Passage to Cuba

[Little Five]

Come this November or December I am helping a friend sail from the canaries to Cuba. Has anyone here sailed to Cuba, did you encounter problems with USA patrol boats, what is cuban officaldom like and any recommendations for marinas and good anchorages. Thanks.

 

[KellysEye]

Haven't been there but know others who have. Apparently the locals and officials are very friendly - helps to speak Spanish. Don't be surprised if you are told to anchor near the customs office - they want to keep an eye on the boat when you are off it. That's to stop people stealing it and heading to the USA. Also don't be surprised if a customs or military boat follows you everywhere. I was also told it's a wonderful place just like stepping back in history.

 

[VO5]

And does anybody know what are the implications of first visiting Cuba (British flagged vessel) and then visiting Florida, or is it not on ?

 

[Little Five]

And does anybody know what are the implications of first visiting Cuba (British flagged vessel) and then visiting Florida, or is it not on ?

All the reports I have read are from USA citizens who have visited Cuba and they do get a hard time from the authorities. can't help re Uk flagged vessels, the boat I am on is Irish registered and therefore welcomed anywhere in the world

 

[prv]

I've been reading the Mollymawks' blog posts on Cuba:

http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2010/07/cuba-1/
http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2010/08/cuba-2/
http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2010/08/cuba-3/
http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2010/09/cuba-4/

Pete

 

[Little Five]

I've been reading the Mollymawks' blog posts on Cuba:

http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2010/07/cuba-1/
http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2010/08/cuba-2/
http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2010/08/cuba-3/
http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2010/09/cuba-4/

Pete

Hi Pete
Thank you so much for the above links- absolutely fantastic blogs.
Much appreciated.
Jerry

 

[mixmaster]

We sailed to Cuba around this time last year. Entered into Puerto de Vita.

Very friendly marina. It took 2 days of officialdom to check in but they were always very polite and frequently cracked jokes with us. Almost a part of the experience.
We sailed to Florida (Miami) from Cuba and had no issues (British flagged boat with British and Canadian citizen aboard). There is no issue here unless you're American.
I don't like to give second hand info in these circumstances but I will say we were a bit concerned how much buearocracy we would encounter as we went along the coast but our visit was cut short due to engine failure. We did travel by car and found Cubans very friendly and the country safe (the local joke is that when the gov't steals everything from you there's no point stealing from each other).

 

[Little Five]

thanks for the info Mixmaster. 2 days to check in? Wow, I had better organise more time off work!!
Fair winds

 

[mixmaster]

Perhaps I wasn't being fair. On the second day a few more officials showed up and a form or 2 had to filled out. Didn't take long and were free to explore as we wished after the first days formalities.
Don't get me wrong, by our standards their bureaucracy is ridiculous but we found it quite entertaining. The same drug dog we had aboard is in this months Yachting Monthly. We took photos as well. My wife didn't know what the dog's role was until I pointed it out later. As you can see, all quite relaxed.