The boys of Marea del Portillo

Every afternoon after school the local boys would swim out to our boat and just hang out on the back and play in the shade in the water between the hauls.

The boys did not speak much English but we would sit with them and show them pictures of the places we’ve been and give them chocolate and cheese for a snack.

One afternoon the boys were playing soccer on the beach and Rich flew the drone over to take pictures and videos of them. They all jumped in the water and swam to the boat to see the pictures. They got to our boat almost as fast as the drone got back.

The last day we were here the boys swam out to our boat with a big bag of mangoes for us. They were telling us “thank you for your hospitality” ….. but, I don’t think the boys realize that their little community gave us much more than we could ever give them.

Marea del Portillo will always hold a special place in our hearts. This has been one of the most welcoming anchorages that we have ever been to and one of the hardest for us to leave. We will always remember Josephina, the Old Man in the row boat and the boys playing around our boat everyday. Each place we visit in Cuba is amazing. We can’t wait to see what is over the horizon in the next anchorage.

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