Leaving Isla Juventud towards Cayo Largo
The first day we didn’t go very far from Nueva Gerona (literally just outside the Rio las Casas and around the corner). We anchored in front of el Presidio Modelo, went for a swim, then rinsed off, and went to sleep soon after in preparation for sailing to Cayo Largo.
The next day we got as far as Cayo Tablones which is one of the many small islands that run along a reef extending east from Isla Juventud. There we had another calm night and a good rest.
After helping the Captain weigh anchor the next morning on May 21st I went back to my berth for a bit more rest. I got back up just as we were going out into the Caribbean Sea, through a cut in the reef, with nice big slow rollers for waves. You could really feel the power of the mighty ocean.
Arriving in Cayo Largo
We arrived in Cayo Largo that afternoon and I’d have to say I wasn’t too fond of this place in the beginning. The people there were great, we had wifi, and we could get food, but I did not feel like I was in Cuba anymore… aside from the heat.
Cayo Largo is a resort island, where the only locals that live there are workers. The rest of the people on the island are tourists (lots of Canadians who can fly direct from Toronto or Montreal for dirt cheap), and the occasional cruiser. There was also a mega (and I mean MEGA) yacht there from Georgetown C.I. named ‘Lady L’, which blocked the entire view of the water from the marina restaurant/bar.
It wasn’t all bad though as I was able to talk to my mom and Romi, share a couple blog posts, and eat a few pizzas made by Raquito the chef from Pinar. I wandered the island a little bit, but there really wasn’t much to see.
As for the boat the Captain was doing a few repairs and found that our 30 gallon water tank had leaked all our water since the new filter was not tightened down enough. This was extra brutal since there was no access to good fresh water here on the island. We would have to go up to Cienfuegos to fill the tank before setting sail for Providencia. Hence a few more days in Cuba (We also later heard that they did not have potable water there either). Thankfully I was able to make good friends with a few of the workers and therefor we were able to get a local discount on bottled water, as well as extra wifi cards through a hotel connection (they ran out of wifi cards).
Aside from my new Cuban friends I also met a few travelers, cruisers and crew who all made the stay in Cayo Largo much more pleasant.
On Friday, May 27th we cleared out from Cayo Largo with the Guarda Frontera and said goodbye to Cuba.