Sailing Into Freedom

I am still alone but Margarida is flying back today wooohooo….I am trying to arrange a perfect romantic picnic but things seem to be getting in the way.

We are still on opposite sides of Cuba. Margarida is still with her parents enjoying the sites while I have an easy run back to Cayo Largo in order to be ready to pick Margarida from the Airport.

What can I say? Margarida leaves and I am alone….oh well it’s a sad time but I find a wise moray eel and she becomes my teacher – my moray eel teacher, and it teaches me not to dangle my fingers too close to its mouth….I am not sure what that is supposed to mean in the scheme of the things but apparently it is all the rage to have members of the animal kingdom teach us stuff….I wonder what a Great White can teach me?

Margarida’s parents come to visit us and we do a tour of Cayo Rico and Hijo Reef. Southern Cuba is a sailor’s dream with crystal clear water, the whitest sandy beaches and stunning coral reefs. We show them all to Teresa and Pedro and we have a ball.

We leave beautiful Cayo Rico and finally get in to Cayo Largo, Cuba. We check in and have a problem with all the fresh groceries that we have brought in. The Agriculture Department want us to throw them out or can we bribe them to allow us to keep them? Our drone is secured to because drones are not allowed in Cuba. Cuba is still an amazing place for us but a bit backward when it comes to banking or getting internet but you don’t go to Cuba for that…you go there for the people, scenery and the underwater world and fishing.

Just before arriving to see Margarida I was hit by several squalls and the furler got jammed in both directions – I could not furl or unfurl the genoa. This video is about what I did to recover the sail. It is not the best solution. Squalls were coming through every hour or so and it was the best thing I could think of at the time. I also discuss what I believe would have been the best solution and also a backup.

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The champion Margarida gets us conch and hogfish for dinner. I give a lesson on how to sail southern Cuba. We don’t make our destination of Cayo Largo but end up at Cayo Rico with a careful sail through the shallows, dodging sandbanks and shoals and reefs. The barrier reef gives us protection from the main swell and Margarida finally has a sail without getting seasick. We arrive at Cayo Rico and it is awesome.

We move from our friends in Cayo Campos and head East to Cayo Rosario. We sail over some shallow areas very slowly but even with Margarida keeping lookout on the bow, we hit a rock.