Cuba; Part Three

Jan 31 2012

We’re in the marina in Casilda and, over all it was a good day. We got up at about 0530hrs, got the last little things done, and as soon as it started to get light we set out. The first couple of hours the sea was a bit beamy but not too bad and the later part of the trip was a following sea that made for a very comfortable ride. It was a long day and the hard part was getting into the marina. They’ve got us in a slip that is way too short and there was a substantial cross wind coming in. It took a long time and some creativity to get secured. They also only have one available 30amp plug and we need two so we’re running the generator. We won’t be staying here long. After we get the boat washed and the laundry caught up tomorrow we’ll probably move out on anchor. If we have to run the generator anyway, there’s no reason not to. I’m looking forward to going back to Trinidad and seeing the guys in the band again.

Feb 1 2012

Today was a work day. We had a bunch of cleaning and laundry to catch up on. I spent all morning on the interior cleaning while Capt Johne gave the exterior a good scrub. After lunch we walked in to the hotel to get online, check email and send out some quick “we’re okay” messages. When we got back to the boat, we moved to a slip better suited to Second Star’s size and needs. We now have shore power, we’re about to refill the water (we used a lot today cleaning). I have a fruity rum cocktail in front of me. I just have to decided what to make for dinner.

Feb 2 2012

We ended up going into town for dinner last night. It had been a long day so we were going to walk up to the hotel and get a bite, but he hotel is all inclusive, you can’t just come buy dinner, if you’re not staying there you can’t eat there. But a guy who was just getting off work had a sister with a restaurant and a cabbie friend who could take us there. So that’s what we did. It wasn’t a great meal, but not bad at all, and the arbor we ate in was lovely. It had trellises with flowering vines all over them and a parrot in a cage off to one side. It was a very enjoyable evening.
Today we took on a major fixing-a-leak project that has been in need for some time but has been getting much worse lately. The starboard front corner of the house, where it joins the deck, the sealant had cracked and, as the boat flexed underway, the crack grew. So this morning we started by cutting the old sealant out of that section, cleaned the area as well as possible, then, after lunch, we re-caulked it and now we have to wait and see if, when it’s all cured, the leak is fixed. After that I went for a little swim because, when we were trying to dock in the slip that was too small we tried bow in first. When it was clear that wasn’t going to work, we pulled out to try a stern to approach. But when I was pulling out one of the line didn’t get pulled aboard and the port prop wrapped it. So it had to be unwrapped. Fortunately, it wasn’t tight. It was easy to unwind and hadn’t done any damage to the prop, shaft or bearings. So it’s been quite a productive day. Now it’s cocktail time. Tomorrow we’re off to Trinidad.

Feb 4 2012

Morning: Yesterday was a great day. We got the taxi to come to take us to Trinidad at 0900. We’d met the taxi driver (Yunielky) in front of the hotel and we picked him because he has an almost-original 1929 model a ford, the same as Johne’s first car except his was a ‘28. It was my first ride in a rumble seat.
First we went to the marcado to get some more produce, which is pretty limited in variety, but very good quality. Then we went to Casa de la Trova, the bar where we’d met the band. We found out that they weren’t playing until 1600hrs so we came back to the boat for lunch. We had Yunielky come back for us at 1400 and went back up to Trinidad. We did some more wandering-exploring the town before heading back to Casa de la Trova. We got there at about 1515 hoping to get a chance to visit with the guys before they had to start. The band that was on before them was technically very good but they seemed bored. At 1600 we still hadn’t seen any of the guys we knew and, by 10 after, we were getting ready to ask the bartender if we’d misunderstood, when they started coming in. As each of the guys came in and saw us, he recognized us and came up to greet us and ask where Bob was. By 1630 the horn player still wasn’t there and, after making a phone call (as it turns out, he is sick) they started (at about 1645) without him. A friend of the guitar player was there and she sat in on the scratcher for the first set. After the first set they all come over to have a drink and visit. They wanted to come down here to see the boat and we told them we‘d love to have them, but we thought it would be a problem because Cubans can’t get on boats. We left it that we’d ask the officials and call them if it was a problem.
There was a table of locals by the bar that were having a great time. One of the guys had gotten up to sing with the first band and had a really good voice. Another guy had a guitar and, between the bands sets, he was playing, and they were both sing. Some of them were getting up to dance and one of the guy asked me to dance several times. He was a good lead and it was a lot of fun to dance with him.
At the next break the guitar player (Leonardo) told Johne he was playing at a restaurant at 1900 and, when we talked about getting some dinner after they were done, he said it was a good restaurant and we should come with him and eat there. As it turns out it was a great restaurant. It’s called Museo 1514, which we believe was the year it was built. The tables were set with cut crystal glasses and fine china. The atmosphere was wonderful. We had a table on a little terrace just a few steps up from the main floor. It was partially enclosed giving a bit of privacy, but we could still see the whole place and enjoy the entertainment. There was a couple salsa dancing as well as the music. Every so often they would go around and ask if the customers wanted to dance. So I did some more dancing there. After several tries the girl finally got Johne to dance which was un for me too. The food and wine were very good and we enjoyed the whole evening immensely.

Afternoon: When we ask about the guys coming to the boat for lunch of course he answer was not possible. So we went back up to Trinidad to spend time with them. Leonardo had said he might be able to fix Johne’s guitar so we brought it along. We all ended up going out for a long lunch, practice/jam session. It was a very cool and unique, if expensive, experience. They are fun and interesting people. We are going up to see them play again tomorrow night and get Johne’s (hopefully fixed) guitar back, before we start back for Cayo largo and Mexico.

Feb 6 2012

Yesterday was a lazy, rainy day. We put the panels, insulation and stuff back up that we’d taken down to repair the leak forward. After the rain we found that the windows in the VIP cabin and the pantry, which had leaked a little in the past, were leaking more and that they needed to be dealt with also. We let them dry out over night and set to fixing them today.
Last night we went into Trinidad to see the band one more time and to pick up Johne’s guitar. The repair on the guitar looks great but it needs a week or so to cure so we won’t know for a bit how it sounds. It was another fun evening. There was an older, local couple there dancing and it was cool to see the generational difference from the young, salsa style dancing we’d been seeing. It was also fun to watch their spunk and love of life.
This morning we set right to taking the windows and frames out, cleaning them up and re-bedding them in “life seal”. They were back in by lunch time. Since then we’ve gone to the hotel to check email and the weather. It’s looking good for the trip back to Cayo Largo and from there on to Mexico. Were looking to be back there on Sun morning.

Feb 9 2012

On the 7th we finished getting the boat ready for sea. We’d been doing a little here and there so there wasn’t too much that needed to be done. We discovered yet another leak that we’ll need to deal with when we get back to Mexico. There’s always something that needs fixing on a boat.
We left Casilda at about 1530hrs for a quiet, uneventful run to Cayo Largo. We arrived here early the next morning and, after finding a place to anchor and calling in on the radio, we were told we had to bring Second Star into the marina to check in. Coming in in the launch wouldn’t do. So we pulled up the anchor and went to do the paper work, came back out to anchor up again, had some food, had a shower, had a nap and felt much better. Then we took Hook and went back in to check the weather and visit with Pire a bit more. After that we did a little exploring in Hook and found a French Canadian boat we knew from Isla Mujeres in the anchorage. We visited with them for bit and shared travel stories both ways. We invited them to by for cocktails later and continued in Hook. It was beautifully calm and we ran around to the outside of the reef to see the 380 foot mega yacht, Luna, that had just arrived.
In the evening our friends from the Canadian boat came over and we had a lovely visit with them. Then we had a little dinner and a good nights sleep.
We’re going to move back into the marina this afternoon because we have to go back in to check out and we wanted to have Pire over for dinner. Even though he has the license to be aboard boats, he can’t come to the boat on anchor. But it okay if we’re in the marina. (Silly rules).

Feb 19 2012
We‘ve been back in Isla Mujeres Mexico for just over a week now. The next day, after my last entry, we did go back to the dock but when we checked the weather forecast it had changed and the front that we were trying to beat into Isla was looking like it was going to come n a little soon than had been predicted. So we checked out late in the afternoon and went back out on the anchor so we could pull out at 0430 (the officials said we could stay on the anchor so our weather timing was right, if we DID NOT come ashore again once we were checked out. In the dinghy or anything!).
We got up and underway dark-and-early and everything was very smooth. The weather was just perfect for the first about 26 hours. When we got to the Yucatan cannel it got a bit less calm but that is to be expected with the current etc, but it still wasn’t too bad, but…The front came in even earlier than the last report we had seen and the last few hours of the trip in were pretty rough. The wind pick up to a full gale and was against the current turning the seas all crazy and confused. The waves weren’t very big (mostly 3-5 ft) but steep, close together and from every which way. It was unpleasant and we were very glad to get back in to the marina and tied securely at the dock.
Since we’ve been back we’ve been doing maintenance and repair projects. It’s good to be back in communication with family and friends, to be able to just go to the store and get what I want and to see friends here on the island. I really enjoyed the time in Cuba and we may go back when we are ready to do more traveling.

That’s all for now. I’ll post more when something post-worthy happens. Until then, live your dreams…

Susie aeon