The gardens of the Queen
As soon as Ivan and Sophie are on board we drop anchor and put Cape West to the gardens of the Queen. A stretch of reefs, the lobsters under every rock and mangrove...!
Friday 21 April: Marea del Portillo
We leave the marina in Santiago at 4:30 in the morning in order to be sure to arrive day to the next step. Sophie is studying the boating guide to Cuba and our navigation area for the 10 days to come.
The mooring to Marea del Portillo is a lagoon surrounded by mangroves. Officials visit us to row to stamp our navigation permit. In the "port" there is that boats of fishing without engine.
Ivan and Sophie discover this environment pushing us in the rich life channels.
Meeting of Georje and his family who lived in the first House on the way to the village. They invite us to eat at night and without complaining openly share with us the realities of life in Cuba…
The next day we bring ropes, clothing, SOAP and a hair Clipper.
En route to Cabo Cruz, Ivan discovers the joys of sailing in the tropics.
Sunday 23 April: Cabo Cruz
Here again, barely wet, Customs officials visit us in a boat to paddles.
Every sunset is the opportunity for an aperitif on the trampoline.
Unlike our home in 2012, It is now possible to land in the village.
The dock of fishermen is off-limits for us.
The Sargasso Sea clutter along the coast and along the waterfront several times before you find a rock to hang the annex.
Finally we put ashore and can walk in the well-kept village.
The village ends in swamps and mangroves where crabs abound.
Tuesday 25 April: Channel Cuatro Reales
On the way we carry around the lines on which the barracudas rush. We keep one to make the rillettes and give others in the sea before returning fishing rods.
At the end of the day a fishing boat approaches us on which three smiling fishermen offer to give us lobsters. We invite you to get to couple and it won't be that late at night that they untie themselves to go to sleep a few meters from Tao.
Are we all to prepare two dishes of lobster: one in the oven with garlic and ginger, the other baked in lemon before you Saute them quickly in butter.
Fishermen enjoy our rum of Guadeloupe and the evening continues in good spirits.
At sunrise of the day they return to couple of Tao and prepare us for fried fish on their to the charcoal Brazier. We prepare for them coffee and here we are all ready for a good day. They offer us to follow it up to one of their fishing grounds and yet they give us some lobster and fish.
We continue our journey along the reefs around the outside of the gardens of the Queen (the Caribbean Sea side) to enjoy clear water. Once the stock of lobsters by the fishermen we must get to the fishing and bring back our first shots.
Then Philippe, Ivan and Sophie went swimming around the reef, crazy comes to visit me. Maybe hope t - it we will report some fish?
Saturday 29 April: Cayo Iguana / Macho Fuera
Vincent and Nathalie de MADGIC are back to expect Cayo macho de Fuera. We get wet in the face of the rickety dock that day welcomes big catamarans of tourists.
Vincent and Nathalie organized dinner on the island.
We are surrounded there by the inhabitants of the island: iguanas...
and the agouti.
Sunday 30 April:
While MADGIC puts the cap on Cayo Largo, We head to the port of Casilda and Trinidad.