Day 1 On the Way To Cuba!
By Jon A. Siewers
Our
first article, published in January, 2016, at Telltale Magazine, and published last week here on the blog (below), related to the
requirements of going to Cuba by boat.
This article, I am passing on our adventures of sailing across the 112
nautical miles from Key West to Marina Hemingway, outside and west of Havana,
Cuba. Next month, Renne’ will be
submitting her article on her adventures while presenting to primary schools in
Cuba with our friends, Barbara and Doug Schindler.
It
was an adventure just getting ready to cross!
Renne’ and I have been cruising on and off, based in Key West, for five
years. The issue today is the fact we
haven’t really sailed much on JonNe’, our sailboat, in the past year. The other reasons; family, other boat
friends, and our continued European adventures with our friends, Doug and Barb
Schindler. Yesterday, we were finally
able to get JonNe’ underway, living the dream all of those boating magazines
talk about, sailing to Cuba. Oh, and
spending our children’s inheritance.
Most of the following repairs were pretty routine. All cruisers spend time while approaching our departure dates ensuring our boats are safe, sound, and sea-worthy.
In preparation for
this crossing, we began with the boat on the hard in a local boat yard, to
change a seacock (shut-off valve) that had broken while we we While we were
out of the water, we decided to paint the bottom of the boat with new copper
infused paint to inhibit the growth of barnacles and vegetative growth. It had been three years, and although it
could have waited a year, we went ahead and completed the bottom job in order
to avoid the expense of hauling JonNe’ out of the water in another year. The zinc’s on the prop shaft and hull were replaced
to prevent galvanic corrosion. We spent
$1,100 for that escapade! What do they
say about BOAT (Bring Out Another Thousand)!
LOL!
re underway north
to Annapolis, Maryland.
Then
the fuel tanks required cleaning.
Our
goal has always been to be totally self-sufficient, except for propane and
diesel fuel. Our water-maker has been on
the fritz, so thinking it was the element that converts salt water to fresh
water, we purchased another on to replace the old one, which had not been used
in a year. Another $450, and that was on
sale!
The
generator was turned on to ensure it was working. The impeller was destroyed, so I cleaned the
torn-up rubber pieces from the heat exchanger hose, and installed a new
impeller. Not that much, maybe $30, as
it is a spare part we carry aboard, and it was in stock. That just means, before our next trip, we will
have to replace the stock missing now.
The batteries appeared to be shot, as the new MasterVolt 100 amp battery charger we installed two years ago, failed last August while we were away from the boat. So before departing for Cuba, I wanted to ensure the batteries held a charge in order to handle hours of load from the refrigerator, freezer, autopilot, radar, and chart plotter, while we were sailing. I pulled two of our four-6volt batteries (85lbs apiece) and drove them down to our “favorite” marine hardware store on Stock Island outside of Key West. The load meter indicated the batteries were still good, so back to the boat we went, hauling the batteries from the car back to the boat, and reinstalled them. We had borrowed the load tester from the store, avoiding having to pull the other two batteries out of their home under our bed in the aft stateroom. They tested good also, so we delivered the tester back to the store, thankful we were spending another $1,900 for new batteries.
Additionally,
I changed the oil in the engine and generator and checked the antifreeze
level. Doug and I replaced the
navigation lights from the old style to new LED’s as well as some of the main
wiring. Unfortunately, with only a day
left before departure, we were able to get our bow lights working, the stern
light remains today, inoperable. Fortunately,
we have a tri-color light on the top of the mast that works well, so we use the
deck-mounted navigation lights as a backup.
($375 more).
Doug and our friend in the slip next to us, Johnnie Poole,
hauled me up the mast to reconnect the random wire antenna for our Single Side
Band (SSB) radio that had come down.
With this last task successfully accomplished, that left a
trip to the grocery store for provisions for two to three weeks. Few Americans have sailed to Cuba in the
whole scope of things, and we weren’t sure what foods and supplies might be
available there. We certainly were aware
that if there were favorite foods we liked to eat, we needed to take those with
us, so off we went to the store. Doug
and I do well shopping together, and we have much experience doing so from our
trips to Europe to sail with Doug and Barb.
I have been on a diet lately, and wanted to ensure we had plenty of
apples and bananas in supply, despite the old mariner’s warning of NEVER
carrying bananas aboard a boat!!
I felt pretty accomplished when we departed the slip with
Barb and Doug on our adventure.
We had previously filed
and received our Coast Guard Application CG-3300 (Application For Permit To
Enter Cuban Territorial Seas) to go to Cuba. I had re-filed just days before
our departure when we discovered we weren’t going to leave on the day we had
applied for initially. We are only
allowed 14 days from our date of departure from South Florida to our date of
return to South Florida. What we found
out later was, applicants have a 72-hour window from the approved date of
departure for weather purposes without re-filing. If you submit your application (CG-3300), but
change your crew, then you are required to re-file your application regardless. A friend inquired, if you delay your
departure, does the Coast Guard allow you to modify your stay on the back end
of your trip so you can enjoy the full 14 days.
I asked, and the answer was, “Yes”.
The changes were all down to the wire, but we left Key West with our
paperwork intact by email, and printed in hard copy to share with our
destination Customs Officials.
Things you might want to look into
before departing:
1)
Contact the Cuban marina, by email, to reserve
your slip. They probably won’t answer,
but that does not mean they did not receive it, nor that they aren’t expecting
you.
2)
Create a crew-list of who is on your crew,
passport #’s, birth dates, and crew position.
3)
Notify the Coast Guard on Channel 16 upon your
departure with your authorization number and your intended destination.
4)
File a Float Plan with a relative, as well as
signing up for the Local Boater’s Option card through the U.S. Customs and
Border Protection Service.
Our Departure
At 1000 Monday morning, we departed the slip at our marina
in Key West, headed south for the northern coast of Cuba. We hadn’t even left our departure channel, a
mile from the marina, when the engine shut down. I couldn’t believe it! I opened the engine compartment, knowing it
was the center fuel tank that kept clogging that was causing the problem. I know I was going to have to quickly change
the tank we were drawing from quickly to avoid being blown into the shallows
adjacent to the channel. With Renne’ at
the helm, Barb and Doug set the jib and staysail to keep us moving in a
positive direction. I had my own job to
contend with. I immediately noticed the
lack of sound coming from the external fuel pump. Thinking it was an electrical problem, I
began troubleshooting with a voltage meter to find the problem. 45 minutes later, I found a simple solution
to a simple problem. The lead wire for
the pump had become disconnected, and I was able to resolve that issue. The pump came on and the engine started with
no effort. We were sailing, and pulling into
the wind, we raised the main, fell off to a port broad reach with 16 knots of
wind off our aft quarter.
We secured the engine and anticipated 20 hours of pure
sailing. We weren’t even over the reef
on our way to deep water, when Renne’ informed me the autopilot had shut down
unexpectedly. She was now sailing the
boat manually. Hmmm! I immediately dropped down below, expecting
the battery charge to be well over 12.5 volts.
Instead, they registered less than 12 volts. 5
minutes later, the chart-plotter shut down with all of the support
instruments. The batteries were not
holding up their end of the bargain. I started the engine, and two minutes
later, we were back on line with the autopilot and chart-plotter. As we were making 7.2 knots over the water,
with winds that had risen to 22 knots, I felt the winds were overpowering the
boat, so we reefed the main sail down by a third, and furled in a third of the
high-footed Yankee jib (forward sail).
Within minutes, we made the decision to completely furl the jib in, so
we were making way under staysail, reefed main, and the engine running just
enough to keep the batteries charged. We
were motor-sailing, once again, rather than sailing just under the power of sails. That however, is the plight of cruising on a
sailboat: 50% motoring, 15% sailing, 15%
motor-sailing, and 20% sailing when you should be motoring. That old 85%-15% rule crops up repeatedly
with us on short sail legs!
By
this time, the boat speed had settled in at 5.8-6.2 knots.
Nice ride, out over the reef under Hawk Channel, and now
into deep blue water. Nice rolling
swells, knowing full well, when we hit the Gulf Stream, with easterly winds
against an east flowing current of 2-2.5 knots, we were in for some 3-4 foot
waves, after sunset, against our beam.
We checked out with the Coast Guard, on Channel 16, said goodbye to
other friends who called to wish us well, and
wondered about how soon we would hit the current.
Our initial route took us out on a heading of 214 degrees
southwest, so we were expecting waves on our port all the way to Cuba.
Renne’ complained of a diesel smell emanating from the
engine room. I checked the fuel
connections and couldn’t immediately find the source of the smell. We opened the windows and hatches and had no
problem after that, or so we thought.
The engine ran smoothly the entire way across. Night fell at about 1845 (6:45pm). Sundown
was beautiful. Light patch clouds, with
winds still spritely blowing 18-21 knots.
Renne’ and I have always put the following axiom into practice: Reef EARLY, reef ALOT before nightfall. It is a practice that has never failed
us. We might loose some time with slower
speeds, but if you aren’t racing, we believe sailors should sail safely when
possible. Getting out on the deck after
dark to shorten your sails doesn’t make sense very often. As the sails had previously been reefed, by
loosening the main sheet a bit, we stabilized the boat, creating a smoother
ride. No additional modifications were
required. The moon rose full and bright.
The waves had built from 3-4 foot to 4-5 foot, which had been forecast and
expected. The timing between each wave
(or period) was 5-6 seconds, so even the tallest wave swept us up and over with
little difficulty or discomfort. We had
been rocking and rolling all day, and any loose items in the boat, which had
not been securely tied down or stowed, had long been taken care of. As this was just an overnight sail, we didn’t
have a formal watch schedule set. Renne’
had prepared a roast chicken soup with mixed vegetables prior to departing the
marina for a hot meal, without having to spend too much time in the
galley. It was a bumpy ride, and we were
permanently healed to starboard, so without her efforts prior to leaving, we
would have been relegated so something cold to eat instead.
Surprisingly, we
really didn’t feel any effect of the Gulf Stream until we were 49 nautical
miles north of the Cuba shoreline. We
had been able to mostly stay on a decent line directly toward our goal without
too much of a heading change. However,
by this point, we were heading 30-35 degrees farther west of our desired
heading and not keeping on course. We
were slipping east more than we wanted.
We knew we could correct for that change as we were approaching the
shoreline, but still, we knew the strength of the current was playing a
significant part in our travels. The
route I had planned was to a waypoint some 12 nautical miles west of the
entrance to Marina Hemingway. A mountain
of clouds covered the moon. By 0100 on
Tuesday, the rain squalls began with Barb and I in the cockpit.
Sunrise came with clear skies again.
The wind clocked around to the forecast 170 degrees, and was
now 60 degrees off our port bow. It was
a nice easy close reach. A call down to
Doug and Renne’ turned into the wind. We
struck the mainsail. Oh, I forgot, while
raising the main initially, I had loosened the leeward lazy jack to allow the
main to rise without obstruction. Not
thinking, I released the line rather than re-securing it to its cleat. That
whole system came down, fortunately, I had a stopper knot in the end of it, and
all we have to do tomorrow, or sometime, is run Renne’ up the mast to retrieve
it. Can you say STUPID?!?!?
We tied down the sails and left the staysail for
stability. Headed directly to the
entrance channel for Marina Hemingway we motored directly into the wind.
The entrance buoy for the channel to the marina is difficult
to see until you are almost on top of it.
There is a specific warning about large waves from the north or
northeast across this channel. This
could seriously be a challenge for both boat and crew.
The channel markers, although well placed
just outside of the channel, are easy to see, but appear a bit less robust than
those we see in the States. One of our
two cruising guides is Nigel Calder’s “Cuba, A Cruising Ground” we consulted
for entrance instructions. His book and
the new Waterway Guide, “Cuba Bound”, both warn of hazardous conditions in bad
waves. You could easily find your boat
up on the entry reef. Check your weather
carefully prior to making the crossing, only to find entry to Marina Hemingway
a difficult and hazardous task.
As it was, our waves were 1 foot and winds were out of the south. A very manageable transit. We were able to enter the channel
easily. Calder’s book, published in
1999, shows the Customs Office prior to making the 90-degree turn toward the
marina. Today, you make the left turn at
the marker at the end of the channel and tie up at the very BLUE official looking building. You
won’t miss the place.
There are cleats on
the bulkhead and plenty of depth.
Check in was pretty painless. The Customs folks speak little or NO
English. The Customs Officer and a female
physician arrived shortly after our arrival.
Prior to boarding, Customs asked for our visas. The Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC does not
issue visas for US citizens entering Cuba.
It took a few minutes to realize what he was asking for, however, when
he understood we had none, he came back with appropriate paperwork and boarded
the boat. Be prepared with your boats
papers and up to date passports for each individual, and as Captain of the boat,
I handled that end of the business. As
he filled out his paperwork, we filled out the visa and customs declaration
forms, and the doctor took our temperatures (with digital, infra-red
thermometers) and asked about our current health issues. The doctor asked to see our heads,
refrigerator, and any filters. We
visited each of our two heads, and I was required to show and demonstrate the
fact the heads were pumping to a holding tank rather than overboard. I showed her our filtering system (three 4” x
10” household filters) for our drinking water and that our
refrigeration/freezer were working properly.
I am not sure what her intentions were had we not had a filter system
aboard, nor could I ask with my limited Spanish vocabulary. With the completion of both inspections, I,
as Captain, signed my life away as I signed both officers paperwork. A new Customs Officer boarded asking for
firearms and flare guns. There were no
firearms, but we do keep three flare guns aboard, which were secured in the bag
they are stored in with special tape identifying them as secured by Customs.
We then entered the
Customs Office, two at a time. We didn’t
realize we were going to have our pictures taken. I hadn’t shaved in three days and Renne’
hadn’t combed her hair. In general, we
were looking pretty tired and unkempt.
Not necessarily the image I wanted to give as Americans entering their
country. But, then who cares! Doug and Barb came in next, and we laughed
when they were caught in the same way!
We eventually received our Despacho Certificate, indicating we were free
to go. Doug had only run the yellow
Quarantine Flag up the starboard messenger line once we arrived at the
dock. Once we had the Despacho, we took
down the “Q” and raised the Cuban flag, with the point of the white star facing
UPWARD!
We were assigned a
slip in the nearest slipway next to the ocean.
We tried to object, however, the Customs Officer was adamant we were to
go there. Renne’ piloted the boat over
to the slipway. I took over to turn the
boat around so we would be facing outbound in the even we needed to leave
unexpectedly for weather. We didn’t want
to have to turn around while others were doing the same. I found the steering difficult to control. Murphy’s Law hit us one more time before
landing. The steering cable came off the
rudder quadrant just as we were making the final turns to bring the boat along
side the quay.
Fortunately, several harbor dock-hands were available to help
us tie up to the quay. An electrician
made the final connection to the power post with our 110 volt/50-amp shore
power cables. It worked well. We were tied up and hooked up quickly.
Two Agricultural Inspectors boarded after securing the
boat. I, as Captain, once again showed
them below decks. No other crewmembers
were allowed below while doing this.
They counted all of our fruits and vegetables and recorded it all. They were ensuring now fresh produce was
being brought into the country to grow.
I was also informed no vegetation was to be thrown out that might
contaminate their country. I was
immediately told, from the other side of the coin, garbage was collected every
morning outside of the boat. With all of
the paperwork completed for them, I was asked to bring my passport and ships
papers to the Harbor Master’s office. I
found the Agricultural Officer and the Harbor Master both fluent in English and
very friendly. I was asked for a tip for
both Agricultural Officers prior to leaving the boat. One of the Cuba guidebook says DON’T, but
four US dollars ended up in each of their hands before leaving the boat.
All in all, it was an
adventurous trip across!! Fortunately
all of the issues that occurred were easily handled while enroute or upon
arrival in Cuba. I had brought all of
the spares required to fix the issues as they came up. It would have been nice if Renne’ and I had
had some time or taken the time to do a dry run thru at an anchorage somewhere
before Doug and Barb arrived, but projects had to be completed. Several paradoxes came to mind: 1) We had to pump to the holding tank, but
there are NO pump-out facilities for your holding tank. So we opened the thru-hull as sailors have
done all over the Caribbean and Europe.
We were bad stewards of the environment, however the marina circulates seawater
well with daily tidal changes, so I was less worried about that. 2) If I can’t dispose of fresh vegetable and
fruit garbage to prevent contamination of the environment, what were we
supposed to do? How do you peel carrots,
apples, potatoes, cucumbers, or seed jalapeno and green/red/yellow/orange
peppers? So any fresh scraps went into the garbage anyway. 3) What if we hadn’t had refrigeration, but
relied on ice? There were no ice options
available. And, 4) What if we had filled
the holding tank? With no pump out
station, would we have been turned around and sent home? Questions, questions, questions! All to be answered at another time!
We are looking forward to our trips around Cuba and our
trips to the schools! We want to learn
all we can! Then looking forward to our
return trip to Key West! On the way
back, though, NO BANANAS!! For now, here
we are, ready to expand our minds!
