Caribbean Compass Sailing Magazine - March 2018

— Continued from previous page
Everything runs off El Prado, including many excellent restaurants and coffee
shops. If you’re not in the mood to walk, horse-drawn buggies, less expensive coaches,
and the usual multitude of taxis (with far fewer classic cars than Havana) are
waiting. Punta Gorda, which extends south, also has some great architecture, the
majority of new restaurants, and quite a few casas particulares — bed and breakfasts
that hawkers on bicycles are constantly pushing.
Cienfuegos has some history. Columbus supposedly sailed into the bay on his
second voyage, in 1494. As soon as settlement began in 1738, the buccaneers
attacked. The fort protecting the passage to the Caribbean, Castillo de Jagua, was
built in 1742 to curtail the pillaging by pirates. This fort is well preserved and a big
tourist attraction. There are two ferries to it, a large one (one CUC and close to an
hour’s ride) and a smaller, faster one (half a CUC and 20 minutes). We rented a car
at Cubacar for a reasonable CUC$57 (not payable by a US credit card, but they did
take cash) and saw the countryside. The fort lies down a long road where the farmers
were drying rice on one lane. We were sadly disappointed in the trip to the Botanical
Gardens. There was little there to see for the three CUC entrance fee, except bush.
We also learned that “self-serve” gas means exactly that. A local helped us, quickly
Left: The 18th century Castillo de Jagua, declared a National Monument in 1978 and
opened as a museum in 1998, provides a cannon’s-eye view of the entrance to the bay
Below: A street in Cienfuegos’s city center is blocked to traffic to create a pedestrian mall
MARCH 2018 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 22
erased the total and served himself to an extra ten dollars’ worth. All else aside, an
afternoon spent lounging and sipping mojitos at Playa Rancho was worth the ride.
Immigration wants to know where you are, so keep them informed of your vessel’s
movements. Do not take anything for granted. We were informed that anchoring at
some islands on the south coast is not permitted. Best to take your chart with you
to the office when you choose to move, and get any “no go” areas pointed out. Get
the proper paperwork.
Cruising Cuba is novel fun.