Winter in St. Petersburg
The Walenda highwire act over the Sundial Square in downtown St. Petersburg!
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February 22, 2017
Our sailboat race to Cuba is less than a week away. We arrived in St. Petersburg, Florida in the middle of December, and the race seemed so far away. Where has all the time gone?
Our sailboat race to Cuba is less than a week away. We arrived in St. Petersburg, Florida in the middle of December, and the race seemed so far away. Where has all the time gone?
- Francie flew on New Year’s Eve to California to visit her children for 10 days while Mike went to Orlando to visit his son Jim.
Francie and son Jon participating in a kayak cleanup of shoreline near Rancho Palos Verdes.
- Francie went to Fort Lauderdale to visit friends and her college roommate in Fort Meyers while Mike went to Orlando to visit his son.
- Mike flew to Chicago to visit his son Patrick and then drove to Michigan to spend a few days with his parents; from there he drove his son Jim’s truck back to Orlando. It was a week-long trip.
- Francie has been busy with physical therapy for her knee. She tripped while we were hiking this past summer and finally figured out that “walk it off” was not a treatment plan for a torn meniscus. She will later have surgery on it.
- We volunteered at a food bank once a week and gathered with friends we knew in St Pete.
New cruising chute
As race preparations begin, we have spent time working with Mike, the new owner of Anam Cara, to help with some of the new upgrades. Francie has been charting the course to Havana and getting it into the chart plotter. We have both been reading about Cuba learning things to do and not do.
For us this was an opportunity to once again travel on Anam Cara to a destination we always wanted to visit. After meeting the rest of the crew and having a couple of practice sessions, we were confident that as a crew we would be ready for any type of weather.
For us this was an opportunity to once again travel on Anam Cara to a destination we always wanted to visit. After meeting the rest of the crew and having a couple of practice sessions, we were confident that as a crew we would be ready for any type of weather.
Tacking under the Sunshine Bridge in Tampa Bay at the start of the race.
On Tuesday morning February 28th, we set out for the starting line. It was exciting thinking about sailing to Cuba. The biggest problem was wind – or should I say lack of it. The starting line had to be moved closer to the ocean inlet to get any wind. This race had the potential to be a real drifter – sailing term for no wind. We spent several hours trying to get under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge which was just a couple of miles away. At one point we realized we were going backward due to the incoming tide, so we dropped the anchor. It is the first time we have passed race boats while at anchor. Other boats also dropped their anchor to stop the negative progress. This should have been an omen.
The theme of the next two days was drift with no wind, sail with a little wind and the drift again. At one point on the second day the computer calculated our ETA as 9 days. When we checked the weather, it consistently predicted near gale force winds and high seas crossing the Gulfstream in the Straights of Florida on Friday. We knew other boats had decided to drop out of the race when suddenly they were going fast while we still drifted. Wednesday night our skipper decided the safest (and most fun) thing to do was turn on the motor and get to Cuba as quickly as possible. We motored for 20 hours and arrived in Hemingway Marina just before dark on Thursday.
The theme of the next two days was drift with no wind, sail with a little wind and the drift again. At one point on the second day the computer calculated our ETA as 9 days. When we checked the weather, it consistently predicted near gale force winds and high seas crossing the Gulfstream in the Straights of Florida on Friday. We knew other boats had decided to drop out of the race when suddenly they were going fast while we still drifted. Wednesday night our skipper decided the safest (and most fun) thing to do was turn on the motor and get to Cuba as quickly as possible. We motored for 20 hours and arrived in Hemingway Marina just before dark on Thursday.
Morro Castle at the entrance to Habana Harbor.
After going through Customs and with a little confusion, we arrived at our slip. After the boat was tied up, cleaned, and reorganized, we settled down with a few drinks and marveled at the idea that we were really in Cuba. We were visited by several officials in the first couple of hours who were pleasant and welcoming. Despite our inability to communicate effectively, our first impressions of our new home for the next 8 days was positive.
The following morning, we watched vintage cars, in colors that none of the auto manufactures would have dreamed of using, driving up and down the streets in the marina. “There is a 56 Ford Fairlane” or “look at the 57 Chevy” or “what year is that Chevy,” were the cries coming from the guys. Later we saw these treasures of American manufacturing all over the city.
After coffee and conversation, Francie and Mike humped their bags down the street to find a cab to take them to them to Old Habana and our Airbnb. The cabbie, whose English was no better than our Spanish, had a trouble findings our street. Our new home was on a lane that was blocked from traffic because there were several restaurants and bars with tables in the street. At the end of the thoroughfare was the Hairdressers Monument, a pair of scissors. After climbing 3 flights of very narrow stairs, we met Danma, our hostess for the next 6 days. We had a lovely private room with a private bathroom in her home. Danma’s enthusiasm and willingness to help overcame her limited English and our nonexistent Spanish. She suggested restaurants with the map of Old Habana she provided us. Danma even arranged taxis to take us back to the marina for the activities.
Our building.
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Our street.
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Old Habana was like stepping back in time. It wasn’t just the old cars; there isn’t the kind of mechanization that we are used to seeing. Street cleaners are not big machines, but people with brooms and a trash can on a cart. As we explored the neighborhoods, we discovered tiny stores along the streets everywhere. Some sold souvenirs while others sold bread or fruits and vegetables. There were no Walgreens on the corner across from the CVS.
The buildings that lined the streets were 3 stories high; many with a courtyard leading to upper floors. Some of the streets had blocks of brightly colored buildings yet on the same street there were several blocks of buildings in disrepair. During a tour, we were told that all renovation of the buildings has to be approved by the government and must be returned to its exact original state. One of the hotels in Plaza de San Francisco de Asís where we had stopped to listen to music had taken 10 years to renovate because of these stipulations.
The buildings that lined the streets were 3 stories high; many with a courtyard leading to upper floors. Some of the streets had blocks of brightly colored buildings yet on the same street there were several blocks of buildings in disrepair. During a tour, we were told that all renovation of the buildings has to be approved by the government and must be returned to its exact original state. One of the hotels in Plaza de San Francisco de Asís where we had stopped to listen to music had taken 10 years to renovate because of these stipulations.
The buildings that lined the streets were 3 stories high; many with a courtyard leading to upper floors. Some of the streets had blocks of brightly colored buildings yet on the same street there were several blocks of buildings in disrepair. During a tour, we were told that all renovation of the buildings has to be approved by the government and must be returned to its exact original state. One of the hotels in Plaza de San Francisco de Asís where we had stopped to listen to music had taken 10 years to renovate because of these stipulations.
Sunday morning Damna asked us what religion we were. We stated that we were Catholic. She mentioned that her daughter Katia was going to The Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Plaza de la Catedral of Havana to see friends from Germany who were singing in the choir. She was kind enough to let us go with her. We remember our children when they were younger; we assured Katia that it was not necessary to sit with us even though she did. After the service, we promised we could find our way home, and she should be with her friends.
Sunday morning Damna asked us what religion we were. We stated that we were Catholic. She mentioned that her daughter Katia was going to The Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Plaza de la Catedral of Havana to see friends from Germany who were singing in the choir. She was kind enough to let us go with her. We remember our children when they were younger; we assured Katia that it was not necessary to sit with us even though she did. After the service, we promised we could find our way home, and she should be with her friends.
No trip to Old Habana is complete without the Hemingway tour of bars, from mojito’s (La Bodeguita del Medio) to daiquiri’s (La Floridita).
On the way back from the marina after a party, we asked our taxi driver, who spoke English, what he liked best about Cuba. Without hesitation, he said the people. “If my cab breaks down, my neighbors are there to help. Everyone helps each other.”
From our experience the people of Cuba are its greatest treasure. They are warm, caring and friendly.
From our experience the people of Cuba are its greatest treasure. They are warm, caring and friendly.
March 19, 2017
It is time to get the coach and ourselves ready to start traveling. Francie started this process with arthroscopic surgery on her knee the day after we arrived back from Cuba. She is doing well. Besides washing and waxing the RV, we realize we have not made an itinerary for our next travels, beyond the next month or so! We find ourselves torn between being a place that is familiar and feels like home and the itch to move and see new places.
It is time to get the coach and ourselves ready to start traveling. Francie started this process with arthroscopic surgery on her knee the day after we arrived back from Cuba. She is doing well. Besides washing and waxing the RV, we realize we have not made an itinerary for our next travels, beyond the next month or so! We find ourselves torn between being a place that is familiar and feels like home and the itch to move and see new places.
March 27, 2017
Most of the journal is written and the pictures have been selected, but our future has interfered with our communication with you. We needed to quickly make decisions about where we want to tour this year. The decision to be in south Texas had already been made, but there are 8 months between now and then. Deciding where we wanted to go was the easy part. Getting places to stay and deciding how long we would stay in those places is mind numbing. Our itinerary has become a black hole absorbing most of our time and energy. Many of the places were already booked which spurred us on to complete the task. Apparently Colorado is a popular place in the summer!
Most of the journal is written and the pictures have been selected, but our future has interfered with our communication with you. We needed to quickly make decisions about where we want to tour this year. The decision to be in south Texas had already been made, but there are 8 months between now and then. Deciding where we wanted to go was the easy part. Getting places to stay and deciding how long we would stay in those places is mind numbing. Our itinerary has become a black hole absorbing most of our time and energy. Many of the places were already booked which spurred us on to complete the task. Apparently Colorado is a popular place in the summer!