March 16 Cuba, Retro Land
We have all seen the photos of the pre-revolution American automobiles. But riding through Cienfuegos, my first stop, it is so obvious that this country froze in a time warp in the late fifties. The economic growth of the rest of the world and in particular of their close neighbors, the USA, passed them by. It is in particular evident in residential and commercial construction, and in the transportation system. Unpaved streets, grey water running out into the streets, bicycle taxis and horse drawn carts remind me of southern Spain in the mid-fifties. Just like what I observed in the former Soviet Union countries along the Danube the residential and commercial structures are in a sad shape, through a lack of maintenance and incentive when the state were the owners.
But as far as fashion, music and smart phones, most of the Cubans behave just like their neighbors, where income permits. Beggars are rare but poverty is obvious, very few Cubans can afford an automobile. The lack of newer cars has little to do with the US embargo. The Russians sold a few vehicles. No traffic jams here. Whereas in my previous stop, in the Grand Caymans, I could walk faster than the automobiles working their way home at day’s end. I had a Cuba Libre an hour ago before dinner at a beach side restaurant. But the Cubans are not Libre. I commented on this and asked the server if the fish came from Mexico, because I have not seen a single fishing boat yet. We, cruising boats, are not allowed to go ashore to places where there is no official marina, only on uninhabited islands, for fear that we are going to pick up a few Cuban stowaways. The majority of cruisers and tourists I ran into in town are German, followed by the French and other Europeans and Canadians, a sprinkling of Americans. Technically the US Government does not permit their citizens to visit Cuba but for a few specified reasons. It is not too hard to circumvent this by flying here and returning to the USA from another country, like Mexico or Canada. The Cubans will oblige by not stamping your American passport. I am here legally (as of today) because I qualified for one of the few qualifications, but had to obtain a Coast Guard permit that is only good for 12 days. I will come back and then probably do it the easier way.
Cuba has always drawn me but in familiarizing with the lay of the land I have come to the conclusion that Cuba has so much more to offer than the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands, popular for their close vicinity to the USA vacation for short time cruisers. In particular, the well protected Cuban south coast, with so many bays and anchorages, sounds and uninhabited cays and the proximity of typical Cuban towns like Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Santiago, etc. It is still very inexpensive. The clearing in into Cienfuegos was painless and costless, health, harbor master, immigration and customs all came to the boat within the first two hours. Today I filled my water tank and topped off my diesel, all of 27,3 liters, since Montego Bay 350/400 miles back. When I mentioned that I tanked 18 liters (4 1/2 gallons) in Montego Bay for the transit of the Panama Canal and the 650 miles of ocean, the attendant said: “Only Cristopher Columbus used less diesel to get here…” Most of the 27,3 liters were due to the very strong northerly I ran into 20 miles before the entrance to Cienfuegos. It had been a fairly close hauled North Easterly from Grand Cayman, but, for once, the weather forecast turned out to be right. In the early afternoon near Cuba the wind started easing from the NE and ended up in the NW, I had to jibe in the end. Then it just stopped all together. I cranked the engine up, set the auto pilot and took a nap. When I woke up and looked at the digital chart I was being pushed sideways towards Puerto Rico. I had set the engine at a low speed to try and delay my entry at Cienfuegos for daylight. I revved the engine up but still was only making a knot over the ground. What to do? Raise the sails and tack up wind, these last twenty odd miles? I decided to delay the decision. At time waves knocked me back to less than a knot but slowly I was making some headway, the closer I got to the upwind shore the speed crept up. I still ended up doing the long winding entry from the Caribbean Sea to the marina in the dark. It was a beautiful sunrise over the Sierra Madre Mountains, from where the Castro brothers fought the war to convert Cuba into a Communist state.
Internet connections are almost non-existent. First you have to buy a scratch card for 1 CUC (about $1.15) which is good for an hour on the internet, but I spend about half of that re-connecting when the signal goes south. Most of the major towns have minicipal free wi-fi in the main squares. But there is hardly a spot dark enough to see my screen, and then you still need that prepaid card. Water pressure goes down to zero in the afternoon, if you wish to flush the toilet and take a shower you need to be an early riser. And don`t forget to bring your own TP.
Meanwhile it is March 18 and I have not been able to post this. I managed to download my e-mails and send a few but unable to post any pictures to FB. Thursday the one place where I can buy a wi-fi card ran out and still had none yesterday.
BusTrip to TRINIDAD. This was a delightful visit on Thursday. Trinidad is about 45 miles south east of Cienfuegos. My video camera was not cooperating but I think these still pictures tell the story. A delightful coastal town with all coble stone streets and red clay tiled roofs. Something straight from a movie set. Just like Dubrovnik you need to get your pictures before the tourist buses unload a steady stream. One of the old monestaries is now a museum exhibiting the glorious victory of Castro`s communism. The accomplishments of the 1959 revolution are everywhere. It is much more in your face than it is in Vietnam. I had my five minutes of glory just before leaving Trinidad. Three guitar playing singers, “Trio Ensueno”, were singing a harmony very similar to the well known Putumayo Social Club. They sang my favorite “La Malaguena”. Originated in the sixties from the “Los Paraguayos” and the Kingston trio made it a hit in the United States. I joined in and they were pleasantly surprised to hear a Gringo sing it. It is a very difficult song to sing with high notes that go on forever.
I am writing this on the way from Cienfuegos to Cayo Largo, an overnight sail. I shall arrive early Sunday morning. I had wanted to leave yesterday but was convinced that my anchor chain was crossed over my neighbor`s boat. They were supposed to leave Friday as well and I waited for them to pull their anchor first. But they still had not returned this morning. The wind had calmed and when I tried it once more this morning, it turned out that I was close but not across their chain, after all. There is a strong, about 20/25 knot following wind and I am sailing just undr the 90% jib, doing close to 5 knots. A welcome change from all the upwind sailing since the Costa Rica. March 16 Cuba, Retro Land
We have all seen the photos of the pre-revolution American automobiles. But riding through Cienfuegos, my first stop, it is so obvious that this country froze in a time warp in the late fifties. The economic growth of the rest of the world and in particular of their close neighbors, the USA, passed them by. It is in particular evident in residential and commercial construction, and in the transportation system. Unpaved streets, grey water running out into the streets, bicycle taxis and horse drawn carts remind me of southern Spain in the mid-fifties. Just like what I observed in the former Soviet Union countries along the Danube the residential and commercial structures are in a sad shape, through a lack of maintenance and incentive when the state were the owners.
But as far as fashion, music and smart phones, most of the Cubans behave just like their neighbors, where income permits. Beggars are rare but poverty is obvious, very few Cubans can afford an automobile. The lack of newer cars has little to do with the US embargo. The Russians sold a few vehicles. No traffic jams here. Whereas in my previous stop, in the Grand Caymans, I could walk faster than the automobiles working their way home at day’s end. I had a Cuba Libre an hour ago before dinner at a beach side restaurant. But the Cubans are not Libre. I commented on this and asked the server if the fish came from Mexico, because I have not seen a single fishing boat yet. We, cruising boats, are not allowed to go ashore to places where there is no official marina, only on uninhabited islands, for fear that we are going to pick up a few Cuban stowaways. The majority of cruisers and tourists I ran into in town are German, followed by the French and other Europeans and Canadians, a sprinkling of Americans. Technically the US Government does not permit their citizens to visit Cuba but for a few specified reasons. It is not too hard to circumvent this by flying here and returning to the USA from another country, like Mexico or Canada. The Cubans will oblige by not stamping your American passport. I am here legally (as of today) because I qualified for one of the few qualifications, but had to obtain a Coast Guard permit that is only good for 12 days. I will come back and then probably do it the easier way.
Cuba has always drawn me but in familiarizing with the lay of the land I have come to the conclusion that Cuba has so much more to offer than the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands, popular for their close vicinity to the USA vacation for short time cruisers. In particular, the well protected Cuban south coast, with so many bays and anchorages, sounds and uninhabited cays and the proximity of typical Cuban towns like Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Santiago, etc. It is still very inexpensive. The clearing in into Cienfuegos was painless and costless, health, harbor master, immigration and customs all came to the boat within the first two hours. Today I filled my water tank and topped off my diesel, all of 27,3 liters, since Montego Bay 350/400 miles back. When I mentioned that I tanked 18 liters (4 1/2 gallons) in Montego Bay for the transit of the Panama Canal and the 650 miles of ocean, the attendant said: “Only Cristopher Columbus used less diesel to get here…” Most of the 27,3 liters were due to the very strong northerly I ran into 20 miles before the entrance to Cienfuegos. It had been a fairly close hauled North Easterly from Grand Cayman, but, for once, the weather forecast turned out to be right. In the early afternoon near Cuba the wind started easing from the NE and ended up in the NW, I had to jibe in the end. Then it just stopped all together. I cranked the engine up, set the auto pilot and took a nap. When I woke up and looked at the digital chart I was being pushed sideways towards Puerto Rico. I had set the engine at a low speed to try and delay my entry at Cienfuegos for daylight. I revved the engine up but still was only making a knot over the ground. What to do? Raise the sails and tack up wind, these last twenty odd miles? I decided to delay the decision. At time waves knocked me back to less than a knot but slowly I was making some headway, the closer I got to the upwind shore the speed crept up. I still ended up doing the long winding entry from the Caribbean Sea to the marina in the dark. It was a beautiful sunrise over the Sierra Madre Mountains, from where the Castro brothers fought the war to convert Cuba into a Communist state.
Internet connections are almost non-existent. First you have to buy a scratch card for 1 CUC (about $1.15) which is good for an hour on the internet, but I spend about half of that re-connecting when the signal goes south. Most of the major towns have minicipal free wi-fi in the main squares. But there is hardly a spot dark enough to see my screen, and then you still need that prepaid card. Water pressure goes down to zero in the afternoon, if you wish to flush the toilet and take a shower you need to be an early riser. And don`t forget to bring your own TP.
Meanwhile it is March 18 and I have not been able to post this. I managed to download my e-mails and send a few but unable to post any pictures to FB. Thursday the one place where I can buy a wi-fi card ran out and still had none yesterday.
BusTrip to TRINIDAD. This was a delightful visit on Thursday. Trinidad is about 45 miles south east of Cienfuegos. My video camera was not cooperating but I think these still pictures tell the story. A delightful coastal town with all coble stone streets and red clay tiled roofs. Something straight from a movie set. Just like Dubrovnik you need to get your pictures before the tourist buses unload a steady stream. One of the old monestaries is now a museum exhibiting the glorious victory of Castro`s communism. The accomplishments of the 1959 revolution are everywhere. It is much more in your face than it is in Vietnam. I had my five minutes of glory just before leaving Trinidad. Three guitar playing singers, “Trio Ensueno”, were singing a harmony very similar to the well known Putumayo Social Club. They sang my favorite “La Malaguena”. Originated in the sixties from the “Los Paraguayos” and the Kingston trio made it a hit in the United States. I joined in and they were pleasantly surprised to hear a Gringo sing it. It is a very difficult song to sing with high notes that go on forever.
I am writing this on the way from Cienfuegos to Cayo Largo, an overnight sail. I shall arrive early Sunday morning. I had wanted to leave yesterday but was convinced that my anchor chain was crossed over my neighbor`s boat. They were supposed to leave Friday as well and I waited for them to pull their anchor first. But they still had not returned this morning. The wind had calmed and when I tried it once more this morning, it turned out that I was close but not across their chain, after all. There is a strong, about 20/25 knot following wind and I am sailing just undr the 90% jib, doing close to 5 knots. A welcome change from all the upwind sailing since the Costa Rica. March 16 Cuba, Retro Land
We have all seen the photos of the pre-revolution American automobiles. But riding through Cienfuegos, my first stop, it is so obvious that this country froze in a time warp in the late fifties. The economic growth of the rest of the world and in particular of their close neighbors, the USA, passed them by. It is in particular evident in residential and commercial construction, and in the transportation system. Unpaved streets, grey water running out into the streets, bicycle taxis and horse drawn carts remind me of southern Spain in the mid-fifties. Just like what I observed in the former Soviet Union countries along the Danube the residential and commercial structures are in a sad shape, through a lack of maintenance and incentive when the state were the owners.
But as far as fashion, music and smart phones, most of the Cubans behave just like their neighbors, where income permits. Beggars are rare but poverty is obvious, very few Cubans can afford an automobile. The lack of newer cars has little to do with the US embargo. The Russians sold a few vehicles. No traffic jams here. Whereas in my previous stop, in the Grand Caymans, I could walk faster than the automobiles working their way home at day’s end. I had a Cuba Libre an hour ago before dinner at a beach side restaurant. But the Cubans are not Libre. I commented on this and asked the server if the fish came from Mexico, because I have not seen a single fishing boat yet. We, cruising boats, are not allowed to go ashore to places where there is no official marina, only on uninhabited islands, for fear that we are going to pick up a few Cuban stowaways. The majority of cruisers and tourists I ran into in town are German, followed by the French and other Europeans and Canadians, a sprinkling of Americans. Technically the US Government does not permit their citizens to visit Cuba but for a few specified reasons. It is not too hard to circumvent this by flying here and returning to the USA from another country, like Mexico or Canada. The Cubans will oblige by not stamping your American passport. I am here legally (as of today) because I qualified for one of the few qualifications, but had to obtain a Coast Guard permit that is only good for 12 days. I will come back and then probably do it the easier way.
Cuba has always drawn me but in familiarizing with the lay of the land I have come to the conclusion that Cuba has so much more to offer than the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands, popular for their close vicinity to the USA vacation for short time cruisers. In particular, the well protected Cuban south coast, with so many bays and anchorages, sounds and uninhabited cays and the proximity of typical Cuban towns like Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Santiago, etc. It is still very inexpensive. The clearing in into Cienfuegos was painless and costless, health, harbor master, immigration and customs all came to the boat within the first two hours. Today I filled my water tank and topped off my diesel, all of 27,3 liters, since Montego Bay 350/400 miles back. When I mentioned that I tanked 18 liters (4 1/2 gallons) in Montego Bay for the transit of the Panama Canal and the 650 miles of ocean, the attendant said: “Only Cristopher Columbus used less diesel to get here…” Most of the 27,3 liters were due to the very strong northerly I ran into 20 miles before the entrance to Cienfuegos. It had been a fairly close hauled North Easterly from Grand Cayman, but, for once, the weather forecast turned out to be right. In the early afternoon near Cuba the wind started easing from the NE and ended up in the NW, I had to jibe in the end. Then it just stopped all together. I cranked the engine up, set the auto pilot and took a nap. When I woke up and looked at the digital chart I was being pushed sideways towards Puerto Rico. I had set the engine at a low speed to try and delay my entry at Cienfuegos for daylight. I revved the engine up but still was only making a knot over the ground. What to do? Raise the sails and tack up wind, these last twenty odd miles? I decided to delay the decision. At time waves knocked me back to less than a knot but slowly I was making some headway, the closer I got to the upwind shore the speed crept up. I still ended up doing the long winding entry from the Caribbean Sea to the marina in the dark. It was a beautiful sunrise over the Sierra Madre Mountains, from where the Castro brothers fought the war to convert Cuba into a Communist state.
Internet connections are almost non-existent. First you have to buy a scratch card for 1 CUC (about $1.15) which is good for an hour on the internet, but I spend about half of that re-connecting when the signal goes south. Most of the major towns have minicipal free wi-fi in the main squares. But there is hardly a spot dark enough to see my screen, and then you still need that prepaid card. Water pressure goes down to zero in the afternoon, if you wish to flush the toilet and take a shower you need to be an early riser. And don`t forget to bring your own TP.
Meanwhile it is March 18 and I have not been able to post this. I managed to download my e-mails and send a few but unable to post any pictures to FB. Thursday the one place where I can buy a wi-fi card ran out and still had none yesterday.
BusTrip to TRINIDAD. This was a delightful visit on Thursday. Trinidad is about 45 miles south east of Cienfuegos. My video camera was not cooperating but I think these still pictures tell the story. A delightful coastal town with all coble stone streets and red clay tiled roofs. Something straight from a movie set. Just like Dubrovnik you need to get your pictures before the tourist buses unload a steady stream. One of the old monestaries is now a museum exhibiting the glorious victory of Castro`s communism. The accomplishments of the 1959 revolution are everywhere. It is much more in your face than it is in Vietnam. I had my five minutes of glory just before leaving Trinidad. Three guitar playing singers, “Trio Ensueno”, were singing a harmony very similar to the well known Putumayo Social Club. They sang my favorite “La Malaguena”. Originated in the sixties from the “Los Paraguayos” and the Kingston trio made it a hit in the United States. I joined in and they were pleasantly surprised to hear a Gringo sing it. It is a very difficult song to sing with high notes that go on forever.
I am writing this on the way from Cienfuegos to Cayo Largo, an overnight sail. I shall arrive early Sunday morning. I had wanted to leave yesterday but was convinced that my anchor chain was crossed over my neighbor`s boat. They were supposed to leave Friday as well and I waited for them to pull their anchor first. But they still had not returned this morning. The wind had calmed and when I tried it once more this morning, it turned out that I was close but not across their chain, after all. There is a strong, about 20/25 knot following wind and I am sailing just under the 90% jib, doing close to 5 knots. A welcome change from all the upwind sailing since the Costa Rica.