the marina there is nothing to get in touch with the rest of t he world, internationa marina you said?!!! At the marina we manage to buy a few things and probably because it is xmas eve the lady left before asking us to pay!! We spend one night only at the marina and anchor outside close to a sandy beach in a transparent sea. Much better than a marina dock!!

Our xmas dinner is made up lobsters and a bottle of champagne we bought in Saint-Martin at "le gout du vin" before we left and manage to save until today! The wind has dropped and the sky is covered with stars. Our cockpit is shining with our little xmas light, and our xmas tree is a branch of dead coral I found on the beach where I hanged bobby's xmas decoration of last year with our names on it, and tiny pine apple.

 

 

On december 25th, we dinghy up to cayo iguana where hundred of iguana run toward you as you walk in. A diffrent species than the one in Bahamas but still very ugly to me! Some are easily approachable, and some are not friendly at all!!