The Dry Tortugas & Onwards to Cuba
We left the Ortega River, Jacksonville, on the 17th March 2003 and anchored in Garden Key in the shadow of Fort Jefferson on the 14th April, after spending a few days in Key West, always a good place for some R & R.
The fort is huge. Built of brick, work was started in 1846 to guard the sea lanes between the Gulf of Mexico and the ports on the east coast but was never finished. Today it remains a monument to 19th century engineering and for tourists to wander round and wonder at.As a comment, the whole area is a National Park so it is a real pleasure that jet skis are banned here!
One of the galleries. Rain water is caught in the roof above and a vertical conduit takes it to a cistern below
There is a seawater moat surrounding the whole structure
This is a Park Warden who gave a candle-lit tour of part of the fort.
Onwards to Cuba
How does one begin to describe Cuba? It is an enigmatic country, full of secrets which we as foreign tourists with not much Spanish can do little to discover. Some would say that by visiting, we were supporting the rule of a dictator, or perhaps we were showing the Cubans an alternative way of life?From a previous visit to Cuba we were prepared for the many officials who boarded when we arrived at Marina Hemingway (the port of entry for yachts west of Havana, which is off-limits to yachts). However it was really no problem, they came on board in relays, took off their shoes or boots as they came, and were almost apologetic in their search of the boat and the multiple form filling required. The same happened on departure and on arrival at Varadero. (Double click these thumbnails)
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Havana was a delightful city in all respects. The similarities with Spain were obvious almost everywhere but with a tropical flavour. It is possible to spend days exploring the many museums, churches and art galleries, stopping occasionally for a refreshing mojito (rum based cocktail with mint) to rest the weary legs.
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A highlight of the visit was sharing a car and driver with another couple for a day's sightseeing into the interior. We truly got the perspective of being in a vast country, very unlike any other we had visited in the Caribbean. Fields stretched into the distance for miles either side of the road with mountain ranges on the horizon. Our driver kindly stopped to allow us to purchase locally made cheese and guava jelly from vendors at the side of the road. Delicious!
Once away from the main roads it was as if we stepped back in time. The farmers no longer had tractors but depended on horses and oxen.
Due to the strong east trade winds during the days we left Marina Hemingway in the evening, clearing out with Immigration and Customs for a night sail to Varadero.
After leaving Cuba we visited Double Headed Shot Keys on our way to the Bahamas.