Trips and Events
Here are some places that we’ve been to.
These entries, reflect my present recollections of experiences over time. Some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
The Shore – Lavalette, NJ, Sept 2026
You don’t need to say the “Jersey” Shore. There’s only one. The Shore is 127 miles of Atlantic Ocean ocean-front. It ranges from The North Shore includes Long Branch and Asbury Park of Springsteen fame, through the Central Shore home of Lavalette, Ortley Beach and Seaside Heights, to Long Beach Island where you can find Barnegat Light and Beach Haven. Then on to the Southern Shore which is most famous for Atlantic City and finally you get to the Southernmost Shore where you can visit Ocean City and Cape May.
Being extraordinarily fortunate having been invited as guests of my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, their three adult children and two toddler grandkids, it was a wonderful five-day visit. We were staying at an ocean-front beach house in Lavalette. It was my first time going down the shore. And it was much more than the beach vacation that I imagined it might be. It’s a culture. It’s a generational way of life. My brother-in-law has been doing this since he was a little kid and continues the tradition today. I had a long chat with a local as we were sitting on a bench near the top of a dune on the path down to the beach. She talked about coming here with her grandparents, then as an adult with her husband and kids, but always living full time elsewhere. And now, in her retirement, moving back full time. She has returned to what had always been her real home even though it was just a short seasonal stay throughout her life.
Here are some thoughts, images and remembrances from our visit.
Barnacle Bills Putt Putt Golf – Giant 20-foot Muffler Man holding a putter that is proportionately far too big to the man holding it. The putter is as big as the Muffler Man’s head. The holes have names like The Whale, Straight Shooter, Lookin Up, Dol-phun, Down by the River, Lucky #13 and Ole Barney. One stroke final score win (or defeat if you’re me) thanks to a hole-in-one on the #17 Nice n’ Easy hole.
Benjamin Franklin – An attraction unto itself. Beach toys, chairs and umbrellas. Bright fluorescent lighting. Bungee cords. Ortley Beach and Lavalette T-shirts and hats, beach house décor, hardware, tools. Everything and anything that you need.
Coffee – Just when you thought you had great early morning cup of coffee with your Green Mountain, Dark Magic Kuerig K-Cups, my nephew brings whole bean Peruvian coffee into the house. Back in my carefree youth in the seventies when we talked about Peruvian or Columbian, it wasn’t about coffee. But now, with coffee, there is still the same whispered reverence, ritual and subsequent first sip bliss. He even brought his own travel, hand powered coffee bean grinder. Great to get freshly ground coffee early in the morning without waking everyone up with one of those electric, high-whine machines. Sure, whole bean Peruvian, hand crank ground coffee could be considered a bit pretentious by some, but it’s more than worth it. I don’t mind being pretentious sometimes.
Music Man Singing Ice Cream Shoppe – Not one hundred percent sure what goes on “inside”, but people seemed really excited about going in. Only did the take-out window. Graham Central and Jersey Shore were favorite flavors.
Acme – I love grocery shopping at a store like Acme. Big, sprawling. Seemingly chaotic. There was even a six foot tall by six foot wide display stack of Mallomars in the middle of the floor near the produce section. Mallomars are a bit smaller than they used to be. And the inner packaging is different. But there’s nothing like that crisp pop when you first bite into a fresh one. Kinda like a Sabrett. Got a request from the house to pick up “ice cream”. No specifics. Last minute dash to the freezer section. Running to the checkout counter with one gallon each of Acme store brand, Signature Select, vanilla and chocolate fudge. I passed a guy digging through the frozen vegetables section. He looks up at me and sniggers, “Going generic huh?!” Mocking my selection?! Turned out to be extremely good ice cream and only $3.99 per 1.5 quart container. You can keep your $5-$7 Haagen-Dazs, Edy’s and Bryers. Give me Signature Select all day long!
Boardwalk – Early morning to late afternoon runners, walkers, strollers a few feet from the house. Seaside Heights Boardwalk. Pizza, beers, margaritas, carnival rides, arcade, Midway Steak House. This is the boardwalk of my dreams.
The Beach – The sky. The clouds. The beautiful rolling dunes protecting us from the mighty Atlantic. The Beach Badge Checkers. Enormous seagulls. The occasional swarms of flies. Dolphin and whale sightings. I did not personally see them, but people around me seemed pretty excited and kept pointing in the distance, “See them?! See them?!” I didn’t. Boats in the distance traveling north and south brought to mind several boat deliveries that I did to and from Marco Island, FL and Chatham, MA. We must have passed and gazed upon this very beach many years ago. Our lives being guarded from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm by tanned and fit young people. Red flags. Yellow Flags. Blue Flags. Checkered Flags. Swimmers, waders, surfers, kayakers. The bracing and chilly ocean. Being jostled and caressed at the same time by the relentless waves breaking at thirty yards out. Crashing; “BOOM, BOOM!”. Foaming, receding; “HISSSSS. SHHHHH”. “BOOM, BOOM!” “HISSSSS. SHHHHH.” They kept coming to the shore in waves.
Family Dinners – Lasagna, grilled chicken, burgers and dogs, Salmon with orzo, sweet potatoes with balsamic and feta, picadillo with avocado salad and sangria. Everyone took turns cooking dinner for everyone else. What could be just food and just dinner to some, is transformed into a higher plane of social and spiritual connection with the caring and sharing put into the provisioning, prepping, cooking and serving of a large family meal . The last night’s dinner was take-out pizza from Maruca’s on the Seaside Heights Boardwalk. Three large pies; Cheese, Pepperoni and what was supposed to be mushroom, turned out to be sausage. All very good. However, having had a slice earlier in the week at Little Mia’s, I think that they give Maruca’s a run. Little Mia’s where, if you are diligent and resourceful you can sleuth out an 18” tall wooden Egyptian Anubis statue wearing a Mexican hat standing in between a Lucky Bamboo plant and a blue candle. Some would debate a choice between Big Ed’s Produce or Jerry’s Farm Market (no size indicated). Jerry’s is definitely the place to go for produce if you’re not making the short drive to Acme.
Guitar playing – In the presence of a truly amazing talent (my gifted nephew). Open tuning, evades me. Just like electricity and air conditioning/refrigeration. I sort of understand it at the basic level. Like don’t touch the black wire and any other wire at the same time when the circuit breaker is on. Refrigerant (whatever that is) is compressed through narrow tubing and heat is removed from ambient temperature from the outside air and magically turned into cold air. After that, the details soon soar way beyond my comprehension. Makes my appreciation and awe of a master of the six string guitar all the greater. In the meantime, I’ll just plug in my amp and crank down the air, strum along and sing a happy tune. Makes me I wish I had a 00-18 Martin guitar in the back seat of my car.
Kids – Honored and amazed to witness some incredible parenting and grand-parenting with a couple of the cutest, best behaved and engaging toddlers. Old school. No electronic toys or helicopters in sight. I don’t think that I heard the word “no” once from either an adult or a kid. Although I did hear “Poppa”, “potato”, “Uh, oh”, “Mamma” and “Dadda” from the kids (and occasionally from the adults). These two kids are at the core of all happiness here.
Beach boroughs, communities, townships – Are they all friendly and cooperative, showing symbiotic solidarity, integral parts of a broader “Jersey Shore” collective? Together figuring out how to deal with hurricanes (there is still talk of Sandy fourteen years later) and the Bennies and Shoobies. Can’t live with ‘em… Or could there be an under-the-surface sort of simmering rivalry between, for example, Ortley Beach and Lavalette? Like The Sharks and The Jets, The Montagues and Capulets, Hatfields and McCoys? Jerry and Newman? It was a subject of much discourse throughout the week in the house. I was the only one who seemed to have more of an affinity to Ortley Beach. I even bought the Ortley Beach t-shirt at Ben Franklin’s. Wear your colors proudly my fellow Ortlians! Later in the week someone in the house says, “I love this running Ortley v. Lavalette gag you’ve got going this week.” “What gag?” came the reply.
Overall, here’s how I feel about my first time at The Shore. I have a friend who is a consummate Texan; cowboy hat, boots, big belt buckle and twang. When I first met him, I was absolutely certain that he was a native Texan. I asked where in Texas was he born. “Oh. I wasn’t born in Texas. But I got here as fast as I could and I never left.”
Paris – An Edible Exploration through Paris, City of Light – Edible Destinations by Epitourean – June 2026
We went to Paris (our first time) through Edible Destinations by Epitourean. The tour included six nights stay at the Hôtel Résidence Henri IV, 50 Rue des Bernardins, in the fifth arrondissement, the Latin Quarter, a tour guide and five scheduled food centered experiences.
The accommodations at the Residence Henri IV, were extremely nice and well appointed. Twenty-four hour service at the front desk was extremely professional, polite and helpful by each person who was at the front desk.
Only once, on the first day, did we take advantage of the continental breakfast that was included with the package. The food was serviceable. The breakfast area was small and felt crowded. The coffee was not good. However, the coffee from the Nespresso machine in the room was pretty good. But the breakfast at the hotel could not complete at all with any of the very nearby boulangeries which we visited daily.
The room was very clean, bed and pillows comfortable. Shower and bathroom clean, great water pressure and fast hot water. Small kitchenette with stove top, microwave, sink and refrigerator was good for storing and reheating leftovers.
Cooking Experiences -There were five planned experiences. All were very good, but a couple (Le Foodist and The Left Bank Walking Tour) were better than the others.
1. French Croissant Class – Maison Fleuret
This was the perfect way to start our cooking tour. Not too long, excellent hands-on experience and incredibly delicious results. Our instructor, Mai, was very good, friendly and extremely knowledgeable about baking. There were only seven of us in the class so it was very nice from a Q&A perspective with Mai.
2. Cooking Class at La Cuisine Paris
This was a very nice experience with high quality food. Phillipe was our chef and our street guide as we went to various nearby shops to get the ingredients for our dinner. Phillipe was extremely personable and knowledgeable. There was quite a bit of hands-on prep work, but Phillipe did most of the actual cooking. The end result dinner of duck breast, Hasselback potatoes, salad and chocolate soufle was delicious. We were provided a pdf with the recipes of all of the things that we had.
Menu included cheese course, Duck Breast in Greenpepper sauce, salad, potatoes Hasselback and souflee! And of course, champagne and wine.
3. Food Market Tour & Cooking Class | Gourmet Lunch & Wine at Le Foodist
If you only had time for one cooking class in Paris, I would highly recommend this place. There was a very good amount of hands-on prep and hands-on cooking with not only very knowledgeable and helpful “how to” but also “why” we were doing things. I took away a lot more practical, general cooking knowledge from the class than I did from the first one we went to.
Our chef and street tour guide was Frederic. He was extremely personable, engaging and was a great instructor. Our proposed menu was a mushroom first plate and a main plate of salmon with a beurre blanc sauce and ratatouille. Before we left to go shopping, Frederic asked if everyone was okay with the menu. A couple of people did not want the salmon nor the mushrooms. For those two or three people, Frederic substituted cod and asparagus. What a great example of his hospitality and flexibility to pivot like that on the fly. Dessert was homemade vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately, we never received the actual recipes for this dinner. I’d still like to get the recipes.
Not a lot was pre done so we felt like we were actually making the stuff right then and there. The oven was right there in the room with us. We put our names on the parchment paper so we got to eat the exact things that we each personally made. Our final products, croissants and pan de chocolate, were excellent. Some of the best that I’ve had (even at a couple of great boulangeries that we went to in Paris).
4. Left Bank Culinary Walking Tour
We walked to several shops for baguettes, cheese, chocolate, fruit and wine. Finally winding up at the Marche Saint-Germain wine shop, Bacchus et Ariane, where we partook of all that we gathered. We had six cheeses and three wines. Romain, who was a cheese monger in a previous time, gave us detailed information on each cheese and wine.
5. Scenic Seine River Dinner Cruise – Bateaux Parisiens
Sharing time with our fellow tour mates and seeing the beautiful sites of the city from the Seine was memorable. The food, not so much. This was our farewell event. A dinner cruise on the Seine. If we were just on a regular “tourist” type of tour, this would have been okay (at best). But this being a “culinary” tour, this dinner cruise just didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the week. The quality of the food on the boat could not compare at all with the any of the great culinary experiences we had throughout the week (both those provided by Edible Destinations and those that we had on our own time).
From a culinary perspective, this was a bit of a letdown. It was standard fare. The food and service could have been from any touristy-like dinner experience anywhere else in the world. Everyone on the tour had to agree to the same thing (entree, main plate and desert) before we boarded. We went along with the general consensus, but I really would have made different selections. The one glass of champagne and the couple of glasses of wine were okay.
If you only could do one culinary experience in Paris, this would be it. This was by far the absolute best experience provided by Edible Destinations! Our guide Romain, was very charismatic and knowledgeable. He had a great passion for the food and the area that we walked through. He was previously a cheese monger.
I felt that I got a lot of practical knowledge about cheese and wine that I could use when I got back home. And Romain sent a list of everything that we had! It was great that there were only six of us on this walking tour.
My Overview of…
An Edible Exploration through Paris, City of Light
Tour Host – Philippe – Phil was very good. Communication via WhatsApp was excellent. I liked that he took photos at the events and sent them to us. He stuck around at the beginning and end of each event to make sure that we got there and could find our way back. Although he did interact with some of the chefs and Romain, I did not feel that he was intruding on their gigs.
Communication – In general, for the most part, email communication was pretty good from initial booking to end of tour.
Pacing / Free Time – I liked the free day and the free time in general that was built into the tour. I thought that it was a very good mix of scheduled events and free time. I never felt rushed at all.
Value for Dollar Spent – I am a very big believer in “value for dollar spent”. If something costs a lot of money, if I’ve had a good experience, I quickly forget about the cost because the good memories of the experience far outweigh the memories of what it cost.
Even when something doesn’t cost a lot of money, if I don’t have a good experience, I feel bad about having spent even a small amount of money on it.
I think that this tour gave me a good “value for dollar spent”.
Cuba – 2016 – Part 1 – Getting There
A couple of friends of ours were keeping their 2011 Hunter 45 Deck Salon at the Sarasota Yacht Club. The yacht club sponsored a sailing regatta from Sarasota to Havana, Cuba in April of 2016. Our friends invited us to join them. The crew consisted of the two owners of the boat, their adult daughter and the both of us.
It was a different time for Cuba and US relations back then. The US president, at the time, in March, had made the first visit of a sitting US president to Cuba in 88 years. Things seemed to be easing up a little between the two countries.
We were the only ones of the crew who had done the kind of longer distance, overnight sailing trip that this regatta required. We did quite a bit of prep work. We went over shift schedules, provisioning, of course all of the legal requirements required to go to a foreign country, especially one like Cuba and we also did a practice overnighter sailing in the Gulf of Mexico from Sarasota to a point south until after midnight, then turning around and coming back to our berth in Sarasota.
Monday 4/4 – 0735 Lat 25 29.647N 082 40.26 W 90nm due east of Cape Sable. 33nm from Light Tower. COG 190. SOG 5 kph. WNW winds 6. Seas 3-4, occasional 6’s. Rocking and rolling. 1330 at Lighted Tower. Underway from Venice Inlet approximately 24 hours. SOG 5 kph. Winds 6. Seas confused, choppy, 4′ swells, 2 sec intervals. 24 57. 524N 82 44.394W. 1440 Put three 5 gallon Jerry Cans of diesel into tank while underway. 111 nm to go to Marina Hemingway (approximate 22 hours).
Tuesday 4/5 0100-0400 Dodged numerous tankers. A little tense, but with AIS and Watch Crew’s diligence we made it through. AIS mandatory for this crossing. 1045 we arrived at approach buoy to Marina Hemingway channel 23 05.400N 82 30.600 W. Underway from Venice Inlet for 45 hours. 1047 into channel. Entered well marked channel. Large black diamond day mark at end of channel. Went to port and tied up at a very long side-to dock with blue buildings.
Dollar, CUC, CUP – CUC is the Cuban Convertible Peso. One CUC is equivalent to one US dollar. However, there is a hefty exchange and service charge so that we got 87 cents on the dollar. Some places will take US dollars, but primarily, for tourists, you will have to pay in CUCs. Locals primarily use the CUP (Cuban Peso) for their day-to-day purchases. 24 CUPs is equivalent to 1 CUC/1 US Dollar. So, 1 CUP is equal to around 4 cents. Credit cards issued by American banks are not accepted anywhere in Cuba.
Hotel entertainment – On most nights there was some sort of live entertainment at the stage near poolside. One night it was a magician and acrobats. Then there were the scantily clad dancers interspersed with male and female torch singers. Then there was the aqua ballet that took place around and in the pool. All included in the price.
Wednesday 4/5 – Private tour of Havana. My friend in Tarpon Springs, gave me a contact for someone to drive us around in Havana. On the way over, the crew talked about how we would get in touch with a private taxi once we got to Havana. Fortunately, I was able to use a line I’ve wanted to say all my life “Don’t worry. I got a guy in Havana.” At the time he was on of the featured starts on the Discovery Channel program, Cuban Chrome. A series about how Cubans keep their old 50’s classic cars running. Our driver met us at the hotel in his 53 Olds (Korean Kea engine) and took us on a private tour of Havana for an entire day. Because he may not be fully licensed yet to take tourists around, we were told that if we were stopped and questioned by the police, we were to say that my wife and I were the parents of the wife of our driver’s brother’s son who lives in the US. I wish that I had time to put together a more detailed back story, but, he told us this while we were well on our way to Old Havana. And we would need the story soon.
Quinta Avenida – Our route from the marina to Havana took us down Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue). Many large homes are on this path. Many have been converted to embassies for foreign countries. Also on this street is the Cuban equivalent of Big Ben and a Coney Island-like park. This is also known as the Presidential Boulevard in that this is the street that Fidel used to travel from his Revolution Square offices to and from his home. Because of this, for security reasons, there are few, if any, stop lights, police at every intersection and a strictly enforced minimum speed limits (no less than 60K in the right lane and no less than 80K in the left). We were actually pulled over for going too slow (40K). Here’s how we were “pulled over”. As we approached an intersection, a policewoman put out her hand. Our driver immediately pulled over to the center island of the intersection where the policewoman was standing. She asked for paperwork and called someone on here cell phone. I frantically tried to remember who’s parents of which one of the driver’s relatives in the states we were supposed to be. We all stayed silent and looked straight ahead, never making eye contact with the policewoman. She gave our driver his paperwork back and told him to drive faster the rest of the way to Havana.
Almuerzo – For lunch, we went to a paladar (a privately owned restaurant) called the La Taberna de Pescador. It is a small restaurant of about a dozen tables located at Calle San Ignacio, No. 260 e/ Amargura y Lamparilla. We had the octopus and ropa vieja. All of the food was very good and our server, Rolando, was great as well. On average, lunch dishes were around 11 CUCS. Good value for the quality.
WAYPOINT LIST TO MARINA HEMINGWAY
- Venice to Lighted Tower just north of Dry Tortugas 24 56.10N 82 44.57W 126 nm
- Lighted Tower to Dry Tortugas
24 43.51N 82 43.84W 17nm - Dry Tortugas to Rebecca Shoals
24 27.20N 82 46.88W 26nm - Rebecca Shoals to Marina Hemingway Approach buoy
23 05.40N 82 30.60W 65nm
Checking in with Guarda Frontera – 1050 tied up at Custom’s Dock. 48 hours underway from SYC slip to Custom’s Dock. 1110 Dr. Pedro took our temperatures. All within specs. Heard of another boat where one person was running a slight fever and they were told that they would have to stay in quarantine until fever dropped. They decided to head back. 1116 Guarda Frontera, 19-year-old Ernesto asked how many people onboard. Went back to office. Captain went to office with paperwork. Then, each person (two at a time) went into office to have passport stamped and photo taken.
Marina Hemingway – On to slip at Marina Hemingway (about five minutes) Side-tie. Visited by two additional inspectors and we were free to leave the boat. Our slip was about one minute walk to the pool bar of the Hotel Acuario which is right on the property of the Marina Hemingway docks. Music was playing almost non-stop at the pool from afternoon until after dark. If you are staying at the hotel, all food and drink are included in the price. They give you a wrist band to denote that you are staying at the hotel. Initially, we stayed on the boat, we could still get drinks at the pool bar for 1 CUC tips. They did take US dollars before we exchanged our money into CUCs.
Hotel Acuario – We eventually got a room at the Hotel Acuario for a few nights. Captain reserved the rooms and pre-paid with credit card a few weeks prior through a third party reservation company while still in the US. We also stayed at a house on the property for one night as our rooms were not ready. The house we stayed in for one night was luxurious. Pool in the courtyard. Full kitchen. Beautiful! It was like something you would see in a Miami Vice episode. The hotel rooms were adequate and clean. Maid service every day. Air conditioning worked great. In-room mini fridge. TV with local and international channels. Bathrooms were clean. We had a hot water issue in our room (no hot water) that never got fixed. But, the other rooms were fine.
The all-inclusive food was served cafeteria style. There were flies around, so I avoided any of the open served food. There was an omelet station that was good. Service was slow. Things like napkins, cups, plates and some food items were frequently scarce until they were finally replenished. We did have a private lobster dinner one night. The lobster and service were very good. Wine, not so much good.
In general, the service at the hotel was mostly slow, inefficient and inconsistent. It seemed that many of the hotel workers appeared overwhelmed at the demands (that were normal based on US standards) placed on them. Some of the hotel employees spoke some English, but to get anything done a little quicker or more accurately, speaking a little Spanish helped greatly.
We drove along the Malecon to the center of Old Havana. We visited Plaza Vieja, Plaza de la Catredal where we was the Cathedral of Saint Christopher; Plaza del San Francisco, where we saw the Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asisi, and the famous bronze statue of The Gentleman from Paris, a rather eccentric character who wandered the streets of Havana in the Fifties; and the Plaza del Armas. We wandered the streets and went into some small t-shirt/souvenir shops. Because we were with a Discovery Channel star of Cuban Chrome, we were stopped frequently with people wanting to have their photo taken with him.
La Plaza Vieja – There were street caricature artists who followed us around and did small (5X7) caricature drawings as we walked or sat at a cafe and had coffee. They did these without request and would then just try to hand them to us, or in the case of when we were at the cafe, simply put the drawings on the table. Of course, they were expecting some kind of gratuity. They weren’t bad, but it became a little too much of in-your-face pushiness. A simple “No thank you.” or “Gracias, pero no quiero” seemed to work. Again, don’t make eye contact or they’ll glom onto you. A great cafe that we stopped at after lunch was the Cafe Escorial in La Plaza Vieja. Excellent coffee and pastries!
Club Nautico Internacional Hemingway – Back to the marina. As part of the Sarasota Yacht Club Regatta to Cuba, we were invited to a reception at the Club Nautico Internacional Hemingway. There were apps and drinks and dancing and a rousing, passionate welcome speech by Commodore José Miguel Díaz Escrich. There was also a surprise announcement by Commodore Escrich that there would be an impromptu international regatta made up of Cuban, Spanish and American sailboats on Saturday.
Morro Castle Regatta – The race would start at the mouth of the Rio Almendaras and go the the red channel marker at the entrance of Havana Harbor, just west of El Morro Castle; a single, six-mile course. It was beam reach in 20 knots of wind all the way. We executed a perfect jibe around the red buoy turn at El Morro! It was an exciting race! And of course, there was a post race reception at the Club Nautico Internacional Hemingway that night. Roasted whole pig, lobster, live music, inspiring speeches, presentation of awards; a great night!
End of Part 1
Cuba – 2016 – Part 2 – The Official Tour
- Hotel Ambos Mundos – Heminway stayed here before buying Finca Vigia.
- La Floridita – Hemingway’s favorite bar in Havana. He came here to drink daiquiris. There is a life size bronze statue of Hemingway at the end of the bar where is always sat. His signature drink when he was here was called a Papa Doble which consisted of about four ounces of rum, fresh lime and grapefruit juice in a blender with shaved ice. I had one there. Of course took the obligatory photo with Hemingway’s statue. However, as Yogi Berra said, “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” One obligatory visit is necessary. Might return early in the day or late at night to avoid turistas.
- Sloppy Joes – Beautiful old-school bar. Nothing like, and no connection to the Sloppy Joe’s in Key West. Kind of bar you can stay for awhile. In it’s day, it was frequented by the internationally famous and infamous.
Official Tour – We were toured around for three days with TCG Travel, a professional tour company. Our main tour guide was Alex. We traveled around in a very nice air-conditioned bus. Alex’s presentations were about 50% historic and 50% pro-Revolution. All in all, very nice. At one point, one of our group asked Alex some very pointed political questions which Alex responded to in a fairly honest manner, while not showing any signs of distinct criticism of the government. Here are some tour high lights…
- Christ of Havana statue – 66 foot tall statue of Christ blessing the city. Incredible view of Havana from here. You can also see Che’s house which is on the grounds of La Cabana Fortress.
- La Cabana Fortress – Built in 1744. Third largest in the Americas. Next to Morro Castle
- La Finca Vigia – Hemingway’s home in Cuba from 1939 to 1960. He wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea there. Beautiful sprawling property. Things here are pretty much as he left them when he left the island for good in 1960 including his daily recording of his weight written on the wall of his bathroom next to his bathroom scale. His boat, Pilar, is kept here. His posthumously published book, Islands in the Stream, contains vivid descriptions of the house and his life in Cuba.
- Coctel Vigia (Guarapo) – There is a little drink stand near the entrance to Finca Vigia. The drink is called a Guarapo. It is made with juice from freshly pressed sugar cane, lemon, pineapple and Havana Club 7 Year. Very tasty and refreshing.
- Cojimar – The small fishing village where Hemingway kept his boat. This village and his captain was the background and inspiration for The Old Man and the Sea. A monument to Hemingway is here. A bust that was made by the local fisherman by melting down old boat engines when they heard of his death in the US. Nice paladar here. Would love to spend the day, but the tour moved us through pretty quickly.
- Hotel Nacional – The hotel was opened in 1930 and is of grand architecture of that era. In it’s time, it hosted many guest of international renown including actors, sports stars, musicians and organized crime. Even now, many superstar guests have come here. It’s definitely another place that I’d love to spend a day or two. It’s amazing to be in the same place where so many of the famous, and infamous walked the halls, grounds, overlooked the ocean and had mojitos on the veranda.
- La Corona Cigar Factory – Government owned factory rolling cigars for some of the famous Cuban brands. No stranger to cigar factories, there was nothing new for me to see here. However, it was extremely impressive to see so many rollers at one time. Several rollers offered to cell a bundle of cigars on the side for 10 CUC. Great deal, but I was a little concerned about the security cameras all over the place and I didn’t want to end up in a Cuban jail for buying cigars illegally. Unfortunately, photos were not allowed in the factory.
- El Laurel Restaurant – 5ta ave. #26002 e/260 y 262, Santa Fé Playa. A short walk from Marina Hemingway. Excellent food, service and a great view overlooking the water. Up to US standards. Will go back.
- La Fontana Bar and Grill – Ave. 3ra. A & 46, Miramar La Habana. Best food and service we experienced. Live music. Large restaurant. Definitely up to US standards.
- El Biki – Calle San Lazaro, San Lazaro y Infanta, Havana, Cuba – I don’t know if it was because we had a “tour” fixed menu or not, but the food and service was below par. Would not return.
- Fusterlandia – Jose Fuster is a Cuban artist who works primarily in sculptured tile. His house is in Jaimanitas, a middle class seaside town just west of downtown Havana. When he started decorating his home with tile work, his neighbors asked if he would do the same for them. So, most of the neighborhood is decorated in his brightly colored tile work. At first glance, it seems a little hokey. Then you take a closer look. The main work in the pool area is The Caridad de Cobre, the Catholic Marian patroness of Cuba. Some of the hand painted messages on tiles that are part of steps include “Camina Suave” (Walk Softly), “La Alegria de Vivir” (The Joy of Living), “Soy un guajiro de costa” (I am a peasant from the coast), “Barriga llena, corazon contento” (Full belly, content heart). And when you put your hands on some of the millions of pieces of tile that Fuster personally placed to create these images, yeah, it definitely leaves the realm of “hokey” far behind.
- Kcho (Ca-cho) – A Cuban artist who is internationally renowned. He does sculptures with boat and bird themes. His medium seems to be primarily wood and metal., but he did have this one brick thing that was incredible.
Revolution Square – The square that is surrounded by the political machine’s offices. Also, a gigantic monument to Jose Marti. Fidel would stand in front of the Marti statue to give his speeches to the people that would crowd the square. He once gave an eight-hour, non-stop speech here. I’m guessing nobody left until he was done.
End of Part 2
Cuba – 2016 – Part 3 – Going Home
Monday, 4/11 – Waiting on the weather. A good weather window seemed to be opening up on Tuesday, so we got the boat ready, fueled up, figured out what the checkout procedure was at the marina and at Cuban Customs and just hung by the pool and generally relaxed.
Tuesday 4/12 – Time to leave Cuba. Checked out a dockmaster’s office (about a thirty minute walk from our slip). We were at the marina for seven days. Cost: 70 cents per foot, per day for slip fees. $75 per person for departure tax (paid at the dockmaster’s office). $6 for water. $55 for electric. Ten percent gratuity. 1000 departure from slip. Thirty minutes at Customs. Each person had to go into the office and have their paper work reviewed and photo taken. Guarda Frontera checked the boat for possible stow aways. None found (because none were onboard).
When we reached US waters we were buzzed several times by a USCG plane. We heard it hail one of the other boats in our regatta and asked pertinent information about their boat and course.
WAYPOINT LIST FROM MARINA HEMINGWAY TO STOCK ISLAND
- Marina Hemingway Approach Buoy to “KW” MoA – 24 27.4N 81 48.1W 90.52nm
- “KW” MoA to R”8” QR 24°30.979′ N 81°48.242′ W 3.49n
- R”8” QR to R”2” 4S 24°32.480′ N 81°43.926′ W 4 nm
- R”2” 4S to Slip at Stock Island Marina 24 33.9N 81 44.1W 1nm
Light tanker traffic through the night. ENE winds 15-20. Great sailing for the first few hours. Seas 3-5 on our starboard forward quarter most of the trip. A bit rocking and rolling, but overall not too bad.
0230 Reached “KW”
0330 Turned easterly toward Stock Island Marina Channel. All out crew effort with high intensity lights, charts and chart plotter to make our way up the Key West Channel and then down Hawk Channel to Stock Island in the dark.
Wednesday 4/13 0530 BACK IN THE US Tied up at fuel dock temporarily. Called USCG to let them know we were back. The person that we talked to didn’t seem interested. He said to go to the Custom House in the morning.
Slept until 0800, checked in to the marina and moved to our assigned slip.
Free marina shuttle to Old Town. Did the Key West thing. Breakfast at Blue Heaven. Schooneritas at Schooner Wharf Bar. Lunch at Hogs Breath. Chill at the Hyatt lobby. Slice at Mr. Z’s. Visit to the Key West Marine Hardware store. Duval stroll. Happy hour at the upper deck of Turtle Kraals with the crew of Serendipity. Great apps; Oysters on the half shell, Bucket of Bones (ribs) and conch fritters. Back to the boat and early to bed.
ROUTE FROM STOCK ISLAND TO MARCO ISLAND
- Hawk Channel to NW Channel
- NW Channel to Marco R2 80nm
- Marco Channel to Marco Island Yacht Club
1400 Left Stock Island Marina
1600 NW Channel G1
Thursday 4/14 – Walked to Dolphin Diner on Stock Island for a great breakfast.
Crossing from Key West to Marco was relatively calm. Low winds and seas all the way.
Friday 4/15 0723 Arrive at entry to Marco Channel
0830 Docked up at Marco Island Yacht Club
Walked to Hoot’s for breakfast 563 E Elkcam Cir, Marco Island, FL. Showers, pool, nap. Went to Colors ceremony and associated happy hour at the Burgee Bar. Wonderful dinner at the yacht club.
ROUTE FROM MARCO ISLAND TO PLACIDA, FL (A little north of Boca Grande)
- Marco Ch. Entry to Sanibel
26 23.3N 82 08.2W 32 nm - Sanibel to Boca Grand Entry
26 40.4N 82 19.1 W 19.55 nm - Boca Grande Ch to ICW Follow Channel for 4 nm
- ICW to Palm Island Marina Follow Channel
Saturday 4/16 – Out of the slip around 0800. Into the Gulf and heading north around 0930
1426 Arrive at Sanibel waypoint
Incredible sail all the way to Boca Grand. No motor assist. Winds out of the NNE in the high teens to low 20’s. Seas around 2 feet. Saw speeds over ground of over 8 kph!
1726 Arrive at Boca Grand Channel entry
Things became much less comfortable at this point. Now heading directly in to 2-3 foot seas and high winds all the way up the channel.
1818 Finally out of the channel and turned the corner heading north. Still slogging as winds and seas screaming down Charlotte Harbor were hitting us directly on our beam.
1730 at Boca Grande Swing Bridge
Cape Haze anchorage was filled up. No room. Kept heading north on the ICW
2000 tried to anchor at Buccaneer Anchorage #1 26°51.106’N 082°17.849’W. Tried twice but could not get anchor to stick. Now past nautical twilight. Called after hours number for Palm Island Marina. Spoke with Tim who said to come in and take any open slip. Another full crew effort to head up the ICW in the dark
2107 Finally got in to Palm Island Marina and tied up at fuel dock. Continued heavy winds made docking a challenge. Another all out effort by captain and crew with some assistance from local captains Chuck and Dave and we were safe and secure for the night. Great dinner of ground beef, spaghetti sauce and a wonderful bottle of wine.
Sunday 4/17 –
ROUTE FROM PALM ISLAND MARINA TO SARASOTA YACHT CLUB
ICW north to SYC
0746 Off the dock, down the channel and onto the ICW
1100 Venice Inlet
1345 Made the turn up SYC channel. Just in time to watch SYC boats head out for the Blessing of the Fleet. Or, they might have come out to greet us on our triumphant return.
1425 Back in home slip 15 days after initial departure
Overall – Great crew, food, beverages. Fun, fun time. Boat sailed and motored extremely well. Minor temporary glitches with auto pilot, fuel gauge and chart plotter. No run agrounds, no hits, no errors! More than tolerable sea conditions. Included some of the best sailing I’ve ever done while actually maintaining the desired course to our next destination. Put in about 664 miles including the Morro Castle Regatta. Fuel burn rate was less than 1 gallon per hour.
End of Part 3
Cuba – 2016 – Part 4 – Rambling Thoughts
Icons – Che. American cars from the Fifties. Hemingway. Jose Marti. Laundry hanging from apartment balconies. These are the images that were most imprinted on my mind during my time in Havana (in that order). Interestingly, I only saw one poster with Fidel on it (at the cigar factory) and only one poster with Raul (the poster was of Raul and Obama when he visited in March). The predominant architectural icons of the Havana skyline are Morro Castle and the Russian Embassy.
Art – There are many small art galleries along the streets of Old Havana. I was surprised to see many pieces that were not traditional, like the painting of the guy asleep in bed with the sheets pulled up to his chin. Except that the sheets and the wall paper of his bedroom had guns on them all pointing to his head. Hmmm? Large contemporary sculptures in the streets. I’d love to spend more time in some of the small galleries and in many of the other galleries to see the contemporary and well as traditional art that resides in Cuba.
Music – All of the music that I heard, and there was music everywhere, had a crystal clarity of tone and timing that I’ve never heard before. Street musicians singing harmonies exceeding any Everly Brothers/Simon and Garfunkel types that we so revere here in the US. Upon our return to the US, our first stop was Key West, where there’s someone playing a guitar and singing songs in every bar you pass. For the most part, these guys were jarring hacks in contrast to the musicians that I heard in Havana. Some of the musicians I heard while walking around Havana included…
- The trio at La Fontana Bar and Grill; singer, piano, flute. They did contemporary songs in an elegant way.
- The string quartet playing classical pieces in the lobby of a hotel
- The two guys in Plaza Vieja; one playing the guitar, the other doing percussion on a jawbone of an ass.
- The trio at the Hemingway statue at Cojimar; two guitars and a guy in a wheelchair playing maracas.
- The lone flautist sitting on the steps of a hotel playing clear and strong and soft.
- Three guys on the street; guitar, bongos, percussion.
- Small orchestra group at Floridita
- Manicero; The woman peanut vendor who sang the traditional manicero song that rose above the general din of the city so that you could hear her from a block away as if she were standing right next to you.
Americans as $$$ – Like any other tourist city, there are people trying to make money in any way that they can. There was the guy that seemed to be dressed as an old-time Cuban with Panama hat, cane and fake cigar that you could take a photo with. The fortune tellers in Plaza Vieja. The roaming caricature artists. The brightly colored ladies in traditional Cuban costume who came up putting arm-in-arm wanted to take a photo with you. The peanut vendors selling peanuts in wrapped, white paper cones. The guy that “gave” me a Cuban and American printing of the latest Granma publication. The woman who appeared to not be able to speak, but through various charade-like gestures, seemed to want to “dance” or “kiss” or “hug” or something. The group of people who were dressed in the finest, most colorful, Mardi-Gras like costumes, marching and playing drums and horns, on stilts. And, like in any other city, there were a couple of people who just outright begged. Of course, all of my street donations went to the incredible musicians.
Like Home – There were many places that I felt very much at ease. Certain places on the streets of Havana seemed familiar to me, as if I belonged there somehow, or I had been there before. I found this one cigar store near the marina, Los Tres Reyes. I visited several times. There I met Niurka. She was managing the place. I would get a hand rolled puro, a Santiago de Cuba rum and a cafecito. I chatted and joked with Niurka and Andrea, the cigar roller, and didn’t feel like I was on vacation, or “visiting”, I felt like I was back home in Ybor City.
Contrasts – Stark contrasts abound…
- Luxury 5-star resorts to small shacks.
- Ornate colonial buildings from the 1800’s to 50’s grand architecture to Sixties square block buildings
- Restored Fifties American Classic Cars to horse drawn carts (Not the “tour Central Park” kind, but the “this is how we get around” kind)
- Che to Hemingway
- Revolution Square to Plaza Vieja
End of Part 4