Journey Back from Cuba - Part 1, Key West

After spending a few days in Cuba, we set off on the trip back to the US.  Having raced non-stop from Pensacola to Cuba, and dealt with the adversity of being dismasted, changing boats, then beating into the weather most of the way, we were ready for a more relaxing trip home.

We decided to break up the trip with a couple of stops, the first of which was in Key West.  We then planned to stop somewhere in the Tampa Bay area - location to be decided en-route.  We left Cuba (Marina Hemingway) on Sunday and headed out for the 90 mile or so crossing to Key West.  Winds were "fresh" at 25 or so, and the seas a healthy 4-6 ft.  The boat liked it and we had to reef down a couple of times.  TraSea has in-mast furling and also has a very large (140% I think) jib.  We made amazing time to Key West averaging over 8.5.kts.  In fact, we figured we would arrive at daylight and actually got into the Bight in the very early hours of the morning.  We decided to anchor between Tank Island and Wisteria Island until daylight and then see if we could get a slip at one of the very expensive marinas.

Wasted away in Margaritaville? ....or just a long sail?

We spend 2 nights in Key West with a slip at Conch Harbor Marina.  This is a great little marina, if you can stand the price - but its Key West, and what the hell.  it is a stone's throw from West Marine, they have free bikes, and its an easy walk to everywhere.  The bar at the end of the dock also has a pool - which was very welcoming!

The obligatory Key West Galleons

While in Key West, our best friends talked us into doing something we had never done before.  Well - as they say, what goes on in Key West stays in Key West right?  And just in case you are wondering what this "first" might be, it was singing Karaoke, which we did in a delightful little gay bar called Bobby's monkey Bar.  I am not sure that was something on my bucket list, but if it is, it is certainly crossed off now!

As you can see, we visited all the usual "haunts" and had a real good time.

We even had time to visit and art gallery and see my favorite painting.  Yes, if I ever have a spare $6k, I will treat myself to this.  I go visit it every trip to Key West - the photo really does not do it justice.  But since I own a boat, chances of me ever having a "spare $6k" are pretty slim!

Two of our crew members, Ron and Julie left us in Key West and headed home.  We were sorry to see them leave, but that four letter word was calling....you know W@RK.  Erghh....I should really have been thinking about it too.....But onward north!

Racing With Cubans - Castello di Morro Havana

Castello di Morro is located right at the entrance to Havana harbor.  One of the highlights of our trip was to race with the Cubans from Marina Hemingway to the castle and back.

We had good wind and an enjoyable friendly race.  Here's a view of the Castle from the bay.

A few more scenes from Havana - the old part of the city is beautiful, but on the way there, we passed through areas that were more like scenes from Beirut! Buildings in dis-repair but still lived in.  Our tour guide got us through these areas quickly an efficiently.

The Cuban culture is still very heavily influenced by art and art is definitely something they are very proud of.  We saw a few examples of modern Cuban art.

And without doubt, on of the other things the Cuban's are proud of is their collection of old american cars.  We found several great examples, but almost none are original in that they may have a Russian diesel engine running them.

Visiting Cuba, Marina Hemingway, and Havana

The great benefit in participating in the inaugural  Pensacola a La Habana Race was the ability to visit Cuba - legally!

First off, it was very apparent to me that many Americans ARE visiting Cuba without permission from the US.  The Cuban authorities were extremely polite, courteous, and professional, and will issue you a Cuban Visa upon entry at Marina Hemingway.  All you need is a passport.  and the visa is a separate document (not stamped into your passport).  So obviously, they are used to accommodating US boaters who do not want a permanent record of their visit stamped into their passport.  I am writing this blog on December 4, 2015.  I will state the date because I know that the US Law regarding visits to Cuba is changing significantly - literally by the day.  In fact, the permits that we needed for the race changed in September as we were applying for them (now considerably relaxed).

The Cuban people were very friendly and our hosts at Marina Hemingway and the Hemingway Yacht Club were just great.  Europeans have been visiting Cuba for some time now and we saw plenty of other tourists.  Also, the Cuban's have figured out that tourists can be a good source of revenue - so just be aware!  They will arrange for a cab, be your tour guide, sit and talk and drink and eat with you.  We had heard that the locals are generally very appreciative of small gifts - toiletries, small toys for their kids, ballpoint pens, a Coca-cola etc. While this is still true to a degree, there are others that just want cash tips, and have figured out that American's are more used to tipping generously when compared to Europeans.  On the topic of money, there are a few things to remember (again, current at the time of writing).  There are two currencies in Cuba - the CUC and the Cuban Peso.  CUCs are the main currency for tourists and at the time of writing a $1 was about 0.85 CUC.  My understanding on the Peso is that this is the currency Cubans are paid by their government, and can generally only be used in the State stores known as Bodega.  We visited one Bodega - it was very sparse and had only very basic foods - rice, beans, cooking oil etc
.

Bodega in old Havana

our guide told us that food from the Bodega is rationed using a ration book, The prices are very cheap, but most families run out of "Bodega food" by the middle of the month and have to rely on food bought on the open market (using the CUC).

Visiting Havana was a strange and unique experience.  The city was much larger than I imagined and ranged from just derelict to beautiful - and all shades in between.  If you asked about any of the building in very poor state of repair, they were "under renovation" and people were still living in them.  The Cubans are very proud of the fact that nobody is homeless, and the Arts are huge.

Well - I am going to post this for now, and continue the thread in a few days!
 

 

 

Famous mural in Havana



Pensacola a La Habana (Cuba Race 2015)

Continuing our story from the last post........

After suffering a dismasting, the crew of Midnight sun II were determined to make it to Cuba.  After our safe return to Pensacola with the damaged Midnight Sun II, we re-loaded on S/V TraSea and made our second attempt to head for Cuba, leaving PYC on Sunday afternoon.

Realizing that our USCG "Permit to Enter Cuban Waters" was issued to Midnight Sun II, we emailed our contact at USCG and talked to representatives in Key West and Pensacola.  But it was a Sunday, so of course nobody would give "permission", so we set off anyways recognizing that we had done everything reasonable to inform the authorities of our plans.

Transferring Provision from Damaged Midnight Sun II

Leaving for Cuba on S/V TraSea

We headed out of the Pensacola pass, again seeing winds from the Southeast.  Although it did seem that the winds had subsided some and started to clock around a little.  We headed  southwest again, and later in the day tacked east.  The boat was performing great and the crew were in good spirits, despite acknowledging that we were a day and half behind schedule and would likely miss the arrival activities.  Nonetheless, we were Cuba-bound. 

When we got to a point south of Cape San Blas, We saw a front pass through giving us higher winds and some rain for a short period.  Immediately following the the front, the wind direction changed significantly and we were able to do an almost 90 degree turn pointing us finally towards our destination.  This was good news indeed!  Although we were still beating upwind, we would make better progress towards our ultimate destination. This news also lifted the spirits of our crew.

Skipper Larry enjoying better conditions

Our ground support crew - Kenny and Paula were continuing to track our progress and that of the other boats in the race using the Kattack website.  All boats in the race were required to carry a tracker and progress was monitored on Kattack (www.Kattack.com).  Since we had no internet service, we were not able to track other boats in the race.  On Midnight Sun, we were able to see some information using AIS, but TraSea did not have AIS.  

Dolphin Watching

Our spirits were further lifted when we received a message via DeLorme that were were now ahead of  two boats in the race.....what we are still in the race, still in contention?  Yes...I think we picked up a knot with the news!

A full Rainbow!

One of our amazing Sunsets

Our race route required that we kept the Rebecca Shoals near Key West to port.  This was not a problem, as our track was taking us well west of this point.  In the night, we made a decision to go west of the Dry Tortugas.  As we were getting to this location, winds were picking up again and getting quite sporty as we were approaching the Straights of Florida and the Gulf Stream.  We navigated our path close by numerous buoys around the Tortugas.  Unfortunately is was dark, so we were unable to see land.  At this point, we were trying to slow the boat down by reducing sail as the wind and seas were building.

We entered the Straights pointing the boat almost due south even though we were well west of our mark and destination.  We did this knowing that the gulf-stream would carry us east as we crossed the Straights.  During our night watch, we located several large ships.  Without AIS we had to be extra vigilant and at one point adjusted course to pass behind a large container ship.

Arrival Marina Hemingway

We arrived, tired but safe and sound in Marina Hemingway on November 5 at around 9 am.  We had finished the race.  We had finished ahead of at least 2 boats but we were not sure of the positions as adjustments to times had to be made.

Entering Marina Hemingway Canals

Marina Hemingway

We were greeted by Cuban authorities - military, border patrol, department of agriculture and even a doctor.  All were extremely courteous and friendly, welcoming us to their country.  Our crew was quickly and efficiently "cleared in" and issued visas.  We were in Cuba!

Scenes from Marina Hemingway

Left Pensacola (second time), Sunday afternoon, November 1

Arrived Marina Hemingway, Thursday, November 5 approx 9 am

Cuba - An Adventure, The Good The Bad and The Ugly

The good news is that we made it to Cuba and had a great time.......The bad and ugly news is that we were dismasted in our first attempt.  So read on for the details.........

We left Pensacola at approximately 8 am on October 31, Cuba -bound on Midnight Sun II.  It was a fully sanctioned and approved regatta - The Pensacola a La Habana Rally/Race.  This was a historic race given that entry to Cuba from the US has been severely restricted (at least legally) for some years.  For more details of the race, please visit Cuba Race 2015.  As we left the Pensacola pass, we were aware that winds were not favorable for our passage.  In fact, it looked like we were going to be beating into the wind for the approximately 500 miles.  Winds were at about 20-25 kts, with seas in the 4-6 ft. range.  Seas at 4-6 ft does not sound very much, but in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico, that translates to short period waves (about every 4 seconds) that just tend to beat you up.

Leaving Pensacola, the fleet of boats was quite tight - everyone was headed southwest.  After several hours, a few boats tacked east back towards Cape San Blas.  We could see most of the fleet on our AIS, So we had a pretty good idea where everyone was.  As nightfall came, the winds picked up some - now in the 25+ range and we saw gusts at 30.  We talked to the crew of another boat, close by to us, and they reported 35 with gusts to 40.  Seas were now building at more like 6-8 ft.  But I will admit that wave heights are hard to accurately estimate, particularly at night.

Our crew set up watches for the night hours - 3 shifts of 3 hours manned by each of the 3 couples on board.  At midnight, I was off-watch, trying to get some rest, but the pounding waves, did not allow sleep.  At midnight (yes on Halloween), there was a resounding "CRASH" bringing everyone to attention immediately.  Julie and Ron (on watch), yelled, "you had better get up here".  Already on the way, I could only imagine what I was going to find in the cockpit.  My first thought was the dinghy davits had broken as the crash sounded to come from the rear of the boat.

Entering the companionway, I could see Ron and Julie - at least they were safe.  The Bimini and dodger were crushed.  Thankfully, the helm is located under a heavy arch and that was intact.  In fact, as an aside, I am convinced that the arch was crucial in preventing serious injuries to the crew on watch.  The crew was amazingly calm and now completely awake.  A few words and a quick inspection revealed that the entire rig was down - we were dismasted and the mast was over the port side; the boom was still attached to the arch and over the bimini and dodger.  Thankfully at that moment, the winds subsided some, and we were all on deck surveying the situation.

A quick check revealed no water in the boat - no need to pull out the life raft.  "Bolt Cutters - get the bolt cutters.......and a sharp knife".  Without delay, we decided that the rig had to be cut free and jettisoned before a spreader or something did damage to the hull.  The adrenaline was high on all the crew, but I must stress and applaud everyone,  nobody panicked and we worked quickly and efficiently as a team.  Larry and I set about cutting the standing rigging with the bold cutters.  Ron and the girls set about cutting all the sheets and lines and figuring out what was holding the rig to the boat.  We were also curious as to what exactly failed.  As we were cutting rigging we were working through what had happened, but our priority was to make the boat safe and ensure that we were not holed by any part of the rig.  We had to cut every shroud, the backstay and the forestay.  Looking at the way the mast had fallen (backwards and to leeward), it had to be the forestay that had failed.  It was intact at the deck and under some tension, but that was likely just he sails in the water.  After much thought and discussion recollecting the events of that night, I am confident that the forestay failed at or near the masthead.  Whether it was cable fatigue, a fitting that failed or the cable in the foil/furler will remain a mystery as the rig is now in over 100 ft of water in mid gulf.  I will discuss more thoughts on this later - so back to the story of the Halloween night.

With the standing rigging and all sheets and lines cut, the mast started to sink downward on the port side of the boat.  We eased the boom off of what remained of the cockpit, hoping nothing would foul on the boat.  remembering stories of a previous dismasting of a fellow member of PYC, Julie urged us not to start the motor until we were clear of the rigging to reduce the risk of anything becoming fouled in the prop.  Sadly, we watched the entire rig sink into the dark waters of the gulf.  Once we were sure it was free, we started the engine.  During the latter stages of our recovery, we had attempted to contact fellow members of the fleet via VHF.  Our primary radio was out of action - the antenna being on the masthead.  We have a second VHF with antenna mounted on the stern rail.  While this appeared to be working, we were unable to make contact.  Once we had assessed our situation and started to motor back to Pensacola, we made contact with PYC Race Committee via Sat phone to report  our situation.  We also sent messages to our "ground followers" using our DeLorme tracker/2-way communicator.  We were safe, no injuries, we were not taking on water.  We secured a few remaining things, and motored back to PYC.  Our navigation equipment was working fine, as was the auto-pilot.

The crew gathered in the cockpit.  I think (and hope) we gave thanks for our safety.  Whether we said this aloud, or all independently thought it, I know we were all immensely thankful for our safety, and the fact that nobody was injured.  We started to figure out our shortest course back to Pensacola.  Although we had been sailing all day and night, we had been tacking back and forth due to the wind direction.  If I recall correctly, in terms of distance made, we were about 60 miles south of Pensacola inlet.  We quickly figured that we could be back at PYC by 8 to 9 am. Now, wide awake, all the crew was huddled in the cockpit.  We discussed the events of the night, piecing together what might have happened....what failed, could it have been avoided?  A lot of second guessing, but we all agreed, the failure was at the masthead.  Realization then set in........."Cr@p - we are not going to Cuba".

The conversation moved from "what happened" to "what should we do now"........six people on a boat with no mast, plenty of food and drink, and time set aside for a trip to Cuba.  Maybe we could just hop on a plane and fly down and at least be there for the rest of the fleet?  Once within cell range, we would Google flights.  Each of the other couples on board had great boats - maybe we should just go somewhere - New Orleans, The Keys.........we couldn't go to Cuba as our USCG Permit was for Midnight Sun II.  Cr@ap, all this preparation and we are not going to Cuba.

As we got close to land, we got cell service.  Phones lit up with text messages from friends and family.  Our friend Google reported that flights to Cuba were not really feasible - we had no visas, we would have to change planes twice, and it was $800 each.  No we are not going to Cuba.

We returned to PYC.  By now, news of our situation had made it out.  We were greeted at the dock by great friends, Chuck and Peg, race committee members Murt and Larry, Commodore McMillan, and the club manager who brought the crew consolatory Bushwhackers.  Hey - 8:30 am CST, its 5 o'clock somewhere.  I'm not sure exactly where it was 5 o'clock, but who cares, the Bushwhackers hit the spot - Thank you Scott and Jim!  We made our way up to the clubhouse.  By now the local Coast Guard had arrived to check on us - thank you guys for keeping a watchful eye.

Midnight Sun II return to Pensacola

Awaiting Repairs

Its sad when all that's left of your rig fits in a small box :(

We talked to Zern Rigging and made arrangements to take the boat to Pensacola Ship Yard - hopefully our insurance will provide coverage.  While at PYC, our plans for "what now" were discussed and a new plan formulated.  "No point crying over spilled milk", if we stay home, Midnight Sun will not be fixed any quicker.  I noticed Larry and Tracy step away from the bar and have a brief private discussion.  I hope they are not  too disappointed and planning to head home.  But who could blame them.  We were all tired and plans for the next 2 weeks had gone away.

"Hey Guys - Tracy and I have discussed it, let's take our boat TraSea and head for Cuba"......what??...what about our permit, insurance.....err...."Are you sure Larry?"...."Let's contact the Coast Guard and tell them our plans - transfer all the gear, let's get underway.  Maybe we can be there in time for the party"

Why not - if you fall off a horse, you should get right back on and ride it - right?

Pensacola to Cuba Race - - starts Tomorrow (Oct 31)

We are currently in Pensacola Yacht Club, ready to set off for Cuba tomorrow at around 8 am.  The crew is excited if not just a little apprehensive.  We will have 6 on board.  For anyone  interested in tracking our progress, there are a few options:

1. Use our DeLorme ling by visiting https://share.delorme.com/Midnightsunii 
2. To see all the boats in the race, go to http://kws.kattack.com/GEPlayer/GMPosDisplay.aspx?FeedID=1498

For some reason we are not showing up on Kattack, but we hopefully will by tomorrow

Headed for Cuba!

They say that making a public declaration of something on your "bucket list" is the best way to make it happen.  Well here goes - we are headed for Cuba!

Behind the scenes, we have been working on getting the approvals in place to participate int he Pensacola to Havana race, commencing Oct 31, 2015.  Well today we got the final approval needed the USCG Permit to Enter Cuban Territorial Seas.  We had a crew meeting tonight and we are committed to go!

CUBA here we come!

Watch this space for updates

Our Tentatively Planned Route

Also see the official race website at www.cubarace2015.com