Checking Out How "No Keys" handled Hurricane Season 2011

Well it is official that Hurricane Season is over, but with the amount of high winds and waves you would wonder.  We went out to see our floating hotel. There were many boats already being worked on and splashed into the water.  All the mooring balls are full from Vero Beach south. They are all just waiting for that first weather window to head out across the Gulf Stream. Everyone has their preference as to the sea conditions.  There are lots of Catamarans, Cabin Cruisers and good old sailboats.

Besides a good wash and bottom paint, we will be ready to go!  The only damage we received this year was our poor tarp that covered the cockpit was ripped to shreds.  Apparently, about 3 weeks ago a high wind came ripping through.  The tarp is sacrificial, we heard that a few boats did take a bit of a tumble.  We all have hurricane straps to tie your boat to the ground.  The inside of No Keys was fresh and clean! No dead bugs, ants or cockroaches..........so I guess Chris and I did a great job to putting her away last spring.

A New Season 2011/2012

I'm a little behind in keeping my blogs updated, the season has come and gone and it is now time for a NEW ADVENTURE.  Cuba was a lot of fun and the beaches spectacular! This year, the Abacos.  But before I get too far, I need your vote....Do you like this blog layout or my other one!  Let me know and I will then continue the Adventure!

Classic Cars & Transportation in Cuba

February, 2011

In Cuba there are many modes of transportation to get around. There is the classic mode, 2 feet and a heartbeat. We did a lot of this, as the Marina to which we were staying is about 2 ½ miles from Varadero and about 1 mile into Santa Marta. Chris and I also had bicycles but it was hard to get around as a group when our friend Tim came from Calgary. From Santa Marta, Varadero, Matanzas to Habana, we saw many classic cars. We had the pleasure of hiring a few of these 1950 Classics to get around. In Varadero, the taxis are kept up very well and in great mechanical shape. Most of these vehicles do not have their original motors and have been replaced with Perkin diesels or Toyota engines.  The body work and paints jobs just awesome. You can tell that many hours of pride and workmanship has been done to these.  There is also the Hop On Hop Off Bus. The fee for this is $5.00 CUC’s for the day and the route goes from one end of Varadero all the way up the tourist strip (approx. 25 miles) and returning back to where you started.  There is also the horse and buggy and another mode the “Coco Taxi”. They look like an Orange on 3 wheels.

Here is a collection of pictures of transportation in Cuba.

Matanza, Cuba

February 12, 2011

A group of us from the Marina went for a day trip to Matanza.  We were picked up just outside of our Marina and the price of going on the bus was $10.00 CUC’s for a round trip. Matanza is about 40 miles away from the Marina to the west. The day was a bit overcast but perfect for traveling around.

Our Transportation.....Nice

Cuba has hills, mountains and deep gorges

We are headed to “The Caves”. This wonderful site is located high in the hills above the City of Matanza. This is a must see if you visit Cuba.  The price to enter is $5.00 Cuc’s. There is a small museum that shows you some of the tools that were used to excavate the opening of this cave. There are also other items of interest plus the history of these Caves.  As you enter these caves, it is very muggy and warm. The steps become wet and slippery and the ceiling begins to drip.  The lighting is not that great but the Guides are good and can speak 3 different languages to tell you the history and point out prominent sites. Our pictures are not that great as it is very dark but the crystals are beautiful and just makes your jaw drop.

Entrance to the Caves

After the caves, we boarded the bus again and headed to downtown Matanza.  We got off in the central part.  There are many narrow streets but there is a wonderful square with statues.  There is a modern hotel and the architecture beautiful.  The price to spend a night here was $70.00 Cuc’s per night.  We continued to walk and find a place to eat a late lunch before heading back to Varadero.  We did find a little place that looked classy but all they had to offer today was a ham and cheese sandwich and it was pricey, $4.00 Cuc’s each and they only had 1 menu and it was obvious that it was just for tourists just like us.  This was a disappointing. We had our lunch and continued on a walking tour of the downtown area.

 D

Judy, Shelly, Mark and Debbie...Our Sailing Buds
This is a private resident, look at that door, awesome!

The Grill Work....What Art and Talent

One of Many Squares and gathering places

Many Bronzes, This Women is Breaking the Chains

The Lobby of the Hotel.....Very Classy and Elegant

Getting Familiar with Cuba

Santa Martha, Cuba

Well, after a good sleep, it’s time to meet our fellow sailors and get familiar with the area and marina. There are lots of Canadian’s here, some live here full time now. 

We washed the boat of all the salt we collected and got to meet our neighbors. We had the drug dogs on our boat again.  Once we passed this second check, it was time to exchange some money and head into town (Santa Martha). There are two kinds of currency in Cuba.  The CUC or convertible peso’s (which is 1 for 1 or par) and the Nationale (24 to 1, therefore if you can use them, items are a lot cheaper). The CUC is the exchange that tourists use for everything. The Nationale is what the Cubans use.  When you are walking around in the town, you can see where the Nationales are accepted.  It is best to have Canadian Dollars to exchange, there is a big service charge for using US Dollars and the exchange is not that great.

We went to the Market in Santa Martha to get veggies and see what was available today. This is where you can spend your Nationale’s. The market is divided up into 2 areas…..the government run stalls and the newly created entrepreneurial stalls. Each stall has something different to offer.  If they do not have it today, there is always tomorrow.   There are no large grocery stores and items that are available are limited.  There is no beef here and pork is the #1 meat.  Bread is baked in government run shops and is available daily.  The price for a loaf of bread is $1 CUC. Eggs are hard to come by and when you do find them, they are about $0.03 each and they come in flats.  We shared when we found them.  Frozen chicken, hot dogs were available, when you could find them.  Pasta was available but cost about $4.00 CUC’s a box (same brand at home $0.99 each). So having a wide variety of canned goods in your ship stores is a must.

Pizza is available, hot and fresh.  They are made on the spot in stalls in the street.  The cost is $10.00 Nationales (which is about $0.40 cents Canadian) for a pizza with some ham. Ice cream is available too. Hamburgers are made fresh but are made with ground turkey or pork. One place we found also added a glass of juice for about $35.00 Nationales.

Private Homes in Santa Martha - Very Clean and Tidy

Apartment Living in Santa Martha Complete with Laundry Lines

The Street Pizza Stand on the Main Street Santa Martha

Sailing to Cuba

January 30, 2011 (Marathon, Florida – Boot Key Harbor)

We finished getting the boat ready to go and saying our last farewells to old and new friends.  Our next stop…Varadero, Cuba, just 95 nautical miles south. We left the harbor around 2 pm. We motor sailed for about 1 ½ hours (needed to charge our batteries) and headed to the Gulf Stream. Once we passed Sombero Key, the seas were a bit rough but the wind was perfect, so off went the motor. We sailed all night and at dawn, we could see Cuba in the distance.

At about 12 nautical miles from shore we contacted the Guarda Nationale, the transmission was scratchy and our Spanish is not that great.  We continued forward. As we now had our land markers in site, we contacted the Marina Darsenia again. They asked for our approximate time of arrival and that they would be there to greet us.  We arrived at 8:00 am.  We are tired but we need our second wind to enter the country.  We had ensured that we did not have any of the wrong goods aboard. These included veggies, eggs and meat – frozen or fresh. These are not permitted.

The first person aboard was the Coast Guard, then the drug sniffing dogs, custom officials, the doctor, the vet, the harbor master and a few more “officials”.  It took about 2 hours to finish the process and be awarded our “Visitors Visa’s”.  There were 2 more sailboats that arrived later in the day.  We are tired and head to bed for a few hours of much needed sleep…..We made it!

Land Hoe Cuba in the Distance

No Keys tied up at the dock in Varadero

Pelicans, Wrens and Seagulls watching from afar

Hello From The Florida Keys!!!! January 10, 2011

Chris and I at Schooner's Top Level

Time is just flying by. The weather is great and the people awesome! Chris and I just celebrated our 5^th Wedding Anniversary!  We took the shuttle bus to Key West. Key West is about 50 miles from where we are now in Marathon.  The ride is about an hour and a half.  There are lots of little islands and lots of bridges that connect along the way. With a contact name given to us here in the harbour, we got a great deal on a Bed and Breakfast. The place was just beautiful.

Relaxing in the 1 of many pools at the B&B

We got to walk the main streets of Duval. There are lots of unique bars and restaurants as well. In Key West almost anything goes. It is a great place just to people watch! You could hear so many languages spoken. Chris and I walked the docks and stopped for a refreshment at the infamous Schooners Raw Grill and Saloon. There you can go for Sunset Sails on Tall Ships or hire a Fishing Charter.  We have never sailed there yet but we will soon, so our mission was to check out the area and get local knowledge.  We met a fascinating women from New Zealand, they are on their last leg of sailing around the world.  They are into their 7^th year and heading now back to New Zealand via the Panama Canal.  She had lots of wonderful information to share!

Chris in the Pool and the Where We Stayed

As you can see from some of the pictures, the bars have some pretty interesting décor. From license plates to ladies bras to business cards and such! As we were staying for Friday night it gave us the opportunity to visit a couple of night clubs and listen to the local talent.  We even got to go dancing and was tipped $1.00 for doing such a great job!  It was a lot of fun!

The Finest

The weather was great and we got to go swimming (heated pool). There were 4 pools in our bed and breakfast and they served a wonderful breakfast! After we checked out we continued to walk about. There is the Key West Lighthouse, Mile 0, Ernest Hemmingway’s home and the most southern point of the USA. There you are only 90 miles away from Cuba.

Official Flag of The Keys

We are looking into getting as much information as we can as we would like to go to Cuba! There are flags and charts to get both paper and electronic and read up on everything you can.  Americans cannot go to Cuba but Canadians can.  There are lots of rules.  Some of the information in print is already 10 years old.  So one must do your homework and do the research. We are also looking for a buddy boat to share the adventure.

Duval Street

Business Card Haven

Bras and Car Plates

Chris and Marilyn....bad boy!

Mile 0...no more highway!

Key West Light House

Having Too Much Fun

Well time to get back to boat chores!