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Well we are half way across Cuba. We have spent the last two weeks working our way west across the north coast, stopping when we can to rest and avoid rampaging thunderstorms.
Cuba has lovely bays all along the coast but, as the Cuban government is very keen on keeping tourists away from locals, most of them are off limits to sailors. When we left the marina we were given a cruising permit and a relatively small list of pre-approved one night stops. The first place on the list turned out to be a nice beach with clear blue water in an aging resort town. We anchored off the beach and I started making dinner when we got the call on the radio asking us to come into the harbour to check in. We motored about 45 minutes down a channel that opened into a murky, smelly, industrial wasteland and we were asked to tie up to a freighter dock that we would have slide under had we tried to get too close. We ended up anchoring near the dock and brought the harbour mast over to the boat in the dinghy. He was very pleasant and helpful but kept our cruising permit until we left the next morning. We spent the night trying not to inhale too many of the particulates in the air and got very little sleep over the noise of the working shipping yard. Thankfully most of the pre-approved stops ended up being out of the way light houses on barren rocks islands so we only had to communicate by radio with the control stations.
Aside from a warning from the coast guard about keeping a three mile distance from a Cuban off shore oil platform, the only exciting thing that we’ve had has been the crazy weather patterns. We have taken to leaving early in the mornings to arrive at our destination by 2 pm because the thunderstorms usually begin in the late afternoon and they are fierce. Last week we were heeling while anchored in 8 ft of water as we fishtailed in 48 knots of wind. The sky was black with scary clouds but luckily it was raining so hard the drops were able to flatten out the waves enough to make the conditions a little more comfortable. This week we caught the very edge of a storm and we were hit by 40 knots of wind at the stern. We are currently hiding out behind a reef as we wait for more favourable conditions. The trade winds have apparently gone on holiday and the wind has been blowing from the west for the last three days. We are hoping it will right itself in another day or two.
Cuba has lovely bays all along the coast but, as the Cuban government is very keen on keeping tourists away from locals, most of them are off limits to sailors. When we left the marina we were given a cruising permit and a relatively small list of pre-approved one night stops. The first place on the list turned out to be a nice beach with clear blue water in an aging resort town. We anchored off the beach and I started making dinner when we got the call on the radio asking us to come into the harbour to check in. We motored about 45 minutes down a channel that opened into a murky, smelly, industrial wasteland and we were asked to tie up to a freighter dock that we would have slide under had we tried to get too close. We ended up anchoring near the dock and brought the harbour mast over to the boat in the dinghy. He was very pleasant and helpful but kept our cruising permit until we left the next morning. We spent the night trying not to inhale too many of the particulates in the air and got very little sleep over the noise of the working shipping yard. Thankfully most of the pre-approved stops ended up being out of the way light houses on barren rocks islands so we only had to communicate by radio with the control stations.
Aside from a warning from the coast guard about keeping a three mile distance from a Cuban off shore oil platform, the only exciting thing that we’ve had has been the crazy weather patterns. We have taken to leaving early in the mornings to arrive at our destination by 2 pm because the thunderstorms usually begin in the late afternoon and they are fierce. Last week we were heeling while anchored in 8 ft of water as we fishtailed in 48 knots of wind. The sky was black with scary clouds but luckily it was raining so hard the drops were able to flatten out the waves enough to make the conditions a little more comfortable. This week we caught the very edge of a storm and we were hit by 40 knots of wind at the stern. We are currently hiding out behind a reef as we wait for more favourable conditions. The trade winds have apparently gone on holiday and the wind has been blowing from the west for the last three days. We are hoping it will right itself in another day or two.