Marinas · north coast
Marina Hemingway
Cuba's largest marina and main yacht port of entry, just west of Havana.
Marina Hemingway sits at Santa Fe, about 15 km west of central Havana, built around four parallel canals cut into the low coral shore. It is Cuba's best-known yacht harbour and the principal port of entry for vessels arriving from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, with customs, immigration and the Guarda Frontera all on site. Its position at the mouth of the capital makes it the natural first-and-last stop of a Havana-based cruise, and it hosts the annual Ernest Hemingway International Billfishing Tournament that gives the marina its name.
Cruising grounds
The Gulf Stream sweeps close along this coast, so passages here mean working the current and the prevailing easterlies. From the canals it is an easy run east to the beaches of Playas del Este, and a longer coastal passage west past Mariel toward the Guanahacabibes peninsula and the westernmost cays. The waters just offshore are famous game-fishing grounds for marlin and dorado.
Getting there & what’s nearby
The marina is roughly 30 minutes by road from José Martí International Airport and a short taxi ride from the Malecón and Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The surrounding marina district has hotels, dive operators, chandlery and restaurants, so crews can reprovision without going into the city centre.
Sailing season & conditions
The north-west coast is governed by the Gulf Stream, which runs close inshore and sets a strong east-to-west current just outside the marina. From November to March the “nortes” — cold fronts sweeping down from the Gulf of Mexico — can raise northerly gales that make the narrow entrance channel dangerous in a swell, so skippers wait for settled windows before entering or leaving. The most reliable cruising is the calm spell of late spring and early summer, before the June-to-November Atlantic hurricane season brings the risk of tropical systems tracking up the Straits of Florida.
Clearing in here
Marina Hemingway is a designated port of entry, so private vessels can complete customs, immigration and Guarda Frontera formalities on arrival. Read the clearance roadmap and maritime formalities before you sail.
Where it is
On Cuba’s north coast at Havana.
See Marina Hemingway on the map →