This year I had the opportunity to join the 105-foot classic American yacht Whitehawk for her voyage in Cuba.
For those not familiar with Whitehawk, she is a cold-moulded centre-board ketch drawing 8 feet with board up. Eight feet is deep for Cuba and, in the case of Whitehawk, the propeller is the deepest part of the keel so extra care must be taken to assure its safety. The ample varnish on Whitehawk is positively dazzling. Her port and starboard bronze taffrail dolphins (Benny and Ulysses) gleam against the Caribbean blue water. Her relatively new sails (the rig was completely reconstructed with newly designed sails) are bright white and haul the vessel along at an average clip of 9.5 knots. Hoisting sail and tacking is easy as everything is push button electric…luxury. The beautifully crafted steering pedestal has a large wheel and she is easy to steer…a really sweet ride.
Whitehawk typically winters in Antigua where she races in the spring classics but this year was different. Cuba was in her sights and although they had my Cuba cruising guide the owner felt it best to go right to the source and have me on board to assist the captain with routes, anchorages and weather as well as arrange shore-side activities to get the full Cuban experience.
The emphasis of this post is to bring the reader up-to-date with changes occurring in Cuba now that the relationship with the USA is changing and Americans can legally go to Cuba.
The first thing I noticed was the increased number of yachts both big and small cruising the south coast. Although the big yachts (over 230 ft) were foreign flagged there was no question they were American. The smaller yachts included US flagged vessels but the vast majority were German and French. There is a definite push among Europeans to visit Cuba now in order to see Cuba “before the Americans get there”. As a result, the most commonly used anchorages on the south coast are no longer empty.
With the changing relationship there is a pronounced change in pricing. Costs have shot up. One big increase is the cost of a Tourist Visa for those arriving by boat. Your 1-month visa has gone from $25CuC/person to $75CuC. Marina rates have also been affected. On the north coast, at Varadero, dockage rates have almost tripled and others facilities have gone up about 20 percent (for now). But with the increase in prices there is no improvement to the shower/toilet facilities. The actual slips are no better either. For example, at Marina Hemingway care must be taken due to large obstructions that jut from the cement walls. Docks at the new Marina Gaviota Varadero med-mooring is de rigueur as there is very limited space for side tying. Side tying at this marina is length restricted because the new floating piers have metal protrusions around each piling.
Marina Darsena Varadero is still closed as a Port of Entry. Vessels can only enter this marina if the boat has been in Cuba a minimum of 30 days. I heard prices are going up here too and yet the amenities are still in dreadful condition.
I was surprised to see that some paladars (privately-run restaurants) in Cienfuegos are now charging “a la cart”. this means each additional item – rice, beans, salad etc. are billed in addition to the protein portion of the dinner. In these restaurants the pork started at $14CuC. By checking around, it was possible to find better prices and even some peso paladars.
The number of casa particulars (bed and breakfasts) has dramatically increased. Happily the rates, set by the government, remain the same (for now). In Havana, a room is still $35CuC/night while in the country and small cities the price is $15 to $25. The skyline of Havana looks different these days, too, Tall cranes never seen before are in place to aid with rebuilding and reconstructing old buildings to make new, big hotels. In Vinales (a lovely small town in the western tobacco region) this spring the police had to go door-to-door inquiring if any of the now 700 casas could take in extra guests as 40 tourists were left to sleep in the open in the park. The situation was similar in the high-traffic tourist locations—those within a 4 or 5-hour drive of Havana.
Getting a taxi was another issue. Many drivers only wanted to take the short trips to the standard tourist venues and would greatly overcharge for these trips. I told several travellers that they were overpaying. The retort was that they knew they were being charged more but they didn’t mind. As a result, prices keep climbing—and will until these folks baulk at the price. The reason they don’t mind paying a lot more is because their stay in Cuba is short (on average 7 to 10 days) and everything to them is new and novel and worth the additional cost. This is having adverse affects on the local economy.
Cuban’s running a paladar, taxi or casa as well as those receiving remittance money from Cubans living off-island are paying very high taxes to the government but they have some cash left to spend. The situation, therefore, has called for well-stocked shop shelves as a way for the government to access their remaining dollars. In Havana, there are many more stores as well as chic boutiques. This new retail therapy seems to be a win-win for the government and the Cuban people who have money. Marine supplies and parts are still non-existent so cruisers must arrive in Cuba with all marine essentials.
Last year the Cuban cartography department (GeoCuba) was updating the Cuban chart kits. We actually saw a GeoCuba vessel at Marina Hemingway. While in Cuba this year, I had the chance to look through their 4 new chart kits. They are laid out in the same fashion as the NV-Chart kits for Cuba (regions 10.1, 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4) and I could not find any new details that have not already been incorporated into the NV-Charts. The only difference is that the Cuban kits have added a few pages at the back of each kit with copies of Nigel Caulder’s chart diagrams from his Cuba cruising guide 1997. I do not believe the Cuban chart kits are worth $250USD per kit.
What frustrated me the most this time was the ineptitude of the Guarda Frontera. In the past, the Guarda official, at any given location, could be counted on to show up quite promptly for signing boats in and were even more prompt at the time of check out. This year at Trinidad/Casilda, for example, we waited in the marina compound for hours. The marina security guard would not allow us to leave the compound without having checked in. In the end we gave up hopes of going into Trinidad that day and went back to the boat leaving the captain ashore for the eventual arrival of the official. Part of the problem is that there is no longer a dockmaster or Guarda Frontera on-site at Marina Trinidad. Departing the following day was no better. In the end (after waiting 3 hours) we decided to take the dinghy directly to the Guarda Frontera station at Casilda–this is a total break with protocol but there was little we could do as time was pressing on to make the next anchorage before dark. At the Guarda station there were at least 8 officials milling around (with a jeep) but none of them could find the time or had the inclination to drive 15 minutes to the marina to complete the mandatory check out procedure. We were not the only boat that required checking in/out.
There is good news regarding communication. There is now wifi at most marinas and also in more hotels. Hot spots in the cities are increasing too but the intended use is for locals as they can not have Internet at home. A hot spot is obvious as there is always a large crowd. North American cell phones, particularly those with a Verizon package, where able to make calls from Cuba. Note, however, the calls, both sending and receiving were costly. Check with your provider before going to Cuba as to per minute charges and additional charges.
It was a pleasure to find far few mosquitoes this year compared to all previous years of cruising. There is now a program for fogging to reduce mosquitoes. This program has been brought about by the zika virus which is most pronounced in Brazil.