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The contrast between Key West and Havana was enormous. In Key West you can buy and eat anything you wish, while in Cuba, only 75 miles across the Strait of Florida, the stores are virtually empty and people starve. We almost felt guilty having all this excess after having witnessed the conditions in Cuba for 3 weeks. Our welcome in Cuba was overwhelmingly warm and friendly. We had been somewhat concerned as we had very little information about the country, its regulations and/or restrictions with respect to visiting sailors. What we did know, was that because of the U.S. embargo, Americans are not allowed to visit, so we were the envy of our U.S. sailor friends. While in Yucatan, we had tried to get a detailed chart of the Cuban coast, but without success. So on approaching Havana, we contacted the Cuban Port Control and asked permission to visit. On hearing that we were Canadians, this was granted promptly, and a speedboat was sent out to meet us and escort us into Marina Hemingway. The check-in procedures with Customs, Immigration and Department of Agriculture went without a hitch. They did all the paperwork onboard the boat, and were finished in under an hour. This was a treat for us who have been used to setting aside 1/2 - 1 day in Central American countries, where you have to go ashore and visit 3-4 offices for the paperwork and all the photocopying. So the Cubans were efficient - but they obviously didn't trust eachother, as they always came in pairs - two from each government office. They also had two representatives from "Guardiera Frontera", Fidel's Army.... We had barely fastened the mooring lines at Marina Hemingway when a whole delegation led by a beautiful girl carrying a tray of "Cuba Libre" rum drinks greeted us. It was quite a welcome - and we were impressed. It turned out that the girl represented the Department of Tourism and the others worked at the Marina. We got all sorts of pamphlets and information on Havana and Cuba, everyone was all smiles and friendly and we felt quite relieved. After all, we had no idea what to expect. Now we could see that we were obviously going to be looked after well. So the first impression of Cubans was very favourable, and it remained that way during the two week stay. But it wasn't until we left the luxurious, sheltered, fenced in grounds of Marina Hemingway, that we found out what the real Cuba was like. We got our folding mountain bikes out as we needed the exercise badly, and they also provide a cheap and reliable mode of transportation. Everyone in Cuba has heavy duty, Chinese, bicycles without gears. The streets and boulevards are ideal for cycling, being wide with many lanes and little traffic. Our bicycles were the source of much attention, and more than once did we have near crashes when someone came a little too close to inspect the gears! The few cars on the road were Russian, German or Japanese. Most noticeable were the huge old-fashioned American cars from the 1940's and 50's - remnants from the pre revolution era. There were very few gas stations and most of them were closed. We later found out that gasoline was rationed, and in October, the allowance was 30 liters per car. In November, there was none available, except on the black market. An Opportunity not to be missed
We befriended a Cuban chemist, whom we met on the bus. He had spent three hours that morning trying to find scotch tape for his project at work. Guillermo told us that the supplies necessary to do his job were not available any more. Therefore he was only working one day a week now. The other four, he was spending in line-ups to collect food for himself and his sick mother. We were quite interested in learning more about everyday life in Cuba, so we invited him out for lunch. He smiled sadly and told us that there are no places to eat out - only a few restaurants downtown Havana, but these are for tourists only. We protested, as we could see several along the beautiful treed boulevard. He shook his head and walked up to one of them with us. The run down restaurant was full of empty tables, a couple of women behind the empty counter served lemonade, otherwise there was nothing to eat. There was nothing to cook. There was no electricity. There was no propane. Guillermo then shyly suggested that we join him for lunch at his house when we could also meet his mother. He apologized that he only had beans to cook, but would be glad to make lunch for us, if we would accept such a meager meal. We were a bit apprehensive at first. We had just met the guy on the bus, but he looked and sounded both respectable and sincere, so we decided that this was an opportunity not to be missed. His English was good (self taught) and he was keen to practice. He was also well educated and anxious to tell us about conditions in Cuba. So we accepted. "Committee for the Defense of the Revolution"
- 12 lbs. rice - 40 oz. beans - 1 lb. beef (mother only - because she was ill) - (no beef, chicken, pork, fish etc. for healthy people) - 12 lbs. sugar (half white/half brown) (Cubans use loads of sugar in their coffee!) - 6 oz. coffee - 2 packs of matches - 2 bars of soap - 3 bars of laundry soap - 4 eggs - 4 packs of cigarettes - No milk (only for children under 7 and old people) - Small quantities of fruit and vegetables when available - (They had not eaten oranges for 4 months) - 20 lbs. of propane every 6 months - 2 small white buns per day. Four Sheets of Toilet Paper... So no wonder Guillermo looked skinny and drawn. He told us he had lost 30 pounds in the last 4 months. Things had deteriorated significantly since the breakup of the old Soviet Union. Trade between the two countries was virtually at a standstill, and the financial aid, which Cuba had grown to depend on, had been cut off. Everyone seemed to accept that conditions would get worse before anybody would "do something about it" (i.e. get rid of the old regime). All around us, people seemed too small for their clothes, their cheeks hollow and eyes deep set. No one really complained, but they were extremely thankful for hand-outs. We were particularly shocked when the dock manager, Lazarus, approached us one evening, whispering if we might have some empty plastic bottles and a piece of soap for him. The bottles were for picking up water/milk/coke etc. if/when available in bulk. Cuba was short of packing material. Also, he had a big family, and they never had enough soap and shampoo from their monthly ration. That explained, of course, why there never was any soap or toilet paper in the washrooms.. The staff needed it for home. In some public toilets, there would be a woman handing out 4 sheets of toilet paper and a piece of soap to be returned. Needless to say, we ended up giving away lots of food and toiletries to the few people we befriended. We still had quite a lot of provisions in the bilges, so to us it didn't matter. And we were going to the States anyway. It was difficult not to pity these people, who all seemed to want away with Castro, but unable or too scared to do anything about it. There are so many problems in Cuba. Queuing up for the daily/monthly ration was very time consuming as different foods were available in different stores quite far apart. Buses ran very infrequently, and when one arrived, it was always full to capacity. We tried to take the bus from city centre to the marina one afternoon but gave up after 2 hours of waiting. Apparently, there is a shortage of buses because of the gasoline rationing. Also, when buses break down these days, parts for repair are not available. There are horrifying stories of people getting killed, hanging from the backs or from the open doors of the over filled buses. When we got fed up of waiting, we were able to hail a tourist cab for $13. The average Cuban, of course, just had to stay in line until there was room or, if lucky, hitch a ride from a truck, which supplemented the bus service. We admired the people for their patience. But there was a definite look of apathy in their eyes... It was hard for us to take the preferential treatment we were offered as tourists. Cubans were not allowed into the tourist shops, which were packed with goods, albeit at high prices. Consequently, there were always big crowds of kids hanging around, begging tourists to buy them things. In the beginning, we were quite soft hearted and did. They wanted things like food, batteries, clothes, candy, coke, etc. After a while we got tougher. We couldn't really get mad at the kids. It was the fault of the system, really. Many stores had attempted to eliminate the problem by putting up gates and barricades. This made the situation seem even worse. After a while, we didn't go into the shops anymore. On the street, young people, seemingly anxious to practice their English, would come up to us and engage in conversation. It wouldn't take long before they would ask for things, usually money, pens, chiclets, etc. Since Cubans were not allowed into restaurants unless invited, we took Guillermo and his friend, Marcos, with us a couple of times. They were happy to have the opportunity, but angry at the system. There were not many places to go to, but one of them was special, i. e. "La Bodegita de Media", which was Hemingway's favourite bar, and they served delicious Mojitas (rum and lime/mint drinks). Hemingway is enormously popular in Havana, and many places are named after him. The City of Havana is beautifully situated on the north coast of Cuba overlooking the Strait of Florida. It has a perfectly, protected harbour guarded by the impressive El Castillo del Morro, built by the Spanish in the 16th century. But the port was dead. Apart from a couple of old, rusty freighters, there was no sign of the usual busy loading/discharging activities of ocean freighters in major sea ports. The huge warehouses along the docks were totally empty and disintegrating. Fidel's Slogans and Propaganda The "Malecon", a 10-lane boulevard running along the seawall of the ocean is impressive but looks strange with the absence of traffic. There were propaganda signs everywhere. An election was coming up in February, and with only one party in power, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Slogans saying "Si por Cuba", signed by "Fidel" were posted all over the place. Children recite poems by the great father of all revolutions, Jose Marti, every morning before school, and TV, which starts at 6 PM, opens with a 15 minute propaganda show. Even with the little Spanish we know, it was clear to us that this was brainwashing. It was quite pathetic, actually. Every night, various revolutions way back in time were relived and heroes applauded, always concluded by Fidel and excerpts from one of his many fiery speeches. Sad, sad Deterioration and Ruins It was sad to see how Havana, once a bustling, thriving, metropolis has deteriorated since the Revolution in 1959. The city has been totally neglected. Beautiful buildings belonging to wealthy people, who fled to Miami when Castro took over, now house squatters who have not looked after them since that time. Old, stately mansions are totally run down, unpainted and dilapidated, with dirty, broken windows and wash hanging from balconies, their inhabitants obviously unaware of their architectural beauty. The City is full of lovely, old churches and cathedrals. We visited one in Old Havana. No maintenance had been done for 40 years, so it was incredibly dirty. The fabulous paintings and rose windows were dusty beyond recognition; many of the stained led glass windows were cracked by trees growing through them. It was sad. We took a 17-hour train ride to Santiago de Cuba through the country to the south western shores of Cuba. We were assigned seats in a special, air conditioned coach for tourists only. Contrary to what we had been told, the air conditioning worked the whole way, so we just about froze to death in our shorts and T-shirts. I had been anxious to see the country side, but we travelled most of the night, and when it got light in the morning, we found the windows to be so dirty that we could hardly see through them! We wondered if that was planned! Even so, we got a good impression of what the interior part of Cuba was like. Miles and miles of sugar cane and tobacco fields, and colourless, poor little villages. Lovely scenery but depressing atmosphere. We spent quite a few days with Guillermo and his friend Marcos during our stay in Havana, and learnt a great deal we would otherwise have missed as "just tourists". I could go on forever about our experiences during our short visit, but then there would be no room for Martin's log. So I hope this has given you some insight in what's happening in Fidel's Paradise, and leave it up to you to analyze the politics and possible solutions to their dilemma. One thing is for sure: We were very privileged to be able to visit Cuba during these times, but we were equally as privileged to be able to leave when we wanted to..... Back to Key West, where we stayed for a week, we left on December 16 for a fast overnight sail, surfing along the strong Gulf Stream Current, to Fort Lauderdale. Here, we were going to stay till the beginning of February. My brother and his wife, who live Upstate New York, spend the winter months in Florida, and on December 18, they picked us up for the long trek to Arnprior, just north of Ottawa, to visit my parents and the rest of the family for Christmas. On the way back, we also stopped in New York to visit with Anne's brother's family. This was a nice break but quite tiring, as we covered a lot of distance. We figured out that we travelled over 4000 miles in just two weeks, which was half the distance we have done in the ocean since we left Vancouver a year and a half ago! After returning to Fort Lauderdale on January 2, it was just work, work, work for five weeks. We had the boat out of the water for 2 weeks and did a lot of painting and maintenance on the keel, rudder and hull. While we had our boat up at Summerfield Boat Works, we found out that an old sailing friend, Vern Ruskin, top racer from RVYC, was in the marina just across the canal from us. He had been there since June, outfitting a beautiful 43' Beneteau sloop that he bought used. Vern took us around to all the cheap marine stores and even let us use his car. We also had lots of fun trying out the good, but inexpensive eating places where "Seniors" could have a buffet dinner with a bottle of beer for only $5.00. Not bad, eh? Even Anne passed for Senior once - boohoo.... When in Fort Lauderdale, we had a surprise visit from Norway. Anne's sister, Kari and her husband Njaal, came to stay with us for two weeks. Since we were really busy with the boat, I stayed behind, while Anne spent four days with them visiting Disney World, The Epcott Centre and Kennedy Space Centre. Njaal was a great help on the boat as he is a "Jack of all trades" and can fix almost anything! We have already booked him for a couple of months next winter in Norway! We did have a few nicetrips on the canals with them when Anne's nephew, Jim, and his fiancÈe, Anne Ziffer, came to see us to sign up as crew from the Azores to Norway. Jim is a heart and lung surgeon and Anne an eye doctor, so we should be well looked after on that stretch! If they could only find a cure for seasickness..... Just to show you how small the world really is, Kari and Njaal's son, Arild, who is a musician and conductor currently stationed in Vienna, had also been in Fort Lauderdale while we were there. Unfortunately, he didn't know what marina we were in, so we missed eachother. However, he had left a letter at a marina, which cruiser friends of ours had seen, and by a real fluke we met them at a supermarket late one night, when they told us about the letter. Just amazing how a bunch of coincidences can come together like that. Kari and Njaal couldn't believe it - the U.S. is soooo biiig yet suddenly so small also! After two hectic months on land, we were getting anxious to go to sea again and explore some more. Bahamas and Caribbean! Here we come! Copyright © Anne Brevig & Martin Vennesland. www.norsiglar.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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NORWEGIAN 
Sunrise over Castro's Cuba 
Horse taxi is a common sight on the busy streets of Santiago de Cuba 
Havana's many stately mansions in ruins after 30 years of negligence
Cuba's famous Cigar. Experienced hand rollers can make 10 per hour