Warning: Cayo Piedras NE of Varadero

Published 12 years ago, updated 5 years ago

Cruisers sailing close of Cayo Piedras, the Guardafronteras base NE of Varadero (Cuba) should take special care as there are hidden concrete and steel rail blocks close to the shore at the SW of this base.

The depth is around 4 mts. but you can have a very unpleasant encounter with one of these blocks if you are not careful.

The same applies to unmarked reefs on the way to Cayo Blanco 5 miles away from there. My boat suffered a large water intake there and the nearby Marina Gaviota didn’t help at all. They have a 50-ton crane at their shipyard but refused to haul the boat out of the water. I had to sail to Marina Marlin Darsena to beach the boat.

If you don’t want to risk being unattended sailing around Cuba, sail somewhere else. It looks like a civilised paradise to sail, but if you have a problem you are lost.

Evan Illas Roper

Frank Virgintino who is researching a new cruising guide for Cuba, has the following comment:

When I visited Varadero they told me the blocks were surplus building material from the project. In Cuba, resources to assist yachtsmen are limited or non-existent in most of the country and as a result, one must be fairly independent.

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