Chivirico

It was pouring down with rain and not much wind so we decided to pull into Chivirico to hopefully catch some water. (Drinking water VERY expensive @2cuc or 3$ Aus for 5 litre containers!!)

The free cruising guide says the shallowest is 2m and another guide 2.4m, the tide was dead low but I thought we could chance it with our 2m draft. As the guide says you come in on the leads shown on the chart right up close to shore then you see a green marker you keep to port and some stakes marking the reef, quite narrow cut in the reef then head for the concrete jetty where it gets it's shallowest. We went really quite close to the jetty and saw .5m shallowest underneath us so all good. On the way out I went a few meters off my track out there and saw just .2m under us but I think it's all soft mud. 

Anchored in the middle with just over a mtr under us in perfectly sheltered serene little bay. Such a beautiful little fishermans village, so quiet with just the sound of lots of little fish jumping. The next day was raining, we filled all the tanks and our drums was fantastic and then went into the village where you can get fuel, bread and all your basics as well we were told a very good vegetable market a bit further on. Would definitely recomend this place to stock up with basics as a lot easier than in Santiago and cheaper for sure. We went to the fanciest restaurant on the beach with all the farm workers with their horses tied out the front it was quite a scene on the Saturday afternoon. They had a big vat of home brew beer  that you bring your own cup, saucepan or whatever and they give you 700ml for 3 local pesos or equivalent to 12cents australian!!! Little Creatures eat your heart out!! We tried some for sure, tasted like shit (flat, warm 2 day brewed??) but was doing the job as most of the fellas and a even a couple of the ladies were falling about the place happy out. Then a fish dinner with rice and beans for a dollar followed by a pig on a spit, pork buns for 3.5pesos, was unbelievable and now we can see how the locals can live and have fun on the VERY tiny income they get, was great to see. Not one person on the hussle, all very friendly and welcolming and we were the only tourists that we saw. Really felt like the proper Cuba I imagined, don't miss this place if you're heading this way :)

Santiago De Cuba

After a mostly nice 3 night sail from Isla Beata we arrived at 3am at the beautiful natural port of Satiago. The moon was out and as you enter the well lit channel there is a massive old Spanish fort there as you head up the river, this place just looks amazing you really realize you are in another world as soon as you arrive. We anchored a mile upstream out the front of the yacht club and they said customs ect would be over at 8am which they were. Fairly easy process, they checked our vegetables, lucky bamboo and herb plants and said they were all fine which was a relief. Shortly after a very excited Beagle sniffer dog was inside also having a good look but of course found nothing. Customs all very interested in what we have and keep hinting they would like any of our old electronics or basically anything we don't want and that seemed to be the theme song for wherever we went ashore. Is a really different place that I can't explain, it's really like going back 50 years in time. Most of the people really seem to have nothing but they really make the most of everything they do have. Besides all the old cars from the 50's (awesome!) they just fix everything out of necessity as that's all they can do. The old Chevy cars with Russian engines to the man on the street fixing a very old well used disposable lighter putting in a new flint they really do fix everything, like the worlds best recyclers!! Makes you sick in the stomach thinking about all the sorts of goods we just throw away in the first world countries. The people sure do it tough here. Most people working for the government and making 12cuc ($14) a month and then a very basic rashion of the most basic foods which consist of 6 eggs, 6 ounces of chicken, flour, a bag of salt every 3 months but not even fruit and vegetables:( The girls went on a tour with a guy Julie got talking to and he took them into the shanty town and he told them all this info, they say they felt super safe as everyone is very welcoming. Mark and I stayed on the boat and took a wander to music we could here near by.... Thought it was a restaurant out the back of a house but turned to be a private house with a family having a birthday party. We sat awkwardly and they offered us a beer then another and things loosened up after they just gave us a bottle of rum for $5 which we drank neat like everyone else (nice rum) looking around it was hard to think all these weren't gangsters but they were very friendly but knocking back the rums like no tomorrow. TheDJ there had a set of huge pumping speakers and there was all sorts going on. Then the birthday cake came.... Singing happy birthday with an amazing cake to this mid 20s guy covered in tattoes with a shaved head with track marks shaved in then just grabs a handful of cake smashes it over his brother and then it just turns into a massive food fight!!!?? Shit everywhere:) then the rum kept flowing and it all went downhill rather quickly....then we went back to get the girls and by the time we got back things had turned and we didn't really get a welcoming party so left.

When you go into the city it's mind blowingly awesome with so much going on from the music on every corner, old trucks flying by, dancing going on but then there's the hussle. They don't give up, trying from every which angle to sell or do something for you all in a very nice way but it does get way too much after a while but you can see why they do as it's the only way for a lot to survive. You have to have something on the side to have the most modest life. But they all are a super happy bunch that's for sure.

Some things are REALLY cheap, like a piece of pizza from a local stall for 20cents but then a lot of basic stuff is ridiculously expensive. 

We changed 600€ for the 2 of us and spent it pretty well in 4 days. Visas $75cuc each then clearance another $55cuc and to anchor $10 a night or $20 to stay in marina which was easiest seeing there is 5 of us. Then if you are in Santiago yacht club you have to get a taxi to town which is $10 each time but divided by 5 was fine. Then there were the rum bars......mucho musica and fiesta, cheap rum but the money all went:) the 5 of us had a ball, good times. But Cuba is definitely not the cheap place to cruise as we thought it would be, probably the most expensive country we have been so far even though some things seem so cheap, or is it the bad influences my sisters seem to have????:)

Now we are off to the un inhabited islands that are closed to commercial fishing to "hopefully" catch dinner and be able to relax on the islands for a couple of weeks.

Thoughts on the DR

We had a great time in the DR although really we only saw the surroundings of Bayahibe. There aren't really many good nice anchorages on the south coast which makes it hard for exploring too much. Bayahibe would have to be one of the worst anchorages we have stayed in for longer than one night. It is very rolly and then mix it with 100 fast tourist boats flying around all over the place with drunk skippers and poorly maintained catamaran tourist boats it makes for some serious stress. The first week we were sitting in our local bar having a beer to look up and see a 70 foot trimaran laying against Sunflower scratching the side in a 20knt breeze, it's engine had packed up when they picked up their mooring and like we found a lot with the locals  they don't really care or apologise but that's the way it is, I would not recomend staying in Bayahibe for longer than a few days even though the town is really nice and great fun. Casa De Campo, the marina had a fishing comp on so there was no room there and it would probably be too expensive for us anyhow. They are another story, we checked in with them after paying exorbitant fee of $175 which really should have only been about $80 including our 2 visas but we went there because we thought the next place was 40mile west at Boca Chica. It was very easy and quick though but you do pay for it that's for sure. So then we decide to leave the DR and go there to check out.....sorry we only check you in. If you have been to another DR port and then come back we will not check you out...because they don't make any money, absolute arseholes (excuse my French). So then after many many phone calls it turns out you can check in/out of the port at La Romana. We checked out there and it cost $20 and they were very nice. I recomend other cruisers coming to check in there as it should only be $60 to check in and $10 for each visa. My sisters and one of there fiancée Mark also with us to clear out and they had to pay $35 each to join the boat for the clearance.You anchor just before the bridge and you will see there customs/armada station just there on the west side. 

After there we did an overnight sail to Isla Beata just before the Haitian border. Beautiful spot!! We anchored just away from the town under amazing limestone cliffs that felt like we were almost in the Kimberley's in Australia. The local Armada came out to check our papers and were friendly enough after we gave them a cold beer. Then a local fisherman arrived with 5 big lobsters we bought for $20 and cooked them with butter and garlic on BBQ and also Morney in the oven washed of course down with some champagne, as always doing it tough on Sunflower :)

The Wedding!!

Well it has been an absolutely crazy couple of weeks, absolute mayhem..... Great fun but absolute mayhem!!! We had 40 friends and family from Argentina, Australia, England, Ireland and Finland it was one serious session. We stayed, well most of us at the cheesiest of cheesy all inclusive resorts here in Bayahibe but it was super fun. I think everyone is due for a holiday to get over this holiday!! The rum just seemed to keep flowing. For the wedding night we had the party at a great little beach bar owned by a great Italian brother and sister called Barco Bar. We had got to know them quite well on the weeks leading up to the wedding as it was our local drinking hole most afternoons as we could leave our dinghy there and it was such a great little bar with super friendly staff and awesome food. They did an amazing spread of food for our wedding with lots of BBQd seafood and a whole pig on the spit all washed down with loads of wine, beers and of course more rum. We also organised a local 8 piece band that played salsa and bachata so there was plenty going on on the dace floor, it was a great night, so good to see all our family and friends that made such a major effort to get there, thank you:)