A day trip into Havana is an experience that is good for your soul. Havana is a historical town, a World Historical Site according to UNESCO. A walk down the street brings a kaleidoscope of sensations: Good food from small family run restaurants, great music from street musicians, lines waiting patiently outside doctor’s offices; colonial architecture with an intriguing history of Columbus and Spanish treasure; stilt walkers, dressed as harlequins, playing for school children; and a people far friendlier than one would expect, given the political climate between our two countries. You see militia on every corner that beg the question, are they there to protect tourists (21% of the GNP) or control the locals (people are hungry outside the controlled tourist areas. The average wage is $10 / per month, which includes teachers, engineers and carpenters; well paid doctors make $15-$20 per month; while police make $45 per month, which is considered Castro’s insurance policy.
It is common to see educated professionals driving taxi’s so they can get access to the Cuban (US)dollar economy. Peso’s buy you rice and beans, and an occasional chicken. But if you would like a TV and the finer things that you see from watching your TV, that takes dollars, which are hard to come by unless you have contact with the tourists. As a result you have an upside down economy: people playing the game barely getting by, while a common tour guide can get $150 - $200 in tips squiring around the Ambassadors for Children group for 5 days. Imagine the havoc of three cruise ships landing, with 2000 each, hard-to-herd-up Americans running roughshod over a “structured” society. (Ambassadors for Children is an Indianapolis based humanitarian aide group sponsored by ATA air lines, which in 1998 made the first direct flight to Havana from outside of Florida. This group makes annual trips to deliver medicine, that bypasses the Cuban government, and is distributed directly to the needy through the local Catholic Church priests.)
When it felt like it was time to go, I wanted to get an early start leaving Marina Hemingway. So at 0730 I was at Customs to checkout. Checking in and out of Cuba is an Island Time Experience. After being inspected by (1) the doctor (2) Customs (3) Agriculture, (4) Coast Guard (5)Immigration, I left at 1000 hours en route to Veredaro, the Cuban Miami beach 90 miles to the East. The wind was out of the Northeast, so I was close hauled on a port tack, which took me on a scenic cruise about 1 mile off the Cuban coast, where I could see the new construction that was anticipating increased, and hopefully American, tourism.
Crossing the entrance to Havana Harbor, beneath the impressive fortress of El Morro, site of the last Spanish stand in the Spanish American War, the GPS, which controlled my autopilot, gave an alarm. I went down below to find out what the problem, then heard the sound of a fast power boat approaching. As I came on deck, I could see that I was on course to intercept El Morro, which apparently peeked the interest of the Coast Guard patrol boat. A lot of fast Spanish with hand waving (caused I think mostly because they sailed through the fishing line I was dragging), and I came to understand that I should be sailing 3 miles off shore. Since there Spanish was better than mine, plus they were carrying guns, I begrudgingly tacked over to a NNW bearing till they got tired of watching me and sailed away. I then returned to port tack and my eastward course to Veredaro. Although close hauled and trying to get distance from shore ( for safety and keeping peace with the locals ), I consistently was 2-3 miles off shore. The coast line was predominantly mountains to the sea, pumping oil wells on a large beach, and a fair sized military installation. It was a picture book sail at 6 knots.
 |
Home |  |