Adios to Cuba

Adios to Cuba – May 20 – 31, 2011

We couldn’t pass up an opportunity for one more, short road trip before leaving Cuba. This one was a day trip the Cuevas de Bellamar at nearby Matanzas. Debbie got up early to go in to the bus depot so she could tell the driver to stop at Marina Darsena to pick up her little tour group.

A large staircase at the entrance to the caves led deep down into a maze of stalactites and stalagmites. Our English speaking tour guide provided scientific explanations on the beautiful formations we were surrounded by as well as providing some humorous anecdotes.

An underground pool.

The Phantom of the Opera made an appearance.

From the caves we took the bus to downtown Matanzas for lunch where Debbie guided us to a restaurant with the largest selection of hamburger choices that we had seen.

New home construction at Matanzas.

 

 

Classic hamburger, hamburger with egg, hamburger with ham, hamburger with cheese, hamburger with mushroom, hamburger with egg and cheese, hamburger and fries, hamburger with ham, cheese and egg. That’s just a partial list with only a couple of items over two dollars.

 

You can also get beer on tap, served in these pitchers that have a tube in the middle that is filled with ice to keep the beer cold.

 

 The variety of door designs is endless.

 

A few plain with fancy surroundings,

 

 Many have intricate wrought iron work,

 

Stained glass is common,

 

Some have unusual handles,

And some could use a little more paint.

Back at the marina in Varadero reality started to sink in and we finally admitted to ourselves it was time to prepare for saying adios to Cuba and returning to the US. Hurricane season was just around the corner and we did not want to put ourselves in harms’ way unnecessarily.

We bade farewell to our good friends on Ajaya as they left for points south with the intention of heading through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific. Knowing that the probability of seeing them in person again is very low, made for a sad parting indeed.

Ajaya’s arrival in Varadero was a much happier time.

For the last pot luck dinner at the Table of Too Much Knowledge I made a valiant attempt at cooking whole fish A La Addison Chan. Just boil a pot of water, turn off the heat and pop the fish in for ten or fifteen minutes depending on the size. Take the fish out of the water, top it with some sliced ginger and onions in a shallow pan then pour a cup of very hot oil over it. I have probably over simplified the recipe but it sure did taste good when Addison did it.

Debbie helped lighten the boat up for the trip north by relieving us of several pounds of overstocked provisions from the US that she does not have easy access to.

The officials knew that we wanted to be on our way early on May 19th. At 7:00 AM they were at the dock. By 7:20 we had received our despacho from the Ministry of the Interior, were untying our lines and heading back out to sea. Three hours later we were in international waters. By 3:00 PM we had entered the southern edge of the Gulf Stream.

It was nice to have our chart plotter functioning again. Using a digital camera Tom was able to determine that the small card reader had a bent pin that he was able to straighten with a skinny screwdriver. Thanks to Duncan for suggesting that solution.

We sailed much of the first day and used the engine to keep our speed up overnight. With a strong push from the Gulf Stream we were making good time, attaining speeds over the ground as high as 11 knots. We had expected that it would take two full days and nights to reach Lake Worth Inlet, about one quarter of the way up the east coast of Florida, but had our anchor set on the south side of Peanut Island by 6:00 on day two.

 Sunset over the Gulf Stream.

We were able to pick up a wi-fi signal from the anchorage used Skype to make a call to Customs and Border Protection to announce our arrival from Cuba. We were given an arrival confirmation number and were advised to appear in person at a CBP office within 24 hours in order to complete the check in process and obtain a new cruising permit. We had some products of Cuban origin on board and did not know what restrictions would be applied to us as Canadian nationals. The paintings, wooden carvings and other souvenir crafts were deemed acceptable. The two bottles of Havana Club rum were not.

Riverside Marina near Ft. Pierce, Florida was to be Polar Pacer’s home for the summer. We booked flights to Canada and made a list of things “to do” before leaving her in the care of the boatyard.

We hung out in Lake Worth and the anchorage at Manatee Pocket for a few days and did some exploring before before making our way to Ft. Pierce. 

Catching bait on Lake Worth.

Long weekend beach camping on Peanut Island.

We tried to google this fellow ICW boater but came up with nothing.

Manatee Pocket.

     On the hard for hurricane season with the rental car in the garage.