Trinidad, Cuba

We took a bus to a neighboring town, Trinidad, with Ed and Sandy, from BRISA. It was about an hour and a hlaf bus ride through the Cuban countryside. The town is a UNESCO heritage site, very old and interesting. We stayed at the home of a doctor and his wife, and enjoyed thier beautiful house and some great meals

We made it to Cienfuegos ,Cuba. JENEMIAH is the 3rd boat from the left. Just to our right is Ed and Sandy, on BRISA, whom we met in Cayo Largo. We didn't know they were going to be there but it was nice to see familiar faces. They have been sailing around the world for about 15 years.

Cienfuegos Marina.

The architecture is quite amazing in Cuba. It isn't all in this nice of shape though.

Horse and cart is still very much alive here. These are not particularly for tourists but is the mode of travel for the locals. A very pleasant way to travel to town from the marina.

We met some of the locals who gave us transport in the back of this Willys. Very friendly people. The driver would get the truck up to speed and then shut the engine off and coast until he just enough speed to restart the engine by popping the clutch. I believe it was to save gas.

Camille participating in the music concert of Juan Carlos. Great music in Cuba.

Juan Carlos singing for the concert. Excellent group.

Cayo Largo, Cuba. Feels great to be here.


Jenemiah at the dock in Cayo Largo


Bruce and Lee, the crew and Captain of the S/V INUKITUK partying on the Yacht Serenity. The boating community has not forgotten how to enjoy.


This is Lee's parents, Lou and Sharon. They own the Yacht "KIRIN VI". It was tied up right beside JENEMIAH when we arrived in Cayo Largo. They made us feel very welcome by inviting us aboard for a wonderful meal and took us to Playa Sirena for a day of sun tanning and even had a Mojito or two. Lou and Sharon are the kind of people we dreamed of meeting on this trip. Thanks Lou and Sharon! We hope to meet again and safe Journey.
PS Beautiful Yacht too!!


Near Playa Sirena, Cayo Largo.

JENEMIAH looking lonely in Cayo Largo. The day before there was no room left at this dock. Things change fast. There was a good weather window and everybody,but us, took advantage and headed to their next port. We left 2 days later for Guana del Este on our way to Cienfuegos.


Peace and quiet.


The view of the light house on Guana del Este as we approach. The Lighthouse is 250 feet high. We are still quite far away.

This pile of rust is what is left of the old light house with the new one in the background.

Brave explorer (snicker)with JENEMIAH anchored in the background. This is a very small island. As you turn in a circle the view of the sea is the same.

We are now in Cuba and not able to post any pictures so this text will have to do for now. We got the boat fixed and headed out to Cayo Largo on the Friday. It started out fine but by the time we were just off of cayo Largo the waves were 18 feet and the wind was 25 knots. Who the hells idea was this anyway???? We did make it in to the harbour and had a wonderful time there. we met some friends from Cayman. The beaches are awesome here. we headed out for Cienfuegos 4 days later and made it in 2 days. we are here now and are having a great time. Have met a few local musicians are have been invited for dinner. this is a beautiful city. we will go to Trinidad by bus tomorrow as it is easier to get into than by boat. we wil;l stay here for 4-5 days and then head out for Jamiaca. I will update the blog with pictures when we get there. Love you all. Wish you were all here.
Mike and Camille

Waiting for a weather window...

Thursday was too calm, with winds at only about five knots...We came back to Cayman after a day at sea. We had dolphins leaping alongside the boat and saw the phosphoressecne at night, plus a spectacular sunset.
Will set out again in a few days....

Leaving Port!

Yes, the day is finally here. It's 4:40 am and we are about to get a ride to the boat as we have ben staying in comfort at Dave Johnson's. It took a big final push to finish all of the taks involved in getting the boat ready, but we are confident that we have the equipment and systems necessary for the journey. Many thanks to Dave J. and Mike Alt from Corporate Electric for supplying us with a satellite phone. Thanks also to Bill, Richard, Monica, Steve and many others for all the help.
You can follow the weather we will be experiencing at www.passageweather.com
Pictures of the boat with it's new wind generator, single side band radio, vhf radio, new mainstay, custom covers and cushions, and spruced up interior and exterior will be posted once we get to Cuba.

Figuring stuff out

There have ben so many problems to solve, and so much stuff to get organized. Mike got a big order of supplies in today, which all has to be installed in the next few days. Today was Mike's birthday, so we took some time out for that. We were given five or six little fish from another boat at the marina, the guys were all brothers or cousins, and they showed us how to extract and clean a conch, which will probably come in handy. The fish were delicious.

Setting Out Soon

Our proposed leave date is early morining on March 17th, St. Patrick's day. We can clear customs the night before and leave at daybreak. We are heading to Cayo Largo in Cuba, about 250 kilometers, arriving on the 18th. There's a good chance Lee will be leaving at the same time, and headed for the same destination, so we're hoping that the boats are both ready by then so we can travel together. Lots to do before then!

Back to Kaibo in windier conditions

We did another Sunday sail with Dave and Richard and had a great time on the North Sound, going about 6.5 knots most of the way to Kaibo. The winds were quite lively and it was a lot of fun. Lee was out in his boat too and after chasing each other around the sound we rafted the boats together at the dock and went for lunch. On the way back it was a run with the wind at our stern.

Dock Party

We were invited over to dinner on Pat's boat. Alice and Pat prepared an awesome meal. Pat lives on his boat in Governor's Harbour. Alice has her own boat moored in the harbour as well.

Pat and Alice have an unlimited amount of knowledge on sailing. They have been an inspiration and have provided a world of information to help us on our way.

Pat's boat "Indio"

"Indio" on dock C

Nick, Camille and Gord.

Camille, Gord and Alice. Gord takes tours to Stingray city on his boat you can see on the far right .

Pat

The hosts Pat and Alice

Our Marina Neighbor

Lee Marcoux is a good neighbor at the marina, supplying us with tools, beer, andinvaluable information about Cuba and fishing!





Lee Marcoux



Lee and baby daughter Jasmine


Sunset at the Marina

A day of Sailing

On Sunday. Steve and Peggy Laforge and their niece Jaqueline and her husband Travis came out for a sail. We went across the North Sound over to Kaibo and back in time for sunset. There were a few unexpected adventures, but a good time was had by all.