So here I was again, standing beside Raphael as we sailed into yet another harbour. This time Santiago de Cuba, passing through a narrow strait between two headlands – the hill on the left topped by another castle fort – widening into a long bay taking us around an island to arrive at the docks. Beyond the town of crowded single-storey buildings spread over sloping ground coming down to the shore, was a range of dark hills with greenery striped by crevices of bare rock. Many ships were anchored in the bay and the long wharves sported the usual forest of masts.
Though the voyage had been a short one, it had not been pleasant with Noah and Hal constantly ill-tempered with each other. Sam, exasperated by them, spent most of his time with us. Well, with Raphael on deck while I rested on the b
