I sailed around Cuba, anticlockwise from eastern tip , north coast, Havana, Cabo Antonio, south coast all the way to Cienfuego, and away to
Belize.
Upon arrival , we learned that Baracoa was no longer a port of entry. So we proceeded westward under yellow flag, befriending the pleasant locals when at
anchor, to Puerto Vita.
Entrance procedures were lengthy but pleasant as officials were extremely polite, e.g. spontaneously taking of their
boats before boarding.
They gave us tourist visas and a cruising
permit quoting Havana as our
destination. They told us explicitly that this
permit enabled us to go to every ensanada, pueblo, praias, puerto... but non zona militares.
Yet in most places we where denied the right to land by the paranoid Guarda Fronteras, or held up for hours on the on the wharf until some
remote refe ordered us back to our
boat, and if we wanted to buy bread ashore we should go to the next marina (which could be 6 days sailing away ).
The only places where we could visit the north of Cuba was when we reached one of the 4 so called
marinas, including Puerto Vita and Marina Hemingway near Havana.
On the South coast the officials were more sensible. the only restriction we met was that crews could only leave us or join us , changing our crew list, in
marinas : Nueva Gerona in Isla de la Juventud, Cayo Largo, Cienfuego