January 2006
Written by Vic Istchenko and Muffy Macdonald; First Mate Gry Bastholm; Capitan Anton (Toni) Strub
Havana was, and some say it still is, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It's no wonder Vieja (old) Habana is a UNESCO world heritage site. On every corner one is overwhelmed by the grandeur of the classic old Spanish colonial mansions and palaces, and the plight of the dirt poor Habaneros now inhabiting the decaying apartments those mansions house. It really looks like a bombed out city from WWII that no one has bothered to repair. The exceptions of course are the dozens of restored buildings now housing museums, and extravagent hotels. All are state owned and operated, with rates nightly rates running in the $200-500 US range. The economic realities are best illustrated by the varying modes of transport; Mercedes Benz and new Toyota compacts alongside horse or ox-drawn carriages, bicycle taxis, and most spectacular, the hundreds of refurbished American Chevy, Plymouth, Buick, Ford or even Edsel sedans from the 1950's.
	At Marina Hemingway where Little Swan was moored, the once modern hotels and condos that were meant to cater to yachties, have been transformed into dormitories for a huge optical clinic. Cubans and foreigners by the busload are delivered here weekly for corrective eye surgery or the like. The on site marina market (mercado) was severely damaged by recent hurricanes and there is no evidence it will be repaired or reopened soon. This made re-supplying Little Swan with provisions a major challenge. Meat and vegetables were found in very limited quantities in nearby villages at local (back alley) butcher shops and street vendors.
This made re-supplying Little Swan with provisions a major challenge. Meat and vegetables were found in very limited quantities in nearby villages at local (back alley) butcher shops and street vendors. Incredibly the Ship Chandler at Marina Hemingway had no real yachting supplies, and little food, but an endless supply of premium Cuban rum for $3-5 US dollars, and some very good Spanish wine for just $3 dollars a bottle.
Dec. 11/05 After 4 days in Havana , Little Swan embarked on an all-night stormy run west, to Cayo Levisa. Favourable winds made it a violent “rock and roll” journey, especially for the two new Yukon crew members who were forced to acquire sea legs quickly. Cayo Levisa is just like the guide books say, an isolated strip of white sand beach with spartan cabins for 30-40 mostly European tourists. Unfortunately, the beach and nearby coral reefs had been severely damaged by last years hurricanes. Cold beer in the beach bar was just $1.50.

	A day sail in sunny skies found Little Swan further west in the tiny port town of Santa Lucia. Crew from the resident navy gunboat asked, “What (the hell) do you want here?” The Guarda Frontera scolded us for not formally checking out of the last port (Levisa), then ordered us to anchor in the harbour and under no circumstances could we leave our dinghy unattended. Ashore, crew went searching for food, while Capitan discovered “charging” problems with Little Swans alternator.
Next day, the Port Captain had the alternator checked by the local factory electrico mechanic, who determined it was fine, and within minutes tracked down some loose wiring in Little Swan's hold. Ironic that Little Swan had to go to this tiny backwater fishing village to solve a longstanding electrical problem that had already cost Capitan thousands of dollars on bogus repair bills in the USA.
	A short sail further west we moored off Tobacco Point, where we feasted on lobster and rice. Next day, favourable winds blew us all the way to the western tip of Cuba . We caught a nice big barracuda on the way, and had it for dinner. Nothing beats fresh fish. A fabulous electrical storm entertained crew through the night, while the shallow sandy bottom managed to hold our anchor. Stormy skies continued through sunrise but winds were ideal so we braved the rain and sailed round Cabo San Antonio, bidding “Adios to the Gulf of Mexico, Ola to the Caribbean”.

By evening Little Swan was moored in the crystal clear turquoise waters off the beach at Maria la Gorda, one of Cuba 's famous “international” diving resorts. Its two diving boats handle about 40, mostly European, clients at a time. Beach front accommodations at this remote bay look quite comfortable. Crew were content to snorkel around the nearby reefs and soak up the views. Little Swan's Capitan is always working. If he's not sailing, charting, cooking, or sleeping, he's fixing something. And every time he fixes one problem, something else fails or breaks down.
This morning he was almost finished building a climbing ladder (the original ladder was lost in a north Atlantic storm), when the water pump quit. Turns out it was only a burst hose, but Capitan has his head buried in the hold now trying to replace it. The climbing ladder by the way (required for swimmers to get back aboard), while not perfect, is a very nice piece of work, fashioned entirely from materials (aluminum rungs below the surface, some kind of hardwood above) “scalvaged” from variousMarina dumpsters over the years.
Dec.20/05 After a full day of laying about Maria la Gorda, Little Swan made an all day run east, motoring directly into a strong headwind for the string of islands know as Cayos San Phellipe. We moored just before sunset off the south-western tip of Cayo Real, a Robinson Crusoe type island of white sand beaches, coral reefs all around, and thick mangrove forests on shore. Sight of a small boat (possibly fishermen) and footprints on the beach confirmed we were not alone, nor first to discover this uninhabited island. Crew spent a lazy day fishing (another barracuda got away), snorkeling, and beachcombing for sea shells. After-dinner “Iceberg” cocktails from Newfoundland helped Capitan recount his bloody pirate attack in New Guinea . Onward to the Isle of Youth (Isla de Juventad), this time under sail as the wind has shifted to a north-easterly. The Yukoners have “stuffed” yet another good lure and line, confirming Capitan's opinion that we cannot afford to catch our own fish. So far that's three $20 dollar lures lost for just one barracuda dinner. The huge red Snapper we bought in Santa Lucia for less than $5 dollars illustrates this economic reality. We moored overnight in a large protected bay, Ensenada de los Barcos, where dolphins cruised by as we glassed the flamingos feeding along the north shore.
Dec. 21/05 Only 4 more shopping days until the big holiday, and we hardly have a care in the world about it. Water temperature is still in the high 20's, but the Yukoners must be “dreaming of a white Christmas” because a cold front has blown in from the north, forcing crew to dig out their heaviest clothing. Next port of call, the island capital Nueva Gerona turned out to be quite a delightful experience, despite our first impression of the public “mercado”. The open-air square housed about a half dozen kiosks, every one selling exclusively pork. Pigs feet, pigs fat, pigs heads, pigs ears, butts, steaks, bacon; it was all pork.

But within minutes of inquiring, we had one fellow tracking down chicken, another chasing after fish, another had eggs at home, while another knew where to get some lobster (hush hush the lobster is for some reason strictly black market). The chicken never materialised (“you come back tomorrow”) but Little Swan's fridge is now well stocked with seafood, eggs, oranges, bananas, grapefruit, lettuce, and onions. The fresh fish (grouper) we had for dinner was outstanding. Crew washed it down with cold Becks, and rum chasers.

Finally met our first fellow cruisers since Havana, a catamaran from the Caymans. Its captain advises the usual path through to Key Largo, our next destination, is dangerously filled in from the recent hurricanes. (He's been cruising here almost 20 years). It will delay our ETA in Largo by a day as we now plan to detour further north for safe passage through the keys. A noon despacio from Nueva Gerona saw Little Swan motoring into a strong north-easterly. A couple hours later we were innocently anchored at the edge of the main shipping channel through Cayo Manteca until a second consecutive shipping barge passed screaming unintelligible warnings and commands. We smartly moved into the shallows away from the channel - a number of large water craft use this passage round the clock. Then, too much lobster, too much rum, we unglued the pages of Little Swans ”round the world” scrapbook while Capitan told high seas sailing stories from around the globe.

Dec. 23/05 “Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, jingle all zah vey”. Swiss choirs serenaded crew for a wobbly 10 hour sail (50 miles) to our next destination. By sunset we were toasting Becks off the sandy beach at the south-western tip of Cayo Rosario. The Cayman catamaran is here too (“that's no boat, that's a catamaran”) along with a smaller as yet unidentified vessel named Alphee. The reef off the beach looks great for snorkelling. Manana'. As we failed to catch any fish all day, it's lobster again for dinner.

Dec.24/05

The reef was fantastic. Can't believe all those fish actually have names. The beach at Cayo Rosario is just as incredible. Among the flotsam and jetsam among the seashells, a large” hot-tub sized” buoy was washed onto the beach. Can't believe nobody has salvaged it yet. Capitan tried unsuccessfully to wrangle a large iguana but it scurried off into the dunes. The beach is at least a mile of white-flour silica sand. Water was a brilliant turquoise-aquamarine measuring 28 C.

It's a quick trip to Cayo Largo del Sur. Snagged two (2) barracuda enroute. They were landed ceremoniously and quickly filleted by Capitan, ensuring crew need not eat lobster for Christmas dinner.

Thunder clouds and heavy rain rolled across the sky soon after Little Swan tied up “stern first” in the marina alongside a Canadian boat. Crew exchanged gifts, dined on fresh fish, and toasted 12 year old scotch whiskey in Little Swan's festively decorated galley. Christmas Day the Yukoners celebrated with a rain-soaked but glorious swim at the posh resort beach on the south side of the island. Many Pina Coladas later with the Rogers family from Ontario (the yacht next satellitedoor), the Yukoners sent -phone greetings to family in Canada .

Capitan smartly retired while crew joined the Rogers college-age boys in attempts to empty the rum supply at the posh all-inclusive resort. We may have made a clean getaway had we heeded “last call”, but someone got suspicious when the boys ordered 6 “travellers” for the 1 AM bus back to the marina. Busted at the front desk, and $60 bucks later, we all stumbled home safely.

Dec. 26/05 As with all Cuban Ship Chandlers, the Key Largo store was pretty much useless except for booze. But incredibly, all you had to do was ask, and the store clerk got it. “You want what? Oh, rice? How much?” Then she picked up the phone and dialed whoever at one of the local resorts, turning to indicate, “You come back 10 minutes and I have it.” Not sure how kosher it was but we should have asked for a lot more. By noon Little Swan made its despacio from the marina, anchoring off the famous nearby Playa Sirena. Capitan and the first mate chased rays around the reef, while the Yukoners googled brown bottoms on the silky white beach. But the best views of the day came from 60 feet above deck, as all crew took a turn riding the bosun's chair to the top of Little Swan's main mast. Lobster noodle soup lunch and pan-fried barracuda dinner was great, but crew is getting a little fed up with seafood. Clear skies and a north-easterly breeze allowed Little Swan to sail out Cayo Largo del Sur. Lulls then forced us to motor-sail until we reached a desolate coral key, Trabuco, on the edge of the Cuban “forbidden zone”. A large lighthouse about a mile north of our anchorage marks the southern boundary of a huge “no trespassing” zone surrounding the infamous Bay of Pigs . The Cuban authorities it seems have long memories and inexplicable imaginations, as the guide book warns any vessels caught inside the forbidden zone will be dealt with severely, no exceptions. The snorkelling around Trabuco and its tiny, 50 metre beach was tremendous. Crew just can't get enough of the exotic underwater eye candy, rays and barracudas included. Had to endure lobster fried rice for lunch, Mac-cheese ala Muffy for dinner.
Dec.28/05	A pre-dawn start at 5:30 gave Little Swan a good leg up for its 50 mile push for Cienfuegos . Morning NE winds allowed for some motorsailiing but by noon they had turned and died. A flock of about a dozen dolphins entertained crew briefly for the highlight of the afternoon. No luck fishing found us in the huge Cienfuegos harbour/marina by early evening, dining on the Capitan's special fried chicken (seven secret spices) dinner.
Cienfuegos posed all the typical Cuban problems. Banking, internet, food, etc. are a real chore. A Canadian family working in the harbour for the month helped with directions to discover the best market yet....carrots, cabbage, papaya, bananas, peppers and onions. Add hunks of frozen chicken, and you've got provisions for at least a few more days. The “midnight cowboy” tout who sold us cheese from his black market kitchen was also a real treat. Cheap beer in the grand town zocalo kept us amused while others queued for banking. The local internet/telecommunications offices were experiencing “mucho problema” all day, further delaying crew's best intentions for New Years greetings abroad.

The Yukoners compensated by “dining out” at the nearby Club Cienfuegos, the former home of the local “Royal Yacht Club”.It's a magnificent old refurbished structure, with outstanding waterfront views. Food was more than adequate for the moderate price, but the “house band” later opened with a CCR imitation of “Rollin' Down the River”, then kept us up half the night with more bad cover songs. Horse and buggy taxis still outnumber the vintage cars in this town, but it makes for endless photo opportunities on almost every street corner. Men shamelessly flaunt their machismo, sending “wolf-whistles and cat-calls” our way wherever our small entourage passes. Nonetheless, a very likeable town filled with quaint looking Casa Particulars advertising their vacancies.

Dec. 30/05
	Crew raided the kitchen of nearby Club Cienfuegos for fresh “hot out of the oven” buns, then made our departure from Cienfuegos Bay . We sailed until the winds died around noon, then motored on calm seas until we reached Playa Ancon, and the entrance to Casilda harbour.
After a diligent dinghy reconnaissance of the shallow channel, we confirmed what the guide book had warned, that the route into the marina is barely 6 feet deep. As Little Swan draws a full 6 feet, a night anchored in the bay gave Capitan a chance to reconsider. By morning confidence was buoyed a few inches by high tide, and Little Swan motored cautiously into Trinidad Marina.

Tension was evident in Capitan's voice as he called out numerous depth readings less than half a foot below the keel. New Years Eve day was spent exploring Trinidad . Crew rode Coco-taxis to town, then spent the morning updating e-mails at the local internet cafe. After a few hours strolling the narrow cobblestone streets, we sniffed out a bakery, and stumbled on a few street vendors selling vegetables. With Little Swan's freezer barren of meat, we gambled on a slab of pork from a home front butcher.

It was pressure-cooked to produce an awesome year end supper on board. Crew entertained themselves until midnight, then uncorked our French Champagne for a Nuevo Anos toast. Fireworks from the nearby resort lit up the sky as we shared our toasts (“drinkie? drinkie?”) with two shot-gun toting security guards. Life is good; all is calm on Little Swan, as the calendar rolled into 2006.

Jan.1/06 Time is running out for the Yukon crew as the next major port down the coast east is too far for them to make their scheduled departure from Havana in just a few days. But getting off Little Swan according to Cuban protocol is almost as onerous as signing aboard, especially if you are dealing with port authorities over the New Years holiday weekend. In this case the “Cuban factor” gave the Yukoners one more glorious day on the crew list, before Little Swan departed for the long run to Manzanillo and Santiago de Cuba .

Muchos Gracias! Feliz Viajes! Hasta Luego!

Appendix: Cuba Good bye! January 2006 Thank you Muffy and Vic, we enjoyed your company very much and look forward to have you back on board again some other time. What would I do without Gry as helping crew? I would be stuck here! Not a comfortable thought. Thanks Gry for helping the old salt. We departed the shallow harbour of Trinidad on the 2nd of January 2006 and it’s a long way to Puerto Rico (600 nm or more) where we planned to meet up with Cindy and Doug, maybe picking up Ben in Luperon in the Dominican Republic. We started of with a small hop to Cayo Blanco just a few miles away. The tourists had left already and we were on our own. There was a semi submerged wreck we snorkelled to. The fish life was spectacular. It was like diving in the best Aquarium in the world. Dolphines For the next 4 days we sailed through a maze of coral reefs and mud banks towards Manzanillo, enjoying most of the diving. Lobsters by the dozens. We basically only wanted to extent our Visa which run out the day we arrived there. Everything was fine, enduring all the usual formalities which gets my blood pressure up a bit. The wharf was a derelict of years gone by and Little Swan suffered some more battle marks with protruding steel and concrete. Rounding Cap Cruz was easy and now the windward Passage begins. Wind and waves against us. We did daily hops of about 50 miles and the weather was not too bad but to make sufficient progress we motored sailed most of the time. It is one of the most scenic coast line of Cuba with mountains towering 2000 meters high. Cuba Flag The entrance to the Harbour of Santiago de Cuba is marked by a most impressive Moro (Castle). Very few boats were in the high security area. To our amusement the search and find dog did not cooperate with the officials, all he wanted is get out of the boat. We do all the touristy things as well as buying supplies for the next leg of the journey. We gave away several things we didn’t need anymore and the poor people of Santiago de Cuba were very happy. The day of departure with a possible weather window open to us has arrived. Thank you Cuba for the great adventure you gave us and wish you all the best. Our course is east for next 300 nm with all the normal weather pattern coming towards us. Not a very good prospect. The day started off fairly calm with fluky winds. Just passing by the USA shameful action of Guantanamo Bay Prison the wind gave us a few puffs from the southwest, later changing to west and getting stronger. This is very good for us and we are sailing beautifully. During the night the wind increased to 25 knots from the northwest and we romped along at good speed crossing the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti in one night. How lucky can you get? Dawn is breaking and we spot the coastline of Haiti. See Haiti report! Toni