Cuba

[David Goodwin]

#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a little 'rap over the knuckles' for giving some things out of our medical locker that I told the Owners were almost out of date.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.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Making me cry Ivan ! First Habanaera dance 1950. Last visit 2017. Now strum Cuban music, dance tango, smoke their cigars, drink rum, etc., etc. Some of the above I don't do so well. Cheers, Eric

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[j.sabourn]

#11. What ship were you on David.? It would have been about that era I was in Boqueron and you are the first person who has admitted to going there. The usual Castroite khaki clad black beard and machine pistol used to wander on ship as though he owned it , wander in to whatever room he wanted and literally help himself, the machine pistol being the deterrent to giving him a punch in the nose. I remember a pub on the Quay where we used to go for smokos as well as all other times we could make it. All the times we loaded sugar in Cuba it was always for Japan. The first time in 1953 we took to Kawasaki , it was a different world in those days. Thanks for your reply. On the other hand all the sugar we loaded in Queensland was for the UK. Which I hope will be the next trade agreement with after disentangling itself from the present encumbrances.. cheers JS

PS just looked at your cv and see you were once with Palm Line. Did you ever come across an engineer who would probably be known to you as Tommy Kempster. ? JS

[David Goodwin]

Hi J.S. I was on Blue Flue 'Ulysses'. A great ship and memorable voyage, still in my first year at sea - went around the world on her. Joined her in Amsterdam early April 1959 then to Cuba, Panama Canal to Honolulu to Yoko and Moji, followed by Philipines, Borneo, Malaya, Ceylon, and Suez. We didn't turn right at Gib but went across to Halaifax, then down east coast U.S. Cape Cod Canal, into the Gulf to New Orleans and others then back up to New Yorkand back across The Pond to Algiers and Alexandria, follwed by Bangkok and Indonesia, finally drydocked in Singapore, where I left her on Christmas Eve to join 'Cyclops', for home but via anothercall at Bangkok and Borneo. Arrived Liverpool March 1960.
Re Palm Line - I was deep sea with them only for a little over one year on 'Lagos Palm' then Europe coasting, 1965-66, Don't recall Tommy Kempster.

I did a couple of trips to Aussie, in 1958, then 1962 with Blueys. I see you are in WA. I applied for a job with Air Traffic Control when if Freemantle. Interview o.k. then told I had to apply from UK. Intended to follow it up, but life got in the way. I have cousins in Brisbane, Melboune and Adelaide, but none in WA.
Cheers
Dave G.

[j.sabourn]

Never would have expected to see a blue Flu ship in Cuba, so we all live and learn. When blue Flu was mentioned one thinks of the Far East run. Your first trip sounds more like a trampships agenda and not the liner trade. Was very similar to mine only did it in two phases , a 6 month one round the world and then a continuation one of 11 months down to South America , to Far East and later back to Europe. An acquaintance of mine did 5 years without getting back to Uk . He lives in Canada and saw him a few years ago , he finished serving his time in the Far East but wasn’t able to sign off until the Articles of agreement which were the third set , expired a year later. Blue Flu ships were always good to swop the Walport movies with as always seemed to have better ones than we had. Cheers JS.

[kennystone]

Guys, I've never been to Cuba, but you're so colorful about the different details, you're already running out to buy tickets.

[j.sabourn]

#16. You. Should try Haiti then if not too sure about the West Indies. Half of the Island is called the Dominican Republic and the other half Haiti. When I was there in the 1950s , we went to Ciudad Trujillo first in the Dominican Republic , all work stopped at 0900 hrs every day for a 3 minutes silence in respect to the present ruling dictator.
Probably just liked to impress on people who was boss. going further along the coast to Haiti was a different set up as the land of Black Magic . Most have seen the movies making people aware the source of this religion in the first place. Believe what one wants , but to me was a land of poverty , would of made a pestilence hole look like a holiday camp. Cruise ships and the likes of today put into these islands as places of beauty for the wide eyed tourists, I often wonder where they hide their dirty linen. Cheers JS.

[Tony Taylor]

I had a holiday in Cuba 20 odd years ago in Santa Lucia, beautiful beach which was busy if there was six people on it. Second biggest barrier reef in world after Oz, absolutely sunning crystal water.
Lots of good commie workers staying there as guests of the government, but they nicked all the light bulbs from corridors etc. when they went home.
One of the barmen was an English teacher who had read and could quote virtually all Shakespeare but was bar tending for better money (tips).
Food was a bit grim, but understandable, got by with tipping paracetamol as I heard it was hard to come by, after first or second time I had a stream of people with headaches looking for help. Poor sods had a rough time getting anything, queues outside shops in towns for what we would consider mundane items..

[Dennis McGuckin]

I had a birthday there while at sea in the 60ies.
Went back for a holiday eight years ago.
Not much had changed.
Except lots of hotel construction.
Waiting for the mighty US. dollar.

[Keith Tindell]

I was there 4 years ago, still not accepting the yankee dollar, and loaded 14% in the banks, lots of Canadians there, but the only American i saw was trying to change his dollars in the hotel, which was refused. He was asking why?, i tried to explain to him about the Cuban crisis, he would have ben in his late 30s, and had no idea what it was all about, . The American lease og Guantanamo runs out in a very short years time apparently kt