Crayfish and calm waters in Cuba

Our arrival in Cuban waters in early March, after a fairly lively two day/night sail across from Mexico, couldn’t have been better.  We dropped anchor in lovely Isla Rosaria in the southern archipelago, went for a snorkel and, in about two metres of water, caught two good crayfish. 

We were stunned to see the crayfish in such shallow water and even more surprised at how big they were – one tail easily fed the two of us.  But before dinner we needed to celebrate our arrival in Cuba and what better way than with a classic Cuban mojito – rum, soda, mint leaves, a dash of sugar and lime – divine!

Next day fellow cruisers Andy and Clare on Eye Candy, who we first met in the Greek Islands in 2008, arrived in the bay from Cienfuegos so we had a good catch up with them.  They were headed for the Cayman Islands then Mexico before heading back up to the East Coast of the States where we will no doubt catch up with them again.

Rosaria was a lovely spot to spend a few days and we enjoyed being at anchor behind the reef, snorkelling, doing boat jobs and sewing a new flag.  Yes…the NZ flag.  Next time you see one look closely at the Union Jack and you will get some idea of just how difficult a project it’s been.  It’s involved a designer, pattern maker, dressmaker and lots and lots of patience.  But it looks fantastic!

While in Isla Rosaria we were visited by a couple of very friendly Cuban fishermen who had crayfish they wanted to trade.  We gave them a length of rope for their horse, a fresh papaya and some rum and they went away delighted leaving us five big crayfish.  All this was done under cover of darkness as the crayfish here are owned by the government and trading with cruisers is highly illegal.  We later found out that cruisers can be fined for taking crays.

It was hard to drag ourselves away from this little piece of paradise but we needed to officially clear in to Cuba so headed east.  We had a lovely sail inside the reef to Cayo de Dios where we overnighted.  Next day we stopped at Cayo Guana del Este for a snorkel  – crays for dinner again.   Then it was another brisk sail to Cienfuegos where we left Bandit while we did some land travel.

After a week in Cienfuegos we headed back down to the southern cays to Cayo Largo.  This is one of Cuba’s prime beach destinations in the south and it was really lovely but amazingly, quite deserted. 

We moved on to Isla Rosaria and snorkelled on the same reef where we’d got crays last time and sure enough…..there were more there!  And no we are not sick of crayfish.  We’ve had them grilled with lime and mint mayonnaise, sauteed with onions, tomatoes and parsley, cold with avocado in a wrap, crayfish pasta, crayfish risotto and crayfish in a Thai red curry sauce.  Our best crayfish story comes from Cayo Matios.   We went for a tender ride along the shore and in about 60cm of water spotted a crayfish out for an afternoon stroll. David grabbed it – the first time he’s ever got a cray without getting wet!

 The island of Juventud was our next stop and after a lovely sail with the wind from behind, we dropped anchor in Cabo Frances.  It was absolutely gorgeous – Bombay Sapphire coloured water, fantastic snorkelling and lovely sandy beaches.  We anchored in 5m and a few boat lengths away the seabed fell away to 200m. The drop-off wall is a huge attraction with divers who come from around the world.

We had only planned on one night here but it was so beautiful we stayed two.   Running perilously low on fresh supplies we headed around to Siguena on the west coast of Juventud to provision.   It was too shallow for us to get into the marina so we anchored off and took the tender ashore to check in with guarda.

Next morning we took a workers’ bus to the town of Nueva Gerona, 40kms away, and stocked up on fresh fruit and vegetables.  Everything seemed to be “dias pesos” – about 40cents – whether it was a huge pile of tomatoes, mangos or a pineapple.   Nueva Gerona felt like a real working town with not another tourist in sight.  We bought two loaves of crusty bread for 20cents and they were handed over unwrapped but outside were old men selling plastic bags. Enterprising!  We then had a Cuban specialty – a greasy, but delicious cheese and ham toasted sandwich, and a coke, for 50cents.

On the outskirts of Nueva Gerona is Presidio Modelo, the amazing prison complex where Fidel Castro was held from 1953 until 1955.  Based on a notorious penitentiary in Illinois, the prison could hold 5000 prisoners at a time.  It was built during the repressive regime of Gerardo Machado.   Each oppressive round prison block held up to 1000 prisoners who were watched by a solitary guard from a tower in the middle. From here he had a clear view to each of the tiny cells, stacked on top of each other around the perimeter of the building.

Meals were held in complete silence in the equally oppressive dining room – 3000 prisoners were served at a time. Sadly, the whole complex is completely run down today with anything of value, such as the window’s steel bars, gone.  Even the administration block, built in typical flamboyant Cuban style,  is showing signs of neglect.

Juventud was an interesting island. In its heyday it was covered with flourishing citrus orchards tended by students who came to study at  government funded colleges. When the Russians pulled out of Cuba after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the supply for citrus dried up and the orchards and schools were abandoned.  Today Juventud is a sleepy backwater with some very primitive agriculture.  We saw oxen pulling ploughs and huge paddocks of potatoes being weeded by hand.  Horses and carts were the most common form of transport.

We took a taxi back to Siguena and on arrival asked the guarda for our “despacho” for the next port.  We were astounded when they said they wanted to come out to Bandit, presumably to check for Cuban stowaways. So there we were  with all our fresh supplies and two black booted officials in our tiny tender.  Sadly, one boot found its way onto the bag of fresh tomatoes – tomato pasta for dinner!

We headed away and had a lovely overnight sail around to Cayo de Lenos where we met up with Kiwi mates Amanda and Mark on Balvenie, who had also done an overnight from Isla Mujares in Mexico.  It was great to catch up again and we sailed together up to Hemingway Marina near Havana.  The north west coast of Cuba proved singularly unexciting with mangrove cay after mangrove cay and none of the spectacularly clear water of the south coast.  These areas are inhabited by alligators so we skipped on swimming and snorkelling and instead prepared ourselves for some city exploration in Havana.

Margaritas in Mexico

It was with a huge sigh of relief that we dropped anchor in Mexican waters – just off the island of Isla Mujares.  Our two day/night trip up from Belize had been an uncomfortable bash to windward.  The predicted winds from the south east did not eventuate and we had to sail with the wind hard on the nose for 200miles!  At times – with the wind against the Yucatan current – things were a little exciting!

Since leaving the Med we’ve had wind behind us and at times we’ve moaned about the rolling you get going downwind, but after our windward bash we’ve decided we’re definitely downwind junkies.  What did thrill us was the way Bandit performed.   With two reefs in the main and a furled headsail she romped along at speeds of up to 10 knots.  (with a little help from the Gulf Stream!) In fact we furled the headsail and rolled out the smaller staysail to try and slow her down but she had the bit between her teeth and she was off.  At least it was a fast passage. 

We sailed along the Coast of Cancun – past all the high rise five star hotels, the sandy white beach that stretches forever and that amazing turquoise water.   Once we altered course and headed for Isla Mujares the water shallowed to about four metres and was the most amazing shade of Bombay Sapphire blue. The wind had lightened off a bit and we had a lovely reach under headsail – now why wasn’t like that all the time?  As we approached the anchorage we pulled the fishing line in to discover a rather drowned fish – we’d been way too busy sailing the boat to fish!  So fresh fish for dinner.  But first up Mexican margaritas.

We went ashore to Bar Tortuga and ordered four margaritas and they were fantastic.  Just to make sure, David and Mark had a second one.  The bar had live music and these guys were really good.   A few nights later it was Amanda’s birthday so – you guessed it – more margaritas.  Afterwards we ate lobster tacos at the Soggy Peso bar and grill.

Isla Mujares is fairly touristy – its streets are full of tacky tourist shops, with plenty of bars and restaurants too.  The waterfront is lined with thatched roof bars.  If you take the time to cycle the backstreets you do come across the odd quaint house/shop and there is a nice boardwalk that runs around a lot of the island.


The beaches on Isla Mujares are beautiful – endless white sand that seems to stretch forever. 

With a northerly blow forecast we headed into a marina and when the wind arrived we were pleased we had.  We recorded 30 knots the first day and it was accompanied by rain.  Cancun beckoned so we headed over on the ferry but weren’t that impressed so went to the movies.  That is such a treat for us and at $5 – a cheap treat at that. 

The wind blew for three days and life was a bit uncomfortable in the marina – Bandit strained on her mooring lines so not much sleep was had.  We felt sorry for the smaller boats that were stern to the wind and swell….they were bucking like rodeo horses with waves crashing over the stern.

Of course the sun came out again and the wind died and so once again we set off exploring the island on bikes – fantastic free bikes provided by the marina.  We also enjoyed a week of long hot showers (even when it’s 30 degrees a hot shower is nice), free power, wifi on board and just being able to step off the boat without a wet dinghy ride.

We’re hoping to head to Cuba on Wednesday all going well.  Internet is not that easy there so not sure when we will next be able to blog.  But we LOVE getting emails.  We will have our boat email up and running – yachtbandit@mailasail.com but as it comes through a satellite phone please do not send any attachments, photos or files.  Even company letterheads must be deleted first.

We’ve been using our free time lately to backdate our blog – which we only started in 2010.  So if you feel inclined – scroll down the left hand side until you see 2007 and 2008……we’re slowly adding blogs and will continue to do so until we’re right up to date.  Enjoy.

Stepping back in time

Now here’s a blast from the past – the Bandit blog is going back to 2007!  That’s the year we set out from Gibraltar on Bandit after buying her the year before.

Back in those days we weren’t very internet savvy and certainly didn’t have a blog up and running.  In fact that didn’t happen until our last year in the Med.  Given we’ve spent a fair bit of time at anchor in remote locations the past few months, it’s been a perfect time to get the blog up to date and, in the process, sort out our thousands of photos.  The blog is a great record for us and gives family and friends a chance to see what we’re up to.  If you feel inclined go to the blog list at the left hand side of the page and zoom on down to 2007.  We’ve already updated Majorca, Sardinia, Sicily and Greece and in the next few weeks you’ll see Turkey and more from Greece.

The beautiful Belize Cays

The Belize Reef – second largest in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier – stretches for some 200 miles along the Belize coast in the western Caribbean.  Numerous cays (islands, pronounced keys) are dotted along, inside and outside the reef with sandy white beaches, swaying palm trees and atmospheric barefoot beach bars.   After six weeks here we concluded it was one of the most underrated and undiscovered cruising grounds in the world.  Along with cruising buddies Balvenie, we were often the only boats in anchorages.   

So many cruisers/circumnavigators tend to head from the eastern Caribbean straight through to the Panama Canal which is the most direct and easiest route to the Pacific.  You do put yourself in the corner over this part of the Caribbean and we’ll no doubt have to wait for a good weather window to start heading east later in the season. 

Most cruisers here seem to be American or Canadian who leave their boats in the Rio Dulce for hurricane season and use this beautiful part of the world as their winter cruising ground while it snows back home.  There are a handful of French, German and English cruisers but we haven’t seen another Kiwi or Australian boat yet.  It really is a magical part of the world and so spectacularly deserted.

Take Glover’s Reef.  It is one of Belize’s three offshore reefs and consists of several lovely small sandy cays ringed by a huge reef.   There are several resorts on the main cay – all noticeably empty of guests.  The lagoon inside is milky turquoise and dotted with scattered coral heads.  It’s a protected marine reserve (as are many of the cays here) so the snorkelling was wonderful.

From the time we anchored off spectacular Nicholas Cay in the Sapodilla Cays when we first arrived in Belize in January we’ve been amazed to keep finding perfect anchorage after perfect anchorage.  It’s nothing at all like the crowded eastern Caribbean.  Over this side the people are friendlier, the winds are generally lighter, provisioning is way cheaper and you’re not sharing the anchorage with dozens of other boats. 

When it came to seafood we were spoilt for choice.  David caught a good sized lobster in shallow water off South Long Cocoa Cay, we hooked a mahimahi while sailing to Glover’s Reef and then two king mackerel a few days later.  As we anchored off one small cay near Dangriga a local chap (“they call me the mayor around here, but you can call me Harry”) paddled out with a bag of lobster tails to trade.  We produced a paperback (he was an avid reader), an old Cuisine magazine for his wife (a keen cook), three packets of biscuits and a 200ml bottle of rum and got four lobster tails.  The next night he returned with fresh lion fish and more lobster.  Paradise!

Okay…before you all begin to think about moving here I better point out that two things conspired against us in Belize – the weather and the reefs.   Our month there was dominated by 12 days of overcast or windy conditions during which we had to find shelter and stay put.  Much of Belize is uncharted which calls for eyeball navigation and when it’s cloudy, that’s impossible.   It doesn’t help that Bandit draws just over two metres which makes getting some places in Belize, such as the northern cays, impossible. 

We had a few sticky moments.  The water near the inshore reef was  cloudy making it hard to spot coral heads.  There was often no distinction between 3m, 6m or even 10m.  Near Tobacco Cay we came very close to hitting a sandbar that was uncharted in our guide book.  Luckily we were going very slowly and hit reverse quickly, but saw 2.1m on the depth gauge before we did.  The next day we saw a French yacht run hard aground on the spot.

                

Getting in and out through the narrow passes in the outer reef with a swell running was also heart in mouth stuff – as we found out heading out to Glover’s Reef. As I was taking photos of Balvenie, who was behind us, suddenly Bandit took a huge wet one as well! 

We did have some wonderful sailing inside the outer reef.  With trade winds blowing at a steady 15 knots and flat seas we could race along on a beam reach – magic.  But it was scary given the water was only 3m.

Belize gets affected by cold fronts that develop over the US.  The worst such norther we saw brought 30 knots of wind with it.  We hid out behind Robinson Cay near Belize City but the system blew through overnight and we woke to clear skies and gentle breezes.

Time to head to Lighthouse Reef which had been the focus of our entire trip here.  Having seen Jacques Cousteau’s documentary about the Blue Hole we decided we couldn’t miss it…but, thanks to weather and that damned shallow ground we did.  The wind just didn’t play ball and given the anchorage was only a tad over 2m and we’d had a scary time in Turneffe Reef the night before with just 40cm under the keel, we decided to head to Mexico instead.

Unfortunately, not being familiar with local weather patterns in this area meant we were often running for cover from systems that didn’t eventuate or getting caught in winds that were not forecast. Oh well…that’s all behind us now and next stop is margaritas in Mexico.