Ensenada De los Barcos, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba
Macushla
Mark & Sue Owen
Sun 7 Apr 2013 11:33
We had a wonderful day out in Nueva Gerona, a taste of 'real life' Cuba and the highlight so far of our cruising here. It is completely off the tourist route and we were the only foreigners in town. The town centre is being restored and pedestrianised, is full of life and lovely to wander through. The island has a marble quarry, so marble is used everywhere from street pavements to park benches, sculptures and art installations.
Needless to say we also found an 'agromercado' (produce market),so stocked up on fresh supplies.
All this and the most helpful, friendly people made for a memorable trip.
The next day it was time to move on and we checked out with the Guarda Frontera. Skipper had to take the dinghy in to the dock to pick up two officials who had to come and briefly search Macushla before we could set off. They were very prompt and efficient and went away with some freshly made oatmeal and raisin cookies which they seemed surprised and very pleased to receive.
We set off just before midday and sailed up the west coast of the island to the Ensenada de los Barcos our chosen anchorage for the night. Here we met up with friends Brent & Ana on Impi and Nola & Jerry on Moonsong, as planned, and had a great evening aboard Impi, catching up with everyone over supper.