Lots of fuss and our passports locked in the marina safe because we want to take RT and Ronnie out for a day sail and go back into marina this afternoon! Eventually, cleared to go and we do a light sail in the bay  before the wind dies away completely!

Thanks to Hannah sending out a foolproof  bread recipe, bakery prob solved!

Having been reminded by Immigration officials at least twice a day, that our visas expire on Christmas day, we decide to head into town after breakfast to get them renewed as we are leaving tomorrow for start of our road trip. We all walk to the Immigration office in town and sit and wait. The queue order is not obvious but eventually we are ushered in while Ronnie waits. After a while it becomes apparent ( after discussing the merits of Wayne Rooney, Manchester United and Becks) that we have to go to a bank and buy “5CUC stamp each".  The bank is in town, it's now 11.20 and the Immigration office shuts at noon! We dash in to town, queue up in the bank to be told that they haven’t any stamps and we should go to the Bandec. Find out where that is from a pissed Canadian in the queue and leg it round there by 11.50.  Get to head of queue at 2^nd bank at noon,  stamp purchase achieved  but not quick enough!

Road trip started well, until about 3 miles in, the sign post to Trinidad, our destination, had the direction arrow scratched off, handily near where the first bunch of hitchhikers stood! Of course, we stopped to ask for directions and the next in line in the invisible queue stepped forward, spoke much more English than we had Spanish  and so we picked Adake off and sped off. About 30 minutes later, Adake hears a problem with our “pneumatic”, Mike can't hear it but Kate and Adake prevail so we stop and Adake finds the rogue nail in the tyre. This is still OK to drive on to Trinidad so, as we arrive there, Adake takes us to his friend the tyre-man and the nail and 2 others are removed. Adake also has a friend who has a Casa particular (Cuban B&B) so we check in to her double at the back in a little courtyard and Ronnie has a room next door at our host's brother's house. Adake leaves, but not before reminding Ronnie that he’ll be looking for her to salsa with him this evening Up to the Casa del Musica after supper  to watch the salsa dancers over a rum. Obviously, leave too early for Adake to turn up and claim his salsa partner. However, I have discovered “sparkle” mode on my camera and a new class of photos begins!

After breakfast, Mike heads off to collect the car from some private parking round the corner while Ronnie and I pay up for dinner, bed and breakfast  about £20 per head. After half and hour he returns having had to change the other back wheel for the spare as it was flat when he collected it. Back to our faithful puncture man who extracts 2 more nails – probably shed  from horse-shoes along the way. Hope this isn’t standard for Cuba as we’ve now had 5 punctures in 24 hours and we still have the car for another 5 days!We set off to the ranch along the way where the train also stops. Fabulous building where we are “entertained” by their group of musicians who sing “Felice Navidad” to us!  We  escape when we hear the steam train pull in. Back on the road over very rough terrain across the mountains, but having gone so far we are dubious about turning back!  It's Christmas Eve and Remedios is famous for hosting the annual firework and floats competition against a neighbouring village. We arrive before the start and begin looking for a casa vacancy. Everywhere booked up (shades of Mary and Joseph!) but find a sweet (and cute!) casa-owner who gets on the phone and finds a casa round the corner who has a 2-bed  room spare as he has a “no-show”, rush round there before someone else grabs it. Lovely colonial casa with internal courtyard full of plants, parrots and a small pool . We head off to the square as the fireworks have started and nearly get run down by a rush of firework-carriers – tons of homemade rockets in wooden racks. The fireworks go on and on and finally we retreat to a veranda on the far side of the square where we hope to be safe from the errant rockets and fall-out. The  fireworks continue through the night till about 7am. We never saw the floats illuminated or found out who won but it was certainly a mad night we will remember for a long time!

Leave Remedios via the town square to see the detritus being cleared up from last night. Back to RT for Christmas presies and Bucks fizz made with pineapple and coconut juice cos that’s what we had! Ronnie and I manage most of the 2^nd bottle without any juice unaided by Mr G who is immersed in his Christmas Yachting World mag. Very strange Christmas day but great presies from Mr G and Ronnie – as a result have books and DVDs and CHOCOLATE, so very happy.

Left reasonably early to drive west to Pinar del Rio. As usual, we were flagged down by someone who looked semi-official. Actually a hitchhiker whose first lift had broken down. We pick up Andreas, he has very good English and knows a casa particular in Pinar! He works for a cigar cooperative now – he was salsa teacher before, if Ronnie’s at all interested! He invites us to a free tour of the cigar station tomorrow, as “this is the best transportation of his life!” He takes us to his friend’s casa, a sweet colonial house in town with 2 rooms opening onto small courtyard.

20 kms in the other direction to detour to go round a cigar “factory” courtesy of yesterday’s hitchhiker, Andreas. Had the whole process explained, and left with a free cigar, a Romeo and Juliet cigar for Phil and Elliot, lots of handshaking and the knowledge that there’s no nicotine in cigars and thus perfectly good for your health! Then 40kms back in the other direction to a casa particular, which is owned by a cousin of a co-worker of Andreas! The word of mouth system works well here and it seems that picking up hitchhikers works well for all sorts of reasons. We are staying in beautiful Vinales, so agree to a “short walk” through the lovely countryside, guided by casa owner’s, Eduviel, brother. Unfortunately, “short walk” turns out to be 3.5hours up and down muddy tracks, through streams and the guide has as much English as we have Spanish! Never mind, it gave us a flavour of the place. Were promised a swim in a cave in healthy water which didn’t happen and a tour of a coffee factory which turned out to be a sit-down in a shed in the middle of a field while a bloke poured some unroasted coffee beans out of a plastic bottle to show us and then let us smell a plastic bag of ground coffee! Hilarious. Lots of rain while we were sitting on the veranda of an eco-finca with a splendid view was a highlight. mojitos and ochuns (rum, honey, orange juice and pineapple). Think our host made that one up, but I’m not complaining..

Usual Cuban breakfast before settling up – about £20 a head for dinner, bed and breakfast. Scenic route back to Havana with only 2 wrong turns. Got Ronnie to the airport well ahead of her flight but it meant we got back to RT only just after dark (Note to anyone driving anywhere in Cuba after dark – don’t attempt it! Too many unlit bikes and people!). We will miss Ronnie so much, she’s been great company and an ideal shipmate.

Pics: These 2 guys are on sleds pulled by oxen along the road and good old Gordon Blue shows up again!

Pics: Hanging limestone, a poinsettia tree and a cacti hedge which abound in Cuba

Left Cienfuegos eventually , after 9 officials and a dog on board and 2 officials seen on shore! Small cove outside Cienfuegos bay for the night. Food issue! Bread we bought yesterday is disappearing into thin air – kind of Energen crisp bread consistency that means it just disintegrates when you spread anything on it!

Off to Casilda.  No fish caught or lobsters in sight. On the plus side, we have fresh home-baked bread and Terry’s choc orange, loads of rum and whiskey and a bottle of Spanish champers, so……..Happy New Year!