Mexico

30/12/11

Isla Mujeres

We made landfall 2 days ago at Isla Mujeres after 30 hours at sea. Not a bad crossing, lots of sailing but also used the engines when the wind was uncooperative. Isla Mujeres means Island of Women, named by a Hernan Cordoba in 1517. It was uninhabited and the Mayan temple contained statues of the Goddess Ixchel & her court and so the name. The Island is only 4.2 kms long and very narrow- you can walk from one side to the other in 5 minutes in some places.

It is only 6 kms from the tourist mecca of Cancun (pronounced Cancoon) ,on the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula and we will go over on the fast jet-cat ferry in a few days to get some supplies from Wal-Mart, Home Depot etc. There are over 300 hotels in Cancun and I could see the high-rise from way out to sea.

Paddy has been busy trying to fix our “fantastic” freezer which went on the blink at sea- a rather huge problem as it was full of meat – about 8 steaks, 3 pork chops, 4 chicken breasts and 6 lobster tails!! So it’s the Aitkens diet on board now;  I didn’t think I’d ever say “I don’t feel like lobster thanks”- or “do you want some lobster on your muesli?” . The last morning at sea, we bar-b-qued a couple of top sirloin steaks for brekky, which is why this catamaran is a hit with the crew! We also have an espresso  machine, which needs the small Honda generator going to fire it up- a bit noisy but well worth it to us coffee addicts!

We spent yesterday checking in to all the necessary authorities which took about 4 hours; going from the Port Captain to immigration, to the hospital, bringing a customs officer out to the boat, to the bank and then back to the Port Captain for all the signatures. They wanted 5 copies of everything – we don’t know why as they only used one copy and gave us the others back, but the guy in the photocopy shop loved us.

We are anchored out in the main harbour but a northerly blow is expected on the weekend so we will move down into the lagoon area today. I am going to hire a bike and ride around to do a recci so we can see what’s up at the other end of the island. All the tourists here are driving around in golf carts, but I need some exercise after a week on the boat.

Xmas in Cuba

25.12.11

The run from Habana has been very pleasant. We had the spinnaker up for a few hours with smooth seas and I sat up on the foredeck in my blue chair and had a lovely time. We then came inside the reef which runs along the north coast of Cuba and that means very tense watching of the depth gauge and steering accurately to avoid the shoals and rocks etc. We had 2 very quiet stops, except for one evening at Cayo Paraiso, which is where Ernest Hemingway had a fish camp. A "cay" is a small island inside a reef. At dusk I heard an engine, looking for a boat or plane and then spotted a helicopter heading right for us. It was dark green so obviously military and circled us twice. I waved at them while Paddy hid below (he’s always nervous about authority). The chopper then landed on the Cay and did 15 touch and go landings over the next 2 hours. We presume they were training.
The next morning we were approached by 3 fishermen in a boat made of truck- tyre tubes who held up 3 huge lobsters- still alive. They wanted money at first -which we didn’t have as we have been getting rid of all our Cuban money, so they were happy with 2 shirts and a bottle of rum. The lobsters were delicious!

The next day we sailed about 7 miles to Cayo Levisa.  As we approached I could see a hobie cat on a beautiful white beach, then quite a few people strolling along, deck chairs etc. We anchored behind the island and jumped in the dingy to explore. It was a resort for touristos (mainly Euro’s) and we were welcome. I found the tienda (store) and they took Aussie visa cards! So I did some retail therapy. They were having a special dinner that night as it was the 24^th, so we went over again at 7.30 and enjoyed a delicious buffet – tables on the beach, turkey, pork, great salads, soup- dessert!! All for $15 each. After there was a magic show,  where the magician did all the classic tricks- scarves out of a top hat; knotted ropes , even a white dove out of a box with the assistance of a member of the audience! Then followed a salsa competition, starring the chefs and staff- amazing dancing.  I am going to have a salsa lesson tomorrow.

Today is Xmas Day, so we are going for a swim, walk on the beach, have had fruit salad for brekky, and will have our roast dinner of chicken, gravy, veggies etc about 6pm.

 Enjoying some Xmas cheer in the pulpit, one of my favourite spots on the boat - late afternoon

 We found this resort on Cayo Levisa and enjoyed their facilities

 The end of the Cay Levisa- quite deserted

 Our lobster dinner from the locals , served with raw beetroot and carrot salad (an old Dreyer favourite)

My goorgeous salsa teacher Tony & I showing the class how to do it!

 Merry Xmas to you all, and a special happy birthday to my big brother Peter for his on the 24^th x

Felize Navidad

 A lovely reastaurant in Habana- cool courtyard for a beer & soup stop.

 View from El Morro looking back to Habana. They shoot the canons every evening at 9pm

This amazing taxi- a1950 Dodge had electric windows in fine working condition

19.12.11

El Morro

This is the 14^th century fort built by the Spanish on an island at the entrance of Havana Habour which has always been an excellent deep all-weather anchorage, used over the centuries by navies, pirates, mariners etc. To get there we caught a “ferry”- basically a closed -in barge with standing room only that plies back and forth across the harbor to a town called Casablanca. We wondered to the top of the hill, through the lovely village, stopping to watch a soccer game.  We explored the fort, climbed to the top of the light house which has 117 steps and can be seen  20 miles out to sea, and took in the marvelous views back over to Havana city We then caught a taxi back into the city going under the harbour through a tunnel that the Russians built. As the night came down, Havana changed its persona- so many beautiful girls looking for company, older men looking for beautiful girls, the music louder, the rum flowing… We found a roof-top restaurant above a busy street so we could watch the scene below, and drove home in a 1951 Dodge.

20.12.11

Road Trip

We decided we could not leave Cuba without a trip to see some of the interior so we hired a driver & car, $75 for the day, and drove along the coast road to the west, then over the mountains to a waterfall, resort called Soreo. The driver brought his English speaking wife , Danniella and beautiful 15 mth old baby daughter Ashley, so I had lots of fun keeping her amused in the back seat for 6 hours- she was really very good and fed (on the breast) and slept most of the time . Danny explained lots of the day-to day experiences of the Cuban people; she had worked and lived in Vancouver, Canada (too cold for her) and so has some perspective on her life in Cuba. Every Cuban gets monthly rations of rice, flour, sugar, milk etc, free education, health, dentistry etc., so no one is starving, but there is a feeling of the government not telling the people what is happening, no satellite TV allowed, only govt run newspapers. However there is change afoot and now Cubans are allowed to sell their property, cars etc. It will be interesting to watch this country over the next decade. We had lunch, enjoyed the ever-present restaurant band music, did the waterfall walk and returned back to Havana along the autopista- a 4-6 lane highway that connects the whole country.

21.12.11

This morning we went to a local artists house who has done a homage to Gaudi, the Spanish artist from Barcelona. The whole street has mosaics on every surface and it was very impressive.

 Cuban flamenco dancer & band. They always come around to your table for a tip and also to sell their home-made CD. We have bought 4!!

The old fort with the lighthouse which we climbed

Great mozaics at the Gaudi- influenced house

Obi, this looks like your horse Diva!

Today we are getting ready to leave; provisioning the bar – (wine $2.25, vodka & rum $4 bottle), and will spend the next 3-4 days sailing west along the north coast, then do the jump over to Isla Mujeres, off Cancun, Mexico.

Felize Navidad!!

OLA!

16.12.11

A Day in Havana

We started out with an interesting taxi ride where we ran out of petrol and so I steered while Paddy & the taxi driver pushed us into the conveniently close gas station. Then to our favorite café for coffee con leche and croissants. We then wandered through Old Havana and I bought a pair of hand-made leather sandles.
From there, a stroll to the Museum of the Revolution which is housed in a fabulous 3 story old marble building, displaying the Cuban story. Whether you agree with it or not, it is their Cuban story and told with passion and integrity. Lots of photos and memorabilia of Fidel & Che’s battles (note, I am on first name basis now). Across the road is the hardware from the times, with a tractor that was turned into a tank, jeeps, aircraft and remains of a missile from the Bay of Pigs incident.

 By this time I was desperate for some hydration so we found a garden bar with a band playing, had 2 cerveses (beers) and then crossed the boulevard and found ourselves in a rumba competition! As the last act finished performing, the audience joined  in and I found myself dancing with the hottest Habana girls, older black women going nuts, young dudes- everyone and then we formed a conga line!  What planet am I on!?  (I have some video footage to prove it thanks to my fabulous I phone).

We then wandered along the Malycon -a road that passes along by the seaside where a rock wall tries to keep the ocean back; this a favourite haunt of young couples and families enjoying the sunset. The taxi ride home was also different with the 80+ year old driver doing over 100 km/h in the 60 zones. There are few road rules here- no drink driving laws, and I’ve yet to see the Policio booking anyone- or any crashes either- guess I’ve been lucky. One interesting site at the traffic lights is a red or green large countdown clock that tells you how many seconds before the lights change- good to restrict road rage but turns the intersection into the start of a grand prix race at every change!

This is a raised walkway in the centre of the road- this is where the rhumba contest was.

A typical street facade

Taxi for hire

This lady was asking for milk for her beautiful.baby. We obliged with 2 cartons. The shop keeper told us that all Cuban women receive milk and money for their babies for the first year. Hope the kid got the milk but she likely sold it on - oh well...

All different kinds of taxis available. Notice the buildings in the background, the famous Engleterre Hotel on right where the expats used to party in the 40's & 50's

Hey Clare- I found your old car Trixie!! She is doing well in Habana!

Sat 9am: Areal, the lobster guy has just delivered 10 lobsters to the boat for $30 so we will be enjoying a few good seafood dinners- grilled on the BBQ and served with garlic butter. The boat has a fantastic freezer so we can keep them till desired. Every day, a few guys show up at the dock and ask if we want anything – cigars, lobsters, money changed, rides to town etc- very handy but lots of haggling required. It's quiet around the marina today, and so it should be as the disco at the end of the dock played dance music at full volume till 4am! we went to have a look and meet some other sailors at 9pm but were far too early and the place was deserted

Havana

15/12/11

 Our driver and guide Rogney sharing a cuban style beer- it is 3 litres in a personal keg with ice down the inner tube

Beautifully restored MGA

Plaza de San Francisco

We have had 2 great trips into Havana- a fascinating city. Old Havana has narrow, cobbled stoned streets leading to grand plazas- which are surrounded by very old buildings whose Spanish/baroque architecture is beautiful. There is lots of crumbling decay, however recently , there has been a lot of restoration, funded from outside the country, to try and get it back to its grandeur. Everywhere are cafes & bars with Cuban music played by local musicians. We had some beers at one where the band could have stepped out of Buena Vista Social Club. We earlier had coffee and pastries ( a local delight) in a café where some of the patrons were serious older distinguished gentlemen in heated discussions and at other tables were several beautiful Cuban women dressed in very stylish ,if very  tight clothes, stilettos etc. We sat at an outside table and watched the passing procession of vintage cars- some weathered  old bombs but lots beautifully restored and for hire as taxis..  I could have sat there for hours… probably will over the next week.

CUBA!!

13.12.11 Marina Hemingway, Cuba

We sailed into the marina at 8am after a very vigorous sail through the Gulf Stream.  The crossing took about 15 hours and we were seeing 8-10’ waves and 20 knt winds- very lumpy and not much sleep during my first off- watch ( we do 4 hours each- I do 10pm – 2am and try to sleep either side).

To meet us at the official entry dock were many officials. Firstly the doctor in a white coat, who asked us about our health, checked the general cleanliness of the boat. Then came the agriculture guys, who wanted to see the provisions- looking for fish, meat etc. Then came the sniffer dog & handler looking for drugs. All these 4 men went below with Paddy and whispered to him for mordido (money for graft). Paddy said no but did give the dog handler and old watch that he admired- it was broken but he didn’t seem to mind. Next came 4 immigration and customs men who filled out many forms – all in triplicate and with carbon paper, checked passports then looked in every locker, cupboard & drawer on the boat. All this took about 3 hours. We then had to go into town in a hire car and get some money to pay all the fees. It was a good excuse to have a quick look at the locals and surrounds. We are tied up on a very long dock, parallel parking, and it is very well guarded and all amenities. I dropped off the laundry today to a woman who will do a load of wash/dry for 5 CUC. This is the Cuban money: there are 2 systems, the locals use pesos and the tourists use CUC (convertible pesos). I changed 20 Euros and got 25.60 CUC’s. I will change some of these into the local pesos to use at markets, on buses etc.

 In the afternoon, we walked over to a nearby hotel where we used the internet for I hour (6 CUC’s) and then an early night as we were both exhausted from the previous 24 hours. Today at 3.30, our driver (Rogney) is taking us into Havana for the evening and tomorrow a fellow US cruiser who has been here 14 times wants to take us in to Havana and see his favorite haunts. All very exciting.

The Dry Tortugas

7.12.11

We sailed out of Key West at 11am today heading for the Dry Tortugas. The seas were flat and the wind about 5-10 kts so smooth sailing for 3 hours and decided to anchor off Boca Grande- a key about 20 miles from KW. It is a bit rolly , and the wind is expected to kick up tonight. We hope to leave about 6am for the 50 miles to Dry Tortugas

8.12.11 Thursday. Decided at 7am to go to sea, even though the wind was strong. It was a big 9 hour day with the wind 10-20 knts and sea medium to big- some big slaps on the bridge deck which s a down side of being on a cat- sounds like a gun going off. I was sleeping/resting on the settee and trying to snooze during the afternoon and was awoken props. We noticed the boat had slowed and then could see the tangled line. Paddy had to go down the back steps (harness on) with the boat hook and bread knife and cut them off.  The area is covered with crab traps which are 2-3 foam balls connected to a cage on the bottom which catches the poor little stone crabs. The fishermen remove one crab claw and the animal is released and then it grows another claw ( it is supposedly the only crab that does this. We sailed into the Dry Tortugas which is a circular coral key and found about 3 other sail boats and 6 fishing boats. It is a huge brick fort that was built in the 1800’s. Tomorrow we will explore.

11 .12.11 Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas ( Dry – no water; Tortugas- turtle)

This is a huge brick fort built in the 1860’s of 16 million bricks. It was built as a protection against the Spanish, or any invader, but has never fired a shot in anger. It has 3 levels connected with concrete spiral staircases and huge turrets on the corners of the hexagonal shape. Over its history there has been much sadness, despair and disease, with a yellow fever epidemic almost killing all inhabitants in 1867. At times there were 2000 people living and working here in this isolated coral key. It was a prison at times and Dr Samuel Mudd was imprisoned here. He was one of the accused conspirators of the Abe Lincoln shooting, but was pardoned due to his good work as an MD during the epidemics.

Each day a ferry arrives from Key West with about 50 tourists so we were told to tag along on their tour and heard all the fascinating info about this place. There is also an excellent reference room which we spent an hour in yesterday. The island is run by the National Parks and we have had a couple of visits by the ranger to the boat to make sure we are disposing of our waste correctly and to get us to move away from a govt buoy. Yesterday morning, before the tourists arrived, we went for a walk/jog/run around the fort and along the top parapets. There are huge canons still up there. There is also a moat that was put in originally as both protection but also as a sewerage outlet. This never worked completely due to the tides in this part of the world not being very large ( as they are in the north east US where the designers were.) I recommend that you check out this place on Google earth.  

I tried snorkeling yesterday but the weather has been overcast so not very clear but nice to get my head underwater. We have regular visits under and around the boat from these huge fish called goliath gropers-they must be 1.5-2 meters, wide across the head and about 250 lb. They are fed regularly by the fisherman who use this spot as a nightly stopping point. We were given some lovely yellow-tail snapper from another boat so fried that up and had fish n chips for tea last night! We hope to leave for Cuba tonight, wind willing.

 Will add photoes tomorrow- takes too long on this slow connection

KW

Key West is a very interesting town. There is an Old Town area which has historic wooden clapboard houses from the Victorian era, with beautiful gardens-lots of palms. Then there is a very touristy area with heaps of restaurants, bars, clothing and nick-knack shops- a bit like Byron Bay. It was historically an outpost for pirates, sailors and the stepping off port for the Caribbean. We walked for miles to get a good feel of the place- stopped at the Hardware chandlery of course, and a computer café where we were successful in getting our data out of the cloud.  I found a hoody for $5. The weather has been much cooler than I expected and particularly at sea and in the evenings on the boat so I need to wrap up. Tomorrow we will hire bicycles - $10 for the day and try to see more of the island. I am searching for a rashie and board shorts as our first stop when we leave here is the Dry Tortugas- which is a coral key about 40 miles away where there is excellent snorkeling.There is also Fort Jefferson, one of the best preserved fortifications in north america - built n the 1800's. The Dry Tortugas ( Spanish for turtle) is a national park looked after by rangers. The reason we are going there is to get a better wind direction for our run down to Cuba.

Next Day: We hired two bicycles- beach cruisers, and rode out to the big shopping centre, got a few things like solar garden lights $3 each from Kmart which are great to put up on the front of the boat when at anchor. On the way back we stopped for lunch  at a lovely floating Thai restaurant for Tom Yum, pad Thai and a couple of Singha beers.

 Sunset in Key West

  Ali back on the helm

 KW tourist train

 Trying on a hard hat for possible future diving experience

 Lunch at The floating Thai restaurant

 The very busy dingy dock in Key West

Sunset cruise in a beautiful schooner- champagne & snacks for $60

Today, I shopped till I dropped as its my last chance to get some good quality American clothes (linen shirts). I also  got 2 rash shirts for $12 each and a pair of boardies.

Our last night in KW tonight and it may be large as the skipper wants to see some live music and I'd like to try some  'conch' seafood which is from the conch shell.- its the famous food around here as well as the key lime pie which they sell everywhere. One place I saw serves a piece of pie dipped in white chocolate and served on a stick!
My next post will be from Cuba!! It may take a week to get there with a couple of stops and weather conditions always determining when we sail .  We should have the sat phone operational tonight and hopefully the winlink connection which will allow you to track us on Yotreps. Adios amigos xx

Back on the helm

We left Naples and did a 4 hour motor sale down to near Everglades city in an area called the 10,000 Islands. If you use google earth you will see why they call it that. Had an early night then up at 3 am to get to Key West before dark. It was a 12 hour run and it is always important to arrive in an unknown port during daylight hours. We sailed all the way in following seas - a bit sloppy and wind 10-15 knots. The boat moved along at 7-8 kn all day and the ride was good. We both felt a bit squeamish at times but I was pleased nnot to suffer the sea sicknesses I usually have. For me the best cure is to get on the helm and steer the boat for a while even though we have an electric auto pilot which did an excellent job keeping us on course all day. We arrived in KeyWest about 4 pm giving us a couple of hours to find an anchorage and settle in before the fabulous sunset. Apparently here in KW everyone in town heads for the dock to watch the sun go down every night!
We will be here till Tuesday as the wind is building to a bit of a blow. We will explore KW today and look for a place to do some computer stuff. We both lost data from the I phones and I pad when updating. It is in the Cloud (we hope). Fortunately I have my photos back but my music and talking books are gone!
I am also looking for an I pad as I am sending this on Paddy's I pad with 3G phone service and if I can get a good deal I will get my own.

US arrival

After a very long 33 hours of traveling, I finally arrived in Florida and am recovering in true style with lots of adult beverages and catch up talk. We have a rental car for 2 days so have been shopping and getting a good look at Naples . This is the second richest county in America and full of old rich white folks, huge houses & gorgeous shops. I realized this afternoon that I have not seen a teenager or Mum with stroller since I arrived. It feels soulless. The boat looks great and is so comfortable. I have lots to do as 1st mate - trying to get the stores and provisioning organized. Today we did a huge grocery shop and will continue to add things as we go. Almost time for dinner - Huge American steaks & salad. After I will challenge the skipper to game of cribbage and have a very early night as the jet lag is starting to kick in and I'm feeling a little wobbly ( could be the margaritas we had at the dingy dock pub earlier this evening)

The Plan

The Plan is to sail from Florida to Cuba, staying at Hemingway Marine for approx 2 weeks. It is 10 kms east of Havana. Then heading west, across to Mexico, then south to Belize, Honduras and the San Blas Islands off Panama. We should transit  the Panama Canal in February. At this time of year in the Carribean, there should be no hurricanes as the season has just finished. However, we are prudent weather watchers and avoid stormy or rough weather at all costs.

4 days to go

Thursday 24/11/11. I have just finished all my work commitments of teaching at TAFE and tutoring students so have a few days left to pack and get out of town. Spoke to the skipper this morning and all is good that end. He is sailing down the west coast of Florida and should be in Naples on Friday. We will have a couple days to do some serious provisioning , where I will update this blog. We then will sail to Key West Florida. This blog is very bare and I am trying to add a Google earth map but no luck at this time.

Count Down

I have 1 week to go before I leave home on my next adventure at sea. I will be flying from Brisbane  to  Fort Laudedale, Florida, then driving across the tip of Florida on a road called "Alligator Alley" through the Florida Wetlands to a town called Naples. There I will board the SV Le Chat Beaute, a 42' Privilege Catamaran ( pictured above). The skipper and owner of the boat is a guy called Paddy Barry. We have previously crossed the Pacific together in 2006-8 on a 42' sloop called SV Zafarse.  So hopefully, this will be another exciting adventure....