We’re Leaving for the Yucatán

We’re leaving for the Yucatán, Mexico. 300 miles against the Gulf Stream “If you’re holding an elephant by the hind leg and it’s trying to run away, the best thing to do is let go”... That’s exactly what comes to mind as we prepare Lady Mary to leave Cuba for the Yucatán. For almost two months, the crew hasn’t been out to sea: first we were preparing the boat for our departure to Siberia, then preparing her again after our return. And for the past 10 days we’ve been waiting for a following wind. A completely following wind, because if we sail on a beam reach (with the wind perpendicular to the boat’s course), we’ll be swept north faster than we can make progress in the desired westerly direction. It’s all because of the Gulf Stream—the very current that keeps half of Europe from becoming permafrost. The Gulf Stream begins right here, between South and North America. Current speed: 3.5 knots; direction: across our course or against us. We’ve never sailed against a sea moving this fast before :). Here, near Havana, we discovered what Cuban exoticism really means and met three different groups of fascinating friends; one crew even turned out to be from our own hometown! Saying goodbye to the crew of the yacht Celebrity—the guys crossed the Atlantic, took first place in their division in ARC+, sailed all around the Caribbean, and are now flying home until next season We’ll write about our unexpected encounters when we reach a decent internet connection (so uploading photos doesn’t traumatise the uploader’s delicate psyche). Common yacht-dwelling cannibal child The whole crew is busy—the captain is packing the bicycles away in the holds, while senior sailor Nastya lashes down the books and stows the breakable crockery. Young sailor Lada started tidying up her toys and ended up dressing herself as the child of a cannibal tribe. The first mate is engaged in the most useful possible activity before putting to sea—sitting at his laptop or taking photos of anyone and everyone. I wonder how much longer the cap’s patience will last? For example, I watched the rubbish being taken away from the Acuario Hotel opposite the yacht. First, they loaded about a dozen large bunches of enormous coconuts into an empty skip, tossed some smaller bits and pieces on top, and carted it away. To the dump, I suspect, not for household use. That skip was far too filthy. So much for the impoverished population. Coconuts—into the furnace! Posting this online will be the swan song of our last remaining Cuban internet card. An hour of barely-there internet costs 1.5 CUC (basically euros). When we go to the hotel to buy cards, they won’t sell Andrey, for example, 10 at a time; they eye Lada and me with grave suspicion, but still do.... Evidently Andryukha has it written all over his face that he’s ready to profiteer from socialist internet access, just as people here profiteer from cigars, rum, and anything else that can be sold to foreigners and locals at different prices. We’ll write next time about how we bought under-the-counter cigars, in the post about Mama Havana :). Meanwhile, the engine and transmission have been checked for the third time, and five litres of oil have been placed within easy reach—just in case. Our transmission is broken; we’ll repair it in Mexico, where various packages are already arriving (though not necessarily for the transmission). For now, it’ll last just long enough to get us out of Marina Hemingway harbour and into the Mexican bay, since the oil leaks out at a rate of 2 litres an hour. Oh well, ours is a sailing vessel. What do we need an engine for? Common yacht-dwelling cannibal child—2 Bicycles—into the holds The cold front and 40-knot winds, together with severe thunderstorms and downpours, moved off to the southeast yesterday, and now nothing is stopping us from making a dash to the southwest. Allowing for the Gulf Stream, I suspect the 300 miles will take us about 5 days in a good wind. We’ll write from sea via satellite. We’ll celebrate Victory Day at sea with historical films and wartime songs. Warmth, peace, and freedom to everyone! Hooray! Out to sea! The young sailor’s new approach to cycling 🙂 And happy upcoming Great Victory Day! Stay tuned 🙂