Pirates and Spanish galleons, gangsters and chrome glistening Chevrolets, folk heroes such as Che Guevara and Fidel Castro: Cuba has long held a fascination. After a month cruising in Jamaica aboard Distant Drummer, our Liberty 458 cutter-rigged sloop, we were in Montego Bay and waiting for a fair wind to carry us north across the Caribbean Sea to the island which was once the jewel of the Spanish Crown.
We'd planned to break the passage from Jamaica to Cuba at Cayman Brac, a rocky island about 80 miles east of Grand Cayman. However, north-east trade winds funnelling through the Windward Passage were forecast to veer and strengthen during the week making the anchorage there untenable. So we set a new course direct to Cienfuegos on the south coast of Cuba, and as we departed Montego Bay and headed north-west the conditions for the passage could not have been better.
A fresh breeze on the starboard beam and a moderate sea made for a fast reach across the Cayman Trough, then as the wind eased and veered in the lee of Cuba we poled out the jib and had a beautiful run-up to the Cuban coast. We entered the lagoon at Cienfuegos and zigzagged our way between the red buoys which mark the channel to the city on the eastern side of the bay. Anchoring outside the marina we went ashore to complete the entry formalities, which were straightforward as the marina is a one-stop shop for the harbour master, customs, and immigration.
HISTORY ON EVERY CORNER
Denne historien er fra June 2022-utgaven av Yachting World.
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Denne historien er fra June 2022-utgaven av Yachting World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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5 EXPERT TIPS BOB BEGGS ON SAILING IN COLD WEATHER
As temperatures drop, Andy Rice gets tips on how to handle the cold from self-confessed Arctic weather fan and winning Clipper Round the World Race skipper Bob Beggs
SPECIAL REPORT EXTENDED CRUISING IN THE BALTIC
Sweden offers cruisers a warm welcome for winter - Janneke Kuysters has advice on how to boost your sailing time in the region
NIKKI HENDERSON
SEARCHING FOR MORE SPEED? BEFORE TINKERING WITH TINY ADJUSTMENTS, MAKE SURE YOU'VE GOT THE BASICS RIGHT THE POWER DRIVING THE BOAT
MATTHEW SHEAHAN
WHAT WILL THE BOATS OF THE 38TH AMERICA'S CUP LOOK LIKE? THAT'S THE $20 MILLION QUESTION IF BRITAIN OR NEW ZEALAND DECIDE TO DEPART FROM THE AC75
60-knot squalls hit Middle Sea Race
The 45th running of the Mediterranean offshore, the Rolex Middle Sea Race, saw a spectacularly random mix of conditions - even for a race which is famed for its variable weather patterns.
Italy win first Women's Cup
The first ever Women's America's Cup was won by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli after a single, twoboat shoot-out final on 12 October.
'Three-peat' for ETNZ
As Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand came into this year's 37th America's Cup as clear favourites. But the Kiwi camp has far more than just the structural advantage of being the ones that wrote the Protocol for the competition, and the originators of the AC75 concept.
ROOM WITH A VIEW
SWEDISH DESIGNER GABRIEL HEYMAN POURED A LIFETIME OF IDEAS INTO THIS PILOT SALOON CRUISER, WHICH INCLUDES ARGUABLY THE LARGEST COCKPIT AVAILABLE AT THIS SIZE
LIVING HISTORY
THE ICONIC SEASON-CLOSING REGATTA LES VOILES DE SAINT TROPEZ WAS AN IMMERSIVE HISTORY LESSON FOR CROSBIE LORIMER
CHANGE OF PLAN
LEAVING AUSTRALIA, MARIANNE URTH NEVER PLANNED TO MAKE LANDFALL IN THE ISLANDS OF VANUATU, BUT THE EXPERIENCE WAS MAGICAL
