Cruising World - June 2018

june/july 2018

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the Malecón — the colonial buildings, the classic cars going by,

the distinctive Russian embassy and people lining the shore to

watch the boats. But the best, most goose-bump-raising part of

the parade happened as we approached El Morro castle and our

turn into Havana’s harbor — a lone Cuban musician playing The

Star-Spangled Banner on his trumpet as we all passed by. The return

trip to the marina turned out to be a fantastic downwind sail, with

many of the boats popping their kites for the run. It truly was a

beautiful day in all respects.

That night was the fi rst of two rally parties, and this one was

held at the yacht club. After a welcome from the commodore and

some prize giving, the crowd enjoyed a Cuban pig roast and plen-

ty of rum. One notable prize —the Comeback Award — went to

Shenanigan, a Gulfstar ketch captained by Jennifer Lamar and Janet

Ellis. On their way to Key West from Charleston, South Carolina,

the pair was hit with some nasty weather, and the mizzen boom

broke. Fortunately, the replacement arrived in Key West just

before Shenanigan was about to push off for the rally.

DUE

to the red tape involved in coming and going into

Cuban ports, Cuba is much easier to tour by land,

especially if you have time constraints. Over the next three days,

there were a variety of tours and activities that rally participants

could choose from, including an in-depth look at the Cuban revo-

lution, a visit to a coffee plantation and salsa-dancing instruction,

in addition to further exploration of Havana.

After our initial day in the capital, the crew of Quince Amor

couldn’t wait to get back there. Travel within Cuba is an adventure

in itself, especially when you catch a ride in one of the many classic

cars turned taxis. Our driver that morning was surprisingly out-

spoken about, well, everything. (His opinion of the Castros and all

politicians? They’re bad. Although he used much, much more col-

orful language.) His car had been in his family for nearly 60 years,

and he kept it in better condition than the majority of the “Yank

tanks” that we saw on the road.

First order of business in Havana?

Finding lunch, which we did at a great

spot we stumbled upon. While the ropa

vieja was tasty and the beer nice and

cold, the highlight of the meal was the

private concert from a trio of musicians

playing classic Cuban tunes with guitars

and maracas.

Having no use of our cellphones for

the week meant navigating the streets

of Havana the old-fashioned way —

with a map and a guidebook and plans

to meet at specifi c places at certain

times. Honestly, taking a tech break

was refreshing, and getting lost in

Havana can yield sweet surprises. There

is nothing quite like wandering until

some music lures you in, whether it’s

on a street corner or in a bar, or com-

ing across yet another cool art gallery.

The temperatures outside truly rivaled

those on the surface of the sun, so fi nd-

ing respite in an icy mojito or two could

be considered therapeutic.

There isn’t much in the way of

shopping in Havana, and our planned

souvenirs leaned heavily toward rum

and art. Later in the day, we all headed

back to Solé’s studio, where I bought a

lovely painting of a hummingbird. The

big group of us, now including Solé and

his wife, Mary, decided to make an eve-

ning of it and had a fi ne dinner in town

followed by dancing to a live salsa band.

Solé and Mary then invited all of us

back to their apartment for coffee, an

unexpected treat. In any other city, the

walk there through a labyrinth of dark

alleys would likely have raised some in-

ternal red fl ags, but not here. Each of

us at some point on the trip had re-

marked how surprisingly safe we felt

wandering Havana.

Seated around the small, tidy living

room, we chatted about our families as

best we could given our language barri-

ers. Mary, a photographer, was excited to show Jon her equipment

and use his much more modern Canon. The coffee was strong and

delicious (maybe not the best decision at 11 p.m., but whatever),

the company good and the music, well, the Simply Red tunes were

a throwback for sure.

IT’S

hard to get a feel for all of Cuba if you only stay in

Havana, so Jon, Green and I were glad to have the

opportunity to head out of town on the rally’s trip to Vi ñales.

This small town was a two-and-a-half-hour drive west from the

marina. Once outside of Havana’s sprawl, the scenery rapidly

changes to a much more rural landscape. While I had a notion of

what I thought Havana would be like, I had no idea what to ex-

pect in any other part of the country. The only word to describe

the Vi ñales valley is spectacular: mountainous and dotted with

dramatic steep-sided limestone hills called mogotes, and the sweet

smell of tobacco, the region’s dominant crop, permeates the air.

We visited the impressive, if strange, Mural de la Prehistoria, a

400-foot-long painting on the side of a mogote that is supposed

to illustrate evolution. After an extraordinarily sweaty hike, the

The group of us (clockwise from left: David, me, Sandy, Jon,

Green, Solé and Mark) agreed that meeting Solé and his

family and spending time at their home (below) was a high-

light of our time in Cuba. Small Cuban fi shing boats (right)

are tied up on a small river near Marina Hemingway.