CUBA? Key West to Havana

C

capt. meares

New member
Has there been any adventurous C-Brats here that have taken their C-Dory to Cuba yet? I thought there was a discussion a few years back, but from a quick engine search of the key word "Cuba", there doesnt appear to be one who's posted about it here. I am also surprised how few videos on youtube there are on this subject. Maybe I'm a little nutty, So Ive been told in the past, while planning to cruise the Sea of Cortez, Which will happen this spring (San Felipe to La Paz).

Aside from all the personal opinions on how safe or unsafe third world Latin American countries can be, what are every ones thoughts on the trip itself, in a C-dory 22? Am I missing something or is it nothing more than a simple 6 hour boat ride? Surely someone already has done it. Who wants to be the first?
 
Considering what a lot of the Cubans came across to the US on/in, a CD22 should be a piece of cake.

The bigger issue is getting all the paper work in order for US citizens to visit Cuba (from the US government). While the travel restrictions have loosened, US citizens still need to travel under one of the approved reasons for visiting Cuba. Canadian C-Brats have a much easier time getting access to that country.
 
You have to remember that the laws and restrictions on US citizens travel to Cuba are imposed by the US government and not the Cubans. People from other countries (e.g. Canada, most of Europe) have pretty free access to Cuba if they want to use it. I had friends from Canada that would periodically do their snowbird thing in Cuba rather than say, FL. They had a hard time understanding why it was illegal (at the time) for me (a US citizen) to go there.
 
The crossing of the Gulf stream can be rough depending wind conditions. I am not aware of any C Dory having crossed or cruised there. You would have much more freedom of travel if your trip were arranged thru a commercial or private agency. I have a number of friends who have sailed to Cuba--most recently the 2015 and 2017 races by the Pensacola Yacht Club Pensacola to Havana. In the earlier time frame several friends have either cruised the North Shore or circumnavigated Cuba. In those circumstances no passports were stamped, and the vessels went to Mexico before return to the US. Fuel and water would be a problem, as would be port facilities, if you want to cruise to other than Havana. Even in Havana, the marina water would be suspect, and I would want to either use water we had brought--have very specialized filtration/UV water treatment gear or a 12 volt water maker (cannot be used in harbor).

We also have a number of friends who went there as "journalists", person to person, educational or religious program. A couple from Havana are members or our extended family here in Pensacola. Hanoi managed to escape Cuba 5 years ago on a raft. His wife was smuggled thru Mexico and was accepted for asylum about 2 years ago. Their 14 year old daughter lives with her mother in Havana, and has applied to migrate to the US (considered too dangerous for teen girl on other routes). Hanoi was a university professor in Cuba. He suggested at a recent gathering that all American teenagers should be required to live for 6 months in Cuba.

Is it possible to cruise to Havana (and that would be the only destination I would consider)--yes. There are some barriers involved which are not that hard to overcome. But not something one should casually do, without a lot of study and preparation. The yacht club races have required that each boat either have marine SSB or Sat phones aboard to enable communication back to the states.
 
Two buddies and myself sailed down to the Dry Tortugas, from St Pete, in a 32 ft. full keeled Bristol sailboat. We thought we were bad as we had big seas the whole way down. When we got to the island we came upon a homemade boat that brought 40 Cubans there the day before. The hull was made of sheet metal welded to oil drums. It was powered with an old chevy motor and the tiller was made from welded plumbing pipes. We didn't feel as bad after we saw their craft. It was ingenious.
 
I just finished my reconnaissance to Cuba. It's a no-go for me in a CD 16 for several reasons. It appears to be a sketchy crossing to even sketchier conditions at the Cuban marinas. Once there, having a boat doesn't look like it would add that much enjoyment, but rather, it might be a major hindrance to really visiting Cuba.

Both "public moorage" and "marine services" seem to be foreign concepts. And "pleasure boating" was not apparent. We watched a sailboat leave Havana harbor, set sail, and then was approached by a government vessel that towed them back in to port. That can ruin your day (week, month, year).

The Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago looked fascinating, but with complex reefs and with no services. The port town of Caibarien had a few rusty shrimp boats and not a single dock that I would tie to. There is a Canadian based sea kayaking business operating in the archipelago that looks like a better choice for boating. The south of Cuba around Cienfuego and Trinidad looked great (it was in the lee when we were there), but you had better be extremely self-sufficient and carry 200 gallons of fuel. The entire country looks like sailboat territory.

It was interesting to see Hemingway's fishing boat. In C Dory terminology, it is a Cruiser model, not an Angler. The actual cockpit (with fighting chair) is hardly bigger than my CD 16 cockpit. Other than having a marlin in my splashwell, there isn't much reason for a boat trip to Cuba.

I'm learning that I'm a spoiled boater living where I do.

Mark


pilar_cockpit.jpg
 
Our family lived in pre-Castro Cuba through most of my youth, and I am quite familiar with the place.

A year or so ago I flew my own airplane into Havana from Marathon with a group of other pilots, then traveled around the area is bit via bus.

What I found was Havana is in a decrepit state of disrepair, and it was difficult to find a really good place to stay. Even the old, big name high end hotels are now at Motel 6 level of condition and service, but not as cheap.

The logistics of traveling about the country was also very difficult, even though I speak fluent Spanish. The big problem is there is no public infrastructure that actually works. There is no dependable bus or train service, leaving one with a private taxi to get about. There are also no ready accommodations in the surrounding area or towns, so one needs to arrange places to stay in private family homes. Same for places to eat.

This is not the case however for a small Cancun like area of hotel strips along the coast that cater to primarily Europeans and Canadians. But you might as well stay in Florida as to go there.

Cubans themselves were very friendly, and the country for all practical purposes crime free, say compared to Mexico. Government officials and police were also quite friendly and polite.

Cubans have a certain sense of humor about their situation. Standing out in front of the presidential palace in Havana one told us a joke that was quite telling. The joke says: "Both our countries are free. You can stand outside the White House and say Trump is an idiot and nothing will happen to you. And we can stand right here in front of the presidential palace and say Trump is an idiot, and nothing will happen to us either. See, we both are free".

BTW. Flying my own airplane in and out of there was not at all a big deal for either the Cubans, or the USCBP in Key West.

Kevin Ware
TomCat 25.5
 
Capt. Meares: What about The Bahamas? Still an amazing adventure on a C Dory but a little more realistic.....There were a few threads on here last year about some Brats who did it on a 25. Maybe on a 22 you would have to carry some extra fuel.
 
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