Cuba 21.05.12N 75.56.93W

Mandalay
Robin & Jenny Martin
Tue 6 Mar 2012 15:42

We must apologise for not keeping the blog going, that's if you are still out there!
 We've been out of contact in Cuba.
What a fantastic place and a real travellers adventure. We had't seen anything like it since we visited Burma in the 80's.
To start at the beginning:
Little Ragged to Cuba. ( Little Ragged Island is the nearest point from the Bahamas to Cuba  70 miles)
A 4 am  start was a bit of a struggle but developed into a near perfect days sailing. 15-20 kts  on the beam with only a couple feet of swell and we made a beeline for Bahia de Vita. We made allowance for the west set current but saw little of it and had to bear away down the coast for a about six miles which gave us the chance to have a look at the all inclusive resort of Pesquero and it's beautiful beaches. We caught a nice Dorado on the way about 9 lbs. Covered the 70 miles in 10 hours not bad going.
Entry to the river was easy with hindsight but the marina was well tucked away and we only saw it when we were on top of it. Nigel Calder's pilot was written before it was built and there's been nothing published since.
Lead in by Ali we were told to anchor off the marina and wait for the doctor to come aboard, Dr Roland arrived promptly and after a A4 form was completed and he was satisfied that we were fit and healthy we were on our way to the marina. Med style, stern to mooring in no time at all, now we had to await the rest of the officials.
The next day they arrived first thing at 0800 and proceeded to come aboard and sit around our saloon table with a can of coke, given to them of course. They were the Harbour Master, immigration, Customs, Environment and veterinary officers  After many forms, most of which they had great fun filling in, the sniffer dog came aboard and took most delight in what was in the galley. All clear, we were allowed ashore.
The Marina isn't much, a long  promenade type pontoon with mangrove behind it and steps up to the facilities and office. There was one German catamaran next to us and 3 large party catamarans further up with a couple of motor boats and that was it. More cruisers arrived in the next few days.
What impressed us most was the reception we received and the friendliness of everybody. They were a very happy bunch especially Ali and Yani in the office. Because Puerto Vita is quite remote with only a large tourist hotel complex up the coast we hired a car for three days to go down to Santiago de Cuba on the south coast. This is where a lot of the recent revolution started from and the mountains in which Castro hid on more than one occasion.
This is a very poor country and because of the social structure the standard of living is just about the same wherever you look. The pay is between 10 - 15 dollars a month and it doesn't really matter what you do. You see it most vividly on the roads. Horses and carts, even riders on horseback trotting down the bumpy road. That's if there is a road!
The thing that has taken the biggest hit since the Russians stopped the trade and support is the transport system. Apart from the air conditioned tourist buses it's like being in a time warp with locals travelling from a to b anyhow they can. From hitching lifts in beat up 1950's Chevrolets to their own bus system, a 4 ton truck with standing room only.
It was fascinating stuff but the people are stoic and just like the wartime in UK everybody is toughing it out. Everywhere is spotlessly clean.
The M 26-7 movement is the only graffiti you see with pictures of the heroes, most of them posthumous. Monuments, not only of the 26 July 1953 attack on the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba, but also of revolutionaries long ago to get rid of the Spanish, are all over the place.
We stayed down at Siboney on the coast in a very nice little Casa Particular.
 S de C was very bustling after being in the countryside but had some great sites, large harbour, Moncada Barracks and colonial style Hotels. A few hustlers too wanting to sell you cheap cigars.
A quieter place was Bayamo on the return journey which was more like a market town with more people obviously going about their day to day work. Then back to the boat exhausted.
After giving back the car we thought we would try out the public transport to Havana 700 miles away. It might be more restful going overnight on one of the tourist coaches. Crowds at the bus station waiting to go every which way and not sure anybody would tell us when our bus was in so waited expectantly for a couple of hours. Not bad people watching though.
Got a good seat, now even cold with the air conditioning which we were not used to and settle in for an all nighter. When you can't see so much the close shaves with horses and carts didn't seem so worrying. Stopped at odd places which remain a blur and eventually into Havana.
Now this place, especially the old town looks as though it was hit in the blitz and nothing has been done since. Obviously, some amazing architecture, Spanish, British and a copy of the Capitol Building in Washington not looking quite so pristine. We did the museum of the Revolution and a couple of palaces. It was fitting to see bullet holes going up the main staircase in the revolution museum. Apparently, Batista fled from here the day before the rebels arrived.
We stayed at a couple of Casa's where the people were again the highlight.
After two days we were on our way again, this time to Trinidad on the south coast. A more colonial look to the place with wider streets and houses that had seen some paint. The Casa owner met us off the bus but we were soon handed over to the Bici ( rickshaw ) driver who rode us round the block. We knew we had gone out of our way because the owner beat us back on foot. Anyway what's 3 dollars. A nice place so well painted we couldn't close the door of our room.
It was coming to the end of our holiday. I know you might think this is one big holiday but it's nice to differentiate between the day to day cruising and being away from our home.
On the way back we picked up lots of groceries, most on the side of the road, and eventually after a week we were back home. The Marina was now filling with 3 Canadian boats and 2 more Brit boats alongside.

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