Sea Rose departed Grand Cayman for an overnight sail to Cuba.  It was an easy peaceful sail.  Our first port of call would be Cienfuegos on the south shore of Cuba. 

We had an early morning departure hoping to get out of a very tight marina before the winds kicked up again.  That’s Grand Cayman in the rear view mirror.

The winds never appeared.  During the day, the crossing was sunny and calm.  Giles used the time to relax and read.

Lisa took advantage of the crossing to enjoy the sun and the calm seas by sitting up front on the pulpit chair.  Please don’t ask what book she is reading…..

Lisa was kind enough to prepare the crew a first class meal for lunch.  We loaded up on our provisions in Grand Cayman because we were warned there are NO provisions in Cuba.  We can confirm that turned out to be true.

Lisa and Teresa enjoying an after lunch refreshment and conversation.

Land Ho is more like Nuclear Power plant Ho!  We later learned this is a Russian built nuclear power plant that was never finished.  It was about 60% complete when Russia broke apart.  As a result, it was never finished and is now just a welcoming eyesore when entering Cienfuegos.

Unexpectedly, we found that all of the waterways in Cuba to be well marked.  A red buoy marking the approach to Cienfuegos on a clam sunny morning.

A warm communist welcome greets us.

Cienfuegos is the capital of Cienfuegos Province. A city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about 150 miles from Havana and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur. Cienfuegos literally translates to “one hundred fires”—cien meaning “one hundred”, fuegos meaning “fires”.

When entering Cienfuegos Bay, one is met by the Castillo de Jagua.  It was built in 1745 for protection against Caribbean pirates.

Passing further along into Cienfuegos Bay the shoreline is dotted with simple Cuban homes.

After passing through the protected entrance, Cienfuegos Bay opens up into a very large bay.  Most of the local fishermen we encountered were in small row boats.  I guess the government doesn’t want them to have motors in case they decide to leave.

The yacht club at Cienfuegos.  The government has not preserved many buildings, but the ones they have are very nice.

There were no marina slips available, but we were able to schmooze our way onto the fuel dock for a night.

Happy hour at the marina bar with our beer tab!

Beautiful sunset from the marina.

They do have some very decent restaurants catering to the tourists.  This one was excellent and very crowded with tourists.

Our driver for the day ($60).  He drove us one hour to the city of Trinidad and back again and stayed with us all day.  It was a bargain.

Giles took the co-pilot seat for the trip to Trinidad.  Giles coordinated his shirt for the day with the interior color.

Cuban graffiti in Trinidad.

Teresa and Lisa enjoying the street music.

Our taxi driver helping himself to a little salsa street dancing with Lisa.

Plaza area in Trinidad.

A nice local restaurant.

The Sea Rose crew posing in the Trinidad town square.

Town square in Trinidad.

Inside the Trinidad church.

Residential street in Trinidad.  Not many cars around.

Teresa and Lisa strolling through town.

Giles and Lisa shopping in the markets.

Giles and Lisa taking a rest in the park on a bench.

I haven’t seen a rotary phone in decades.  I had to take this picture to show my millennial nieces and nephews the great technology that they missed out on.

The store shelves were stocked full, provided all you wanted to buy is orange juice.

After a day of walking around the center of Trinidad our taxi driver asked if he could make a pick up from his cousin before heading back to Cienfuegos.  We only went a few blocks from the center of town before the roads completely turned to dirt.  This was the street his cousin lived on.  To say Cubans are poor in an understatement. 

Teresa hailed a taxi to take us to the center of Cienfuegos.

Room for two in the back seat.

The Yacht Club from the main street.  They had an outdoor pool that would get very busy on the weekend with locals.

Palacio Azul (Blue Palace). Another well preserved building, but that’s where it ends.  The rest of Cienfuegos is ready for a renovation makeover reality show.

Who needs an electric rotisserie motor when labor is anywhere from .80 cents to $1 per day. We went to this restaurant for a pig roast lunch.  We couldn’t believe this guy’s job was to sit there and slowly turn the pig.

Giles serving himself some roasted pig. It was buffet style and very good.

This is the front of Palacio del Valle which was built in 1913-1917.  The pig roast was in the side yard here.  It was once the home of a rich person who lost it to the government during the revolution.

The architecture was amazing.

The roof top of the Palacio del Valle, now government property.  Another photo bomb on my part to Teresa’s nice photo.

We hired this taxi for a night out in Cienfuegos.

Mi amigo!  Que paso!

After Cienfuegos Sea Rose sailed west overnight for Isla de Juventud.  We arrived the following morning to Marina Siguanea.  Not much of a marina.  It was more of an Army Outpost.

Che’s image is everywhere.

We hired a taxi for the day to drive to Nueva Gerona, the main city on Juventud.  This was the drive to where Jose Marti spent his house arrest after serving hard labor in  prison.  Jose Marti was actually Cuba’s first revolutionist fighting for Cuba’s independence against Spain.

Our taxi driver was convinced I was the spitting image of Jose Marti, so he had me pose with a statute of his likeness.

In Nueva Gerona we ate lunch at Tu Isla.  A hidden gem of a restaurant.

The Sea Rose crew enjoying a home cooked lunch at Tu Isla in the back garden.

The days catch for lunch.

Giles and me enjoying a cold beer for dessert.

The outdoor bar in the garden at Tu Isla.  We were impressed how nice this place was, since most of the town was challenging.

This prison was Fidel Castro’s home for 2 years This prison was modeled after the Joliet prison in Illinois.

The prison guards would be stationed in the center podium and would have 360 degree views of all the prisoners.  Fidel closed the prison after he came to power, so now it is just deteriorating away.

Teresa and Bob out in front of the prison administration building.

Fidel Castro’s mug shot.  His first attempt at overthrowing the government failed and he was imprisoned.

Prison barracks.

Prison facilities.

Cuba’s dictator at the time, Fulgencio Batista, eventually regretted this day.  Fidel Castro being released from jail after serving 2 years of a 15 year sentence for his first attempt at over throwing the government. The beginning of the end for Cuba.

This is the once classic Hotel Colony.  It was a short walk from the marina so we would go here for drinks at the bar.  Most of the time it was just us.

This is the remnants of a children’s playground.  They were still maintaining it to some very minimal standard.

The front drive to the Colony Hotel check-in.  There have been no repairs or maintenance since the revolution began.  Very sad.

The not so welcoming and not busy Colony Hotel lobby.  You can tell this was once a very nice resort.  Now it’s just a shell of its former self.

The next picture is taken with my camera and the next one is from the Hotel Colony’s web site.  No it’s not my camera lens, the first picture is actually how the pool looks today.  Buyer beware!

Happy hour at Hotel Colony.  Don’t mind the falling plaster on the ceiling.

After Isla de Juventud we set sail heading west around the west end of Cuba in route to Havana.  After a two 2 day trip we arrived early in the morning at Marina Hemmingway.  Sea Rose is waiting for the Customs & Immigration office to open. 

Immigration sealed our satellite phone and we were instructed not to use it while we were in Cuba.  We’re not sure why because they allowed us to keep our iPhones.  Giles and Lisa had non-US phone plans so their phones worked in Cuba.

Time to go to town (Havana).  Teresa is in the photo somewhere.

Driving through the streets of Havana

Our first stop was one of Ernest Hemmingway’s favorite drinking holes, The Floridita.  World famous for their frozen daiquiris.

Ernie and I with a photo of Hemmingway and Castro in the background.

 

On one of the days we were here, there was no gasoline to be found in town, so most of the taxis were parked for the day.

No shortage of old American cars.

Giles posing with his ‘homies’.

Cathedral Square, named after guess what?

 

 

Inside The Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception.

Teresa in a rare cooperating pose for the camera.

Local Cuban lady.

Local Cuban man.

Teresa, Lisa and Giles looking for bargains in the street market.

The Capitol building modeled after the US Capitol building.  Fidel closed it down after taking power for that very reason.  It’s now being renovated and re-opened.

Giles presenting me a Che t-shirt in Plaza de la Revolution.

Time to move on.  Our taxi driver let Teresa sit in the drivers seat while taking our picture.  Nice rabbit ears Lisa.

We headed to the nicest Hotel in Havana, the Hotel National de Cuba.

Bob, Lisa and Giles entering the Hotel

Famous people have been coming to the Hotel National de Cuba for decades.

Cuba Libres are the national drink.

We attended a live show that evening at the Hotel.

Back stage with the main singer.

 

The National Theater building with the Hotel Inglaterra just to the right.

After a long night of fun we hailed a taxi to take us back to the Marina Hemmingway. Driving along the empty El Malecon.

The El Malecon was laid out in the first decade of the 1900s by American authorities who gained control of Cuba after the 1898 Spanish-American War. The tree-lined boulevard linked old Havana with the neighborhood of Vedado.

Sea Rose crew selfie after a night of fun in Havana.

The party is coming to an end.  Capt. Bob had to ride his bike to the Customs & Immigration office to inform them my crew (Teresa, Lisa, Giles) would be flying out the next day.  Not to worry though I had new crew (Jim, Brandon, Gary) flying in for the sail to Key west.

The new crew arrives.  Standing in front of the Christ of Havana.  Fifteen days after the statute was inaugurated Fidel Castro took over Havana.

Father and son with Havana and a cruise ship port in the background.

Capt. Bob and his nephew Brandon sharing a daiquiri at the Floridita.

A different kind of taxi in Havana.  Geary and me sharing a ride.

Who’s beeping their horn?

Geary brought some baseball mitts and balls to give away to the locals.  We hired a taxi to take us to a local baseball field to give the stuff away.  It was unbelievable how excited this young boy was to pose with his free baseball mitt.  We felt bad we didn’t have more to give away.

Once in Havana you have to go on the famous cigar factory tour.  All of these brands were made in this one factory.

Our English speaking tour guide endorsing the product.  The workers are allowed to smoke for free all day while they are working.

Cigar factory workers, working away. This worker has her loyal picture of Che taped to the inside of her desk. They love Che here.

I’m not sure OSHA would approve of these working conditions.

Brandon parked in front of Sea Rose.  A Rose Gold moment!

The American Embassy with old glory flying.  Fidel thought it would be a good use of communist money to plant all of the flag poles just across the street from the US Embassy to obscure the view to the ocean.  It didn’t work the US Embassy is still there.

Unfortunately, this picture says it all about the Cuban revolution.  Old deteriorating buildings, old cars and pictures of Che everywhere.  Che has a lot to answer for.