Cuba is the largest country by land area in the Caribbean. . It is bordered on the north by the Straits of Florida, and to the west, it reaches to theYucatan channel.
The famous Gulf Stream runs roughly northeast from the Gulf of Mexico (hence the name) at a steady 2.5 knots. In the Yucatan Channel the current can reach 5 knots flowing North.
These areas are formidable challenges for boats when the wind blows in the wrong direction, that is, against the current, building up high steeps waves or a big swell.
However, these waters also attract many deep sea fishermen, the most famous of all, Ernest Hemingway, who bought a house in San Francisco de Paula, near Havana, to be near the Gulf Stream and the great marlin.
Picture: Hemingway and a black marlin on the dock at Bimini.
Yachting Magazine
All boating, at all levels, I am convinced, is driven by our desire to reconnect with nature and its wildness, to live "the strenuous life," if only on weekends. And like "Papa," we saw no harm in celebrating this primal connection at the end of the day with bottles of beer and strong spirits. ¨
Here my kids show off a Pacific sailfish they caught off Guatemala.
The Cuban Revolution occurred in 1959; a clinically depressed Hemingway blew his brains out in Idaho in July 1961. His widow left Pilar to Gregorio Fuentes, Hemingway's beloved Cuban captain. Fuentes, turned Pilar over to the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro, then lived out his life in CojÌmar—Pilar's Cuban homeport—until he died in 2002 at 104 years of age.
Original plans and specs of Pilar 1934 , as required by Hemingway (from Bob)
One 38-foot twin cabin Playmate cruiser, one Chrysler Crown reduction gear engine, and trolling motor, complete as per catalogue.
Gas tanks to be four 75-gallon galv., two copper lined fish boxes to be built in the after deck. Sheer for approximately 10' from the transom to be lowered about 12". A live fishwell to be installed in boat with proper valves for filling and emptying. A settee to be built on portside similar to one now on the starboard side. Hull to be painted black. A 4-cylinder Lycoming straight drive engine to be installed for trolling purposes., this motor to be installed as a unit entirely independent of main power plant, and all controls and instruments are to be at steering position.
As a sailor, I love this book and regularly read parts of it. The manuscript was found after Hemingway´s death and publisher by his wife Mary Welsh. The cover shows a marine chart of the area from Bimini to Cuba, where Hemingway used to hunt the great marlin.
The first act, "Bimini", begins with an introduction to the character of Thomas Hudson, a classic Hemingway stoic male figure. Hudson is a renowned American painter who finds tranquility on the island of Bimini, in the Bahamas, a far cry from his usual adventurous lifestyle. Hudson’s strict routine of work is interrupted when his three sons arrive for the summer and is the setting for most of the act. Great description of a fistfight on the dock of Bimini and the shooting of a hammerhead shark that threatens Hudson´s son
"Cuba" takes place soon thereafter during the second World War, where we are introduced to an older and more distant Hudson who has just received news of his oldest (and last) son’s death in the war,who spends his days on the island drinking heavily and doing naval reconnaissance for the US Army. Memorable scenes in Havana´s watering holes, presumably Floridita and the Bodeguita del medio and Finca Vigia.
"At Sea", the final act, ends leaving the reader to assume Hudson dies after being wounded in a shoot out with German sailors whose U-boat was presumably sunk in the Gulf Stream. We sailed by Cayo Paraiso where Hemingway used to stage his trips, read a great description of the Cuban cayes and their reefs and the hunt of the submarine crew.
TRANS AMERICA RIDE!!
The target of the ride is to raise $10.00 for each mile of the ride, which would make a total of around $35,000.00
I you decide to support this ride, you may:
1. Buy miles: Buy one or more miles at $10.00 per mile. There are
2. Sponsor a local event when I am in your area (a ride, a barbecue) for a $200.00 minimum.
3. Become a Student Sponsor at Ak´Tenamit for $30.00 (one month) or $360.00 per year
4. Become a Health Care Partner for $10.00 or $120.00 per year.
All funds should end up in the
If you would like to sponsor a child, become a Health Care partner or simply want to buy one of the
tick the box ¨Trans
If you prefer to not to use a credit card, just see Chapter 5 of this Blog on how to donate.
LIFE IS GREAT, ENJOY THE RIDE!
JEAN , THE RIDING DUTCHMAN
transamerica.tenamit@gmail.com
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