Elaine and I helped organize the Salty Dawg Rally to Cuba and enjoyed participating in the Cuban visit because of a generous offer by Hank and Seale George to join them aboard their Catana 471, Flash. The blogs that follow are some of our observations of the ten day visit.

An early night to bed in the Ft Lauderdale condo didn't result in a good night's sleep. As usual, both Elaine and I woke up hourly to check the clock. We were faced with returning a rental car a half hour away at 0500 to catch the first shuttle to the airport. The typical electronic check-in had failed saying that our flight was "restricted," so we would have to see an official at the airport. Of course that was because we were headed to Cuba and we'd need to show visas and, for the US bureaucracy, indicate the purpose of our visit to the island nation.

0430 saw us in the rental car headed to Ft Lauderdale, no coffee, no breakfast and blurry eyes. At the desk, we comfortably checked box 5, Education, because we had a well-defined program and work schedule all worked out with the Salty Dawg Sailing Association and the Rally to Cuba.

The flight was short and on time Havana International Airport was modern, clean and accustomed to dealing with people like us. Immigration took our picture and the customs officials trusted our "nothing to declare" statement. We were in Cuba as easily as we enter Canada, our immediate neighbor to the north.

A cab driver approached us immediately with a friendly demeanor, an offer of the espresso he had just ordered, and an explanation of money changing and costs to get to our destination...30 CUC (Cuban currency for visitors, or $35US. We changed some money ($1US = .87 CUC, although you can do better some places), jumped in the cab and headed for the marina. Twenty minutes later, at 1000, after talking to various guards, we were at Canal 4 at Marina Hemingway being greeted by Hank and Seale on Flash, their Catana 471.

After unpacking a few things, having a quick lunch we were deep into helping organize membership enrollments for Hemingway International Yacht Club before an afternoon meeting with Commodoro Escrich, my long-time e-mail buddy. The Commodore's vision, not just for Hemingway International Yacht Club, but also for the role of Cuba, and, specifically, Havana in the development of yachting in the eastern Caribbean is grand. The Commodore is an entrepreneurial visionary to be certain, a challenging role in a government-controlled society.

In the evening we were on a patio behind the Yacht Club with When and If tied up alongside (General Patton's handsome retirement schooner). The Commodore made a passionate welcome to the Salty Dawgs present, and Commodore of the Rally, Dutch Dresser, and Director of the Rally, Hank George, answered the address with their appreciation for the warm welcome.

The evening ended at about 2330 after Cuban rum tastings and light Cuban fare. We slept the sleep of the dead until 0700 when it was time to get moving for another day of exploration and adventure.