The wind picks up quite suddenly out of the northeast 15-25 knots during the nighttime, often causing a lumpy anchorage. As the sun rises, the winds calm then pick up out of the east at 10-15 knots and begin clocking during the day, first to the southeast, then the south and, by late afternoon, the wind almost dies. The wind reappears out of the west in the late afternoon 15-20 knots. According to the locals, this pattern is representative of the winds most of the year. We are able to receive a fairly decent local forecast on Cuban television in Spanish and, with a view of the weather charts, it is easily understood.
Cuban television consists of two stations.
One station is dedicated to news, educational programs and Cuban soap operas, which are highly popular. The other station is set aside for their beloved baseball. Cruisers always have memorable stories to tell of dreadful passages, breathtaking sunsets or simple acts of profound kindness from the locals. At Cayo Guano del Este, we met Armando Artiz and Humberto Herrero, lighthouse keepers for the rocket-shaped lighthouse on this jagged limestone cay. Cayo Guano del Este is less than one mile long, one-eighth mile wide, and has one resident coconut palm and six goats.