Many American boaters have been traveling to Cuba for years. They boated both ways through the Bahamas, the United States not ever knowing they were there.
Canadians and European travelers have been going to Cuba for years to enjoy an inexpensive vacation with beautiful beaches and blue waters. There are several all inclusive resorts in Varadaro.
Three million people live in Havana, which incorporates 270 miles and 15 municipalities.
Education is provided free through the PHD level. A person with a PHD will earn $30.00 per month,
A grill cook will earn $15.00 per month. Many collage graduates try to secure positions at resorts as waiters, bartenders and maids as these position afford them the chance at tips which adds to their income.
Food ticket allotments are provided to citizens for beans and rice. There are really no grocery stores for the commoner. They shop at government stores that carry the staples. We did walk through a grocery store for the affluent and were met with several people begging for us to buy milk for their children.
Cuba Libra is a rum and coke but the coke is an awful off brand. Many boaters take coke for gifts and tips, which is very much appreciated.
People of Cuba love their music. There are dance halls everywhere. They dance in the streets and in their yards. They are young and old. Salza is live and well!! We loved the music and how happy everyone seemed when dancing.
We were told that the cows we seen the farmer taking care in the field were not his but assigned to him by the government. He is responsible for their care and can be punished if he looses one.
We were also told that there are no homeless. That everyone is given a place to live even if it is an eight by ten room with a mattress. We were also told that the majority of people do not own their homes as most of them were taken away when the revolution took place.
They pay for the right to live in their home. Those that did not loose their home in the revolution receive much of their money for repairs from family in the US or other countries. If they want to paint their house they much pay the government for permission.
interesting fact, almost everyone has a cell phone and wait in long lines to buy phone cards for their minutes.
Beer ran $1,00-$2,50
Rum or Mojitos ran $3.00-$10.00 depending on how fancy the spot.
There were no advertising billboards only political
Citizens cannot stay in the resorts and cannot cross to another province without special tags. Our taxi driver had to stop when we crossed to another province and show his paperwork.
Supposedly Fidel owned 7 homes and moved every 2-3 days so that no one could keep track of where he was.
It looks like in 1959 the world stopped for Cuba and is still living in 1959
We stayed 23 days and were only supposed to stay 14. Tom wanted to stay another week to see Obama during his visit and the free Rolling Stones concert.
Just before we left we saw new heavy equipment repaving the main rode from the airport for the Obama trip.
We would like to go back but it wont be on our boat. The trips by cruise ship from the U.S. are unbelievably expensive for a few days visit. Three times what we spent for 23 days! Maybe one day we will get invited to go back on someone else's boat.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Leaving Cuba- Flat water does not necessarily mean smooth trip!
March 3, 2016
Travel to Cuba in your own as a United States Citizen is limited to 14 days. Tom and I were approaching day 23! Tom was leaning toward staying another two weeks. We had learned that President Obama and the Rolling Stones were coming and the Rolling Stones concert was going to be free. Toms thought, we are already over the limit so why not stay and enjoy ourselves. I was extremely tempted, BUT, funds were running low and I was afraid we would run short. I did not want to end up in a Cuban jail because we ran out of money! I was also a little nervous about what we were going to face when we checked back in at the Key West Coast Guard Station and not sure we needed to push the envelope. In Cuba there are only three places you can check in and out of and Ciao La Visa was not one of them. Now we had another choice to make. Do we boat 65 miles back to Havana to check out or do we just leave. If we just left it would hurt our chances to return to Cuba because our passports would be tagged, or so we were told. We did talk to a boater who said he doesn't always come all the way back to Havana to check out and he has not had any problems returning. This was enough for Tom, we would leave from Ciao La Visa. Of course I envisioned being chased by Cuban boat police as we tried to leave but I'm not very good about taking these kind of chances. We confirmed with several other boaters our weather findings, calm seas and winds.
Timing our departure so that we would arrive in Florida just after day break we carefully made our way back through the reef. This time we could follow the line we made but it was still nerve racking! Just before we reached open water we noticed two men in a homemade raft fishing. They waved and I waved back. One of them picked up a huge lobster out of a burlap sack. Tom put the boat in neural and I waved them over. How in heavens name that little raft held their weight and stayed afloat was mind boggling. It was a basic design, two pieces of Styrofoam with pieces of wood nailed crosswise. The homemade oars were attached to nails with rope. Unbelievable! The one young man held up three fingers indicating the price. I held up four fingers indicating the number of lobsters we wanted. He handed me the lobsters in a plastic bag and I handed him sixteen CUC's. He smiled from ear to ear with the extra and hurriedly began paddling away from Laughter. What a great way to spend the last of the Cuban CUCs that we had. Soon we were out on the open water. I enjoyed the beauty of the seas as Cuba faded away in the background. I wasn't looking forward to nightfall. Traveling alone on open water with no AIS and lots of tankers was not my idea of a relaxing trip. It was a dark night but the lights of freighters lit up the horizon more often than I would have liked. At one point we had one on every side of our boat that we had to monitor. Our radar indicated they were a minimum of two to three miles away but to the naked eye it seemed as if they were much closer. I found myself, pacing and checking the time often, wishing it away. I would not relax until first light. About four thirty a.m. our auto pilot started to act up again squealing and sending Laughter on a sharp turn to port. I shut it off , waited and tried again and again we turned sharply, this time nearly three hundred sixty degrees. After several attempts we just left it off. Just about then I saw flashing blue lights in the distance. Where they heading towards us? We kept our course and they were definitely getting closer. About that time a call came over our radio. This is coast guard cutter ....... please identify yourselves. I got on the radio and told them our boat name and our names. I asked if they were hailing us because we looked like drunken sailors on the water. The captain returned with a little giggle, yes mam, we did notice you were driving erratically. I explained the issue with our auto pilot and that we had turned it off. They never came along side just asked us to maintain our course at minimum speed. We provided all of the information they requested and were told to be sure to check in before we came in to port.
Just before dawn another coast guard cutter hailed us. I explained that we had already been stopped about 2 hours previous to this but I would be happy to provide all the information he needed. Again we were asked if we had checked in. I responded that we would call at first light. He said just be sure we do. The sunrise was beautiful and the seas were so calm. What a beautiful day it was going to be. Tom suggested we keep going to Marathon rather than stop in Key West and risk getting weathered in and the mooring field there is not pleasant. A slight change in course and we were headed to Marathon. No one answered the phone when we tried to call and check in so we waited until anchored in Marathon to try again.. This time we were told we had 24 hours to report to KEY WEST, to check in!! We explained that we didn't have a car. Not our problem we were told. So we rode out bikes to the airport in Marathon the next morning, rented a car and drove down to Key West. With paperwork in hand we walked up to the door. Not a soul around!! They are closed on Sunday!! All that for nothing! We drove back to Marathon and of course they were closed as well. Now we are both fuming!! Back to the airport with the car and then the 4 mile bike ride back to the boat.
On Monday I called the Marathon office and told the officer there the entire story. He asked me for the numbers on my permit to travel to Cuba and my email. He apologized for what we went through. Two hours later I received an email saying we were all checked in and again apologizing for the inconvenience.
We called the couple that had gone with us and they said they made two attempts left two voice mails and let it go never to hear back from anyone. My guess? They are a bit busy with the Cubans trying to sneak in and the drug runners.
Travel to Cuba in your own as a United States Citizen is limited to 14 days. Tom and I were approaching day 23! Tom was leaning toward staying another two weeks. We had learned that President Obama and the Rolling Stones were coming and the Rolling Stones concert was going to be free. Toms thought, we are already over the limit so why not stay and enjoy ourselves. I was extremely tempted, BUT, funds were running low and I was afraid we would run short. I did not want to end up in a Cuban jail because we ran out of money! I was also a little nervous about what we were going to face when we checked back in at the Key West Coast Guard Station and not sure we needed to push the envelope. In Cuba there are only three places you can check in and out of and Ciao La Visa was not one of them. Now we had another choice to make. Do we boat 65 miles back to Havana to check out or do we just leave. If we just left it would hurt our chances to return to Cuba because our passports would be tagged, or so we were told. We did talk to a boater who said he doesn't always come all the way back to Havana to check out and he has not had any problems returning. This was enough for Tom, we would leave from Ciao La Visa. Of course I envisioned being chased by Cuban boat police as we tried to leave but I'm not very good about taking these kind of chances. We confirmed with several other boaters our weather findings, calm seas and winds.
Timing our departure so that we would arrive in Florida just after day break we carefully made our way back through the reef. This time we could follow the line we made but it was still nerve racking! Just before we reached open water we noticed two men in a homemade raft fishing. They waved and I waved back. One of them picked up a huge lobster out of a burlap sack. Tom put the boat in neural and I waved them over. How in heavens name that little raft held their weight and stayed afloat was mind boggling. It was a basic design, two pieces of Styrofoam with pieces of wood nailed crosswise. The homemade oars were attached to nails with rope. Unbelievable! The one young man held up three fingers indicating the price. I held up four fingers indicating the number of lobsters we wanted. He handed me the lobsters in a plastic bag and I handed him sixteen CUC's. He smiled from ear to ear with the extra and hurriedly began paddling away from Laughter. What a great way to spend the last of the Cuban CUCs that we had. Soon we were out on the open water. I enjoyed the beauty of the seas as Cuba faded away in the background. I wasn't looking forward to nightfall. Traveling alone on open water with no AIS and lots of tankers was not my idea of a relaxing trip. It was a dark night but the lights of freighters lit up the horizon more often than I would have liked. At one point we had one on every side of our boat that we had to monitor. Our radar indicated they were a minimum of two to three miles away but to the naked eye it seemed as if they were much closer. I found myself, pacing and checking the time often, wishing it away. I would not relax until first light. About four thirty a.m. our auto pilot started to act up again squealing and sending Laughter on a sharp turn to port. I shut it off , waited and tried again and again we turned sharply, this time nearly three hundred sixty degrees. After several attempts we just left it off. Just about then I saw flashing blue lights in the distance. Where they heading towards us? We kept our course and they were definitely getting closer. About that time a call came over our radio. This is coast guard cutter ....... please identify yourselves. I got on the radio and told them our boat name and our names. I asked if they were hailing us because we looked like drunken sailors on the water. The captain returned with a little giggle, yes mam, we did notice you were driving erratically. I explained the issue with our auto pilot and that we had turned it off. They never came along side just asked us to maintain our course at minimum speed. We provided all of the information they requested and were told to be sure to check in before we came in to port.
Just before dawn another coast guard cutter hailed us. I explained that we had already been stopped about 2 hours previous to this but I would be happy to provide all the information he needed. Again we were asked if we had checked in. I responded that we would call at first light. He said just be sure we do. The sunrise was beautiful and the seas were so calm. What a beautiful day it was going to be. Tom suggested we keep going to Marathon rather than stop in Key West and risk getting weathered in and the mooring field there is not pleasant. A slight change in course and we were headed to Marathon. No one answered the phone when we tried to call and check in so we waited until anchored in Marathon to try again.. This time we were told we had 24 hours to report to KEY WEST, to check in!! We explained that we didn't have a car. Not our problem we were told. So we rode out bikes to the airport in Marathon the next morning, rented a car and drove down to Key West. With paperwork in hand we walked up to the door. Not a soul around!! They are closed on Sunday!! All that for nothing! We drove back to Marathon and of course they were closed as well. Now we are both fuming!! Back to the airport with the car and then the 4 mile bike ride back to the boat.
On Monday I called the Marathon office and told the officer there the entire story. He asked me for the numbers on my permit to travel to Cuba and my email. He apologized for what we went through. Two hours later I received an email saying we were all checked in and again apologizing for the inconvenience.
We called the couple that had gone with us and they said they made two attempts left two voice mails and let it go never to hear back from anyone. My guess? They are a bit busy with the Cubans trying to sneak in and the drug runners.
Tom cleaning our lobsters
Lobster fisherman leaving as we head out to open water
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
March 2, 2016
Our second day at the beach we enjoyed the show as three locals tried to obtain coconuts that were near the top of a tree. Once down they loaded them in a cart and peddled them up and down the beach. Tom had learned in the Bahamas how to choose and cut open a coconut so he was not about to buy one.
I decided I wanted to wander down the beach the other way. This time Tom came with. Lol! We walked all the way to the point a distance of about three miles. As we approached the point we could see an opened walled structure with what looked like a man standing in it. As we got closer we could not believe our eyes! It was a bar, with a bartender!! There wasn't another sole around on the beach. The bartender spoke no English and we struggle with Spanish but somehow he and Tom were able to communicate a little. The bar was limited so Tom enjoyed a mojito while I wandered a little further beach combing. it seems this guy works for the resort and is there just in case someone walks that far down the beach. After all they might be thirsty after a 3 mile walk. He is there 4-5 days a week during the day. Many days no one comes by but once in a while he has a customer.
Tom hoping not to cut off his hand as he cuts the coconut
selling coconuts on the beach
The beach at the point was very different than in front of the resort
Approaching the bar out on the point
A very interesting pier
This fisherman just finished cleaning his catch on shore
Structures near the bar
Tom waving from the bar
Our second day at the beach we enjoyed the show as three locals tried to obtain coconuts that were near the top of a tree. Once down they loaded them in a cart and peddled them up and down the beach. Tom had learned in the Bahamas how to choose and cut open a coconut so he was not about to buy one.
I decided I wanted to wander down the beach the other way. This time Tom came with. Lol! We walked all the way to the point a distance of about three miles. As we approached the point we could see an opened walled structure with what looked like a man standing in it. As we got closer we could not believe our eyes! It was a bar, with a bartender!! There wasn't another sole around on the beach. The bartender spoke no English and we struggle with Spanish but somehow he and Tom were able to communicate a little. The bar was limited so Tom enjoyed a mojito while I wandered a little further beach combing. it seems this guy works for the resort and is there just in case someone walks that far down the beach. After all they might be thirsty after a 3 mile walk. He is there 4-5 days a week during the day. Many days no one comes by but once in a while he has a customer.
Trying to get them down off the tree
The bar and bartender. He walks the 3 miles to and from the bar to work.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Beautiful beaches of Caio La Visa the hard way!
March 1, 2016
Both wanting to see a beach before we left Cuba we talked with the Chens and decided to travel 65 miles and anchor behind a small island called Caio La Visa, a spot recommended by the Chens
One small problem, we chose not to purchase a chip of Cuba for our chartplotter so we had to do it the old fashioned way, using only paper charts. Because there is a reef that has a narrow opening through which you must pass Tom sat down with Mr. Chen to map out the path before we left. I thought we were buddy boating so I wasn't extremely worried. Tom and Addison decided we should go ahead. The old power is faster than sail factor. Now I'm worried! As we left the dock I was reminded that we had to be especially careful since our insurance did not cover our boat in Cuba. A small but important piece of information that I really didn't need to remember!
It was a beautiful day to be on the water and I tried hard to concentrate on the beauty around me and not the fact that we were headed for quite the challenge.. Soon we arrived at the point that we would have to maneuver through the reef ,WITHOUT ANY BOUYS! This is one of several times we were truly thankful for taking the navigation class at the Michigan City Power Squadron. Tom kept a close eye on the water while I read him the coordinates and kept a close eye on the depth finder. We shared responsibility of watching the compass. I of course was a nervous wreck. Are you kidding me,
1 mile at 50 degrees then 1/4 mile at another degree then......, you get the idea. I thought I was going to be sick! We zig zagged through the passage for what seemed like forever to me but of course it was only about 15 minutes. What a challenge!!! I was proud and pleased that Tom had the coordinates spot on!
Once safely through the reef and breathing somewhat normally again we headed to the anchorage. we selected a spot, dropped anchor and oogled our surroundings. Mountains behind us, an island in front of us, and clear blue waters beneath us. It was beautiful. We shut off all the electronics, followed our routines for anchoring and were about to lower the dingy to go to shore and check in when an old fishing boat pulled along side. It was four o'clock and the official wanted to go home so he came to us to check in. He indicated that we were taking to long to come check in and we politely apologized. Two men boarded us, the official and boat captain. Our information from Marina Hemingway was taken as well as the typical questions about what was onboard. I had an orbitz container of gum on my little table and the captain asked what it was. We gave him a piece. He was so excited about the taste I gave him the remainder of the container. He was very grateful. About the time we were done we heard yelling and honking from another boat. The weight of the officials boat tied to ours caused our anchor to drag and we were in danger of grounding. Tom ran to pull in some anchor chain while the captain and the official jumped on the other boat started engines and untied from us. They were gone in a flash and we were left to quickly pull ourselves in deep enough water to start the engines and re-anchor. It wasn't long before we were re-anchored and enjoyed a much needed cocktail before going ashore.
The wooden dock. Boat on the right is the one that caused us to drag
our view from the anchorage
Both wanting to see a beach before we left Cuba we talked with the Chens and decided to travel 65 miles and anchor behind a small island called Caio La Visa, a spot recommended by the Chens
One small problem, we chose not to purchase a chip of Cuba for our chartplotter so we had to do it the old fashioned way, using only paper charts. Because there is a reef that has a narrow opening through which you must pass Tom sat down with Mr. Chen to map out the path before we left. I thought we were buddy boating so I wasn't extremely worried. Tom and Addison decided we should go ahead. The old power is faster than sail factor. Now I'm worried! As we left the dock I was reminded that we had to be especially careful since our insurance did not cover our boat in Cuba. A small but important piece of information that I really didn't need to remember!
It was a beautiful day to be on the water and I tried hard to concentrate on the beauty around me and not the fact that we were headed for quite the challenge.. Soon we arrived at the point that we would have to maneuver through the reef ,WITHOUT ANY BOUYS! This is one of several times we were truly thankful for taking the navigation class at the Michigan City Power Squadron. Tom kept a close eye on the water while I read him the coordinates and kept a close eye on the depth finder. We shared responsibility of watching the compass. I of course was a nervous wreck. Are you kidding me,
1 mile at 50 degrees then 1/4 mile at another degree then......, you get the idea. I thought I was going to be sick! We zig zagged through the passage for what seemed like forever to me but of course it was only about 15 minutes. What a challenge!!! I was proud and pleased that Tom had the coordinates spot on!
Once safely through the reef and breathing somewhat normally again we headed to the anchorage. we selected a spot, dropped anchor and oogled our surroundings. Mountains behind us, an island in front of us, and clear blue waters beneath us. It was beautiful. We shut off all the electronics, followed our routines for anchoring and were about to lower the dingy to go to shore and check in when an old fishing boat pulled along side. It was four o'clock and the official wanted to go home so he came to us to check in. He indicated that we were taking to long to come check in and we politely apologized. Two men boarded us, the official and boat captain. Our information from Marina Hemingway was taken as well as the typical questions about what was onboard. I had an orbitz container of gum on my little table and the captain asked what it was. We gave him a piece. He was so excited about the taste I gave him the remainder of the container. He was very grateful. About the time we were done we heard yelling and honking from another boat. The weight of the officials boat tied to ours caused our anchor to drag and we were in danger of grounding. Tom ran to pull in some anchor chain while the captain and the official jumped on the other boat started engines and untied from us. They were gone in a flash and we were left to quickly pull ourselves in deep enough water to start the engines and re-anchor. It wasn't long before we were re-anchored and enjoyed a much needed cocktail before going ashore.
Two days on the beach in Cuba
March 1, 2016
Dingy down we headed to the Ferry dock. We tied up as close to shore as we could get. The last thing we needed was the Ferry or Customs boat crushing our dink! A wooden walkway through the mangroves led us to the resort and beach. WOW! The resort consisted of two main buildings that had a restaurant and outside bar with tables and about 50 individual cabins along the beach. The cabins were adorable!! they each had a hammock on the front porch and most were situated in the shade of palm trees. The beach was 3 miles long. There were lounge chairs in the area in front of the cabins. Our first day was spent sitting on the beach enjoying the beautiful blue water. My wandering nature got the best of me and I headed down the beach to explore. We had noticed immediatly upon arrival that a large number of vacationers were from Europe and especially France. As I reached a large group of vacationers about a 1/2 mile down the beach I realized why they were so far away from most. They were topless. Can you say awkward! Speak, don't speak? UGH! Upon my return I reported to Tom what he missed. He of course wanted to go for a second walk. A little obvious wouldn't you say! I declined. We found this little resort to be a busy spot. The ferry carried visitors back and forth from the mainland daily. So busy and popular that 50 more cabins were being built. For $10.00 you could eat at the all you can eat buffet at the resort. We decided to try it for dinner. Not bad but nothing to write home about. We spent the evening enjoying the beautiful sunset and scenery around the boat. We celebrated our decision to come here! Scary but worth every tense moment!
One of the cabins
better photo of the dock
more of the cabins
Chess game under the veranda
Dingy down we headed to the Ferry dock. We tied up as close to shore as we could get. The last thing we needed was the Ferry or Customs boat crushing our dink! A wooden walkway through the mangroves led us to the resort and beach. WOW! The resort consisted of two main buildings that had a restaurant and outside bar with tables and about 50 individual cabins along the beach. The cabins were adorable!! they each had a hammock on the front porch and most were situated in the shade of palm trees. The beach was 3 miles long. There were lounge chairs in the area in front of the cabins. Our first day was spent sitting on the beach enjoying the beautiful blue water. My wandering nature got the best of me and I headed down the beach to explore. We had noticed immediatly upon arrival that a large number of vacationers were from Europe and especially France. As I reached a large group of vacationers about a 1/2 mile down the beach I realized why they were so far away from most. They were topless. Can you say awkward! Speak, don't speak? UGH! Upon my return I reported to Tom what he missed. He of course wanted to go for a second walk. A little obvious wouldn't you say! I declined. We found this little resort to be a busy spot. The ferry carried visitors back and forth from the mainland daily. So busy and popular that 50 more cabins were being built. For $10.00 you could eat at the all you can eat buffet at the resort. We decided to try it for dinner. Not bad but nothing to write home about. We spent the evening enjoying the beautiful sunset and scenery around the boat. We celebrated our decision to come here! Scary but worth every tense moment!
Lobsters at dinner
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