Cruising to Cuba. Part 1
Fairfield Harbour couple are one of the first American flagged vessels allowed into Havana Harbor in 60+ years.
On March 30 Fairfield Harbour retired couple Dennis and Jackie Howard along with four crew members set sail for Cuba with the Cruising World Expedition and Rally. A total of 59 boats participated in the Rally. The cruisers gathered at Stock Island Village Marina, home to Harmony Yacht Vacations, which handled the logistics of this event.
The passage from Stock Island to Marina Hemingway, Cuba, entailed a 110 mile overnight Gulf Stream crossing with 25 knots of wind and 8 foot seas. Those conditions made for a rough crossing by any standards but being experienced sailors, the Howard’s Beneteau 473, Last Resort, fared well.
Marina Hemingway served as the home base for the week. The massive, underdeveloped facility, about 9 miles west of Havana, was built in the 1950s and features canals instead of traditional docks. The electric hookups are new and work but there are no pumpout facilities.
On Sunday, April 1, the rally boats participated in a boat parade into Havana Harbor. Cruising past the iconic El Morro castle into the harbor was a memorable experience for all cruisers.
Once in Cuba, the tour was by land. What an eye opener Cuba life style is! Dennis explains, “Cubans are oppressed under the current communist government but in spite of their circumstances, they are still upbeat.” Almost all business is owned and operated by the government – specifically hotels and restaurants. Most cannot own automobiles in Cuba. The government owns the farms which are mainly tobacco but they have no tractors and the fields are plowed by oxen or horses. Cubans are not allowed to own boats but the government maintains a small, rag-tag fleet of fishing boats. Even with the plentiful bounty of fish in the nearby Gulf Stream, it is rare to find good fish to eat. Many live without AC, TV, and internet – yet the industrious Cubans manage to make something out of nothing.
The Howards became friendly with their driver, Xavier, who drove them around in a 1953 Chevy with a Mitsubishi diesel engine with 5 speed shift on the column that was mounted in place with a hose clamp, a testament to Cubans’ creativity in a land without access to American car parts. Another friend, Orlando has a PhD but works as a tour guide and helps support his family with his wages. His coveted job as a tour guide earns more money than his surgeon brother and wife pediatrician because he is able to accept American tips known as CUC or Cuban Convertible Peso. In this communist country, everybody makes the same amount of money - trash men make the same as surgeons, and it’s definitely not enough to live on. There is never enough money but the Cubans do not beg. But on the streets Cubans will dance, entertain, drive or cook for tips.
Read Part 2 for more about the Howards in Cuba.
