Caribbean – Diary – Volume II – No. 33
Along Cuba's north coast deep into the west... and beyond...
14.04. – 20.04.2025
On Sunday, the weather window is good, as hoped, and we depart from Hemingway Marina. George and the marina staff wave goodbye. Checkout at the customs dock goes quite quickly, as does the boat inspection, and then we set sail. First, we have to leave the harbor; due to an offshore reef, the passage is narrow and rocky – if the sea is too rough, there's really no way out.
But today the conditions are good, we rock through the reef passage and reach the open sea – now we head to the west coast, which we want to reach in a few days with a few stops along the way.
In the evening we have completed our first stage and anchor in the Bahia Honda – a deep bay surrounded by mangroves – we are in a very quiet spot – swimming is not recommended here, though – crocodiles are cruising… although we don't see any…
On the next stage we reach the Cayo LevisaHere we meet a Canadian sailor we already met in the Hemingway Marina – they want to continue to the south coast of Cuba.
There's a resort on the small island, so we moor the dinghy at the jetty for the excursion boats. The crew of the large excursion boat is currently camped at the pier, helping with the docking. "The resort isn't open in the evenings... no electricity - but we're welcome to pay a visit."
So we set off – we walk across wooden walkways to the spacious facility with bungalows, a restaurant, a bar, and service facilities. Everything is immaculately maintained and deserted. It's a shame, because this is a very idyllic place. The men offer to prepare a meal for us – but we politely decline.
The next day, we see that the excursion boat is bringing a handful of day visitors to the island – day visitors go even without electricity…
But we're moving on. We're already way behind schedule, and we've already informed the marina in Guatemala that we'll be arriving later in Rio Dulce. But that's no problem; when we're there, we're there, and then Joline's retrieval will be organized promptly...
At the next anchorage, Punta Alonso Rojas, surrounded by mangrove islands, we are once again the only boat for miles around. Only a handful of small garfish are stirring up trouble around our boat, causing quite a stir in the water as they hunt. We watch them for a while with our flashlight, amazed that such small fish can make so much noise.
In the background the Guaniguanico – Massif and forms a beautiful panorama.
The next morning we continue to our penultimate anchorage in Ensenada de San Francisco, where we anchor alone again in a wide bay surrounded by mangrove islands.
On Maundy Thursday we reach the western tip of Cuba – in the Marina Los Morros de Cabo San Antonio We can clear out. The customs officer comes especially by car, but his car breaks down, delaying his arrival. But then everything works out quite quickly – he gives us a signal, and Bernd drives the dinghy to the pier a second time.
This is a very deserted place. Next to the customs barracks, there's a restaurant with no customers, and no other boats besides us. "But a Hungarian catamaran came through this morning," the customs officer reports, not wanting to give the impression that nothing's happening here.
Unfortunately, the wind forecast isn't perfect. Winds around 25 knots and consistent 2m to 2,5m waves from the side are forecast. We'll have to wait a few days for an ideal weather window—i.e., with less waves—for the crossing to the Bay Islands of Honduras, but we're pressed to move on. So we'll start our crossing at daybreak on Good Friday, before the winds increase even further.
We plan three days for the crossing. But we're traveling much faster than usual, and after a wild ride, we reach Guanaja Island in the Bay Islands early on Easter Sunday morning... Joline can also race goats...
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