Yacht Charter Cuba

General Info
With so many legends surrounding Cuba, the best thing you could do is to take your Yacht Charter crew and head down here to see what the deal is with this place. When people think of Cuba they just refer to the one big island, but Cuba is actually made up of the Cuban Island, Isla de la Juventud and a few more archipelagos.

Though just 145 km from the American shore of Florida, there’s nothing American about this place, except maybe the old cars (Yank Tanks) that have been running on Cuban streets since the 50s. The rest of Cuba is very much Spanish in influence, with lots of colonial style buildings that are so appealing to all Yacht Charter tourists.

Before Columbus claimed the island for the Spanish in 1492, Cuba was inhabited by Native American peoples. But after the Europeans came, these were enslaved to serve with building the urban centers and with gold mining. This is also the time a lot of African slaves were brought to the island to work in the sugar, coffee and tobacco plantations. After 400 years of Spanish rule, Cuba won its independence in 1868.

The famous Cuban revolution led by Fidel and his friends really put a strain on the US-Cuban relations, a strain that can be felt to these days and that affects all Yacht Charter boaters.

But being part of the Caribbean, Cuba is just a wonderful place for those who like to sail. It has many miles of coastline and the numerous islands that make up the neighboring archipelagos are also fun for Yacht Charter explorers. After all, these are the shores that the famous writer Ernest Hemingway chose as his place to live, and there’s even a local marina named after him.
 

Law & Order
Other than Cuban rum and cigars, and quality music, you’ll find the Cuban people to warm and welcoming even if the country is in serious need of a make-over after all the years under the communist rule. All tourists are expected to hold a visa, but don’t worry, you can get one at the airport when you land in Cuba. However, some airlines won’t let you board without one so make sure to get one in advance for every member of your Yacht Charter group.

This visa is valid for 30 days and it can be extended to another 30 days at any Cuban immigration office but the Yacht Charter visitor will have to pay a fee for that. Something that’s particular to Cuba is the departure tax, paid when leaving the country by airplane. This doesn’t however apply when leaving by boat, a hint to all you sailors out there.

A very important issue to be remembered is Yacht Charter  travel to neighboring US. You might be tempted to sail to Florida just because it’s close but boat travels between the two countries are a very touchy subject and should be avoided due to the current embargo by US authorities. American citizens and American-registered boats in particular are targetd by Us authorities and they might go as far as confiscating the boat if they feel something isn’t right. The best thing to do is not travel directly from Cuba to America. Most Yacht Charter seamen travel to the Bahamas first and then to either of the countries.