#3. I'm a bit late jouning this thread , sorry. I remember Boqueron in Guantanamo Bay. I was there as an apprentice, still less than a year at sea, in May 1959, just four months after Fidel took over. I remember going through the narrows between the sides of the American Navy base, and into the bay proper, then going alonside the jetty at Boqueron, to load sugar for Japan. I recall going ashore to the 'village' and finding nothing but a wooden shed and men sitting around smoking, friendly and happy to see us but not exactly popping with life. We were there a week in all, but spent most of any free time going back and forth in ships lifeboats to met with other boats berthed on the other side of the bay. in Caimanera. We then moved 'next door' to Santiago, a much more lively place. There for a fortnight, slow loading more sugar. The first weekend we four apprentices went up into the hills with a local lad we had met the day before, with the intention of hunting guinea fowl, what we caught was about the size of a jackdaw, but a happy day. One day we went in the lifeboat out into the harbour entrance near to El Morro castle, which we also visited another time. The time we had in Cuba on that trip left me with happy memories of the people the country, and of Fidel. I feel that he was basically a Nationalist, pushed into the arms of the Russians by the Americans who embargoed Cuba out of frustration that they had lost their offshoe brothels and casinos. Latterly he did become more dictatorial, following Che Guavara. I went back to Guantanamo in 1968 - nothing had changed, what they had before was all they had now (viz the old Chevvys etc) they were being starved by the US embargo. I remember the local doctor coming on board, almost begging for medical supplies. I got a little 'rap over the knuckles' for giving some things out of our medical locker that I told the Owners were almost out of date.
Cheers, Dave G.