I got the humans up and going with the sun rise. I was a little sick of all these mangrove cays, OK, it was only two of them, but I dreamed of a run on a good sandy beach. Some squally weather followed by some stronger winds from the North East meant we needed to find a Cay with something for all of us to do for a day or two until it passed. A little research and we thought the lagoon at Cayo Algodon Grande would fit the bill.
Cayo Algodon Grande (or just Cayo Algodon in some guide books) is really a cluster of Cays, reefs and sand bars. A grouping of these form a horse shoe around a lagoon in the northern end of the main cay. The cay itself is situated in the next bay over from the Golfo de Guacanayabo in the Golfo de Anne Maria. To get between bays you need to pass through a ‘bottle neck’ of sandbars and cays. The main passage between the bays is the Canal de Pinique. This canal, although narrow in a few spots, is deep (15-20m) easily navigateable by sail, and is very well charted and buoyed.
So off we went with the dream of sandy beaches in my head. We had fair winds astern and gentle protected waters the whole way. The humans got a little exercise as they had to regularly transfer over the preventer (a line that stops the boom accidentally crossing over to the other side of the boat) as we jibbed back and forth through the twist and turns of the Canal de Pinique. Using the Don Street technique of having a short line already attached to the end of the boom, really helped make this process ‘painless’.
Finally a run through the new, but just as protected, waters of the Golfo de Anne Maria and our new home for the next few days came in sight. A mix of sandy beaches, out lying reefs and mangroves, I could not wait to get anchored and off the boat. But first the humans needed to navigate the simple, but not well charted, entrance to the lagoon on the north west end of the cay. They had the added problem of a depth gauge that had developed a ‘tick’. Choosing to go on the ‘blink’ at random and inconvenient times. But my humans had done some serious ‘spares’ purchasing during their visit to the US this summer and had a hand held depth gauge, they were able to strap to a brush handle, as back up. All ready with their back ups in place, we eased into the entrance of the lagoon. Giving the sand bars on the south side of the entrance a wide berth they saw a bit of shallowing at the entrance to 3m, but it got deeper quickly once they entered the lagoon proper. They found a spot in the back North East corner, near a river, and anchored up in 4.5m.
Surrounded by mini cays, sandbars and reefs the lagoon is protected in almost any wind direction. Perfect for the wind shifts predicted in the coming squalls. With the strongest winds forecasted to fill in from the North and East, the back corner seemed the best spot to anchor. This corner also had a ‘river like’ estuary that ran straight through the cay to the windward beaches. Once anchored the humans fulfilled their promise and we were off to the BEACH. The ‘river’ gave a perfect ‘through way’ to the lovely beaches on the windward side of the cay. We beach hopped in search of an abandon resort described in one of our ‘out dated’ guide books, but found only the remains of a dock, but no structures.
What we did find was even better, or at least for me. A multitude of ancient creatures that like to run away. The cay has a ‘very healthy’ population of both iguana and jutia (giant rodents). Actually to say ‘healthy’ is an understatement. It is obvious that neither are on the ‘menu’ here in Cuba. I proceeded to torture the humans by racing in and around the thick underbrush chasing these great runners everywhere, even out towards them. A bit ‘naughty’, but I could not help myself. As both of these creatures swim, even the beaches on the outer mini-cays are inundated with them.
Back at the boat the ‘calm before the storm’ set in and we had a wonderful gentle breeze as the sun set. The sky was filled with flocks of swirling pterodactyls. OK, they are not real pterodactyls. But you have to admit frigate birds do look like the modern day version. With long curving wings, disproportionately large compared to their body size, these birds are designed for utilizing the wind currents to travel great distances. They were the first birds we saw on our Atlantic passage as we approached land. Unfortunately the large wing span makes it difficult for these birds to lift off out of the water if they land on its surface. For this reason they pick off their food from the surface or steal it from other birds. We had rarely seen them in any number, usually flying solo high above. This was the first time we had seen them in such a flock. Breeding season? Food availability? We do not know what brought them together, but they were quite the sight soaring above us.
The squalls finally came just before dawn. I really hate thunder and lightning, so I left the humans to the storm watching while I cowered under the table down below. It had been so long since we had seen rain, of course the humans forgot to put up the rain catcher, and once it came pouring down, they were too lazy to get soaked trying to set it up. Oh well, at least the water is free here in Cuba, even if you do have to boil it if you want to drink it. Once the pre-frontal squalls cleared the day looked set to remain overcast and drizzly. No problem for me as it is cooler to visit the beach!
The humans are going to do a few jobs on the boat, some baking and will probably settle into a movie today. The strong winds are set to move into the area some time this evening. Hopefully they will blow away this cloud cover and we will get some sunny days to explore the reefs in the local area. The forecast has obviously gone out to the Cuban fishing fleet as they have started moving into the lagoon with us. It is nice to know that we have the locals ‘vote of confidence’ in our choice of cay to hang out in. The winds are meant ease each day in the afternoon, so if we get bored, we can always move on. We have all the outer islands to explore yet.
end:
Photos, charts and information we added once we got internet. Use link below:
Review of Southern Cuba Part 1- including the pictures you missed
