By David Allester and Eileen Quinn

(David and Eileen left Toronto, Canada, in 1994 aboard their Bayfield 36 cutter Little Gidding and have been cruising the US east coast and the Caribbean ever since. They visited the south coast of Cuba in 2000 and the north coast in 2004.  You can follow their adventures and hear samples of Eileen's original cruising songs at www.eileenquinn.com.)
 

Foraging for food in Cuba
Crocodiles And Contraband Potatoes

We were anchored off Pasa Boca Chica, an uninhabited inlet about midway along Cuba's north coast. It had been three weeks since we had visited a settlement on the mainland and it was David's day for galley duty.  He turned to Eileen and asked, "Would you like rice with your fish tonight?" "We had rice and fish last night," Eileen observed, "in fact, we've had rice and fish for five nights in a row."... Read the whole story.

The BOX
Our Cuban Souvenir

Some people travel to Cuba for the sun and the beaches.  Others go to experience the rich Latin culture and magnificent colonial architecture. We went to get rid of THE BOX. ... Click here to read the story in its entirety.

Discovering the limits of lobster cove
Cuban lobster largesse

For the sin of seafood gluttony, we went to lobster hell.  In lobster hell, the meal plan never varies: lobster for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  We found ourselves in lobster hell on the south coast of Cuba...Here’s the whole story.

Tourists or terrorists?
Cruising In Cuba Can Be Confusing

Cruising Cuban waters is in no small way made more difficult by the ingrained paranoia Cuban officials have of foreigners on boats.  Granma, the 60 foot motor yacht that brought Fidel and Che from exile in Mexico back to Cuba to start the revolution, was previously owned by an American.  If they could arrive on a foreigner's yacht and take over the country, why couldn't we do the same on Little Gidding, our 36 foot Canadian registered sailboat? Read more.