Cuba in the Near Future?

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What's funny is this news comes on a day when North Korea news is particularly Cold-War-ish. Imagine a day a few Kim-Jongs from now, when it will be said that Pyongyang just got tired of their own crapola and decided to join the human race. It's a tragedy that we are several million starved, tortured, and murdered corpses away from that day.

Pining for The Velvet Revolution news we heard on our TVs 25 years ago...
 
Steve said:
You have to keep in mind many of the early refugees had lands and other possesions confiscated or family members brought to the "paredon" & firing squad for not being in favor of the castro regime.
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Confiscation of land and property is going to be a big issue. Quite a bit of these lands were owned by American citizens or corporations. Many of the individual owners have died off but their families still harbor the claims. Other properties were owned by Cuban families that escaped the the US and they also are now US citizens. They also will want their claims resolved and compensation. Returning the lands to the previous owners is out of the question in most cases and the Cuban government does not have the financial resources to resolve the claims. If relations were normalized, these claims could be brought in the US courts or other international courts. There is also the thorny issue of valuing the properties involved as there has been quite a bit of inflation since the 1950s. IMHO, the US government can not waive the claims of American citizens for the purposes of normalizing relations without providing compensation.

It will be an interesting political and legal drama to see how these claims get resolved.
 
Well I've gone there 3 times and can't wait for the the fourth trip. While the place has changed a lot over the years, it's still like stepping back in time in many ways. And the cruising will be fantastic if rustic at first.

Once you go you realise what a sham the embargo has been. And if you take the time to read up on the history of it, you soon see how it has been perpetuated by Castro, the hard line old school Miami Cubans and both parties of the U.S. government. With the only result of keeping the average Cuban in one or another level of what we would consider poverty.

Castro would have been gone soon after the embargo was lifted. And he knew that. So he did what ever necessary to keep it in place.

It's sad and pathetic that it's taken this long for even these small steps toward normalization to take place.
 
Capt.Bill11 said:
Well I've gone there 3 times and can't wait for the the fourth trip. While the place has changed a lot over the years, it's still like stepping back in time in many ways. And the cruising will be fantastic if rustic at first.

Once you go you realise what a sham the embargo has been. And if you take the time to read up on the history of it, you soon see how it has been perpetuated by Castro, the hard line old school Miami Cubans and both parties of the U.S. government. With the only result of keeping the average Cuban in one or another level of what we would consider poverty.

Castro would have been gone soon after the embargo was lifted. And he knew that. So he did what ever necessary to keep it in place.

It's sad and pathetic that it's taken this long for even these small steps toward normalization to take place.
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Almost to a T my thoughts growing up in st pete tampa bay in the 60s 70s this was a very touchy subject

Cuban friends wanted no negotiations wanted it in place and I felt and still feel

Oh never mind was about to get on a touchy political subject what waas I thinking

lets make another Cuba run
 
Capt.Bill11 said:
Well I've gone there 3 times and can't wait for the the fourth trip. While the place has changed a lot over the years, it's still like stepping back in time in many ways. And the cruising will be fantastic if rustic at first.
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How did you go? Special visa or documentation? Sail in/sail out? American?
 
Capthead,

Care to share the brand of the: Dominican with a Connecticut wrapper?
 
BandB said:
In practical terms, the lifting of the trade embargo will definitely benefit South Florida businesses.
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Except that the trade embargo has not been lifted. Doing that will require an act of Congress, and they haven't exactly been giving Obama everything he wants these days.

At this point this is mostly just a symbolic gesture. We will have an embassy there and they will have one here. If you have close family in Cuba you will be able to send them a little more money each year. If you want to travel to Cuba you still have to fit into one of the approved categories, and you still have to document that fact, but you don't have to actually receive a license from the State Department before going. That's it. That's the sum total of the changes.

The economic embargo is still in place. You still cannot travel there as a tourist. It is still illegal to import Cuban goods. All just as it has been.

Still, as symbolic gestures go, I think this is a good one, and an important first step. Long over-due, but better late than never. As far as when we might expect to see some real, meaningful changes coming out of Congress... I'd be willing to bet the answer is, not before the 2016 elections.
 
I thought I saw educational seminars on the allowed list of approved travel purposes. I'm going to start an educational seminar on teaching families, young or old, traditional or otherwise, how to travel appropriately to and from Cuba. Of course the setting will be a beach front cabana or moorage facility.
 
Boatpoker-unfortunately, all the travel/leisure industry companies are now just drooling to get in to Cuba.

I did read one interesting take last night from a Cuban scholar here in the States. His position was that this will remove the major excuse the Cuban government has for the sad state of the economy in Cuba-Fidel & Co have blamed all their economic issues on the embargo for years. This removes that excuse and will let the Cuban people discover that it is their government that is the cause. He felt that the Castro regime will not be able to stand on its own. He noted that the huge drop on oil prices and the political turmoil in Venezuela is already cutting supplies and raising prices to the government and will continue to do so.

The next several years will be pretty interesting for Cuba.
 
THD said:
Boatpoker-unfortunately, all the travel/leisure industry companies are now just drooling to get in to Cuba...
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You should say US travel/leisure ... are just drooling. It's pretty much the US who can't/won't do business in Cuba. There are lots of high end resorts all over Cuba already. :) CA and EU citizens have no restriction on traveling to Cuba as far as I know.

30 Best Cuba All Inclusive Resorts on TripAdvisor – Prices & Reviews of the Top 30 All Inclusive Resorts in Cuba
 
BandB said:
Wifey B: No Tom Bodett? I like the dude, but never have stayed in a Motel 6.
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Former CEO of Cisco once said, "If you can't see your car from your hotel room, you paid too much."
 
boatpoker said:
Along with McDonalds, Water parks, Disney, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Motel 6, Wendy's et al.
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I think that is going to be the pre-condition of any financial aid to the country.

The only thing one can hope for is that it will be somewhat curbed like Puerto Vallarta in Mexico.

To them it will probably be a good thing, to us ... not so much.
 
Larry M said:
You should say US travel/leisure ... are just drooling. It's pretty much the US who can't/won't do business in Cuba. There are lots of high end resorts all over Cuba already. :) CA and EU citizens have no restriction on traveling to Cuba as far as I know.

30 Best Cuba All Inclusive Resorts on TripAdvisor – Prices & Reviews of the Top 30 All Inclusive Resorts in Cuba
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Correct, Cuba is old news for Canucks ... Mexico is better :)


Only Americans have travel restrictions.
 
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THD said:
I did read one interesting take last night from a Cuban scholar here in the States. His position was that this will remove the major excuse the Cuban government has for the sad state of the economy...
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He can't be much of a scholar. In fact, "this" does nothing of the sort. Not even close. The economic embargo has NOT been lifted. Lifting the economic embargo is something that the President cannot do. Congress must do that. And so far they have shown no indication that they will.

The economic embargo is still in place, and Americans are still only allowed to travel to Cuba for specific, approved reasons.
 
I wonder how this will effect the Bahamian economy as/when travel restrictions lift. It will also make so many more destinations, previously unreachable by most of our trawlers, available.
 
You want to deprive Cubans of American culture?
 
DenverDon-the guy was speaking about the lifting of the embargo. His feeling was that the embargo would be lifted aned that it would not take all that long for it to happen. I agree that it is up in the air at this point, but it is going to be interesting to see how it plays out.
 
Ben said:
How did you go? Special visa or documentation? Sail in/sail out? American?
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American. Sailed in and out on the Cuban sponsored Sarasota Fl. to Havana regatta. Flew in sailed out and sailed in flew out after that. Cleared US customs back in each time.
 
Capt.Bill11 said:
American. Sailed in and out on the Cuban sponsored Sarasota Fl. to Havana regatta. Flew in sailed out and sailed in flew out after that. Cleared US customs back in each time.
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Also, just for the record, over 100,000 Americans per year go to Cuba. It's not that rare in certain parts of the country.
 
THD said:
His feeling was that the embargo would be lifted aned that it would not take all that long for it to happen.
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I'm sure that it will be, eventually. As for how long it will take, that remains to be seen.

I will be absolutely shocked if Congress does anything about it as long as Obama is in the White House. That means at least two years. Even then, it would not surprise me if, six years from now, we are still talking about when it might happen.

But, we'll see.
 
img_292077_0_e155ab097622cb0d63156c14fd965ccc.jpg
 
My wife and I went to Cuba twice in the sailboat -- once in February of 1996 and again in February of 1997. Stayed at Marina Hemingway, just west of Havana, the first time, and went from Marathon in the Keys to Varadero the second time. In the marina at Varadero after a few days we decided that having the boat in bow first was a mistake, so I used some ropes to push it out and turn it around. Well! You would have thought I committed a cardinal sin! They thought that I was going to leave without permission, I guess, and came running down and shouting -- guys with guns! Whoa! My Spanish is not that good, but I finally managed to convey what we were doing.

It was great cruising, but make no mistake, it was a police state. We got boarded many times, and although they were always courteous (well, most of the time anyway) we always felt that there was an iron fist in the velvet glove.

In some ways I hate to see Cuba get to be a tourist destination (U.S. I mean, since it has been one for a long time for other countries), but it will be good for their economy I suppose.

And by the way, the Cuban people are absolutely wonderful. I have nothing but praise for them.

And if you do get a chance to go cruising there, the Nigel Calder cruising guide was the best we found (although now that it may open up there will of course be others.

Cheers,
 
TONTOROSS said:
Dominican with Maduro wrapper. Dancing Stag single malt. Distilled 24 Aug 1994. 96 of 201 bottles. I'm very happy in my work.:thumb: My Cuban friends are very much apposed to this proposal by Obama for obvious reasons.
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:thumb:

I like maduro also. Goes well with your choice of scotch!
 
seasalt007 said:
Capthead,

Care to share the brand of the: Dominican with a Connecticut wrapper?
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General Cigar company makes Macanudo and many many more. Here is the list;

They own land in Conn and grow their own. In fact they are the only cigar maker that grows their own wrapper. Partagas and Macanudo are my favorites both natural and maduro.
 
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I would hope this is a good thing. I have two stories to tell. One is if Cuba is such a great place Why are Cubans risking all to leave? See story of Chugs. Story Two is the Cubans I met many years ago were wonderful people that like us and our $$. But I was in charge of a squad of marines that helped Cubans escape from Cuba to Gitmo in the early 70s/ It is a paradoxical situation. I do hope it works out as the people need to free.
@ TheOffice: July 2013
 
Autoteacher said:
Why are Cubans risking all to leave? [/url]
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Why are Mexicans with approximately 7 million here illegally and 135,000 legally per year? El Salvador? Guatemala? Why are there around 70,000 illegal immigrants in the US from Canada? Why does the US have the most applicants per year, highest number of illegal immigrants? Why are there 1.9 million legal immigrants from India and 200,000 illegal? What is 1/3 of the population of Saudi Arabia Immigrants?

None of that is for us to resolve here, but it's all quite complex and there isn't a single reason for any of it.

Now the topic is how does this impact us as boaters, since this is the Trawler forum. And the answer is if it does at some point open up then it provides another great destination very close to Florida. For trawler owners I think it's especially significant as most aren't about cruising long distances across open waters. Bermuda is too far for most. The Bahamas is ok for some and not for others. Cuba would fit in there as well.
 
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