This photo was taken on March, 06, 2020 at the Palco Mall Supermarket in Jaimanitas, a small town in the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. What have the products on these three photos in common? These are products that require quite some efforts to get here in Cuba. I have been living here for more than…
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Weather The high that was sitting west of Florida over the last days and brought cold and strong northerly winds to the north of Cuba moved east. Accordingly the winds are currently shifting from northwest over north to east and further to southeast and decrease as the center of the high moves northeast. At first…
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“Hey Maik!” somebody is shouting my name and abruptly I turn around. I see a pink Chevrolet ‘55 convertible taxi, and I see a woman, wearing an elegant long dress and a hat that makes every sombrero look tiny. Huge sunglasses cover what is left to see on her face. The sun is burning relentlessly.…
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As you may remember, I am in Germany at the moment. I left my boat in Cuba for two weeks to take care of some important business. Despite being here for a week already, I am still suffering from the blunt culture shock. It is just a few days ago that I met with my…
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Santa Marta, Cuba – January 29, 2020 – I took this photo in Santa Marta, Cuba, just a few moments after the earth was shaken by a 7.3 force earthquake short of Cuban’s southern coast and a tsunami warning was issued for the area. Everyone is checking on friends and family. Only the couple in the top right corner…
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I just arrived in Santa Marta, a lively small town in the north of Cuba, between the cities Matanzas and Cardenas. As I get out of the blue and white 1956 Chevrolet 210 Sedan that served us as a taxi, I am struck by the smell of fresh bread. (You need to know that bread…
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Most sailors dream of sailing the Caribbean at least once in their lives. They dream of warm weather, clear water, secluded anchorages, endless beaches… The reality hits them with unaffordable marinas, crowded anchorages and crazy labor rates. I am not saying there are no hidden gems left off the beaten path anymore but the beaten…
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Santa Marta, Cuba – January 25, 2020 – There is a lot of things that Cuba has plenty: cigars, beautiful girls, vintage cars and Che Guevara pictures for example. But on the flip side there is also a lot of things that Cuba has very little of: milk, apples or razor blades for example –…
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Every downside has its upside, and as my good friend, experienced Cape Horner and professional psychologist Katarzyna said, “The cure to everything is always more sea and less land.” Following this motto I am going to cure my grief over the loss of my dear crew members by embracing the new freedom and setting sails…
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Key West, Florida, USA – January 17, 2020 – There are these days in life when you are doomed to lose, when the shit is just not dropping off your foot, and if you keep shaking it, it eventually lands on your face making a bad day just worse. Today was one of these days…
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Varadero, Cuba – January 04, 2020 – Let me tell you the good news first: Yesterday we safely arrived in Varadero, Cuba Marina Gaviota, Varadero after a 168 hrs/503 nautical mile exciting passage: We left GreatInagua, Bahamas on Dec 28 around 13:00 with some delay because I needed to climb the mast to cut the…
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