Just got back from Cuba and felt I should warn anyone who plans to go there about the dangers (apart from the embargo issues) of entering marina Hemingway channel. In the few months we were there, at least half a dozen boats went on the reef and were given large towing bills and faced big fines from the Cuban government. The channel is only about a 100 feet wide with reefs on both sides. The one on the starboard (entering) side is only about two feet under the water. Problem is the first two red bouys were destroyed in a hurricane and have not been replaced. There is only two green poles which a lot of experienced cruisers think are a red and green and go between them with disastous results. You should proceed from the outer sea bouy on a bearing of 140* True and keep the green poles about 20 feet off your port until you get past the island then make a 90 degree turn to port into the clearance dock. Anyone going there should complan to the marina about having the red bouys replaced.
Marina Hemingway Cuba dangerous channel
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Cuba Restrictions?
I thought I read somewhere that Americans were not allowed to sail their boats to Cuba and if they do get there, not allowed to spend any money. I heard of boats being confiscated and large fines levied by the U.S. Government when you get back into U.S. waters. Anyone know the real skinny on sailing to Cuba???
I thought I read somewhere that Americans were not allowed to sail their boats to Cuba and if they do get there, not allowed to spend any money. I heard of boats being confiscated and large fines levied by the U.S. Government when you get back into U.S. waters. Anyone know the real skinny on sailing to Cuba???
Visit Cuba at your peril
For sure it is out of bounds for Americans. You will get in serious trouble with Homeland Security on your return. There was a very interesting news story about six weeks ago concerning a Canadian who lost a large power boat 3 or 4 miles off Cuba in a storm in March. If I recall, it was a professional devilvery of the boat to Florida from somewhere in the Caribbean. When the boat started to break up, he ran for the Cuban coast and radioed for help. He was rescued by Cuban Coast Guard and promptly thrown in jail for illegal entry. After work by the Canadian consulate he was put under house arrest for several weeks in a Havana hotel until he posted a bond for the clean up and salvage of the wreck, and I think, the costs of the rescue. There are lots of islands to visit. Why tempt fate (or this evil totalitarian government)?
For sure it is out of bounds for Americans. You will get in serious trouble with Homeland Security on your return. There was a very interesting news story about six weeks ago concerning a Canadian who lost a large power boat 3 or 4 miles off Cuba in a storm in March. If I recall, it was a professional devilvery of the boat to Florida from somewhere in the Caribbean. When the boat started to break up, he ran for the Cuban coast and radioed for help. He was rescued by Cuban Coast Guard and promptly thrown in jail for illegal entry. After work by the Canadian consulate he was put under house arrest for several weeks in a Havana hotel until he posted a bond for the clean up and salvage of the wreck, and I think, the costs of the rescue. There are lots of islands to visit. Why tempt fate (or this evil totalitarian government)?
Because its
beautiful and so are the people. Once the embargo is dropped and the US recognizes Cuba and allows you to visit it will never be the same again. Probably turn into another Key-West. Actually lots of Americans go there. I believe your Helms-Berton law just prevents you from spending money there which is of course impossible. I talked to one American who actually admitted to US Customs that he sailed back from Cuba. Later the government tried to fine him $7000. On the advice of some organization that is fighting the embargo, he ignored them. A few months later the government lowered the fine to $1000. Again he ignored it and finally they dropped the charges all together. Evidently the government is afraid to actually go to court and lose so they just intimidate offendors but don't back it up.
beautiful and so are the people. Once the embargo is dropped and the US recognizes Cuba and allows you to visit it will never be the same again. Probably turn into another Key-West. Actually lots of Americans go there. I believe your Helms-Berton law just prevents you from spending money there which is of course impossible. I talked to one American who actually admitted to US Customs that he sailed back from Cuba. Later the government tried to fine him $7000. On the advice of some organization that is fighting the embargo, he ignored them. A few months later the government lowered the fine to $1000. Again he ignored it and finally they dropped the charges all together. Evidently the government is afraid to actually go to court and lose so they just intimidate offendors but don't back it up.
Maybe the people are nicer than the Government
Doesn't sound so friendly to me. Canadian yacht sinks off Cuba, boaters held Published: Sun February 26, 2006 By: Publisher in Cuba Travel > Individual Journeys Tools: Tell-a-Friend | Email this author | This is Del.icio.us | Add to Yahoo! MyWeb Mary Vallis | National Post Stranded on the ocean on a life raft in the middle of a stormy night, wearing only a T-shirt and swimsuit after watching the US$2.5-million luxury yacht he captained sink, Rob Aitchison thought he had reached his lowest ebb. He had even lost his shoes. He was wrong. The raft washed up on Caya Coco, a tourist island off Cuba’s northern shore, near dawn. Mr. Aitchison, his wife, Kelly, and two crew members—all from Ontario—were whisked eight hours away to Havana in a paddy wagon, locked up in an immigration facility and questioned about illegally entering Cuba. Twelve days later, the Aitchisons are still stranded in Havana: Cuban authorities have seized their passports and are refusing to let them leave the country. “This is a country of contrasts,” Mr. Aitchison, a Canadian Coast Guard officer, said in an interview from his hotel room in Havana yesterday. “On the one hand, it’s very nice. On the other hand, it’s just so unforgiving, and we’re stuck.” The saga began in the Virgin Islands on Feb. 8, when the Aitchisons met Aubrey Billard, an engineer with the Canadian Coast Guard, and Jim Beatty, an advertising executive with the National Post. The foursome planned to sail the Downtown—a 25-metre, custom-designed “maxi yacht”—to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from St. Martin. The Downtown is registered in Canada and owned by Luigi Boschin, a retired Canadian businessman who hosts a radio show in China. As the Downtown sailed past Cuba on Feb. 12, the vessel hit a storm with three-metre waves and began filling with water. Mr. Beatty and Mr. Billard searched for the leak but couldn’t find it. Mr. Aitchison, the captain, sent out maydays as it got dark and one engine failed. The crew made contact with a nearby ship, but Mr. Aitchison was not ready to abandon the Downtown. Instead, the crew guided the yacht toward the nearest land—Cuba. The Canadian Coast Guard alerted the Cuban coast guard. The crew was even in contact with the Canadian embassy in Cuba before they abandoned ship. “It’s the black of night. We’re in a gale. The seas are big,” Mr. Beatty said yesterday. “There’s a lot of motion in the yacht. Doors are opening up; things are spilling out of cupboards.” After realizing the boat would sink, the Canadian crew of four kept calm while trying to radio for help. Mr. Beatty collected his luggage and shaved with his electric razor. To lighten the mood, he joked with Mr. Billard that it was sure to be a long night. The crew lost their last engine and dropped anchor about three kilometres off Caya Coco, so close they could see lights twinkling on shore. The Canadians lit flares to help local authorities pinpoint their location and decided not to abandon the Downtown in life rafts until the boat capsized or sank away beneath them. Around 4:30 a.m., hours after their first mayday, the Downtown finally rolled over and the crew—in two small boats tethered together—dropped into the water. Before long, the Aitchisons piled into the other crew members’ motorized boat and cut their dinghy free. Reaching the beach, the survivors were greeted by a crowd of locals who had seen their flares and about 15 Cuban officials who flashed lights to help guide them. The crew were taken to a medical clinic for treatment. Mr. Aitchison had taken a bad fall and badly bruised his left hip. The next morning, they returned to the beach. Wreckage from the Downtown stretched for six kilometres, but the yacht was still visible. “There were waves washing over it,” Mr. Beatty said. “It was this great big groaning, moaning, dying beast.... It was like watching a creature die. It was terrible to watch.” Mr. Aitchison found his canvas shoes in the abandoned dinghy, which had washed up on shore. Cuban officials then took the Canadians to an immigration centre in Havana, where they were briefly held in lockup until local officials understood their plight. A representative from the Canadian embassy soon arrived and helped them check into a hotel. They have been working to help resolve the case ever since. The group have nothing but praise for the way the locals and Canadian embassy officials have handled their case. But Mr. Boschin, the yacht’s owner, insists Canadian officials should have done more to help his crew. “It is just unfair that people that were in an emergency are being held hostages,” he said from Switzerland yesterday. “We live in a world where you should be able to come and go unless you have committed a crime, and they have not committed a crime. [Mr. Aitchison] did the best he could for the vessel. He saved the lives of people on board. If it wasn’t him being a captain and having the training of the Canadian Coast Guard, this boat would have been lost at sea and we would never know what happened.” Mr. Beatty and Mr. Billard have returned home, but not without their own share of problems. After Cuban authorities escorted them to the airport, they had cleared airport security and were about to board a flight to Toronto, local authorities reappeared and took them back to the immigration centre in Havana for more statements. They were eventually released. The Aitchisons say Cuban immigration officials have also cleared them to leave the country. But the Cuban Coast Guard is insisting it have written authorization from the insurance company, assuring them the cost of cleaning up the wreckage is covered, before the captain will be allowed to leave. “It’s a dollar issue,” Ms. Aitchison said yesterday. “They want to make sure somebody is going to pay for it, and they’re holding us as the guarantee that somebody will take care of that.” The boat is insured with Lloyd’s of London, but the company has been reluctant to commit to the cleanup of the wreck, Mr. Boschin said. The vessel does not have coverage in Cuban waters, but the incident began in international waters, he explained. Pamela Greenwell, a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa, said Cuban authorities will prevent the Aitchisons from leaving Cuba until “the insurance company or the owner give assurances to local officials that a process is underway ... to clean up or salvage the sunken vessel.” A meeting between the insurance company and Cuban officials is expected to take place today. Despite the setbacks, Mr. Aitchison expects he and his wife will return to their home in Kingston, Ont., early next week. The Aitchisons say they are under virtual “house arrest” at their hotel because it is not safe to venture out without their passports. It took Mr. Aitchison an hour to buy shorts in the hotel without his identification, his wife said. “I’m calm. I would really like to get home and see a Canadian doctor,” said Mr. Aitchison, who thanked his crew for the way they handled the affair. “But my wife and I, we’re handling it. There are worse prisons to be in.”
Doesn't sound so friendly to me. Canadian yacht sinks off Cuba, boaters held Published: Sun February 26, 2006 By: Publisher in Cuba Travel > Individual Journeys Tools: Tell-a-Friend | Email this author | This is Del.icio.us | Add to Yahoo! MyWeb Mary Vallis | National Post Stranded on the ocean on a life raft in the middle of a stormy night, wearing only a T-shirt and swimsuit after watching the US$2.5-million luxury yacht he captained sink, Rob Aitchison thought he had reached his lowest ebb. He had even lost his shoes. He was wrong. The raft washed up on Caya Coco, a tourist island off Cuba’s northern shore, near dawn. Mr. Aitchison, his wife, Kelly, and two crew members—all from Ontario—were whisked eight hours away to Havana in a paddy wagon, locked up in an immigration facility and questioned about illegally entering Cuba. Twelve days later, the Aitchisons are still stranded in Havana: Cuban authorities have seized their passports and are refusing to let them leave the country. “This is a country of contrasts,” Mr. Aitchison, a Canadian Coast Guard officer, said in an interview from his hotel room in Havana yesterday. “On the one hand, it’s very nice. On the other hand, it’s just so unforgiving, and we’re stuck.” The saga began in the Virgin Islands on Feb. 8, when the Aitchisons met Aubrey Billard, an engineer with the Canadian Coast Guard, and Jim Beatty, an advertising executive with the National Post. The foursome planned to sail the Downtown—a 25-metre, custom-designed “maxi yacht”—to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from St. Martin. The Downtown is registered in Canada and owned by Luigi Boschin, a retired Canadian businessman who hosts a radio show in China. As the Downtown sailed past Cuba on Feb. 12, the vessel hit a storm with three-metre waves and began filling with water. Mr. Beatty and Mr. Billard searched for the leak but couldn’t find it. Mr. Aitchison, the captain, sent out maydays as it got dark and one engine failed. The crew made contact with a nearby ship, but Mr. Aitchison was not ready to abandon the Downtown. Instead, the crew guided the yacht toward the nearest land—Cuba. The Canadian Coast Guard alerted the Cuban coast guard. The crew was even in contact with the Canadian embassy in Cuba before they abandoned ship. “It’s the black of night. We’re in a gale. The seas are big,” Mr. Beatty said yesterday. “There’s a lot of motion in the yacht. Doors are opening up; things are spilling out of cupboards.” After realizing the boat would sink, the Canadian crew of four kept calm while trying to radio for help. Mr. Beatty collected his luggage and shaved with his electric razor. To lighten the mood, he joked with Mr. Billard that it was sure to be a long night. The crew lost their last engine and dropped anchor about three kilometres off Caya Coco, so close they could see lights twinkling on shore. The Canadians lit flares to help local authorities pinpoint their location and decided not to abandon the Downtown in life rafts until the boat capsized or sank away beneath them. Around 4:30 a.m., hours after their first mayday, the Downtown finally rolled over and the crew—in two small boats tethered together—dropped into the water. Before long, the Aitchisons piled into the other crew members’ motorized boat and cut their dinghy free. Reaching the beach, the survivors were greeted by a crowd of locals who had seen their flares and about 15 Cuban officials who flashed lights to help guide them. The crew were taken to a medical clinic for treatment. Mr. Aitchison had taken a bad fall and badly bruised his left hip. The next morning, they returned to the beach. Wreckage from the Downtown stretched for six kilometres, but the yacht was still visible. “There were waves washing over it,” Mr. Beatty said. “It was this great big groaning, moaning, dying beast.... It was like watching a creature die. It was terrible to watch.” Mr. Aitchison found his canvas shoes in the abandoned dinghy, which had washed up on shore. Cuban officials then took the Canadians to an immigration centre in Havana, where they were briefly held in lockup until local officials understood their plight. A representative from the Canadian embassy soon arrived and helped them check into a hotel. They have been working to help resolve the case ever since. The group have nothing but praise for the way the locals and Canadian embassy officials have handled their case. But Mr. Boschin, the yacht’s owner, insists Canadian officials should have done more to help his crew. “It is just unfair that people that were in an emergency are being held hostages,” he said from Switzerland yesterday. “We live in a world where you should be able to come and go unless you have committed a crime, and they have not committed a crime. [Mr. Aitchison] did the best he could for the vessel. He saved the lives of people on board. If it wasn’t him being a captain and having the training of the Canadian Coast Guard, this boat would have been lost at sea and we would never know what happened.” Mr. Beatty and Mr. Billard have returned home, but not without their own share of problems. After Cuban authorities escorted them to the airport, they had cleared airport security and were about to board a flight to Toronto, local authorities reappeared and took them back to the immigration centre in Havana for more statements. They were eventually released. The Aitchisons say Cuban immigration officials have also cleared them to leave the country. But the Cuban Coast Guard is insisting it have written authorization from the insurance company, assuring them the cost of cleaning up the wreckage is covered, before the captain will be allowed to leave. “It’s a dollar issue,” Ms. Aitchison said yesterday. “They want to make sure somebody is going to pay for it, and they’re holding us as the guarantee that somebody will take care of that.” The boat is insured with Lloyd’s of London, but the company has been reluctant to commit to the cleanup of the wreck, Mr. Boschin said. The vessel does not have coverage in Cuban waters, but the incident began in international waters, he explained. Pamela Greenwell, a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa, said Cuban authorities will prevent the Aitchisons from leaving Cuba until “the insurance company or the owner give assurances to local officials that a process is underway ... to clean up or salvage the sunken vessel.” A meeting between the insurance company and Cuban officials is expected to take place today. Despite the setbacks, Mr. Aitchison expects he and his wife will return to their home in Kingston, Ont., early next week. The Aitchisons say they are under virtual “house arrest” at their hotel because it is not safe to venture out without their passports. It took Mr. Aitchison an hour to buy shorts in the hotel without his identification, his wife said. “I’m calm. I would really like to get home and see a Canadian doctor,” said Mr. Aitchison, who thanked his crew for the way they handled the affair. “But my wife and I, we’re handling it. There are worse prisons to be in.”
Interesting. After reading the article ....
David posted, it doesn’t sound like they are out to get your money. It just sounded like they wanted to make sure someone pays to clean it up. I don’t think that is too much to ask. I am thinking of an analogy here. If I was very poor, but also very friendly by the way, and someone drives a car onto my property and breaks down, then falls apart. It doesn’t matter if it is an expensive Porsche, or a cheap Yugo, I am damn sure gonna make certain he cleans up the mess, or pays to clean up the mess, before he leaves my property. For all I know, the driver may promise he will pay to have it cleaned up, but once he leaves my property, he may just skip town and never be heard from again. Then I am stuck with a broken car in my front yard, and I have no money to get it cleaned up. Yes, the car’s insurance company may pay for it, but the car’s owner and insurance company are arguing who should be paying for it. Now, I am not on the Cuba’s side, or anybody’s side. I am just looking at the situation, and trying to make some common sense explanation out of it. Now, back to Cuba cruising. I have never been there, but I have heard it is a terrific cruising ground, and friendly people. Of course, there are many places like that. I think any place where it hasn’t been too well traveled by tourists, or contaminated by tourists, are probably very similar. Like some of the out of the way coastal fishing villages in Central or South America. Hmmmm………… come to think of it, there are some fishing villages in out of the way Canadian coast that are very similar, but sure wish it was warmer though, or more tropical. Oh well. Brrrr………….. now, where is my goose down coat, and my fleece underware, gloves, wool hat, my fuzzy booties....;d
David posted, it doesn’t sound like they are out to get your money. It just sounded like they wanted to make sure someone pays to clean it up. I don’t think that is too much to ask. I am thinking of an analogy here. If I was very poor, but also very friendly by the way, and someone drives a car onto my property and breaks down, then falls apart. It doesn’t matter if it is an expensive Porsche, or a cheap Yugo, I am damn sure gonna make certain he cleans up the mess, or pays to clean up the mess, before he leaves my property. For all I know, the driver may promise he will pay to have it cleaned up, but once he leaves my property, he may just skip town and never be heard from again. Then I am stuck with a broken car in my front yard, and I have no money to get it cleaned up. Yes, the car’s insurance company may pay for it, but the car’s owner and insurance company are arguing who should be paying for it. Now, I am not on the Cuba’s side, or anybody’s side. I am just looking at the situation, and trying to make some common sense explanation out of it. Now, back to Cuba cruising. I have never been there, but I have heard it is a terrific cruising ground, and friendly people. Of course, there are many places like that. I think any place where it hasn’t been too well traveled by tourists, or contaminated by tourists, are probably very similar. Like some of the out of the way coastal fishing villages in Central or South America. Hmmmm………… come to think of it, there are some fishing villages in out of the way Canadian coast that are very similar, but sure wish it was warmer though, or more tropical. Oh well. Brrrr………….. now, where is my goose down coat, and my fleece underware, gloves, wool hat, my fuzzy booties....;d
Terrorist State
THE USA CONSIDERS CUBA A TERROIST STATE. CUBA SUPPORTS IRAN AND OTHER COUNTRIES THAT ARE A THREAT TO USA. THEY ALSO VIOLATE BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS! GOOD BLESS AMERICA FOR THE FREEDOMS WE ALL ENJOY.
THE USA CONSIDERS CUBA A TERROIST STATE. CUBA SUPPORTS IRAN AND OTHER COUNTRIES THAT ARE A THREAT TO USA. THEY ALSO VIOLATE BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS! GOOD BLESS AMERICA FOR THE FREEDOMS WE ALL ENJOY.
JC, don't confuse the land and it's people with
other countries. It has a problem. Its GOVERNMENT!
other countries. It has a problem. Its GOVERNMENT!
Wake up
Everyone in USA was taught to be totally pissed at Cuba... What did they ever do? They kicked us out because they were sick and tired of the USA using their country like a toilet. It was basically a whore house for our elected officials and ultra rich sport-abouts. So after they kicked us out we decided to starve them with embargo. They had no choice but to turn to USSR for help. Nationalistic flag waving by people who are ignorant of history really pisses me off!
Everyone in USA was taught to be totally pissed at Cuba... What did they ever do? They kicked us out because they were sick and tired of the USA using their country like a toilet. It was basically a whore house for our elected officials and ultra rich sport-abouts. So after they kicked us out we decided to starve them with embargo. They had no choice but to turn to USSR for help. Nationalistic flag waving by people who are ignorant of history really pisses me off!
No Axe to grind up here
Alex, there is no Canadian embargo of Cuba, we have a big tourist trade going there, and I personally have no axe to grind. However, it is a totalitarian state ruled by a ruthless dictator who imprisons journalists and anyone who dares to question his authority. At the same time, Cuba has higher literacy and probably better medical care than almost any other place in the Caribbean basin. This is a country in desperate need of a regime change, which we can only hope will happen when Fidel (finally) kicks the bucket. In the meantime, my only point on this thread was that you should think carefully before taking your boat, and the investment it represents, to a country where property is considered theft and the rich (that would be you) are by definition criminals.
Alex, there is no Canadian embargo of Cuba, we have a big tourist trade going there, and I personally have no axe to grind. However, it is a totalitarian state ruled by a ruthless dictator who imprisons journalists and anyone who dares to question his authority. At the same time, Cuba has higher literacy and probably better medical care than almost any other place in the Caribbean basin. This is a country in desperate need of a regime change, which we can only hope will happen when Fidel (finally) kicks the bucket. In the meantime, my only point on this thread was that you should think carefully before taking your boat, and the investment it represents, to a country where property is considered theft and the rich (that would be you) are by definition criminals.
P off with the people
I totally agreed with Alex of S.F. If Cuba (or N. Korea) has oil, I am sure someone can make up a fake WMD and get in there. The people, soldiers, and buracrates are all just doing the job. It's the CIC who decide who will be the bad guys. Can we just leave this nice forum to sailing? There are many political forum to voice your beef.
I totally agreed with Alex of S.F. If Cuba (or N. Korea) has oil, I am sure someone can make up a fake WMD and get in there. The people, soldiers, and buracrates are all just doing the job. It's the CIC who decide who will be the bad guys. Can we just leave this nice forum to sailing? There are many political forum to voice your beef.
Sorry
I shouldn't be expressing this kind of anger on a sailing website... I just get really tired of my countrymen waving their flag at every opportunity while we, The USA, go about screwing up the rest of the planet and actually try to convince the rest of the world that we are doing it for their good not ours. Okay... I will stop.
I shouldn't be expressing this kind of anger on a sailing website... I just get really tired of my countrymen waving their flag at every opportunity while we, The USA, go about screwing up the rest of the planet and actually try to convince the rest of the world that we are doing it for their good not ours. Okay... I will stop.
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