This morning we caught a big golden dorada, after we have had yesterday a nice meal of baracuda/schrimps/curry. In four hours we will arrive in santiago and start to clean us for the first of may celebrations tomorrow....fiete

After using the engine (fixed and maintained by Bobo + Fiete) despite praising all weather and wind gods last night, entering the cayo waterways at 0600 LT thru Canal Breton Grande and heading SW,we are now mooring on the east side of Cayo Largo on 4 meter water, swimming and snorkeling and relaxing from the night watches.
No further travel plan yet.
28-04-2011 1230 LT 20-54.9N 078-50.6W COG 160 deg 4.8kts No Wind
On the way to Santigo de Cuba. This morning at 900Lt we lifted the anchor starting our next day without any wind after a refreshing bath in the crystal clear waters. Last evening we celebrated a dinner with some drinks after to honor the wedding of Eliza + Lulu last Eastern Sunday. We cheered the whole night while the moskitos from the near Cayo Grande attacted us constantly. Finaly we had to end our wedding party and had to retreat into the moskito bunker. We did our most possible to praise for a glorious future of Luisa + Lulu. At 1000LT Toddel (new facebook name: Barracuda killer) caught a barracuda about 90cm length and 7kg weight. The fish is now cooking and prepaired for dinner. We will do a stopover for some hours at Cayo Cucarach0 and also waiting for wind. At 1430LT we dropped the anchor at the Cayo 20-51.86N 078-43.07W 3meters water under the keel for swimming and snorkeling. A small Cayo with a 120m diameter and palm trees. We send a expedition of 8 crew member to conquer this Island. One hour later a cuban fishtralwer dropped the anchor 100m on our portside. Crissy and Rainer were ordered to welcome the cubans in our spot. They were invited to enter the boat and had to eat some lobster food and some rum. The fisherman insisted to make about twenty lobster and some 6 kg of shrimps as a gift and as sign of their friendship with all marineros of this world, We were very pleased about and responded with some beer, a bottle of rum and some trousers. After having eaten some of this fresh oceanfood. a bath in our pool and a special creation of sundowner, we lifted the anchor at 2000LT for heading East in the Bahia San Maria om the way to Santigo de Cuba. Unfortunately we have westerly winds only 0-1Bft,we have to use the engine.

Here we are again. After all the beautiful days in Cienfuegos,we lefttoday at noon after shopping this morning for 10 souls on board for fivedays travel this nice place. Unfortunately the wind is blowing in ourface and calming down now, we do motorsailing with full sails. Still hoping the wind will shift to a more convient direction. We will sailthe night over, to get tomorrow to the Bahia San Marina and there we plan to stop over in the Cayo Cuervo, which exact location we will hide for the rest of the sailers of the world. Its time for the sundowner,bye, bye stay tuned.
27-04-2011 13:20LT 20-59.12N 079-08.88W Mooring Wind SSE 2-3
After using the engine (fixed and maintained by Bobo + Fiete) despite praising all weather and wind gods last night, entering the cayowaterways at 0600 LT thru Canal Breton Grande and heading SW,we are nowmooring on the east side of Cayo Largo on 4 meter water, swimming and snorkeling and relaxing from the night watches.No further travel plan yet.

At 11am all papersworks was done and we leave cienfuegos with 10 souls on bord. The aussies feli + mark take the landway and we will seen them again in santiago. New on bord are babara + rainer and simonetta + torge.
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Yesterday we were in the Botanic garden of Cuba. He is rely rely wunderfull . The rest (Kaptain,.....) wait and sleep and make little works on a ship. Rainer and Barbara are new here its funny.The moon is wunderfull and the night is warm and cold. Its a god day. Es waren heute viele Quallen da ekliche Viecher...BIS ZUM NAECHSTEN LOOKBUCH TERMIN!!!....EMIL
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Two days ago we have been at a small but very loud metal-concert, with a mixture of cuban-punks and metal-fans. Two groups has been playing, and...not bad.....fiete

At 9:00 we drop our anchor in front of the marina. Now we have to do the
breakfast and the paperworks.....fiete

We started the day with a conversation with the Cayman Island
Coastgaurd. They were keen for us to stop in as they wanted to see the
100 year old ship. It was midnight and north was our bearing so the
night watchmen motored on through. The sun rose and braught with it
decent wind. After breakfast we went from Motor-sailing to just good
old sailing! The wind pulled us along for a few hours until we entered
the 'Cuban Wind Shadow'. We started a party on the topdeck and slowly
plodded along towards Cuba. Right before sunrise Fiete decided it was
time to bring the sails down. Still enough light for a swim, we dove
headfirst into the 3 kilometer deep ocean before 'Madame' started
thumping us north again. We sit down now for a nice 'Italiano Spag
Bog'! Tomorrow 'Cuba', a new journey begins for some of us, music and
culture await for all.....lets hope they let us in....Mark!!

by the way, EMIL und Paul gruessen alle AKROBATEN und Horst und Belinda
und Pauli und Selin und Gunni und und und

Yesterday round 17:00 was no more wind to sail and we took sails down
and started the engine. But "madame" was zicky and its need a little
time to find out whats happend. The starter-air-valve does not close
correct, so we have to build it out, clean it ....and "madame" starts
like she is normaly doing. Today morning we set up sails for
motorsailing and saw that the top-runners of the mainsail wasn't more in
the mastrail. The reason for that little small fucking problem was that
the mastrail self was in the last meter at the top not more fixed to the
mast. Difficult for repairing when the boot is moving we decide to make
the second reef in the sail. Now there are 60 miles left to
cayman-islands, crissy find out that all mans are blody stupid bastards
except her crew, bobo has a big blue bruise by falling from a bucket
during reparing the starter-air-valve, fiete gets his second sunburn,
mark prepare potatoe-salad and toddel ist waiting like everyday for the
news of the berlin-herta-football-club. Anyway, a nice day....fiete

Fifth day at sea. Today began with a brief but strong rain and wind
storm before the sunrise. The wind did not stay however, and again we
are cruising at 2-3 knots. Perfect weather for a leisurely breakfast on
deck. We have been visited today by more than 10 large sea birds who
have made themselves at home atop the mast. Maybe they are from Jamaica
as we pass it off to the east. Beautiful bonito fish leap from the
waters, obviously being chased by something bigger! however no fish for
dinner for us today - yet.....flic

Fourth day on sea. The wind from yesterday has gone and now is only a
little small brezze empty that push us with 2.5 knots forward. So we
have had a nice great breakfast at the topdeck with pink-floyd music in
the background. Our guests are looking blade runner and we are waiting
of no more wind to put sails down, have a bath in the cristal-waters out
here and than may be start the engine....fiete

Third day on sea. Yesterday we catch a yellow fin tuna. Emil saw him
first, paul took him on board an i have to kill him and all together had
a nice dinner. The winddirection changed a little bit more east, so that
that our course will not more leading to the gulf of mexico. Paul and i
try to get the last air out of the stearing-hydraulicsystem, bobo repair
the booster-pump and emil and toddel reading books. Crissy ang guests do
the stearing and steward - works...fiete

Second day on sea. Watch ist doing by paul and little emil. The sky is
lightblue with some clouds and the water deepblue by more than 2000
meters deepness. Yesterday a barcuda escape from the hook and so we
have to eat hamburges, green beans and smashed potatoes. We are to slow
to reach cienfuegos at day 16. Anyway, we have enough time, cause of
leaving cienfuegos at day 26 and round 25 newbies will enter the
ship....fiete

Cince yesterday we are on the way to cuba/cienfuegos. We leave Cartagena
at 9:00 with 8 souls on bord. 9:30 we have to drop the anchor in boca
grande, cause the cleaned zylinder number 4 lost his cooling. After 5
hours backspooling the engine and two visits by the columbian coast
guard we enter boca chica at 15:00 and set sails. Round 19:00 the
klueversail said goodbye (to old for a little bit wind). Three of us
feed the fish but now after the first night on sea everybody feel well
and look forward to a sunny caribean sailing day....fiete

We arrive two days ago in cartagena and ankering in front of club nautico de manga. You can phone us under +573013746596. The old crew do relaxing in St.Martha now and the newbies (crissy, bobo and fiete) stay on board for preparing the cuba-tour starts 10. of april. If you are interesting to come with us contact: info.steelrat@les-raisting.de or give us a call. Tour dates and infos. You can board or leave in every habour we make a stop over. So you have to pay only the days you really stay on bord....fiete