2011 04 06
Vero Beach, waiting for the Garhauer Traveler to arrive.
Before we set off for the Caribbean the Budget Committee authorized the purchase of a new start battery. I have come to question the value of keeping a single battery separate from the house bank the sole purpose of which is to start your boat. Not that I can admit this to the BC. I spent money on this thing.
The theory behind having a battery that you keep isolated from all the others is that if you drain your house battery bank some day by, say, using the breadmaker and the Mr. Coffee on the same morning you will still have one battery kept separate from the others which will be fresh and ready to start your diesel. You will not be stranded.
The Honda generator has blown this to bits.
With the huge number of cruisers carrying a pull start Honda generator these days the logic of the "failsafe" starting battery theory sort of begins to unravel. When the house bank is over taxed by your excessive use of the comforts of home you just get the Honda out of storage, pull the cord and wait an hour.
One morning on starting our diesel to leave the anchorage we discovered our alternator had failed. The diesel started fine but our batteries suffered a constant current drain - the fuel pump, engine panel and our instruments alone had a current draw in the order of 5 amps. We had been at anchor and not charging for two days so the batteries were less than full.
Faced with a full day of motoring, a partially drained battery bank and no functioning alternator we got out the Honda and ran the Honda to fill the batteries while the diesel provided propulsion.
You are getting the idea - a Honda generator is far more useful and valuable and reliable than keeping a battery isolated from all the others just for the purpose of emergency starts.
One boat we know holds the Honda in such high regard that they keep one on board and use it regularly even though they have a factory installed $15,000 Panda genset. The Honda is more efficient, runs quieter and with less vibration than its (much) bigger brother.
Dispensing with the separate start battery is a good idea for other reasons as well:
1. if the start battery were tied into the house bank your overall battery capacity would be bigger and you would then be less likely to drain it so low it would not start
2. most people realizing the start battery will be lightly used and rarely called on tend to cheap out on this item. There are a huge number of big AGM battery banks found on boats using an el cheapo Walmart wet cell as their emergency backup. This logic is highly suspect. Your emergency backup should be the best you have - like your storm anchor.
3. using a different battery type for a start battery causes problems with the charging profile and you are likely to bake the start battery if you are not very careful in setting up the charging relays - especially if you are using AGM for the house bank and wet cell for the start battery
None of which has anything to do with the intended post, which was to be a real world discussion of battery cable corrosion. I guess I will leave that for next time.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
So What Exactly is a "Suburban" Sailor?
2011 03 26
Vero Beach, FL
Arriving back in North America I found a number of questions arising out of earlier posts and I will address a couple of them here.
As to the reason for our poor sailing performance we suggest you look no further than the operators of the vessel. On the continuum of sailing competence the BC and I inhabit the line that extends to the left of midpoint. For us mediocrity is a goal not a starting point.
If I had to wait for competence before undertaking a project or voyage I would still be tucked away comfortably in my mother's womb. Imagine: a 60 year gestation period.
Instead the Budget Committee and I have found a lot of fun being mediocre in increasingly challenging conditions. It is the Peter Principle in action - every time we approach mediocrity we give ourselves a promotion and tackle a new challenge. We are forever mediocre as once you have passed the midpoint you no longer track your improvement. It the stuff you don't know that draws your attention, never the stuff you do.
The only problem with our strategy is that we will never, ever become competent.
And this leads to the real purpose of this post: suburban sailors. These are the guys who have met and bested mediocrity in their sailing careers.
Having used the term somewhat derogatorily in a recent post (I must have been under the influence of some mood altering drug if it was only "somewhat" derogatory) I have been called upon to explain what I meant.
Here is what I mean by a "Suburban Sailor"
1. A suburban sailor never sails in bad weather. "There is no need to ever get caught out" you will be informed by some arrogant little dweeb who usually adds a little sniff of derision or maybe perceived self superiority.
Let me tell you something. If you sail any leg of more than 3 hours in length and more than a mile offshore you are going to meet some unexpected bad weather. It is impossible not to. Impossible unless you are one of those guys who sits in Lake Worth for a month or six weeks waiting for "a window" or worse, you are one of those guys who, after Chris Parker has given a pretty comprehensive weather forecast calls and asks for "your recommendations".
Here is how the real world works: Sailing a day out of Puerta Vita towards Hemingway with a three day window we are listening to the 6:30 a.m. weather broadcast live by Chris Parker. Chris is telling us that an anticipated cold front is situate over "West Coast of Cuba". At that very moment, we on the East coast of Cuba mind, we sailed into the cold front. You could see it. They are not hard to spot.
The front brought rain and gusts and squalls and the obligatory windshift to the North and North East. Problem was on much of the Cuban North Shore there are few if any anchorages which offer protection from the North/North East. This put us in uncomfortable wind and waves against which we could make little forward progress and none of that comfortable, even with the diesel supporting full sail. Finally we just stopped trying. We hove to for 12 hours, caught up on some sleep, had a very good meal and slept some more. Meredith did not move 3 miles in 12 hours while hove to. When the wind relented we carried on under sail.
There is no criticism of weather forecasters here. The tools available to forecasters are good but they are not perfect. Nor will they ever be. Unless you plan to never sail anywhere ever you are going to have to learn how to handle bad weather.
It is not hard getting practice. Bad weather will find you. You start out being incompetent and end up, with a bit of practice, being better.
Or just tie your boat up with the grain fed herbivores (suburbanites) and wait and wait and wait for perfection.
2. Suburban Sailors do not change their routes or destinations - ever. One boater, also prominent in the Georgetown social circuit was telling a novice cruiser that he "had been to Bahamas 12 times in 12 years." He "never went across the yellow bank and [he never] went to Nassau because they were dangerous". Now on Meredith the Yellow bank is a nonevent which we have crossed a dozen times without incident and Nassau is an enjoyable city destinations. But old 12 x 12 had never been and would never go. You see he had found a route that was safe. That is more valuable than gold.
3. Suburban Sailors Do Not Sail Alone. These guys love a group. They are pack animals. The groups usually function with all the grace of those high school cliques we used to call the "plastics". A lot of effort is spent by a suburban sailor positioning socially in the group, everyone seeking dominance. Often the women on suburban sailboats will take over the radio scheduling "get togethers" or more importantly declining invitations to another boat. After all the invitee is far too prominent in the group to accept an invitation from a lesser member, who is after all only making the invitation to improve her own status.
It is as tedious as it is transparent.
3. Suburban Sailors like bonfires and barbecues. Got a United Nations protected Environmentally Sensitive Island like Conception Island? Well, have a bonfire and litter the beach. Some boaters come to Conception and spend a day collecting the miles of plastic trash that accumulate on the beaches. Suburbanites come to partay.
4. Suburban Sailors fight their battles using Consumer Proxies. You can always tell the suburban sailing couples at a meet and greet or on the bus. The men are discussing brand names of their equipment - "Well, I bought the Spectra Watermaker. It cost a few thousand more but it is worth every penny." "Oh, I know, we just had our Panda generator installed and you know I paid $20K but the guy who installed it really knew his stuff".
The rest of us carry a Honda and love it. $900 from Mayberry's, no tax no shipping. Most of the rest of us buy our water in Bahamas at $0.25 a gallon. It costs less than $100 for 4 months. And the best part is you do not have to wash your deck. Ever. It costs too much.
Meanwhile the women are discussing real estate as they always do. "You know we looked t houses in Annapolis but there was just nothing suitable. We had to build. Over on $%@#$# street, you know where all the really big houses are going up. You'll have to come see"
Shoot me please. Even if you just wound me the pain will take my mind off the conversation.
Vero Beach, FL
Arriving back in North America I found a number of questions arising out of earlier posts and I will address a couple of them here.
As to the reason for our poor sailing performance we suggest you look no further than the operators of the vessel. On the continuum of sailing competence the BC and I inhabit the line that extends to the left of midpoint. For us mediocrity is a goal not a starting point.
If I had to wait for competence before undertaking a project or voyage I would still be tucked away comfortably in my mother's womb. Imagine: a 60 year gestation period.
Instead the Budget Committee and I have found a lot of fun being mediocre in increasingly challenging conditions. It is the Peter Principle in action - every time we approach mediocrity we give ourselves a promotion and tackle a new challenge. We are forever mediocre as once you have passed the midpoint you no longer track your improvement. It the stuff you don't know that draws your attention, never the stuff you do.
The only problem with our strategy is that we will never, ever become competent.
And this leads to the real purpose of this post: suburban sailors. These are the guys who have met and bested mediocrity in their sailing careers.
Having used the term somewhat derogatorily in a recent post (I must have been under the influence of some mood altering drug if it was only "somewhat" derogatory) I have been called upon to explain what I meant.
Here is what I mean by a "Suburban Sailor"
1. A suburban sailor never sails in bad weather. "There is no need to ever get caught out" you will be informed by some arrogant little dweeb who usually adds a little sniff of derision or maybe perceived self superiority.
Let me tell you something. If you sail any leg of more than 3 hours in length and more than a mile offshore you are going to meet some unexpected bad weather. It is impossible not to. Impossible unless you are one of those guys who sits in Lake Worth for a month or six weeks waiting for "a window" or worse, you are one of those guys who, after Chris Parker has given a pretty comprehensive weather forecast calls and asks for "your recommendations".
Here is how the real world works: Sailing a day out of Puerta Vita towards Hemingway with a three day window we are listening to the 6:30 a.m. weather broadcast live by Chris Parker. Chris is telling us that an anticipated cold front is situate over "West Coast of Cuba". At that very moment, we on the East coast of Cuba mind, we sailed into the cold front. You could see it. They are not hard to spot.
The front brought rain and gusts and squalls and the obligatory windshift to the North and North East. Problem was on much of the Cuban North Shore there are few if any anchorages which offer protection from the North/North East. This put us in uncomfortable wind and waves against which we could make little forward progress and none of that comfortable, even with the diesel supporting full sail. Finally we just stopped trying. We hove to for 12 hours, caught up on some sleep, had a very good meal and slept some more. Meredith did not move 3 miles in 12 hours while hove to. When the wind relented we carried on under sail.
There is no criticism of weather forecasters here. The tools available to forecasters are good but they are not perfect. Nor will they ever be. Unless you plan to never sail anywhere ever you are going to have to learn how to handle bad weather.
It is not hard getting practice. Bad weather will find you. You start out being incompetent and end up, with a bit of practice, being better.
Or just tie your boat up with the grain fed herbivores (suburbanites) and wait and wait and wait for perfection.
2. Suburban Sailors do not change their routes or destinations - ever. One boater, also prominent in the Georgetown social circuit was telling a novice cruiser that he "had been to Bahamas 12 times in 12 years." He "never went across the yellow bank and [he never] went to Nassau because they were dangerous". Now on Meredith the Yellow bank is a nonevent which we have crossed a dozen times without incident and Nassau is an enjoyable city destinations. But old 12 x 12 had never been and would never go. You see he had found a route that was safe. That is more valuable than gold.
3. Suburban Sailors Do Not Sail Alone. These guys love a group. They are pack animals. The groups usually function with all the grace of those high school cliques we used to call the "plastics". A lot of effort is spent by a suburban sailor positioning socially in the group, everyone seeking dominance. Often the women on suburban sailboats will take over the radio scheduling "get togethers" or more importantly declining invitations to another boat. After all the invitee is far too prominent in the group to accept an invitation from a lesser member, who is after all only making the invitation to improve her own status.
It is as tedious as it is transparent.
3. Suburban Sailors like bonfires and barbecues. Got a United Nations protected Environmentally Sensitive Island like Conception Island? Well, have a bonfire and litter the beach. Some boaters come to Conception and spend a day collecting the miles of plastic trash that accumulate on the beaches. Suburbanites come to partay.
4. Suburban Sailors fight their battles using Consumer Proxies. You can always tell the suburban sailing couples at a meet and greet or on the bus. The men are discussing brand names of their equipment - "Well, I bought the Spectra Watermaker. It cost a few thousand more but it is worth every penny." "Oh, I know, we just had our Panda generator installed and you know I paid $20K but the guy who installed it really knew his stuff".
The rest of us carry a Honda and love it. $900 from Mayberry's, no tax no shipping. Most of the rest of us buy our water in Bahamas at $0.25 a gallon. It costs less than $100 for 4 months. And the best part is you do not have to wash your deck. Ever. It costs too much.
Meanwhile the women are discussing real estate as they always do. "You know we looked t houses in Annapolis but there was just nothing suitable. We had to build. Over on $%@#$# street, you know where all the really big houses are going up. You'll have to come see"
Shoot me please. Even if you just wound me the pain will take my mind off the conversation.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Traveler Man (And Woman)
2011 04 02
Vero Beach FL
Of all the reasons we could justify staying in Vero Beach for a week we had to choose the least desirable.
Who would blame us for spending time at a low cost marina ($13.50 a night) in easy reach of shopping with free buses to and from. In like vein most citizens would approve of our remaining here while the winds blew out of the North. It costs money to motor, about $2.50 an hour for fuel and another $5 an hour for maintenance and diesel engine depreciation. Waiting for wind not out of the North makes us money.
Damage to Planes at the Local Sun n Fun Flyin - Floatplanes Failed to Float.
Even the fact that we have been beset by thunderstorms and tornados and all manner of unsettled and threatening weather would be a welcome excuse for wasting time in this backwater burg.
But no. We are waiting for parts.
Waiting for parts means waiting for the opportunity to do more work on the boat. Sure. That is what I want to do. Boatwork.
The municipal marina here goes out of its way to help with the shipping and receiving of parts to transient boaters. As Meredith is scheduled to attempt a sail to Bermuda and, sailing gods willing, to the Azores we have been alert to the need to replace and refit aging parts and systems.
It has been very discouraging for the BC and myself, who pride ourselves on tending to maintenance in a timely way, to discover an unending number of things that need refurbishing. Crew included.
Here are some of the more expensive items with our preferred suppliers:
Who would blame us for spending time at a low cost marina ($13.50 a night) in easy reach of shopping with free buses to and from. In like vein most citizens would approve of our remaining here while the winds blew out of the North. It costs money to motor, about $2.50 an hour for fuel and another $5 an hour for maintenance and diesel engine depreciation. Waiting for wind not out of the North makes us money.
Damage to Planes at the Local Sun n Fun Flyin - Floatplanes Failed to Float.
Even the fact that we have been beset by thunderstorms and tornados and all manner of unsettled and threatening weather would be a welcome excuse for wasting time in this backwater burg.
But no. We are waiting for parts.
Waiting for parts means waiting for the opportunity to do more work on the boat. Sure. That is what I want to do. Boatwork.
The municipal marina here goes out of its way to help with the shipping and receiving of parts to transient boaters. As Meredith is scheduled to attempt a sail to Bermuda and, sailing gods willing, to the Azores we have been alert to the need to replace and refit aging parts and systems.
It has been very discouraging for the BC and myself, who pride ourselves on tending to maintenance in a timely way, to discover an unending number of things that need refurbishing. Crew included.
Here are some of the more expensive items with our preferred suppliers:
1. New hi index lens prescription eyeglasses. Received yesterday from Lenscrafters and the Budget Committee has already stopped oscillating as she walks through the mall. Her old pair were killed by the salt and in keeping with recent advice she chose to dispense with the glare protection coating which seems to be the culprit. She loves her new eyewear. By the way - in Florida an eye exam costs $50 to $75.
2. Mast Parts: Arrived yesterday from Rig Rite in New Jersey. New runners for our spinnaker ring car (the old ones were crumbling from 25 years of sun and exposure, new purpose built shackle for the gooseneck on our Isomat NG70 mast and some small mast wedges to facilitate a sealing the mast at the deck partner to reduce water ingress. Rig Rite are fast and pleasant to deal with. They are not cheap. And they cannot spell.
3. Running Rigging: Expected yesteray from Rigging Only in Boston. Not here yet. Our existing sheets and furling lines have suffered 10 years of abuse at our hands. They are fraying and fuzzy.
4. Honda Generator: Arrived Thursday from Mayberry Sales in Port Murray, New Jersey. $899 no sales tax, no shipping. A great company to do business with and very proud of their multi generational family enterprise. We sold our 8 year old "runs like new" Honda in Cuba for 50% of the cost of a new one here.
5. New Main Traveler: Ordered from Garhauer Marine in California. Promised to be shipped Wednesday, not shipped until yesterday. Now expected to arrive on Tuesday. We hope.
6. SSB: We have removed and are shipping our Icom 802 to an Atlanta repair facility. The Florida authorized dealer has a bit of a reputation for excessive invoicing. They treated us fairly but we will seek a second quote. Our last quote was $800 for repair - $300 for parts and $500 for labour, not much of a deal on an $1,800 radio. We can buy a new ham rig for under $1,000 with more features and an actual warranty.
Our old traveler was undersized and overworked. Removing it looked like a nightmare job - the track seemed to have been not only bolted to the deck but also bonded with 3M 5200.
Bolt removal was easy, requiring removal of two light fixtures and some flexible wrist work. We were shocked at the tiny bolts used by the last outfitter for this job - 3 bolts measuring 5/16 of an inch. Even Guido at Garhauer was amazed that the bolts had not failed permitting the traveller to be pulled right out of the deck by pressure on the mainsail.
Remaining was a massive job of debonding two strips of 5200 adhesive measuring 7 inches in length and 6 inches in overall width. Since we were working on a sailboat thre was but the merest hint of access to the job.
After we removed the bolts the BC and I took the bus uptown to see if there were some tool that might help us cut through the 5200. Nothing was found but we did get drenched in a massive thunderstorm - actually just another massive thunderstorm down here. We have been wracked with turbulence all week.
Remaining was a massive job of debonding two strips of 5200 adhesive measuring 7 inches in length and 6 inches in overall width. Since we were working on a sailboat thre was but the merest hint of access to the job.
After we removed the bolts the BC and I took the bus uptown to see if there were some tool that might help us cut through the 5200. Nothing was found but we did get drenched in a massive thunderstorm - actually just another massive thunderstorm down here. We have been wracked with turbulence all week.
Arriving back at our mooring ball we could not help but notice the mainsheet traveler - swinging from the boom as it hung over the water.
The thunderstorm had generated a lot of wind and a lot of force on the boom. This in turn applied all of that force to the traveler. In the event the track was glued with some substance that looked like 5200 but was not 5200.
Here swung our mainsheet traveler -
torn from the deck by a passing thunderstorm
and just hanging there.
The thunderstorm had generated a lot of wind and a lot of force on the boom. This in turn applied all of that force to the traveler. In the event the track was glued with some substance that looked like 5200 but was not 5200.
No harm to the boat and a two day job of cutting out a bonded traveler reduced to zero time!!!
Now if the new traveler would just get here.
Experience has taught us that installing equipment on the eve of a major trip, eg to Bermuda, is not good operating procedure.
So, even though the wait is aggravating, notwithstanding the North wind, we are happy to be able to test the unit and our installation on a long coastal cruise from Fort Pierce to Beaufort NC.
So, even though the wait is aggravating, notwithstanding the North wind, we are happy to be able to test the unit and our installation on a long coastal cruise from Fort Pierce to Beaufort NC.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The Secret to a Great Lobster Dip -Location, Location, Location
Vero Beach, FL
A great lobster dip, one which will wow everyone you servie it to, requires a very few special ingredients but the result is greatly enhanced if you choose the proper location for its preparation.
Here's how we go about it on Meredith:
Ingredients
A bunch of lobster tails preferably caught that afternoon or at least frozen within minutes of being caught
A tiny amount of Mayonaisse
A couple of tablespoonsful of good quality horseradish. Add to taste
Lemon Juice to taste.
1. cook up a few lobster tails, I find it makes a better dip if the lobster is cooked slightly longer that if you were serving the tails as an entree When cooked to a good set set them aside to cool.
2. When the lobster is cool enough to work, remove the tail shell and the big vein that runs the entire length of the tail. Shred the meat with a fork.
3. add enough mayo to moisten the lobster. Do not overdo the mayo.
4. add horseradish until the mixture tastes as you think it should
5. add lemon juice, again, a few drops at a a time until the taste is right.
Preparing the lobster
Lobster is very easy to catch in Bahamas and Cuba so before you begin move yourself onto your boat in either of these countries. When the light is right go snorkeling and come back with the day's lobster. Usually 4 lobsters is enough, 6 is better.
Boil water. Take your catch of lobster, one at a time, grab the thorax of the lobster in one hand and the tail in another. Twist. Throw the thorax back into the water. Throw the tails into the boiling water and cook until the shells turn red. They do.
Final Comment
There is only one secret to fabulous lobster dip - lots of lobster. None of the recipes you will find at home work because they are written on the assumption you do not have much lobster at hand. Lobster is dear back home.
Down here lobster is cheap, as in free. All it takes is an afternoon of swimming, spear in hand. You combine it with a snorkeling expedition.
If ripping the tail from the thorax of the living lobster gives you the willies you can consider that at least the lobster is dead when it hits the boiling water, which would be its fate otherwise. Or you can go to the store and buy prepared "lobster like substance" and congratulate yourself on being responsible.
Your dip will be flat and your guests unresponsive.
A great lobster dip, one which will wow everyone you servie it to, requires a very few special ingredients but the result is greatly enhanced if you choose the proper location for its preparation.
Here's how we go about it on Meredith:
Ingredients
A bunch of lobster tails preferably caught that afternoon or at least frozen within minutes of being caught
A tiny amount of Mayonaisse
A couple of tablespoonsful of good quality horseradish. Add to taste
Lemon Juice to taste.
1. cook up a few lobster tails, I find it makes a better dip if the lobster is cooked slightly longer that if you were serving the tails as an entree When cooked to a good set set them aside to cool.
2. When the lobster is cool enough to work, remove the tail shell and the big vein that runs the entire length of the tail. Shred the meat with a fork.
3. add enough mayo to moisten the lobster. Do not overdo the mayo.
4. add horseradish until the mixture tastes as you think it should
5. add lemon juice, again, a few drops at a a time until the taste is right.
Preparing the lobster
Lobster is very easy to catch in Bahamas and Cuba so before you begin move yourself onto your boat in either of these countries. When the light is right go snorkeling and come back with the day's lobster. Usually 4 lobsters is enough, 6 is better.
Boil water. Take your catch of lobster, one at a time, grab the thorax of the lobster in one hand and the tail in another. Twist. Throw the thorax back into the water. Throw the tails into the boiling water and cook until the shells turn red. They do.
Final Comment
There is only one secret to fabulous lobster dip - lots of lobster. None of the recipes you will find at home work because they are written on the assumption you do not have much lobster at hand. Lobster is dear back home.
Down here lobster is cheap, as in free. All it takes is an afternoon of swimming, spear in hand. You combine it with a snorkeling expedition.
If ripping the tail from the thorax of the living lobster gives you the willies you can consider that at least the lobster is dead when it hits the boiling water, which would be its fate otherwise. Or you can go to the store and buy prepared "lobster like substance" and congratulate yourself on being responsible.
Your dip will be flat and your guests unresponsive.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Cuba - The Bad Stuff
2011 03 26
Vero Beach, FL
Everyone knows we love Cuba. The people, the country, the fresh markets, the cigars, the rum, the unbelievably low prices.
So rather than beat that drum let us tell you first about the things that did not go as well as had hoped they might:
The Damning Superiority of the Ruling Bureaucrats
Not intending to visit Cuba we had not brought any Canadian currency. Fortunately we were in possession of some Euros which had been lying around the boat depreciating with every new upheaval in the EU. To convert the Euros to Convertible Cuban Pesos it was necessary to taxi from Puerta Vita, where we cleared into the country, to Guardalavaca where the bank was. This required a taxi ride.
Enroute our driver stopped, with our permission, to buy some plantains from a cart bringing a big load of such things from field to market. He was denied.
Visibly upset he climbed back into our taxi. Continuing our drive he explained that the produce was not for sale. A moment's quiet wait on our part and he could hold back no longer. The plantains were not for sale to ordinary Cubans it turned out. They were for government officials and too good for the likes of him. It was an uncomfortable drive to the bank.
After changing money we took the driver to the local fresh market and allowed him to direct us from stall to stall, ensuring we got "good deals" from all the vendors. His mood was visibly improved as he managed our purchases and his reputation amongst the vendors who would, we assumed, ensure he received due compensation for his part in their sales.
It was tough to bargain hard when tomatoes were selling for 12 cents a kilo and onions for a buck for a two foot braid of the largest sweetest onions we had seen since our last visit to this garden paradise.
Economics In a Planned Economy
Connie was having our laundry done by hand for $3 a bag, $2 if she provided the detergent. Everything came back spot free and ironed, even the underwear. It sounds as if we were taking advantage but some care is needed in dealing with a developing economy.
In a country where the epidemiolist is paid $25 a month, a princely sum, imagine the lure of being a laundress at $3 a bag? The mechanic at the marina was a mechanical engineer but he made more money in tips from the marina guests in a week than he ever made in six months practicing his profession.
No Communications
It is not permitted for Cubans to have unsupervised contact with the outside world. The phone system will not call outside the country. Internet is unbelievably expensive and slow, not entirely the fault of the Cuban government, as the logical service providers are American and so not permitted to provide service to this lovely country.
All Hand Held Radios and GPS Devices Travel in Bond Only
This was true last year as well. Arriving at Vita our customs man, Jose Vila Danger, inventoried all hand held radios, cell phones and GPSs and then sealed them in a drawer marked with official customs tape. They were not released until we departed Hemingway Marina.
We believe this is to prevent our selling such devices to the local population. But in a country with this much government nothing has to make sense - it is so because some guy in a white shirt says so.
Flares Confiscated and Proof of Health Insurance Now Required At Hemingway Marina
Flares Confiscated
A private regulation relating to Hemingway Marina only requires that all flares be confiscated by the harbour master on a ship's entering the marina. These are inventoried, painstakingly, and returned on departure.
Proof of Health Insurance Needed at Hemingway Only
On entering Hemingway Marina this year we had to provide proof of health insurance. Luckily we had our OHIP cards handy or goodness knows what we would have done. This is hardly a disaster but for Canadians visiting Hemingway make sure you have something on hand.
Bus Downtown Has Been Cancelled
Last year mariners at Hemingway could ride a handy bus which carried us from the marina to the Plaza de la Revolucion in downtown Havana, a distance of 12 to 15 miles. This year the bus was cancelled which left you depending on a $12 cab ride ($24) return if you wanted to visit the city.
This was disappointing but not being unresourceful the Budget Committee and I snuck into the adjoining hotel and onto the bus that that resort provides, free of charge, to its guests. Same bus but free and it delivers you to a better destination in the city. We tipped the driver generously.
I cannot honestly think of another thing to complain about.
Vero Beach, FL
Everyone knows we love Cuba. The people, the country, the fresh markets, the cigars, the rum, the unbelievably low prices.
So rather than beat that drum let us tell you first about the things that did not go as well as had hoped they might:
The Damning Superiority of the Ruling Bureaucrats
Not intending to visit Cuba we had not brought any Canadian currency. Fortunately we were in possession of some Euros which had been lying around the boat depreciating with every new upheaval in the EU. To convert the Euros to Convertible Cuban Pesos it was necessary to taxi from Puerta Vita, where we cleared into the country, to Guardalavaca where the bank was. This required a taxi ride.
Enroute our driver stopped, with our permission, to buy some plantains from a cart bringing a big load of such things from field to market. He was denied.
Visibly upset he climbed back into our taxi. Continuing our drive he explained that the produce was not for sale. A moment's quiet wait on our part and he could hold back no longer. The plantains were not for sale to ordinary Cubans it turned out. They were for government officials and too good for the likes of him. It was an uncomfortable drive to the bank.
After changing money we took the driver to the local fresh market and allowed him to direct us from stall to stall, ensuring we got "good deals" from all the vendors. His mood was visibly improved as he managed our purchases and his reputation amongst the vendors who would, we assumed, ensure he received due compensation for his part in their sales.
It was tough to bargain hard when tomatoes were selling for 12 cents a kilo and onions for a buck for a two foot braid of the largest sweetest onions we had seen since our last visit to this garden paradise.
Economics In a Planned Economy
Connie was having our laundry done by hand for $3 a bag, $2 if she provided the detergent. Everything came back spot free and ironed, even the underwear. It sounds as if we were taking advantage but some care is needed in dealing with a developing economy.
In a country where the epidemiolist is paid $25 a month, a princely sum, imagine the lure of being a laundress at $3 a bag? The mechanic at the marina was a mechanical engineer but he made more money in tips from the marina guests in a week than he ever made in six months practicing his profession.
No Communications
It is not permitted for Cubans to have unsupervised contact with the outside world. The phone system will not call outside the country. Internet is unbelievably expensive and slow, not entirely the fault of the Cuban government, as the logical service providers are American and so not permitted to provide service to this lovely country.
All Hand Held Radios and GPS Devices Travel in Bond Only
This was true last year as well. Arriving at Vita our customs man, Jose Vila Danger, inventoried all hand held radios, cell phones and GPSs and then sealed them in a drawer marked with official customs tape. They were not released until we departed Hemingway Marina.
We believe this is to prevent our selling such devices to the local population. But in a country with this much government nothing has to make sense - it is so because some guy in a white shirt says so.
Flares Confiscated and Proof of Health Insurance Now Required At Hemingway Marina
Flares Confiscated
A private regulation relating to Hemingway Marina only requires that all flares be confiscated by the harbour master on a ship's entering the marina. These are inventoried, painstakingly, and returned on departure.
Proof of Health Insurance Needed at Hemingway Only
On entering Hemingway Marina this year we had to provide proof of health insurance. Luckily we had our OHIP cards handy or goodness knows what we would have done. This is hardly a disaster but for Canadians visiting Hemingway make sure you have something on hand.
Bus Downtown Has Been Cancelled
Last year mariners at Hemingway could ride a handy bus which carried us from the marina to the Plaza de la Revolucion in downtown Havana, a distance of 12 to 15 miles. This year the bus was cancelled which left you depending on a $12 cab ride ($24) return if you wanted to visit the city.
This was disappointing but not being unresourceful the Budget Committee and I snuck into the adjoining hotel and onto the bus that that resort provides, free of charge, to its guests. Same bus but free and it delivers you to a better destination in the city. We tipped the driver generously.
I cannot honestly think of another thing to complain about.
Back in the US, Eh?
2011 03 24
Vero Beach, Florida
Our fifty hours at sea purchased 350 miles straight line travel. Oh the joy of riding the Gulf Stream. At times our little boat was recording "velocity made good" numbers well in excess of 10 knots.
We have retaken North America and it is ours. Our first afternoon back we accomplished the obligatory rites attendant on such an occasion: we showered in endless HOT water and enjoyed some properly cooked burgers with potato on the side.
Our second day home found us in our first grocery store since January 17.
Now we are on the internet - at a blazing rate of speed and with no service interruptions.
Today we are going to walk around a mall and then go for drinks on some friends' boat.
Nice to be home.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
The Corrections
2011 03 05 or 06 or something like that
Puerta Vita Cuba
No apologies to Jonathon Frantzen, that silly author of trivial if disturbing sexual pecadillos and typically twisted childhood. The man is a hack. All I use is his title.
Meredith set off from Clarencetown Long Island a few days ago. I am not sure when. Does it matter?
The forecast suggested it was a good time to head south and east and this time the forecast was right. However the forecast was 12 hours premature. The sailing was not rough even in the first 12 hours I just want it recorded that the forecast, only 15 minutes old, was wrong.
Thirty hours later we were motor sailing in light winds along the south shores of Mayaguana, only 20 miles off the island of Provo, Turks and Caicos.
That was as close as we got.
The forecast, always wrong but the only basis for trip planning, suggested strongly we could not make our destination of Puerto Rico in good order and still return to North America to complete business at the end of April.
So, thirty hours out we turned right and headed for Cuba.
Thirty Six Hours later, about 5:30 pm we sailed into Puerto Vita, dropped the hook and waited for the quarantine inspection the next morning. We had sailed the final 24 hours in a fresh breeze off the starboard quarter and were invigorated.
Now we are among friends, Tina the marina manager, Jose Vila Danger the Customs man, Peter the Dutch humanist who has now married a local and is seeking Cuban residency.
This is a good place and we are happy to be here. We are very glad we dropped PR and returned to comfortable Cuba.
Not much internet, no phone but everything else is just fine.
Puerta Vita Cuba
No apologies to Jonathon Frantzen, that silly author of trivial if disturbing sexual pecadillos and typically twisted childhood. The man is a hack. All I use is his title.
Meredith set off from Clarencetown Long Island a few days ago. I am not sure when. Does it matter?
The forecast suggested it was a good time to head south and east and this time the forecast was right. However the forecast was 12 hours premature. The sailing was not rough even in the first 12 hours I just want it recorded that the forecast, only 15 minutes old, was wrong.
Thirty hours later we were motor sailing in light winds along the south shores of Mayaguana, only 20 miles off the island of Provo, Turks and Caicos.
That was as close as we got.
The forecast, always wrong but the only basis for trip planning, suggested strongly we could not make our destination of Puerto Rico in good order and still return to North America to complete business at the end of April.
So, thirty hours out we turned right and headed for Cuba.
Thirty Six Hours later, about 5:30 pm we sailed into Puerto Vita, dropped the hook and waited for the quarantine inspection the next morning. We had sailed the final 24 hours in a fresh breeze off the starboard quarter and were invigorated.
Now we are among friends, Tina the marina manager, Jose Vila Danger the Customs man, Peter the Dutch humanist who has now married a local and is seeking Cuban residency.
This is a good place and we are happy to be here. We are very glad we dropped PR and returned to comfortable Cuba.
Not much internet, no phone but everything else is just fine.
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