Getting through the BVI
Customs and Immigration on our last visit was relatively simple. We
checked in at Virgin Gorda, where they were brisk but efficient, and
checked out at the Cruise Liner Quay, where we were deemed a
necessary nuisance but again it was efficient.
 |
| Gorda Sound + Mosquito Island Resort |
This time was
different! We arrived in Road Town Harbour at 2000, well after
sunset, and somewhat tired after a 5 day beat to windward. For this
reason we opted to check in with Customs and Immigration the
following morning and simply slotted ourselves into the pre arranged
berth at Village Cay Marina. Next morning we were aroused from our
slumbers by the marinaio who woke us to remind us we had forgotten to
take down our 'Q' flag (signifying we were in quarantine and had not
yet cleared customs and immigration). This started 'scene one' of a
long running saga. When told we had not forgotten and that we
intended to go to customs that morning he became very agitated and
insisted that we leave the marina, to go alongside the Customs quay,
and deny to all concerned that we had ever been in the marina! The
fear was a $10,000 fine for us and up to $50,000 for the marina! We
hauled off quickly!!
After a slightly
circuitous tour of the harbour (to disguise our origin) we arrived
alongside the only serviceable yacht pontoon near the Cruise Liner
jetty where we had cleared out 8 months before. After securing
Kurukulla and walking up to the offices we were politely but firmly
told that clearance was no longer available here and that we should
go to the Ferry Jetty a half mile away.
 |
| Early morning view from inside the anchorage, Cane Garden Bay! |
On arrival we were
greeted by a very helpful security guard who asked ”where is the
yacht?”, on being told it was in the marina he informed us that if
we set foot inside the Customs building without the yacht being
present we were in for a fine of … you've guessed it … $10,000.
When asked how we were expected to berth the yacht alongside in such
an unsuitable berth the reply was that our alternative was to “anchor
off and come in by dinghy” (ours was deflated and stowed below), he
did however offer to help us berth when we arrived....... Back to the
boat!
 |
| Ferry Dock, required berthing for Customs and Immigration! |
 |
| Anegada |
Eventually the forms
and passports were handed back to me without a single word. It was
back to Customs to pay the environmental tax ($10 per head) and then
we were in.
 |
| Jayson on the helm |
I escaped the building as fast as possible vowing never
to return to the BVI. In the meantime Christoph had been thrown off
the jetty and told to return onboard for not wearing a shirt! The
numerous incoming tourists overflowing their shorts and not wearing a
shirt seemed to go unnoticed! We returned to the marina and
immediately went ashore for a calming drink! The rest of the day was
spent cleaning/maintaining Kurukulla and recovering my sense of
humour.
Sadly our arrival was
not the last of my dealings with Customs and Immigration. A day later
Jayson, our joining crew member, was due to arrive, by air, in the
late evening. At 2200 I got a message from him saying that he had
been detained at Immigration because he was not in possession of a
return flight ticket and could I help?
 |
| The devastation at Trellis Bay |
Fortunately, before I had time
to respond they released him but retained his passport. All we had to
do then was for both of us to go back to the airport with a letter
signed by me assuring Customs and Immigration that I would be
responsible for ensuring his departure..... Apparently he should not
have been allowed on the incoming flight without some proof of mode
of departure! Luckily he had not been turned straight around and put
on the next plane out..... That day's crisis resolved we
re-victualled the yacht and prepared for a morning departure next
day. All's well that ends well!
 |
| Little Jost van Dyke anchorage |
For the next 10 days we
cruised around all of our favourite anchorages and some new ones
seeing what progress had been made in recovering from hurricane
Maria. Saba Rock in Gorda Sound was still a building site with no
signs of reopening in the near future, but some of the grounded ships
had been refloated; Anegada seemed almost back to normal;
 |
| Anegada is recovering but some are not yet rebuilt! |
Soper's
Hole was still in deep recovery with the Pusser's Landing Pub now
fully closed and slowly being rebuilt but a new restaurant/bar/shop
Kelly's doing well in its absence and a second bar on the waterfront
reopening whilst we were there. The debate over where the new “Willy
T” floating bar/restaurant could be moored is raging on; it is not
allowed back in the Bight, the Norman Island anchorage, and is
presently moored in Great Harbour on Peter Island. During our stay in
the BVI we visited twice for an overnight. The tradition of crews
diving in, naked, from the deck on the Willy T seems to continue but
the tradition of the owners giving free drinks to those that do has
been stopped, apparently a young woman had an accident whilst doing
so and this has led to the practice being “banned”.
 |
| Guana Island anchorage |
After 10 days
we said goodbye to Jayson, who was then heading for the Dominican
Republic for a walking tour and we then met up with another friend,
Jan Willem van der Klooster, who runs his own skippered charter
business and was also sailing for a week in the BVI. He had chartered
a fifty footer for the week and had a crew of 11+1 onboard. We sailed
in company for a few days, revisiting yet again our favourite places,
racing them from bay to bay. We won all the races!
 |
| The bar onboard the new "Willie T" |
By now we were growing
weary of the BVI and ready to move on. Our next destination was the
USVI but before we could go there we had to obtain an ESTA and visit
US soil to get it processed before we could enter the USVI in
Kurukulla. Mad but true. The only way to do this is to catch the
ferry from the BVI to the USVI, process your entry and then take the
ferry back to the BVI. Cost approx $100 per head to satisfy US
bureaucracy! Only then could we set sail for St John's.
We departed the BVI
from Soper's Hole where the authorities are in temporary offices,
situated at the small ferry landing.
 |
| The damage at Sopers Hole 18 months on! Pussers Landing is now closed. |
All went well and within 15
minutes we were free to leave, efficient and pleasant! What a
contrast to our arrival! From here it was a short, 9 mile, downwind
sail, to Cruz Bay, St John's, where we were efficiently welcomed into
the USVI. Anchoring in the harbour at Cruz Bay is not easy, all
anchorable depths are filled with moorings. After two abortive
attempts, whilst following advice from the locals, we eventually made
our own decision and anchored on the edge of the fairway between two
navigation buoys; fortunately the wind was along the line of the
fairway and we lay parallel to the channel.
 |
| Zanzibar, as we overtook them! |
As we were only planning
to be here for the time it took to complete the formalities we took
the risk, set off in the dinghy, and in the event we were weighing
anchor an hour later having completed all the necessary. We spent
that night in a delightful anchorage in Scott Bay, St John's, a
beautiful beach backed by a deserted and devastated resort, another
casualty of Maria!
During our visit to St
Thomas, by ferry, we had taken the opportunity to pre order a new
160w solar panel to supplement the 90w already installed on
Kurukulla. Budget Marine in St Thomas was the nearest supplier with a
160w panel in stock; the only problem was that, on return to the BVI
and Kurukulla, a quick look at the charts showed that the enclosed
bay and marina, which played host to Budget Marine, had a least depth
of 1.9m at the entrance and we draw 2.1m! The only solution was to go
to the anchorage in Charlotte Amalie, the main port of St Thomas, and
take the same local bus to the Chandlery that we had used previously.
 |
| Scott Bay, St John |
Hence next day we set off for Charlotte Amalie. The anchorage is
easy, plenty of room despite the numerous moorings and the usual
assortment of boats damaged by Maria and awaiting repair. We anchored
within hailing distance of a mast-less Dutch registered yacht and in
conversation discovered that they had purchased the boat only a month
before Maria hit; they had now been waiting 18 months for a
replacement mast. Fortunately the only really serious damage they had
incurred had been the mast failure. In the anchorage with us were
also some of the most tasteless vessels yet seen! The solar panel
collected we decided to check out of the USVI, and using the 48 hours
grace allowed, to visit another anchorage on the north coast of St
Thomas before departing for the Spanish Virgin Islands and Puerto
Rico.
 |
| Not exactly pretty! In Charlotte Amalie anchorage. |
Sadly we were unable to check out of the USVI at the Border
Security office in the Grand Marina, where we had taken advantage of
their dinghy dock, as they only handle vessels berthed in the marina
(it was expensive and empty but for super yachts making it obvious
where they make their money!).
Thus it was that after
a visit to the local supermarket we moved anchorage to the other end
of the harbour, near “Haul Over cut” where we availed ourselves of an
empty mooring to hold Kurukulla whilst we visited the ferry terminal
to check out with the authorities. Contrary to the advice of the
office in the marina the authorities here only offered 24 hours grace
before departure; regardless we took 48!
 |
| Magens Bay, St Thomas |
From here, despite it's
name, we sailed through “Haul Over” cut (it has been cut through
and dredged to 2.5m) and headed to Brewery Bay, which is in the lee
of the airport runway, for a peaceful lunch and quiet swim.
After that it was onwards to the western end of St Thomas and then a beat to windward for the 8 miles along the northern shore to the delightful anchorage at Magens Bay, the best anchorage we saw in St Thomas despite being on the north coast. Here we stayed our 2 days before departing, in the early morning, for Asenada Honda in the Island of Culebra where we had to check in to the SVI and Puerto Rico. After successfully negotiating the reef to get in we were soon anchored off the town of Culebra and, after a quick, late lunch, we set off ashore to find the authorities.
 |
| Culebra anchorage |
First call was the local police station which was close by on the foreshore; no joy, in a mixture of Spanish and broken English they informed us that the only clearing in facilities were at the airstrip, a mile away. Back in the dinghy and off into the shallowest depths of the harbour to tie up 200m from the airport terminal, phew! On arrival we found the Border Protection Force offices open until 1700, it was now 1545, great. Having knocked twice on the locked office door, we were admitted to the office by a delightful lady who informed us that the office was closing early as her plane was waiting to take her home; she had been deployed from Puerto Rico to provide temporary cover! Fortunately, after a little persuasion, she agreed to clear us in but only after it became clear that we were already legally in the US and only required a cruising permit (not a requirement for USVI but essential for all the rest of the US and dependencies). That done we exchanged cash for permit and wished her well as she went on her way. From here it was back to Kurukulla, deposit the documents aboard and then on to the “Dinghy Dock Bar” for a refreshing beer and a walk around Culebra before returning onboard.
 |
| Punta Bermuda, Vieques |
Sadly, with a deadline
to pick up our next visitor in Puerto Rico, we had not allowed enough
time to really explore the SVI. For that reason the next day we
departed Culebra and headed for the 28 mile passage to the western
end of the other major island of the SVI, Vieques, an ex military
preserve now open to all. As dusk was falling we anchored off the
stupendous beach at Punta Bermudes, a long sandy beach that we had
all to ourselves. It was totally open to the west but sheltered from
the easterly wind and swell. Here we spent a pleasant evening but to
meet our schedule we were forced to depart at 0430 heading for
Salinas on the south coast of Puerto Rico where we had a marina berth
and hire car pre booked.
 |
| Salinas Marina |
The sail was a down
wind slide and we arrived off Salinas at 1430 with no trouble, my
only concern was that the chart showed a minimum depth in the
channel, leading into the lagoon where the marina was situated, as
2.1m. Exactly our draft! As this channel took us through between the
mangroves it was a pretty safe bet that the bottom was soft mud and
thus it proved to be. We recorded 1.8m on the echo sounder but were
able to push our way through into deeper water without going hard
aground (in fact on the way out we recorded 1.4m but still managed to
keep moving!).
 |
| Salinas Yacht Club building, or what's left! |
The berth was stern to, between piles, and head into
wind; not an easy one but we managed it without a saga and received
several compliments from onlookers who could not believe we had
attempted it without a bow thruster! Having arrived safely we checked
in with the marina, collected the hire car, and settled down to await
the flight bringing Simon in at 2200 in San Juan, 75 minutes drive
away and on the north coast.
Had we have realised that over 50% or
the road signs in Puerto Rico have still to be re-erected after the
devastation of Maria we might have allowed more time!
 |
| Ponce church, second city of Puerto Rico |
As it was we
arrived just as the plane was landing so no harm done. By midnight we
were back onboard having only missed our way twice on the return
journey!
The following day we
took ourselves on a driving tour of Ponce (second town of Puerto
Rico) and the interior of the island. The following day was a
daylight tour of San Juan returning by night and day three was
re-victualling and returning the hire car before departing on the
morning of day four.
 |
| La Puntilla, San Juan |
Ponce and San Juan are spectacular towns full of
Spanish architecture, and historic buildings. Very well worth the
visit and we lamented the fact we did not have more time in each.
From Salinas we headed
out to an offshore island called Isla Caja de Muertos, aka Coffin
Island. Here it is a national park with four rangers and no other
residents! The buildings and landing stage were again badly damaged
by Maria but some of the accommodation was still just tenable. Little
seemed to have been done to repair the buildings despite the
continuous presence of the rangers! The bay was superb, sandy beach
and for the most part an anchorage to ourselves; it was a sandy
bottom and we were anchored in 3.5m of water.
 |
| San Juan old town. |
The only strange part
was the presence of several moorings laid off the beach but in less
than 2m of water; obviously designed for motor boats and not a
thought for sailing vessels with keels! So beautiful was the island
that we stayed two nights just to enjoy the tranquillity.
On the morning of day
three we set off for Ponce again but this time by sea with the
intention of seeing the waterfront area of the town. On arrival we
found the anchoring area full of damaged boats, just about clinging
to their moorings, hosts of moorings where the bridle had parted and,
judging by the amount of marine growth, unused since the hurricane.
 |
| Coffin Island anchorage |
After an extensive tour of such moorings we found one that was
tenable and looked like it might be trusted. Here we settled and
eventually went ashore to the adjacent “Boardwalk” for a late
evening supper ashore. Next morning we were awoken, and invited to
move, by workmen aboard a large floating barge and crane, driving new
piles in the harbour to replace the ones damaged and distorted by
Maria. We gave up the search for a new mooring and opted instead for
a night in the Yacht and Fishing Club marina. The club was very
impressive including a 9 hole golf course plus pool, sauna etc. The
only snag was the $88 per night price tag for Kurukulla!
 |
| Ponce waterfront |
Notwithstanding this,we set off by Uber to the beach-front of the
town which came as quite a surprise; it was run down and undeveloped;
a total contrast to the historic part of the town! After a 2 mile
walk to Walmart, to re-victual, we were again in an Uber heading back
to the marina and after drinks in the club we returned for supper and
the night onboard.
After embarking water
the following morning, and settling the bill, we set off to head west
intending to go as far as possible before darkness. In the event we
entered Bahia de Boqueron, on the west coast of Puerto Rico, just as
the sun set; here we dropped the anchor in 3m of water just off the
town.
 |
| Sunset at Boqueron |
The bay is large, 2 miles deep by 2 miles wide, all shallow and
an ideal anchorage, even somewhat protected from westerly winds by a
shallow reef that almost closes the bay. The “town” ashore was
small but lively with a wide selection of bars and restaurants, plus
the odd tourist shop, but little else. The tranquillity of the bay
and the liveliness of the town encouraged us to stay for three days
before moving on.
 |
| Main street of Boqueron |
On day three we moved
the 5 miles up the coast to Puerto Real, a much smaller bay with even
less development around it and a worryingly shallow entrance! We
recorded 2.5m depth as we entered and we draw 2.1m. Not a lot of
clearance! I was reminded of a comment by a fellow sailor in Aruba,
“If you can slide a cigarette paper under the keel then all is OK”.
Not long after our arrival the weather broke and not only did it rain
heavily but the wind started coming from all directions including
west; the first time we had seen a west wind since arriving in the
Caribbean!
 |
| The main street in Puerto Real |
Ashore was a small marina but in view of the weather we
put off exploring it until the next day. Motoring ashore in a dinghy
in pouring rain is never fun. The following morning we went alongside
the marina for fuel and water and remained alongside whilst we
stepped ashore and researched the “town”; that took less than 10
minutes! One small street with two bar/shops and not much else. We
satisfied our thirst and hunger with a snack and beer at one of the
bars and then made back to the marina and Kurukulla. By mid afternoon
we were back at anchor and planning our departure for the following
day.
 |
| Puerto Real Marina |
Our final port of call
in Puerto Rico was to be Mayaguez, some 14 miles north. Once inside
the reef virtually the whole bay is anchorable and we chose to anchor
as close to the coast as possible about halfway down the bay, where
the water depth was greatest relatively close in. The plan was to
check out of Puerto Rico and US territory the next morning, purchase
some bits for Kurukulla and re-victual before departure the morning
after. First stop was the US Customs Building to check out;not so
simple; the office had moved up the coast to Aguadilla, some 12 miles
further north. After hearing our protests that even their own signage
still advertised Mayaguez as the place to check out we were allowed
to do the process by telephone and receive our “Despachio” by
e-mail. Phew!Whilst in the USVI I had replaced the solar panels
sighted on the bimini with a higher wattage version and I was now
keen to get the electrical cable needed to reconnect the old panels
so that they could be used to enhance capacity when needed. Our quest
for cable took us into some of the less desirable areas of Mayaguez
and no less than three passers by stopped us to warn us that it was
not safe to wander off the main highway! Not very reassuring!
Notwithstanding the warnings we did find the electrical retailers and
got the necessary cable!
 |
| Marlin Marina, Santiago de Cuba |
Thereafter it was the supermarket and then
back onboard just as the sun was setting. Ideal timing.
We were in no hurry to
depart next day but finally sailed off the anchor at 1030 heading
west. It was to be a “rocky / rolly” 580 mile downwind sail to
Cuba passing south of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Although we
sighted both, we, for the most part stood well offshore to avoid any
contact with the local population and their reported lawless
elements. Although it is not thought to be as bad as the situation
off Venezuela it is still widely discussed and I felt it better to
play safe.
As ever with light
winds at times and even a few hours on the engine we were destined to
arrive off Santiago de Cuba at midnight. Given that the port seemed
well lit with plenty of navigation marks visible we decided to
abandon the idea of heaving to overnight and opted for a night entry.
A call on VHF Ch16 to Guarda Frontera to inform them of our arrival
in Cuban waters and intention to enter Santiago de Cuba, and we were
on our way in. The navigation was easy, what was not so easy to avoid
were the numerous unlit small fishing boats littered along the
channel.
 |
| Some of Cuba's rolling museum... |
Fortunately we managed to weave our way through them without
incident. By 0130 we had made contact with the marina at Punta Gorda
(the only place we were allowed to go) and had been informed that the
authorities would be on hand to clear us at 0700. We anchored off the
marina and retired to bed!
Next morning, with the
benefit of daylight, we moved nearer the marina and re-anchored
before launching the dinghy and rowing ashore.
 |
| Self at Santiago de Cuba |
The officials were all
efficient, pleasant and courteous, a real contrast to Tortola BVI!
Within an hour, having seen Customs, Health and Harbour master, we
were in. No inspection of the boat was required. The rules were
explained in detail: all landings had to be via the marina and it's
secure area, we were not allowed to use the dinghy to go elsewhere.
Guests onboard needed 24 hours notice for approval and if they were
Cuban approval would not be forthcoming!
 |
| In the mountains at Fidel Castro's revolutionary HQ |
If, as we initially
intended, were headed next to Cienfuegos (250 miles west) we would
not be allowed to enter any mainland ports in between but could visit
uninhabited islands if we wished. (Eventually we decided against
going as it would take us 250 miles NW before heading south to
Jamaica, over doubling the distance to Jamaica). All of these
regulations are designed to stop you smuggling Cubans out of Cuba!
Nothing to do with their generous welcome to their country!
 |
| The venue for Fidel Castro's victory speech |
Over the next five days
we visited the city of Santiago de Cuba (twice) and went on a 12 hour
excursion to visit the mountain HQ of Fidel Castro and his
revolutionaries. Our guide was fascinating and very informative,
explaining in detail the history of the revolution and the lifestyle
currently enjoyed by rural Cubans, including how the redistribution
of land had been managed 60 years ago (there were notices celebrating
the 60th anniversary of the revolutionary agricultural
reform everywhere! Clearly deemed a great achievement).
 |
| Cathedral Square, Santiago de Cuba |
The general
impression is one of poverty and shortage, homes are majority wooden
and rickety with wrinkly tin or palm fond roofs. Horse drawn
transport is everywhere mixed with ox carts and cycle rickshaws. All
of this mixed with american cars of a long gone era plus heavy
lorries and coaches. Local buses are converted old lorries with a
cabin built on the back. It was all amazing to see; the people seemed
happy and proud of their country and its revolution. That said they
were never backward in coming forward and asking for a dollar or two!
Cuban currency runs in two forms; local Pesos (PUC) currently 25 to
the convertible Pesos (CUC). Visitors are only allowed to trade in
convertible currency (1 CUC = 1$ US, less ~15% exchange “tax”; €
and £ are not subject to the tax when exchanging.) locals are
required to trade in local pesos.
 |
| Local housing.... |
On our final day we
were planning to re-victual before departure to Jamaica. We had
spotted a very large (in Cuban terms) supermarket in Revolution
Square and had been assured that it was the best in Santiago. We
caught the mid day ferry to Santiago city, lunched in the same
restaurant as our previous visit, “Fabada Marietta” on José A
Saco, (it is the only pedestrianised street ) and very good it was
too, on both occasions.
 |
| and its replacement ... |
After that it was a 2km walk to view the
square and visit the supermarket. The square was impressive, the
supermarket not so. Obviously no expense had been spared
commemorating the revolution hence the scale of the monuments, in the
case of the supermarket we arrived just as it was closing, 4pm!
Having gained entry we discovered that the shelves were overflowing
with goods but there were vast stocks of a limited number of items.
For example the Nescafé display was five shelves high by two metres
long!
 |
| Revolution Square, Santiago de Cuba |
More Nescafé than they could sell in a year, probably. Most
staples were there in similar quantities but the selection of goods
available was eclectic to say the least. Despite being a quarter of
the shop floor area fresh and frozen were not available due to a
lengthy power outage; they were busy emptying all the fridges and
dumping the contents! A real tragedy when you see what little is
available elsewhere. By now it was “rush hour” and our initial
attempts to find a taxi were to no avail hence we decided to cart the
few items we had bought back to the ferry landing and return to the
marina by water instead.
 |
| View of the power station, refinery and source of endless soot! |
The lasting impression
of Cuba is of a people living with severe shortages but a pride in
their country and a happy smile on their faces! Asking for
“donations” from foreign tourists is endemic and a way of life
for those without numerous jobs to sustain their lifestyle. All
youngsters are keen to swap rum/cigars for any electrical items
(mobile phones especially) and trendy clothing. If unemployed their
sole income is from the government and is equivalent of 7$ US PER
MONTH! Compare that with the UK minimum wage of ~10$ an hour!
Obviously they have to do whatever they can to supplement this but
interestingly crime did not seem to be a problem anywhere.
 |
| Departing Santiago de Cuba |
The following morning
we cleared out of Cuba with the authorities and this time the boat
was searched to ensure we had no stowaways! As we departed I could
not help feeling like a prisoner just released from prison (not that
I have personal experience). It just didn't feel quite right! Much as
I had enjoyed the visit to Cuba and loved the people I would think
twice about returning.
Onwards to Jamaica
….........
