Cairn Terriers Appetite

Text: Vania and Paule (then invited the hullabaloo)

Here is the story, day after day, newspaper version.
Crew for this trip: Manolo, Vaniouch, Brian, Papayou, Adriano, Gainsbourg and Polo

Sunday, January 31:
We arrived in Havana by bus at the bus station de Cienfuego. Accueillies par Adrien, nous découvrons avec plaisir des rues aux murs colorées, où s’élèvent de beaux édifices de l’époque coloniale abîmés par le temps mais au charme fou, pas de magasins aux enseignes affables ni de publicités,  les seules images demeurent celles du CHE ou de messages de Révolution, parfois le moteur d’une vieille voiture américaine reluisante vient polluer l’air et le son de cette ville tranquille. On a changé d’époque, ou de dimension. Adrien, visiblement ici depuis des siècle nous annonce tout fier qu’il a trouvé un moyen, illégal certes, de se procurer des œufs. La couleur est annoncée, nous débarquons dans un autre monde.

A la Marina, nous découvrons un Raffut identique à celui quitté au port de Martigues. C’est émouvant. A bord, l’équipage, fidèle, les cinq garçons sont cependant un peu timides, deux filles débarquent avec leurs jambes, leur crème solaire et leurs cheveux. Eux ce sont des vieux loups de mer. Pour briser la glace, nous dégainons nos armes : camembert, saucissons et vins, plus de dix kilos de mets français qui sont accueillis par des cris de joie, mais la cerise sur le gâteau, ce sont les journaux : le Monde,  le Point, l’Equipe, Entrevue et bien d’autres sont tour à tour arrachés par les cinq garçons. En quelques minutes seulement, les voici, tels cinq autistes, absorbés par la lecture.
Le plan de la journée : déjeuner puis départ aux Jardins de la Reine, archipel au sud de Cuba aux nombreuses petites îles désertes protégées par un long reef. Parfois la barrière de corail est ouverte et permet d’accéder aux îles et d’y mouiller.
Le déjeuner nous permet de découvrir les joies de la ration à bord. Olivier M d’un côté, Adrien de l’autre saucent avec fougue l’assiette de Vania. Pas plus de 2 carrés de chocolat chacun au café et ce n’est pas négociable. Le camembert est tué le jour même, un silence religieux règne pendant la dégustation. Julien verse une larme. Nous avons réussi ! Nous sommes les bienvenues à bord ! Ouf !

Lundi 1er février :
Nous passons la journée en mer, portés par un vent léger. A l’heure du déjeuner, la ligne s’excite. C’est une énorme proie, « une baleine, non un requin, mais c’est énorme ! Au moins un requin, pas un requin quand même… Ah non c’est plat, ça fait 2 m, une tortue ? Non une raie, a huge line! Oh no it's not flat, but it is small ... It is not a tin. Oh no it's heavy ... but oh ... is a Barracuda! "
Hum! What a delight! With rice. (Vania find it delicious.)
Later, the boys tell us that there is one in three chance of getting the "cigarette" by eating a barracuda Cuban terrible and deadly disease. Thank you.
more wind. We decide to start the engine to arrive before nightfall in the wetting of difficult access. We'll arrive in the reef and the bay of Cayos Cinco Balas, wetting virgin, almost hostile. In front of us a small island surrounded by mangroves, without trees. The engine stops. Not a breath of wind. Not a sound. We can go further. We anchored. The sun is setting. The moment is magical, extraordinary colors. To the west, behind the island, a fiery red in the east, water and sky are one in a spooky gray. Between the two, the hullabaloo, alone among the sea too calm. Dusk, the crew is excited, we jumped into the water and enjoy the time to wash, water de mer. On chante, on danse pour accueillir dans la joie l’apéro, ce soir c’est fête : saucisson, foie gras et vin rouge.
La nuit tombe vite et les garçons nous révèlent leur secret : ils connaissent maintenant le ciel par cœur. Nous découvrons avec bonheur les constellations et leurs histoires : Castor et Paulux, Mars, Orion, Cassiopée, … aucune n’est oubliée. Nous sommes impressionnées.



Mardi 2 février :
Au réveil nous découvrons le deuxième secret des garçons, ils font du pain ! Un vrai bonheur au petit déjeuner, hot with guava jam and a cup of tea with strawberries.
We decide to explore the island and the coral reef.
In the water almost warm, around the fence, we enjoy an ardent wildlife: the entire band of Disney Nemo the fish gather around the beautiful coral. Some fish munch coral, others are hiding or wandering. A turtle. Later in the periphery to deeper waters and disorders, barracuda lurking in nature curious. And at the edge of the island where the sand is fine, rays, huge. And here and there in shelter under rocks, rock lobster, lobster and crayfish still. The boys, armed with rifles or activate their gloves.
total of 7 lobsters are caught.
We manufacture a shack in the shade of a palm tree, Manu made a fire, Olivier M installs the hammock, Vania produces plates with palm leaves. Suddenly, Julian arrives from behind the embankment of mangroves: "Guys, the island is inhabited! I saw huge guinea pigs! It's everywhere! "And to warn us:" Do worry, they are blind, we decide to follow him and go see them. But first, let's eat! Everyone in the cabin, with a little rice reduced the hullabaloo we enjoy fishing, a crayfish each, a real treat!
We leave the island, guinea pigs although these are not blind and we decided to name "Coon", it fits them better. Iguanas and many birds are also residents of the island. It is deserted and perhaps no human foot is placed in a long time. This gives us a feeling pretentious adventurers. But "that too skull, skull not long" or "who does not go away the devil 'indeed, towards the end of the day, the island has avenged too familiar. Within minutes, panic! Thousands of mini flies (sand flies), we attack the legs and whole body, it stings, it's unbearable, it scratches, it's everywhere. We must go fast fast fast ...
On the hullabaloo, there was some damage to the legs of a few. A drink soon to forget it all. We offer a harmonica to Adrian for his birthday. (We'll never know if it's a good idea).

Wednesday, February 3:
The engine will not start. The only way to fix it is to drain and change the filters. We must go to the naval Cienfuegos. We start
sail, return flights. The wind is not at the rendezvous. We are moving painfully on a blue sea without waves, the sun is present. The boys dive into their new magazines. Julian smashes team, Manu still trying to repair the engine with the help of Olivier J is the only one able to sneak behind the engine. Olivier M apprend l’espagnol avec Vania. Adrien suit son manuel de l’harmonica page par page. Au fond du bateau, dans la cabine arrière on peut entendre la gamme de do.
Nous dînons sur un Raffut presque immobile, bercés par le claquement de la voile insatiable alors que le soleil se couche sur une eau très calme. Soudain, nous sentons l’éolienne s’activer. Très vite, en quelques minutes seulement, un vent se lève, chaud mais fort, des rafales, 25 à 30 nœuds de vent. Une demi-heure plus tard, nous sommes en vent de travers, à 8 nœuds, constant, nous allons vite, ça change ! Les quarts s’organisent.

Jeudi 4 février :
No wind. No engine. The hullabaloo is changing pianissimo. The crew is accustomed. Rhythm "timeless" reign on the boat. Sailors stand in reading, sleeping, the sound somewhere in the range of C harmonica. The steward improvised, in turn, experiments despite the many constraints: the raw material is rice or pasta, food is rationed, there is no fresh produce ... The game is to get the best score. The criteria are: rehash (rab =) / 10 - Goodwill: / 5 - optimization of product used: / 3 - taste / 2. The hungry crew nonstop is obsessed with food and ambient remains the leitmotif "I have a slab, a slab, I'll eat my d *** in a salad!".
We arrive in Cienfuegos Bay and the entrance to the Marina, we try the engine like that just to see, and, surprise! It works ...
the evening we go out. After a few beers at the Marina we'll eat pizza (Cuban ...) drinking rum then we are in a can of salsa. Visibly we are not the only tourists. Cubans are almost all "concerned" they are called "jinateras" as the guide for backpackers. We are sitting. Adrian falls asleep. Olivier M slumps. A Cuban friend is with us boys, Julio Cesar, a jinateras accompanies it. Atmosphere. We go to the track dancing salsa.



Friday, February 5:
We go shopping at the market in Cienfuegos. In Cuba, there are two currencies: one for Cubans (the peso) and one for tourists (the UCC), 1 CUC = 25 pesos and 1 CUC = 1 euro. The Tourists are not allowed to have pesos. So, there are two totally different markets. For example, for the same journey in a carriage, the Cuban will pay 1 peso when the tourist will pay 1 CUC (25 pesos). For race is the Cuban CUC currency of tourists, so, the business of tourism is highly regulated.
back inside, the boys are draining the engine then filters the fuel before putting it back into the engine. Meanwhile we sew on a rope three bed sheets to make a beach volleyball net with the means at hand. Indeed, facing the beach, there are two poles of land. We play up the night crew unleashed the rhythm of salsa live from a wedding with Cuban place next to the port.

Saturday, February 6:
Wake in the rain.
We decide to leave that night. Everyone enjoys the day at the Marina to wash, go on the internet, organize onward travel ... We buy postcards, rum and cigars!
Before leaving, we need flour. In Cuba, food is rationed and as we were too late in the day there is more flour in the city. In any store. Even the deep pockets of CUC, it is impossible to get. Luckily, on our way, we meet Julio Cesar, he suggested we make a friend of him is a baker.
We leave at sunset to the Gardens of the Queen, the wind is light. We share the night shift after eating a meal of rice and pasta that Vanya is delicious.


Sunday, February 7:
We arrived late morning at an anchorage a little further than the first like it enough. It is less well protected. The swell is strong. We go to the island. It is inhabited by very few raccoons. Nostalgia. The funds are obscure and uninteresting. Nostalgia. We decide to go back to our favorite island to spend the night.

We're getting there for supper. It's cool and we've sailed a lot. We eat in the square a delicious meal made from rice paste and delicious that Vanya is celebrating our arrival with our favorite island of Rum and harmonica. Adrian knows how to play "the good the Bad and the Ugly" by heart and and and ... "merry christmas" version "marriage." What a night!

Monday, February 8:
After a good breakfast with pancakes, we leave the island. Again, we're going to dive on the reef, again a true pleasure for the eyes. Boys sin this time only five lobsters but a huge crab. We find our cabin, let us put the hammock in the same place. To change in the heat we add one or two randomly picks conch on the beach, there are so many. A real treat! The crab was delicious, unfortunately there is no rehash. Julian goes to see the nutria. Vania and M Olivier advantage of the wind to make a kite session surf. Olivier J ramasse un crâne de ragondins et Adrien une pince de crabe, ils s’en font de jolis colliers. Après la sieste, nous allons faire un ballon prisonnier. Et cette fois-ci nous préparons le départ de l’île plus tôt que l’arrivée des mouches des sables. Nous sommes prévenus. Olivier M et Paule rentrent au bateau à la nage et s’amusent de voir qu’ils peuvent faire la moitié du chemin à pied tellement les fonds sont peu profonds dans ce mouillage encerclé au large par la barrière de corail !! Le courant est violent cependant et la nage est difficile jusqu’au bateau.

Nous décidons de partir le soir tard pour arriver au the next morning anchor. It's cool, we eat in the square. Tonight's feast: FRIED house with eggs and rice, never seen! But it is long. Very long. Everyone escaped in his reading, while cooking french fries ... A table! Everyone is visibly tired and must soon sail.
The wind picked up, it blows hard, 25 knots, gusting to 30. The night is dark and the moon is not waived, we do not see anything. The sailors, however, decide to go sailing. Olivier M is a GPS point, we know exactly where we are, we know funds and the release of our favorite anchorage. The course is given. The maneuver is simple. We weighed anchor at one stall turns, heading 270 °, one fate. Easy. The wind blows. The current is strong. Olivier M, Olivier J and Adrian are at anchor, sail Manu and Julien at the helm, Vania illuminates maneuvers with a flashlight and Paule monitors depth and speed. Here we go. In order, the anchor is raised very slowly, we soon set sail, the wind blows, the boat takes a lot of speed in a few minutes it is 6 knots, we can not turn, we know not where the boat runs, the pollster said: 3m, 2.50m, 2m, 1m70. Adrian plays the demand shock and kill the sails. Manu Cree quickly start the engine, the engine does not work. BAM hit the boat. Pollster delirium, the hullabaloo is planted in the sand. Manu tries to repair the engine at the speed of light. Each time a wave lifts us, the shock is violent when the racket back down. BAM the boat vibrate violently. We must go. The engine running. Full throttle to heading 270 °, but no speed. Retry, it moves, it works, the engine stops again and will not boot. BAM hits the racket again. The wind blows per burst. BAM it hits, the vibrations are threatening, Olivier M application calles check to see if the boat is sinking. It is pitch dark. The wind whistles. You're stuck and it smells the end of the trip. Adrian moved to inflate the Annex to go to another anchor to pull away by hand or winch the boat. Olivier M, Vania Paula and oppose it, too dangerous, too much current, too much wind, you do not want to risk "losing" a man. BAM it hits. Atmosphere. It puts the anchor. Just in case. We think we found exactly where Paola M and Olivier have amused themselves up before. We decide to call les secours. Le meilleur scénario étant que le Raffut ne cède pas aux coups pendant la nuit et que nous demandions un remorquage au petit matin si nous ne sommes pas trop échoué. Après de nombreux appels sur le canal 16 de la VHF en espagnol « el barco toca » et en anglais « we are on the reef » : AUCUNE réponse. Nous sommes seuls. Ambiance. Les coups semblent peu à peu se faire moins sourds et soudain le Raffut se décroche. Un coup de chance! Le vent nous a poussé derrière le banc de sable sur lequel nous étions échoués. Nous vérifions l’ancre et décidons d’aller nous coucher, ou plutôt, tenter de dormir. L’ambiance est un peu détendue, presque drôle, c’est l’instant « superstition » : Adrien nous montre sa boite « souvenir » et ses secrets. Olivier J nous avoue qu’il a ramené sur le Raffut le crâne de ragondin. Un rongeur. C’est surement lui qui a porté malheur. Il faut s’en débarrasser. Il le jette violemment hors du bateau, le vent dévie la trajectoire du crâne qui frappe un hauban et vient s’écraser en des milliers de petits morceaux d’ossements dans le cockpit. C’est raté ! Nous allons nous coucher.

Mardi February 9:
early morning, Adrian awakens us, we can see that we are very near the beach Olivier M is in the water with his mask. No damage to the hull of the racket. Only the painting has taken a hit. He seeks what is the road that we can bring out the racket of shoals and bring up the output of the anchoring. Manu tries to start the engine, like that to show. It starts! We put the full weight of the boat to starboard, water, cubi, rum business, we're rappelling, Julian goes to the bar heading 270 ° and slowly, very slowly, we come out of the sand hump and we allons mouiller un peu plus loin. OUF !!! La journée s’annonce belle ! Nous décidons de passer la journée là pour nous baigner avant de partir pour Trinidad. Nous partons dans l’après-midi. Pour nous les filles, c’est la dernière journée au naturel, dans ces paysages vierges et isolés. Comme si la Providence le savait, au moment de l’apéro, alors que le Raffut, vent de travers, avance à une vitesse constante de 5 nœuds, que le soleil se couche sous des superbes nuages aux couleurs chaudes, que le poste chante la version acoustique live de « Hotel California » et que le vent chaud nous caresse le visage, un banc Dolphins of gray just say goodbye and good journey to the next!

Wednesday, February 10:
During the last quarter Paule and Adrien are surprised by a large grain. That changes a bit. We arrived in Trinidad, our draft is too important so we can not enter the Marina. We must anchor in the middle of the fairway. We lay Olivier M to leave for Havana and come back tomorrow.
On board, we are dirty, after a well deserved meal, made from rice paste and delicious is that Vanya and 2 squares of chocolate, we head attached to the Marina with our business in shower: soaps, shampoo, cream and salt free towel. There is no water in the Marina. The holds are empty. It tells us a hotel. Further, the Hotel Ancon, huge modern buildings, brings us back to reality. People everywhere, clean, marble, pool, tennis courts. We learn that for 20 CUC 8h to 18h we can stay at the hotel, enjoy all these services outside and eat and drink at will! But today as we do not pay we have no right to stay. No matter, in a jiffy dégainons we shower our business and to improvise the shower the hotel beach camp 'bathroom of the racket, "one after the other, we wash and we dress in formal attire in front of frightened tourists away. Trinidad is ours tonight!
UNESCO World Heritage, historic preserved, restored so as to keep the colors of the 16th century, Trinidad is a marvel. Its streets are paved and the old American cars still recall another time. There is live music type Buena Vista Social Club and the Cubans are very nice. We'll eat and listen to a concert in "The Casa de la Musica, "unmissable tourists. To start from the Marina, 8km from there we are negotiating with a Cuban who agree to take us for less than a real taxi. Then, surprise, he drives an old American! Joy! The four boys in the back are not cramped. We do not have time to enjoy it that already five minutes behind the police asking us to put away. It is illegal because the driver is not a real taxi. We are controlled. Fortunately Manu took his passport. A passport for six it goes! The Driver fined after we have submitted to the Marina.

Thursday, February 11: Wake up at 7am
. You do not lose time. There must be at the hotel at 8am pétante for "smash" the buffet.
We are the most dirty and visibly younger and hungrier. Marathon: 2 hours we spend at breakfast. Then it was the turn of the land that we squattons beach until lunch. Then again the buffet lunch. And again the ground of beach. We are starting to gain notoriety and "young" the hotel come participate in our close games. He will be remembered Gimena the Argentine, who made the boys drooled, journalist New Yorker and two Cubans, a very good and very nil. 17h Fast! More than an hour before the end of the package and we have not yet benefited from the open bar. We install our camp strategically at the pool, next to the bar. Each of the six that we'll find a dozen glasses. We drink fast fast ... before getting caught.
Here we collect from the hotel, completely fart, happy and energetic. We go to the fuss and loud music we dance like crazy. The hullabaloo is transformed into a nightclub with pool, Julien is back somersaults in the plankton immaculate! We dance until the last breath.

Friday, February 12:

We woke at dawn by Vanya who thought he saw Olivier M on the far shore. But! Olivier M! LUA we forgot! Indeed Olivier M has been there the day before, he heard music, but as we had forgotten to put the fires of wetting and well he could not swim to us. He had to sleep in an abandoned boat at the Marina. Poor Oliver M! We decide to return to the hotel but this time without pay. We have with us our suitcases, bags and a can of gasoline to the schedule, all this history of not being noticed. We squattons again all day on land, beach and we do a frenzied match, the team's racket and cons Adriano los cubanos, ie Adrian and all others who are not French. By late afternoon, we set up camp again "bathroom" but the guards of the hotel we catch. It seems that we, our bags and our gas can no longer be welcome. We leave for Trinidad pour la dernière soirée et l’anniversaire de Paule. Nous commençons par un restau chez l’habitant. Dans une superbe maison coloniale, nous sommes les seuls hôtes et reçus comme des Princes. La serveuse tombe amoureuse d’Adrien et ne comprend pas comment nous n’avons pas craqué avec de si beaux garçons. Nous lui répondons que nous ne comprenons pas pourquoi le contraire ne s’est pas fait ! Paule reçoit avec plaisir une jolie carte, un collier de coquillage et un CD et la serveuse lui offre un collier. Le repas est succulent, une vraie merveille. La note sera de 20/20, du jamais vu.
Nous partons pour la Casa de la Musica que nous connaissons maintenant très bien. Nous y retrouvons tous nos amis du beach, les cubains et le journaliste New Yorkais. Nous dansons. Plus tard, nous voici en route pour la boite de nuit de Trinidad qui s’appelle « Las cuevas », les « caves ». Ce sont en effet des galeries sous une vieille église, à 30 mètres sous terre. Magnifique et étrange à la fois. Nous devons négocier avec les videurs qui n’avaient visiblement jamais eu affaire à un groupe de jeunes qui veut entrer en boite avec un bidon d’essence. La fin de soirée est rythmée par du reggaeton et au moment où nous partons, comme par magie, nous entendons la version cubaine remixée de « a Good Night "by Black Eyes Peas.
The boys take us back to the house "homestay" where we spend the night to take the bus to Havana the next day. They say goodbye and good journey to the next warm and an old American blue just tear us with their gas tank before disappearing into the night and leave behind the desert pavement of the poorly lit street of Trinidad Cuba.


NB: Authors' note: this is called "boys" in this text, but it is really men. Five men have been dreaming for 15 days. Thank you!

PS: For the fans, know that during our trip we took pictures of these men in action that will soon be subject to the same schedule accabie that "The Gods of the Stadium." More news soon on the blog!