A complete collection of Cuba stories by David Allester and his cruising mate, Eileen Quinn, traveling minstrel of the Caribbean.

Nautical Cuba—stats and facts 

Landmass: 44,000 square miles

Climate: Tropical in trade-wind belt, modified by frontal systems from U.S. and hurricanes 

Shoreline: 3,000 nautical miles 

Circumnavigation: 1,650 nautical miles  

Islands and keys: 4,195 

Percentage of coastal shelf navigable by boats over 25 feet: 70 percent 

Quality of Cuban marine cartography: Superb 

Boating regions: 7

Dive centers: 18

Marinas: 15 with 789 slips 

Planned marinas: 23 additional with more than 5,000 slips 

Major colonial port cities: Five (Havana, Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Santiago and Baracoa)

Distances to: Florida, 90 miles; Mexico,110 miles; Cayman Islands, 170 miles; Jamaica, 80 miles; Hispaniola, 45 miles;
The Bahamas, 45 miles; Turks & Caicos: 110 miles

Number of visiting yachts: Before 2004*, more than 2,000 annually. After 2004, about 1,000 annually

Percentage of visiting yachts from the U.S.: Before 2004*, 69 percent. After 2004, 17 percent

Number of recreational vessels greater than 25 feet LOA, registered in Florida: 92,000

Estimated number of yachts that will travel to Cuba in the first year after the travel ban ends: 60,000 to 80,000

*On Feb. 26, 2004 the administration of President George W. Bush issued a proclamation outlining measures to crack down on Americans traveling by boat to Cuba in contravention of the U.S. embargo.