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Cuba: Forbidding...Forbidden Preview
11 January 2010 · 5 min · 5K views · Annapolis, Maryland
What this video covers
Wally Moran, a Canadian sailing writer for Sail Magazine and Waterway Guide, presented at the 2009 U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland on cruising to Cuba aboard a private vessel.Watch His route, which he calls the Cubahamas, was designed as a series of day sails requiring only average sailing ability.1:03 The first port of entry on his route was Puerto de Vita, where boarding parties of eight to twelve officials from the Guarda Frontera conduct clearance.2:53 Paperwork at every marina runs to three or four pages, completed in triplicate.3:12 Fuel and water are available throughout Cuba, but most provisioning items are not — sailors must arrive self-sufficient, including toilet paper and personal care items.1:20 Gifts to officials are prohibited and will cause problems; trading clothing, hats, soap, razors, and toothbrushes with Cuban fishermen and locals is common and welcomed.2:37 Recommended navigation resources include Garmin electronic charts, paper charts from Blue Water Charts, and Nigel Calder's Cruising Guide to Cuba.1:52 Vessels cannot be left unattended at anchor; Moran recommends tying at a marina and renting a car or using buses to explore inland.3:25 A grounding incident illustrated the difficulty of arranging a tow, which required authorisation from Havana.2:04 Moran's website cubahamas.com and the November 2009 issue of Sail Magazine carry additional detail.4:12
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