CUBA!

An Old Girlfriend

We were still well within the protected waters of the inshore reef. I had an inkling that the sea was licking her lips and waiting to kiss me full on the mouth. She was just there; a slight glance over my right shoulder, and all the desire to know if we were still compatible welled within me. My hunch proved true, she was an old lover longing to be embraced again, full of remembrances of a man ten years my junior, when I first launched myself into her bosom on a voyage of self-discovery and adventure. God it was good to be back at the helm of a seagoing vessel, passage making, nation hopping, and rekindling within myself that epic feeling that I once owned in full, and that paid dividends daily. 

Elsie is nothing short of a freedom machine, but the tires make her slightly less than global. This was a total immersive dunk back into a life that at once, was all consuming while being full tilt liberating. It had been over 3 years since I'd pulled a night watch beneath those diamond skies. I was immediately intoxicated with just the breath of the wind and being afloat on the water. Yes, it was agreed, we’d begin the affair anew, but noticing that I was standing before the binnacle, when sitting would have sufficed, told me something: my nerves were wound. She and I, well... we'd quarreled before.

Recap

I met Chris the South African and Joe the German in a bar in Belize and they invited me to join them on a trip across the Caribbean.

Sometimes you get lucky with humans. These guys are great!

I parked Elsie at the marina in Placencia and off we went.

Belize to Cuba - 57 Hours

We only sailed for about 16 hours. We motored the rest. Skabenga is a fast boat and the weather cooperated. We were headed into the prevailing westerlies (Americans - Now would be a good time to check a map) but a cyclone a thousand miles away neutralized our headwind. For me – it was wonderful to witness that my “muscle memory” for all things “boat” was still intact. The feel of rope in my hands as I trimmed a sail just felt right. Flipping on the nav lights at sunset, and shutting the breakers off at dawn was a familiar ritual still entrenched in my aquatic memory. That sense of perfection I feel when the line fits snugly in the self-tailing winch, executing a correct cleat hitch and the speed with which I can still tie a bowline – nice to be salty again.

 

Everyone should at some time in their life develop an intimate relationship with the sea. Get on it, get in it, let it beat you within a millimeter of your demise, and then thank her when you make it back to terra firma.  She’s the best teacher I’ve ever had. Period.

Landfall CUBA!

Cayo Largo. Not the most straightforward approach and it was midnight. Chris the owner agreed that if all the navigation lights were in place as we saw them on the digital chart plotter then we would attempt a landfall in the dark. 3 out of 4 were there. Unnerving to say the least with 3 men squinting into the black trying to understand why our eyes didn’t agree with the charts. We reasoned that it was Cuba, and most probably we were doing everything right and the poor nation had just not replaced a burned out light bulb.  Chris decided the odds were in our favor and the seas were flat enough that if we got into a jam, it wouldn’t be catastrophic. We inched our way in and with shallow water beneath us found a suitable place to anchor. We’d sleep and make our formal paperwork entry the following day.

Giant tarpon at the dock

This Italian and his suspect boat. The worst I've ever seen

The final approach was done in full daylight and it was still confusing and even shallower. We made it onto the immigration dock and began the check in “Cuban style”. Fidel must have said: "We've won the revolution, now let's decide on what level of bureaucracy we want. I'm thinking let's go for it! Let's bury our people in paperwork. Viva La Revolucion”'! The underlying theory must be to create jobs because half the island was involved in checking us in and the other half in checking us out a few days later.

During our short visit we boozed on rum and beer as the marina extended us an ever enlarging line of credit. Sweethearts, but then, it’s not like we could leave without paying. You are watched constantly. Cayo Largo is a resort town that caters to rich westerners. This wasn’t really Cuba. Not yet.

Cienfuegos

 

We sailed right past the historic Bay of Pigs and made our next landfall in a very well protected bay called Cienfuegos. My first impressions were probably the same for everyone who docks a boat there: “You can’t possibly put that water in your tanks. It’s barely transparent.” “Damn it’s hot.” “That is the most I’ve ever paid for a load of laundry.” “Internet is a little tricky in this country huh?” “$6 for that 1 block taxi ride? Why didn’t you just tell me to walk, you dick.” I called the guy a thief, realized things were about to go sideways real quick, took a deep breath, apologized profusely and then tipped him on top of his shakedown price.

 

Sunk wreck at the dock

Good luck getting an American laptop online, never gonna happen, nor an American phone. We have been their biggest enemy since 1959 and, well – nope. Not possible. Joe and I borrowed Chris’ laptop and because he bought it in Australia – it worked. This is when I started to get an inkling that we were in a communist country and things were going to be a little different.

This is the error message you will see repeatedly

We went to a restaurant with tablecloths. The waiters wore vests. We ordered and waited. And waited. I told the waiter that the bathroom had no soap. He produced a little bar that he kept in his pocket. The bewildered look on my face forced him to explain: “people will take it if we leave it in the bathroom”. That was just one more hint that things were going to be a little different.  After waiting for more than 20 minutes he told us they were out of chicken. That produced uproarious laughter from all three of us, as we had all ordered a chicken dish. Was he embarrassed to tell us? Did he think he could go kill a chicken before we noticed, and then failed? I then knew we weren’t in Kansas anymore.

We arranged for a taxi to drive us the 4 hours to Habana (and yes, it’s spelled with a “b” instead of a “v”.)

Habana

For every good photo I took I missed 100. So many great scenes and the character in these people’s faces hint at stories burning to tell. We loved Habana and within 12 hours we looked into buying a flat. Impossible, and probably for the best.

Bullet holes in the presidential palace

A Short Take On The Cuban Revolution

I might not agree with Fidel’s political & economic strategy but I am utterly impressed with his determination and conviction in a belief. It’s an epic story and I won’t do it justice here. Further inquiry is warranted.

In 1953 he attacked a police barracks and served a year in prison and then was exiled to Mexico. That’s where he met Che Guevara. At the end of 1956 those 2, Camilo Cienfuegos, Fidel’s little brother Raul, and 77 other armed guerrillas motored a crapped out boat from Mexico to Cuba to try again to capture an island. After landing in Cuba and immediately finding themselves under repeated attack, only 19 survived to regroup at the designated location. It was a long struggle but you know the end result: Against all odds, Fulgencio Batista – El Presidente, looted hundreds of millions and fled to the Dominican Republic. They did it. They won. Viva La Revolucion! On the first day of 1959 they had it all.

A Few Thoughts On Communism

Here are 3 areas in which communism completely wins:

1.)     Almost zero drugs. It’s not a free society. The government gets what it wants and enforces its will on its people. That’s a horrible taste in the mouth of a freedom loving westerner but it gets results. It’s also an island and as a guy who sailed there – trust me, security is tight.

2.)     Almost zero violence. No weapons on the street. Everyone is tranquilo. They aren’t pushy like the Asians. They respect the single file line up, and will move aside to let you pass. The consequences of misbehaving are infamous. It’s safe. Very safe.

3.)     A racist vacuum. Communism is based on the equality of all people, it in theory neutralizes bigotry, and in practice, it seems to have done its job. Believe me – I love to find a scab and pick it. I looked hard for evidence to the contrary; they really do seem to be free from racism, if that’s possible amongst humans. I even baited people but I couldn’t get anyone to fall for it. “Communism: We lost to everything but racism.”

Trinidad

Mexico has way better 15th century Spanish towns with far more vibrant architecture. You can skip this place.

Taking A Beating

It was a rough sea with 22 knot headwinds when we left Trinidad. We got the stuffing knocked out of us and almost lost the dingy off the davits when the shackle straightened and parted under the extreme forces. We found a pass in the reef on that southern coast and hid behind a perfectly shaped crescent mangrove islet to rest and repair. Once recovered, we struck out again for a 2 night trip to Santiago, Cuba.

Santiago

Chris and I

Its Cuba’s second capital and almost as photo worthy as its counterpart. We were drinking rum in a bar (this is what you do when you are with Chris and Joe) and I was practicing my Spanish on a pretty girl who explained the Cuban conundrum to me in very concise terms: “I want what everyone my age (27) wants, to see the world, to travel, but change will never come fast enough.” She’s losing her youth trapped on an island that she can barely afford to live on, but can never afford to leave.  “Soon I am in my 30’s and then, well… it’s not the same”. No – it’s not the same. It’s harder when you’re older and for a Latin woman it’s unlikely since they are expected to start popping out the ninos immediatamente. So much for a gap year of exploration and maximizing your youth. Poverty is a sad state and communism makes it a state policy. 

Fidel is a warden.

No One Can Ignore You More Perfectly Than A Cuban Waiter.

You need a flare gun and a red flag to get their attention. We were literally waving at our lazy plate bearer when a young girl hanging on a payphone saw us and thought we were beckoning to her. She hustled right over and before we could explain she said “I still have 2 years left”. The waiter saw us speaking to her and then he fast walked it to our table and immediately said, “She has 2 years of childhood still.” We were completely confused. “We were trying to get your attention not hers, but since you are here and she just walked away, what does it mean “2 years left”? Then it all came out. All women are expected to prostitute themselves at the age of 18 to help the family. Total silence with a sickness that lies like lead in your belly.  There it is – they’re all prostitutes. This kid knew she was entitled to another couple years of childhood before she had to put it on the street for the family. Just like her older sisters and mom. It was a hollow ending to our last night in Cuba. I’ll write it again; Poverty is a sad state and communism makes it a state policy.

The next day we cleared all the paperwork, and like Fulgencio Batista we left with the wind knocked out of us as we sailed away for the long passage to the Dominican Republic.

Guantanamo

We grilled burgers on the BBQ as we sailed past Guantanamo Bay. It felt very American. We read about Che Guevara while the drones flew by. The narrow seaway corridor that my fellow Americans allowed us to transit made for exaggerated scrutiny. 

Next Dispatch: Dominican Republic & Puerto Rico!

Your man on point,

Bobby