Some new Cuba video...

Fascinating process to watch

I've just posted some new video to my Cuba Facebook page, and it's also on the website, Cuba - Forbidden Paradise. This video shows cigar rolling the Cuban way, and there are several other videos - sailing off Havana, a Cuban art atelier, and a nice one showcasing those wonderful old American cars on the streets of Havana and Varadero.
Enjoy, and if you watch on the Facebook page, be sure to like and share us!

Cuba News...

Cuban rafters 'emigrating' from the country to the US - photo from the FP article

The changes in Cuba continue. In the past year, the Castro government has permitted Cubans the right to buy and sell those gorgeous old cars. Previously, this was not allowed. The bad news: they can only be sold between Cubans, you're not going to be able to import one of those beauties back to the US.
Another change - Cubans will now be permitted to buy and sell real estate. Again, this was not permitted, with Cubans living where the government told them to, in whatever house they were assigned.
Lastly, Cubans will be permitted to leave the country now that the process of getting a passport has been simplified for them. However, don't expect a huge exodus of Cuban tourist visitors in Nebraska - while changes have been made, the average Cuban cannot afford the cost of travel. As well, professionals such as doctors and engineers are still not permitted to leave the country.
Joani Sanchez' article here gives the entire story. Sanchez is a human rights' dissident in Cuba and an active blogger on the situation there.
Plus que ça change...

 

Some Great Cuba Video...

I'm now heading south from the Great Lakes, destination Cuba (to follow the current adventure, check out LiveBloggin' the ICW). I'm sure you're as excited about being along with Aduana (the Wonderpuppy®) and I as part of the 'virtual' crew of Gypsy Wind while we finish the circumnavigation of Cuba, as I am to be going back!
I'd like to give you a sneak preview of some of what we're going to see while we're underway - you can check out the videos at Cuba: Forbidden Paradise - plus you can follow the action on the Facebook Page. And here are a few photos of Cuba for you as well.

For those of you who want a really cool memento, I've done a screensaver, complete with the fabulous sound of Carmelo Son, out of Varadero. This screensaver has shots of those fabulous old time Cuban cars and is lots of fun. It's available for both Windows and Mac computers....all you have to do is 'Like' the facebook page, and leave me a message with your OS and I'll send you a link to get your free (Free is Good!©) screensaver. Or, you can sign up here for email updates or as a follower, and again, let me know what your OS is and I'll send you that link to download the screensaver.*
Also, be sure to sign up for regular Cuba updates from this blog - the link is on the right side of this page - we'll be posting regularly from here on as plans and preparation get underway, and the countdown to this fantastic voyage begins.

* Mandatory fine print! I created this screensaver from my own photos, so there is absolutely no chance of any virus, etc. with it. Not to mention, I don't have the skills to do that stuff anyway. So enjoy your screensaver without worries.

Some exciting news...

This blog is again live...and there's lots and lots of news! First of all, the 2013 trip to Cuba's south coast will be for the purpose of filming the show  'Cuba - Forbidden Paradise'. You can get more details on that project at the show's site or at our Facebook page 
We've also started a fundraising program to cover the costs of producing this show....check it out and earn great gifts for your donation at the Kickstarter.com site. (The fund raiser is now over, but you can still check out the site).
More details later, but lots of new stuff at those sites for you to mull over until I get back here!
Hasta la vista, baby...

The Route to Cuba...

There are several ways you can head to Cuba from North America. You can leave from the Keys and head across to Varadero or Havana. That limits you to cruising the areas to the west of your landfall, unless you're a serious masochist, due to the current and winds you'll be fighting. The saying, Go West, young man....never applied more than sailing the Cuban coast.

Chartlet showing route through the Bahamas to Cuba and back to the US

My preferred route is to sail through the Bahamas, and then drop down from Ragged Island at the south end of the Jumentos to Puerta de Vita, 65 nautical miles away.
Two years ago, I did that route and went west to Varadero. This upcoming winter, I plan to do it again, sail the 150 or so miles to the far east tip of Cuba and then sail west along the south coast. When I arrive at Cabo San Antonio at the western tip of Cuba, I'll have completed a circumnavigation of this amazing island.

Cuban made pajamas removed from shelves in Wal-Mart...

Ok, I've got your attention now, don't I?
This article concerns the current status of the US embargo against Cuba. According to the article: "At present the U.S. State Department says the biggest obstacle to improving relations between the two countries is the imprisonment of an American aid worker Alan Gross."
You can read the entire article at Cuba: U.S. embargo causes $1 trillion in losses

Cuban Politics and the USA - Alan Gross

The Cuban government has rebuffed a mission by former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson to free a U.S. government contractor jailed in Havana, even ruling out a visit with the man, Richardson said Sunday.

Miami 5, jailed in the US for spying, heroes in Cuba

See article at the Washington Post

...from the article - Gross, 62, was arrested in December 2009 while working on a secretive democracy program in Cuba for the U.S. Agency for International Development. His detention has grown into a major impediment to President Obama’s goal of improving relations with Cuba.

One of many many signs extolling Castro's philosophy

It's been my contention that very little will change in US-Cuba relations until this situation is resolved. Given that the next presidential elections are all but started, I would not expect to see any change in this situation during the balance of the term of this administration.