Hurry to Cuba While It’s Still Illegal

If you’re one of those Americans who has always dreamed of cruising to Cuba, in part because the U.S. says it’s illegal for citizens to travel there, you might want to act fast because that opportunity may not last much longer.

Ever since 1959, when Casto took power in Cuba and nationalized the holdings of U.S. investors, then later tried to import nukes from Russia, it’s essentially been illegal to travel to Cuba because of the Treasury Department’s prohibition against "trading with the enemy". That prohibition was ignored by many cruisers — including ourselves — during the Clinton Administration. When George Bush came into office, he promised to prosecute everyone he could for going to Cuba, so that was the end of U.S. boats going to Cuba. But with a progessive President Obama in office, it would be egg all over his philosophical face if the Treasury Department went after Americans traveling wherever the heck they wanted. As a result, two former Baja Ha-Ha participants have cruised to Cuba in the last several months. While they reported not seeing many other American boats, the numbers are sure to increase.

And it may even become legal to cruise Cuba before too long. For the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enchancement Act made it out of the House Agricultural Committee last week and will soon be brought before the entire House. The embarassment is that the real motivator behind a possible change is not recognizing that Americans should be able to travel where they want, but rather the lust for cold hard cash. You see, U.S. farmers sold $700 million worth of food to Cuba — 40% of all they imported — last year. But because of U.S. red tape and other nonsense, U.S. farmers — and the U.S. — are starting to lose out to Canada and Brazil.

While the bill is moving forward, there is no guarantee that it will be passed. After all, it made it out of committee by a vote of 25 to 20, which is hardly an overwhelming margin. And the Florida anti-Commie lobby sure doesn’t want to see the legislation passed.

For all those who have fantasized about how great cruising in Cuba might be, you probably need a dose of reality as to what life is like in totalitarian countries. Here in the States, the basic rule is you can do whatever you want unless it’s specifically prohibited. In Cuba and other totalitarian countries, it’s just the opposite. Unless something is specifically permitted by the state, you have to assume that it’s illegal. For all those who bellyache about the lack of freedom in the United States, a cruise to Cuba would be a monumental eye-opener on how restrictive governments can be. Lots of Americans also don’t seem to appreciate how impoverished Cuba is. We’re not sure if Cuban girls and women are still knocking on hulls at the Hemingway International Marina just outside of Havana offering sex in return for as little as a bar of soap, but the poverty was that bad during the Clinton Administration and the situation hasn’t improved that much since then.

For a good insight on the current state of affairs in Cuba, check out Greg Dorland’s report from the May issue of Latitude, and Roger Davis’ two-part report on bareboat chartering there, in our June and July editions.