S.V. Kisma: Varadero, Cuba

February 8
0800 we are underway, sunny skies, smooth seas, light SSE winds. Heading 180* @ 5 kts, a lovely day with ideal conditions for the 90 mile crossing. Jeffery and Guy following. You guessed it, Guy still here, ill prepared with only a portable vhf radio and questionable navigation skills. We informed him he had to take responsibility for his vessel. He still wants to stay very close to us and we don’t feel safe with this, we can not take responsibility for his lack of skill and preparedness.
1325 we enter the Gulf current, running east at 3.5 kts, our speed dropped to 2.8 - 3,4 kts and change course to 170* to take advantage of current.
Guy about 4 miles behind and Jeffery we can see on the horizon, made radio contact and all is well. An hour later Guy calls, wants us to slow down because he is concerned about his engine, he is only doing 3 kts and can not catch up. We informed him of the effects of the current and it was normal, but he kept on insisting we slow down and go back for him, he can not see us now. Follow the way points we gave you... then it is his plotter not working, depth flashing, I’m going to run aground, NO we are in over 3000 ft of water. He kept insisting we go back for him so he can follow, he has used every excuse imaginable to have us go back to him, by now we are about 4 hrs from his position. It is close to sun set and he is still calling every 5 min, now its I’m freaking out it is going to be dark and I don’t see you. It’s OK, we have a full moon and plenty of light, it is beautiful out here, light winds and seas less than 2 feet, could not ask for anything better.
Now the big one comes... Kisma, Kisma, I’m taking on water!! Check your bilges, find where water is coming from, what is a bilge? Every instruction we gave him he had an excuse of why he could not do it. Finally we told him if he was serious and had a problem to use emergency signal beacon, I don’t know if it works you call for help.
We contacted US coast guard, gave his coordinates and advised of situation, nothing else I could do for him, we are now 5 hours from him, if he is in trouble Jeffery is close behind and can pick him up. Within half an hour there is a Coast Guard plane circling him and ready to deploy a dewatering device for his use... He Refused ??? Ok, they will stay with him until a cutter from Key West gets to him, it will be an hour and a half. Hope all is well with him and does not get in trouble for crying wolf.
By 2017 we are out of the gulf current, our speed back to 5-5.7 knt. It is a beautiful night. At 0210 we are 30 miles from the coast with very heavy commercial traffic, thank God for AIS, we had slowed down to 2knts so we could make our approach to Varadero in day light.

Cleared customs, at dock

fisherman in channel

0840 enter channel at Cayo Piedras, a well marked channel, I look to te side and in the channel I see two bobbing heads in the water, Cuban fisherman free diving for lobster, we wave and continue, then four bobbing heads dead ahead of us, Oh no, almost hit them, these guys are crazy. Made contact with Marina Gaviota and received instructions for approach. With our quarantine flag hoisted we were greeted by a small boat at entrance and escorted to a dock for clearance.
We were boarded by port captain, medical team and agriculture, they were all very pleasant, the process was painless, within half an hour we were cleared and escorted to our dock. $75 pp for visa, $55 for boat clearance, $2.50 pp/day for health insurance. Dockage $53.24/day, includes pool, water and electric, modern floating docks, very clean. Wi-Fi 2cuc/hr. and not very reliable, slow...
Jeffery made it in to customs by 1230, no signs of Guy, he said he went by him and Guy would not answer him on the radio and seemed in no distress.
Went to Varadero center about 5 miles from marina, all day pass on double decker bus for 5cuc.