- Local News for Southern Sailors - August 2002 Next Story
FEATURES
So you want to go to Cuba...
By Doran Cushing
A statue of Christ overlooks Havana Harbor
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In a tale I've told many times, my first thoughts of going to Cuba
came when I was cruising the western Caribbean in 1989-90. All my Canadian and European cruiser friends were headed to Cuba from Isla Mujeres, Mexico—a short hop across the Yucatan Channel and north-roaring Gulf Stream. It's a trip not unlike the crossing from Florida to the north coast of Cuba (both in distance and conditions).
But the scuttlebutt in 1990 was about American boats being seized by the U.S. government if they reported in from Cuba. In reality, neither the American nor Cuban authorities were doing anything like that unless there were flagrant violations of regulations and documentation.
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 Hostal San Miguel faces the Malecon and El Morro |
So when a marine mechanic working on my boat at the Harborage Marine in St. Petersburg mentioned he'd just returned from Cuba, it tweaked my interest. I went, I saw, and I became enchanted with the country and the people. And now, after two cruises and five races to Cuba's north coast via boat, I decided to fly down.
As a journalist (so defined by Treasury Department regulations), I could fly directly from Miami to Havana aboard the daily charter flights which are operated by United Airlines (among other U.S. carriers). But my wife would either have to stay home or find another route (both in the literal and legal sense). Staying home wasn't an option (she fell in love with the Cuba experience on her first visit in 1990).
Nassau in the central Bahamas is a popular hub for travel to Cuba. There are daily flights to Havana and Holguin via Cubana Airlines. Getting to Nassau is relatively inexpensive from Florida with a number of carriers flying into the international airport outside of Nassau. I picked Chalk Ocean Airways out of Fort Lauderdale since it meant landing at Nassau Harbour on a seaplane—a trimaran of sorts if you include the wing floats. It also meant we cleared into the Bahamas (and cleared out when we came back from Cuba) at Paradise Island instead of the main airport.
The Chalk experience was both terrible and terrific. Our flight to Nassau was cancelled for lack of passengers so we missed the connection to Havana and wasted an evening at Paradise Island. The gaudy glitter was NOT what we were seeking. The terrific part was flying low across the Gulf Stream in the ancient seaplane, landing in the channel lined with sailboats, then powering up a ramp to the Chalk terminal, which is about the size of a small two-car garage. Another terrific part was the efforts of the station manager, Indria Johnson, to follow-up with Havanatur (Cubana's agent at Nassau) and to arrange for a hotel for the night (at Chalk's expense). Ms. Johnson was professional, charming, and creative...something lacking these days in many consumer-based businesses (as it was sadly lacking at the origin of our flight in the United States).
The strangest experience during the foray from St. Petersburg to Cuba and back was at the security station for Chalk in Fort Lauderdale. Using a primitive hand-wanding device, the agent inevitably had to have everyone take off their shoes when the nails set off the wand alarm. The agent then had the lovely task of putting her hand into each of the hot and sweaty shoes to seek out weapons. I couldn't help but note that even the pilots of our flight were wanded, and their shoes also failed the electronic test. The most absurd part of the process came when a mother with infant was forced to drink some of the infant's formula to prove it wasn't a chemical weapon of some sort...a Molotov Gerber cocktail?
The plane to Havana— a vintage Russian propjet without an empty seat—left on schedule. While waiting to board, we met a number of American Cuba-bound travelers who were headed to the resort town of Varadero on a charter jet full of church people from across the United States. They said the group was licensed for travel as they were carrying humanitarian aid, mostly in the form of medical supplies. Strange though that they were going to stay at a resort area...
I also met a store owner from Key West, who makes trips every few months to bring back Cuban art. He's licensed for the travel, and U.S. laws are not allowed to restrict the importation of "informational materials" (including books, charts, music, art, etc.) from Cuba.
Despite some concerns about customs—I was bringing things like aspirin and Band-Aids to a family near Havana—the Cuban officials waved us through. A speedy 30-minute cab trip took us through industrial and suburban sections south of Havana before arriving at our gorgeous old hotel in Habana Viejo (Old Havana).
 Pedestrian-only streets abound in Old Havana
Hostal San Miguel was elegant, clean, small (less than 20 rooms, I suspect), and a perfect introduction to the Havana night. Most of the rooms offer balconies facing El Morro and the Malecon. We spent the better part of the evening sipping mojitos while talking baseball with the bartender, night manager, and a friend of theirs who knew more about the game and the American players than the rest of us combined.
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Havana offers the traveler any number of styles and locations to meet the accommodation needs. Prices range upwards to $200 for the most popular tourist hotels like Hotel Nacional, but modest rooms are readily available for $50—and less for "bed and breakfast" lodging in private homes.
The lost day in Nassau cancelled our plans to do some research at Cayo Largo on the south coast, but it also allowed more time for exploring Havana.
We'd seen the Museum of the Revolution and El Morro on previous visits so the new National Fine Art Museum—only recently reopened after refurbishing—filled the day. Housed in two buildings two blocks apart, the international sections were as much a surprise as my first visit to Cuba itself. Renowned artists from Europe, Asia, and the United States—covering a period of several hundred years or more—graced the walls. Even an art dummy like myself could appreciate the collection and recognize some of the names. There were other galleries filled with statues and artifacts from ancient Greece, Egypt, and the Roman era.
A second building housed the Cuban art treasures, but by the time I was halfway through the galleries, I had used up my art appreciation for the year. It was hard not to notice the mood changes evident in the works as the Cuban people have suffered through political and economic hardships for much of their history.
Quiet time in the lobby of Conde de Villanueva ‹ built in 1782 and now a modest hotel in Old Havana.
It's not possible in this brief space to do justice to the experience of touring Habana Viejo on foot, by horse-drawn cab, or more conventional air-conditioned taxi. Cuba's history dates back long before Columbus "discovered" the island, but the Spanish rule is evident in the magnificent but tired architecture. A week in the city would only whet your appetite for more time exploring and more time spent with the openly friendly people. If you start feeling shaky without your Internet fix, access is available in street-side kiosks—$2 for 15 minutes. The opportunities for extended travel throughout Cuba are limited only by your time and budget.
So what does this trip cost? The fare from Florida to Nassau runs about $200 round trip. Nassau to Havana and return is less than $200. The cost to fly directly from Miami is less but open only to those licensed in some form by our Treasury Department. Alternative routes to Cuba through Mexico and the Caribbean are generally more expensive than the Nassau connection.
A search on the Internet for "Cuba travel" will bring up more than 800,000 sources, but the first page will provide more than enough Web sites to get you started. I used www.cubalinda.com and was pleased with their services. The site also offers information for U.S. citizens who travel to Cuba and subsequently receive "queries" from the Treasury Department.
If you want to see the regulations which allow (and restrict) travel to Cuba, check out www.treas.gov/ofac. There are numerous exceptions, which allow Americans to go to Cuba legally. There are also informal groups going to Cuba, arranged by Global Exchange and other not-for-profit organizations. Those trips are licensed and legal in every way (but expensive).
Travel to Cuba via boat may be less expensive (if you already have a boat, or access to one), but the logistics open the trip up to Treasury Department scrutiny. Vessels leaving from Florida (except from the Panhandle...go figure!) must get permission to enter Cuban waters from our USCG. According to the USCG, more than 3,000 such permissions have been granted since 1996. Three requests were denied in the same period.
Vessels leaving the United States from other points (say Texas, for example, or Georgia, or Louisiana) don't need the permission. I guess they don't want to deal with the diehard boaters who would take on a long distance trip. In reality the "security zone" policy is directed at the troublemakers in South Florida, who have repeatedly violated Cuban air space and territorial waters for their own political agendas.
Whether you arrive by air or boat, advance visas are not required. A valid passport is required. Without a U.S. Treasury license or exception of some sort, Americans (and anyone living in the United States) cannot legally spend money in Cuba.
As a footnote to our trip, the return flight to Nassau was aboard a YAK 42, a Soviet-built jetliner similar to the Boeing 727 with some 140 seats and zero legroom. Hey, it's only a 90-minute flight.
We cleared into the Bahamas again at the international airport, then took a taxi to Paradise Island for the next day's flight on Chalk back to Lauderdale. Completing the U.S. Customs card on the flight home, I declared Cuba as a country visited and declared the Cuban rum and coffee I brought back. Customs clearance at the Lauderdale airport amounted to two words, "You're done," and we drove back to St. Petersburg. I don't know if the Treasury Department will be inquiring about my trip at some later date. I'd be happy to tell them about the experience.
Pony rides near the outdoor market give the city folks a feel for the country The revolution lives on... A statue of Christ overlooks Havana Harbor Quiet time in the lobby of Conde de Villanueva — built in 1782 and now a modest hotel in Old Havana Pedestrian-only streets abound in Old Havana Hostal San Miguel faces the Malecon and El Morro |