Marinas & Yacht Harbours in Cuba

Cuba sits astride the main sailing routes of the north-west Caribbean, a day or two from Florida, the Yucatán and Jamaica, and its two very different coasts give it some of the region’s most varied cruising. The north coast is shaped by the Gulf Stream and the trade winds, with winter cold fronts (the nortes) to watch for; the south coast is generally calmer, sheltered in places by great enclosed bays and long chains of reef-fringed cays. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November, so most cruising is planned around the settled, drier winter-to-spring months.

Private vessels must enter Cuba through a designated port of entry, where customs, immigration and the Guarda Frontera clear the boat and crew. The marinas flagged below as ports of entry — among them Marina Hemingway near Havana, Gaviota Varadero, and the Marlin marinas at Cienfuegos, Santiago de Cuba and Cayo Largo — are the usual first landfalls; others serve mainly as cruising bases once you have cleared in. Each marina page covers its setting, cruising grounds, how to reach it by land and its typical sailing conditions. Before you sail, read the clearance roadmap and the maritime formalities linked above.