Today we prepped for the last of three excursions, the "Crucero del Sol". Basically, the day consisted of being totally spoiled in the waters around Varadero. We purchased this tour through our rep from Gaviota Tours... and we were very glad we did!

The day started at 9:00 am with pick up and travel (about 3 mins) to Gaviota Marina where we were cordially invited aboard our catamaran for the day, the "Draco", and settled nicely in the shady stern on a breezy March morning. Great boat, with all the latest technology and open bar in the middle. I'd say we had roughly 50 aboard the vessel. It was very comfortable.

We set sail under diesel through the bay and crossed to an outlying island for our first activity, snorkeling. They had all the gear aboard, including masks, snorkels and flippers. Janie, the kids and I all got in and enjoyed fluttering over the coral reef our captain had placed us on. Fish were abundant, along with the odd piece of refuse, and the water was incredibly salty. One of things I did notice was a limited amount of color and brightness in the reef... It did not look so wonderfully healthy!

After pulling anchor we enjoyed the bar, while Peter and Monica spent time in the net which spanned the spaces between the two pontoons in the bow, hanging over the water while we sailed.

Next stop was the "delfinario", which in essence was a huge outdoor cage about 35 min further from our snorkeling spot beyond the outer islands. Four huge sections were running consecutive opportunities for everyone to touch and have pictures taken with a dolphin. The kids enjoyed the animals and their routine was quite set! Looked to me as though there were at least 10-12 dolphins trained to cover the demand. I must say, although everyone seemed to be having fun, this one felt a little wrong. The irony in using the dolphins to amuse the throngs of tourists paired with our "box" vacation was not lost. Regardless, an ingenious bit of capitalism perched on coral just north of Varadero in the middle of the ocean.

Our captain then set sail for our lunch destination, Cayo Blanco. I'd guess that was another 45 min sail (maybe more as the beers were starting to catch up). We cruised into the island cove, with it's bright white sand (Peter said it was fake) and long outdoor huts for serving meals. Most of us dined on lobster in the shade of the afternoon sun, sipping beer and admiring the shimmer and colors of the beach in front. We had about two hours on the beach, to eat swim and enjoy. Janie and the kids hopped in the water and splashed while Eileen and I enjoyed the breeze, sights and shade. Just before 4 pm we headed back with the wind at our backs. The captain threw up the sails for some extra pizzazz... All in all an excellent trip and a great way to spend our last full day in Varadero.