Summer in Cuba
 

thinking of spending the summer in cuba. going there from the ragged islands (bahamas). anyone have ideas of where to check in and good grounds on s. side??

Check out the Cuba Noonsite:

Noonsite: Cuba

Santiago de Cuba is probably the closest to you.

I heard Marina Hemingway was cool, but I've never been

Cheers

Bill

Thanks for the suggested read Paul... I really enjoyed it!

GG

The south coast of Cuba is very unpopulated, make sure the boat is well stocked as buying anything can be extremely challenging! I was there last spring and had a great time. Santiago was closed to cruisers then.

Suggest you get Nigel Calder's Cuba cruising book. Excellent and accurate.

Also, Marina Hemingway is supposed to be hurricane proof. I think they state no yacht was ever damaged there during hurricanes. I also met the club's commodore once and I would not hesitate to visit. Do it before it's filled to the brim with yankees (what will Obama do, open it up??).

cheers,
Nick.

Spent 4 days in Marina Hemingway, but it was mid 90's so don't know the conditions today. It was great. People running the marina were super. I think it is a very safe place. I was just looking at it in Google Earth the other day and the big difference is the condos that have been built. They were just starting them when I was there. I would love to go back there some day and spend more time touring the island.

That brings back a lot of memories DeepFrz. I was at Marina Hemingway for quite awhile in 2005/2006. They put us right beside those condos. They turned that whole complex on that side into a hospital where they mostly did eye surgery. They brought in people from all over Central America for free surgery.

We got quite friendly with a young lady from Ecuador who was staying with her mother in the apartment right above our boat. She was of course not allowed on the boat or even on the dock. She would just stand on the grass next to the dock and talk to us. The marina warned her never to go on our boat. A lot of the hospital staff there didn't like us talking to her. One day she just disappeared. Never did hear what happened to her. I guess they sent her home.

Not long after that they decided they didn't want any boats on that side of the canal. They moved all of us to the other side. I notice from GE they now put everyone in the farthest channel.

You have to be very careful coming into Marina Hemingway. The channel is not well marked. While we were there at least 4 boats went on the reef coming in. We helped one 27' boat from Norway with a couple and their two beautiful teenage daughters get off the reef. They had sailed all the way from Norway then through the Caribbean and this way their first grounding. Luckily the Cubans didn't fine them as they did some others.

Hope to go back there soon.

Santiago Closed
 

I was in Cienfuegos last March and was told the Port of Santiago was going to be closed, by one of the many federalies that we enjoyed during the check in.

Trinidad or Cienfuegos would be you best bet on the south coast.

Cheers

Paul, we were in the farthest channel, closest to the sea. There were not many boats there at all and the condos were just under construction. We had no problem talking to anyone or inviting people aboard.

You can also check in at Maria La Gorda on the extreme West of the South Coast. It's really easy there but an open anchorage so only suitable in settled weather. The officials all come out to the boat and are far more accomodating than in Cienfuegos.

Why do people want to contribute to a Communist Dictatorship?

I don't think that bringing political opinions about the current system in Cuba does any good to this very interesting thread otherwise IMHO.

JC

chief engineer..what's your problem?? i'm sure you buy all kinds of stuff from china (wal-mart imports 10% of all chinese imports to the u.s.). what do you think that country is---a democracy?? i hardly think so. the embargo has been a joke from the git-go and continues ONLY to hurt the citizens of cuba....not the fat cats/politicos. put on your thinking cap.

I agree - "Partisan" or tendentious politics serve no useful purpose on a forum such as ours, and can only serve to fractionalize us.

Nobody cares about my left wing liberal persuasion, nor another’s right-wing reactionary sentiments. :)