Merida, Mexico
I did it. I escaped Cuba by boat.
Alex, my travelbuddy and me came back on Friday night to La Habana. On Saturday morning I ve called the Marina Hemingway and they told me that there is a french guy leaving with his boat.
I couldn t believe it. A few days before I ran into a couple from Israel who stayed several weeks in the Isla de las Mujeres in Mexico to find a boat to Cuba and finally came by plane - Hurricane Season! Nobody wants to travel now on th Golf of Mexico.
So after I ve heared about the boat which was supposed to leave to Mexico I showereed brushed my teeth and made my way with public buses to the marina. Over there I had to wait like two hours before Gerome and his buddy Bill showed up. After a few sentences they accepted me as a crew member. I couldn t believe it.
After a last supper with my Cuban / English Family I came with all my stuff on Sunday morning to the Marina. After checking the last things we took off and with minimal problems at the Inmigration (I m impressed of the Cuban Intelligence Service) we took of - course South/West - Destination Cancun! During our trip I was steering the boat every two hours for an hour and it was exiting to be on this ocean with this tiny boat.
After 48 hours on the boat we arrived today (Tuesday) at noon in Cancun / Isla Mujeres. After we did all the migration tramits I took of to Merida where I am now…
August 30th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
ha! fantastic + congrats!
August 31st, 2008 at 6:23 am
wow this must have been great.. I saw the fotos on flickr Hitchhiking by boot in the Caribian Sea.. sounds like a dream
September 12th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
hehe, that’s greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat!
October 6th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
well done! i’d love to have the experience one day! have tried but without luck so far…
November 19th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Pure b.s.
The ocean around Cuba- between USA and Mexico is one of the most heavily regulated in the World. No one - no stranger- jumps on board and sets out in that short a time. No capt would rsik confiscation of the boat.
Pure b.s.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
November 22nd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
“No one - no stranger- jumps on board and sets out in that short a time.” - I did!
So your comment is B.S.! Don t trust your Newspaper. Go out and try it!
December 22nd, 2008 at 4:20 am
fabzgy is totally right. The US also has no jurisdiction on sailors from other countries who are not even in their waters. it was a french boat going to mexico, what business would the us coast guard have?
December 22nd, 2008 at 4:21 am
im looking forward to trying this exact method to get to cancun from havana in february. thanks for the inspiration, fabzgy!