Cuba open to boaters (not).
Well, not yet anyway but things are moving in the right direction. IMO boaters could be going there (legally) as soon as the 2015/16 cruising season.
It isnt like the
Bahamas, you really need to go there prepared. And the best reading material out there is Cruising Guide to
Cuba 2014 by Cheryl Barr. It is a two volume, full-color series.
It is very comprehensive and answers every question you have with regard to preparations. And for cruising, it provides lots of
route information, crossing the Gulp Stream, waypoints, chart insets for
anchorages and overland traveling to make the most of you time in Cuba
The free download guide that everyone talks about is not nearly as detailed and the
charts are merely
screen captures of the plotter but hey, ya get what ya pay for. The more familiar Calder guide is still a valuable resource but dated 1997.
I had all three for my
cruise along Cuba's NW coast in early 2014 and I found I referred to Cheryl's guide the most. It is well written and the most detailed of all the guides out there.
Cruising Guide to Cuba by Cheryl Barr should be included in all cruising libraries. Barr's website is a good place to start your
research as it is chocked full of useful information.
Cruise Cuba, current planning and advice for sailing to Cuba
You can buy it from the site and from nautical book dealers like Landfall
Navigation and
Bluewater Books &
Charts.
Marlinespike