Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/458251
(4) mischa oak S P R I N G 2 0 1 5 | W E S T W O R L D 31 the three-masted, 54-metre-long, 25-cabin ship, and they hail from Switzerland, Austria, England, Scotland and Chile. ere are Canadi- ans from Toronto, Ottawa, Brockville, North Vancouver and Gabriola Island and – thanks to diplomatic manoeuvring – two enthusiastic Americans from Santa Barbara, California. All are dressed for the evening beach barbecue: long pants, diaphanous dresses, one ascot and a couple of plunging necklines. e sun sets on cue as we hit the beach, and I fumble with my camera (I am determined to chronicle every sunrise and sunset) when handed a rum-laced coconut with its top sliced off. Grilled pork, shrimp skewers, rice and yams are served at informally arranged shoreline tables with chilled cans of Cristal, the country's light lager beer. It is good food and, be warned, most Cuban food – bland, basic, occasionally stale – is not. We share a table with Captain Georgios Gkoutis, a quietly imposing but genu- inely sweet man from Olympia, Greece, as a crescent moon appears above the palms. e next morning we return to the beach in the ship's speedy 16-foot Zodiac to snorkel, swim or just float in the 24 C water. e rocky shoreline quickly transitions to a dazzling white-sand bottom. e ocean recedes behind the boat and in front of us stretches a lagoon in distinct bands of aqua, neon turquoise and rich Prussian blue. Snorkellers will encounter several schools of small, colourful tropical fish, but when I notice a metre-long barracuda hover- ing off the end of a rocky pier, I advise my wife not to worry: these sinister-looking torpedoes only bother swimmers in murky water, and ours is famously crystal clear. e lionfish on the other side of the pier is another matter though; it's an invasive species with venomous spines that should not be touched. No one does. We depart María la Gorda, and the high winds and whitecaps kick up. Trinidad is known as the "Museum of the Caribbean." This altar is the only one of its kind in Cuba. The Museo de la Ciudad, itself an example of baroque architecture, houses furniture, 19th-century horse carriages and other artifacts. Snorkellers enjoy the abundant marine life in the waters off María la Gorda. Post-war American cars cruise the streets of Havana.