One of the highlights of our stay in Varadero was the Catamaran trip.
Well, first, DOTH, being the accomplished sailor that she is, had her own, personal trip on a catamaran. She wasn't allowed to sail it alone, but the accompanying Cuban 'captain' did allow her to take over, once they were away from shore:
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| Setting off |
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| Away we go! |
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| Heading for the horizon |
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| And back to shore! |
The next day, we set off for a trip on a much larger catamaran.
We were picked up at the hotel door by coach and taken to a small seaport nearby, where there were a number of large catamarans moored, with many coaches full of people!
Heading out into the Atlantic, our first stop was a visit to the dolphins in an 'aquarium' somewhere in the middle of the ocean on the way to Cayo Blanco
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| This is DOTH heading down into the water - about 10 people at a time were allowed |
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| DOTH gets to pat him as he swims by on his back! |
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| And gets a kiss, in return! |
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| Hey, that deserves a reward! |
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| And the dolphin takes a bow! |
I didn't go in, as much as I would have liked to. I would need to keep my glasses on if I wanted to see anything, and we had been warned that a dolphin kiss can knock off glasses (and earrings - ouch!). Not a pleasant prospect to spend the rest of my vacation with my specs at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean! By the way, the participants were standing on a cement ramp - quite deep underneath there!
From the aquarium we headed to another spot mid-Atlantic (!) for a spot of snorkeling. Again, not something I can manage without glasses, but DOTH was eager to try out her underwater camera, so in she went:
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| We were above a coral reef where there should have been lots to see, but apparently not. DOTH has not had her photos developed yet - we will soon see what she saw! (sorry, forgot to crop the face in the left corner!) |
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| There were other catamaran tourists in the water also |
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We then headed for Cayo Blanco, which I am assuming means White Beach, as that's what it was. The sand was the whitest I have ever seen.
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| We were given a wonderful lunch of our choice of lobster tails or chicken, with fries, and were serenaded with some great Cuban music |
We then had a few hours to swim and sunbathe - the sun was scorching and the water again like a warm bath
And then set sail for home -- all-in-all a lovely day!
That sounds wonderful, especially the dolphin encounter. Lucky DOTH, not everyone can claim to have been kissed by a dolphin. I like the view of all the heads bobbing about in the water near the other boat. I look forward to seeing the underwater shots.
ReplyDeleteThis all sounds so fabulous. I can't wait to see those underwater shots. x
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a wonderful time. Would love to have seen Doth sailing. The water looks wonderful -- but not the heat. We have cooled down considerably -- barely 72 degrees.
ReplyDeleteYes, snafu,she was quite pleased with that kiss!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth,if you click to enlarge the first photo of DOTH snorkeling, you can see a little of what she may have seen - looks like a lot of rocks to me. Let's hope she caught a glimpse of a fish or two!
ChrisJ, DOTH is quite an accomplished sailor, with many a certificate from the Canadian Yachting Association - I'm very proud of her!